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Home  At Length Getting Rid of Jane
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Getting Rid of Jane |
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Written by James Preston Allen
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Thursday, 30 April 2009 |
The recent revelation that U.S. Congresswoman Jane Harman was herself caught in a federal wiretap––after spending the last eight years supporting Bush’s war on terror tactics, which included domestic wiretapping––is perhaps the most exquisite commentary on the hypocrisy of the Bush years that I can think of. That she is being tortured (figuratively) and interrogated by the national media for her role in an alleged crime is just comeuppance for her years of political fence straddling defended as “bipartisanship” in an era defined by strict Republican partisan loyalty. That Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania has now jumped ship from the Republican party to save his own political neck might give Harman a clue as to what’s in store for her own career.
The point here is that politics has changed in Pennsylvania, but so has her South Bay/Harbor district. Not only can Harman no longer rely on her conservative bastion of support from the aerospace industries and cities like Torrance––once dominated by the conservative political sway of the Daily Breeze––but the winds of change have also come to her other source of power––the Capital beltway. Harman is on the outs with both her own party and the GOP who are now a minority party, which seems to be committing a form of political suicide. (Has anyone actually listened to Rush Limbaugh recently?) Jane has been left isolated, and in national party politics, this is never a good place to hide.
The ongoing Department of Justice investigation into her bungled attempt to intervene into the case of two American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) officials in exchange for a leadership position in the House intelligence committee (see the front page of this issue) is only trumped by her silence during the Bush years. She may only now be saved by the latest hysteria in the mainstream media news cycle focused on the Mexican Swine flu, but I doubt the pigs will save her this time.
What has been clear ever since the last time the congressional districts were gerrymandered is that the Los Angeles Harbor Area has been ill-served by artificial political boundaries that divide up the communities surrounding the twin harbors of L.A. and Long Beach like a strange shaped pie. One piece connects to Orange County by a string along the coast from Newport Beach to Rancho Palos Verdes, another clumps everything from Venice down to San Pedro south of the 405 freeway, except for the Hill, into a mishmash that doesn’t reflect either political or economic realities, a third sandwiched in between combines Carson, Compton, Long Beach and Signal Hill. This should be changed after the next census, whether or not Harman leaves.
The problem with Harman leaving is just that. Who would take her place? The likely candidates are Marcy Winograd who ran against her in the 2006 Democratic primary as the anti-war candidate, but rumor has it that Councilwoman Janice Hahn (CD15) would step up to run as well, which would then beg the question, who is priming themselves to be the next council rep for the Los Angeles Harbor Area?
Call this premature speculation, but I have been thinking about Hahn’s replacement since before her last reelection and the prospects seem grim. The short list, by my estimation include; LAPD officer Joe Buscaino, former Northwest Neighborhood Council president John Greenwood (who previously ran against Joan Milke-Flores years ago), and then there is the ever present John Mavar, also from the Northwest NHC. Then lets not forget former Councilman Rudy Svorinich, who could now run for a third term. Scary isn’t it?
I’m not convinced that if we put all of these folks into office at the same time that we’d come up with one competent representative for public office–– well… maybe if we put two of them together. But first things first, it is high time for Jane Harman to leave office. Retire before she’s indicted or step aside and hold a special election. It is clear after Obama’s first 100 days in office that we all would be much better served if both Harman and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher––the one who use to support the Taliban back in the Reagan years––were both dumped for more progressive leadership.
Of course redistricting could change all this, but who wants to wait to see what shape the next Congressional pie will look like? Besides, that won’t happen until 2012, and change is already overdue.
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