Progressive Democrat Issue 38: TARGET THE CORRUPT REPUBLICAN: the ghost of Randy Cunningham

I have already covered the corruption of California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, and covered the fact that, partly due to the bad press this corruption has had, Randy Cunningham is not running for re-election in 2006. But the ghost of Randy Cunningham may haunt the Republicans in the CA-50 district. This illustrates one of the effects exposing corruption is having. Already Ohio is having trouble even in solidly Republican districts (like OH-2) partly because the Ohio Republican Party is so scandal-ridden and these scandals are coming to light all over the state. Now it may be the turn of a very Republican district in California.

CA-50 is solid red. It is in San Diego county and Dems generally have no chance there. But 2006 may be as different as the OH-2 race just was in 2005. This year, Democrat Francine Busby is already looking like a strong challenger against which ever Republican gets in line to replace Corrupt "Duke" Cunningham.

As covered in a Daily Kos article and reported in the San Deigo Union: (warning, the San Diego Union is not a well-written paper!)

UNION-TRIBUNE

August 8, 2005

Francine Busby is feeling on fire.

Thanks to Duke's hari-kari, his effervescent foe has morphed into the It
Girl...

"This is going to be the hottest race on the West Coast," the Cardiff
candidate pledges with a sunny, know-it-all grin. "This is going to be the
most competitively fought congressional seat this side of the Rockies.
It's not a blow-away for Republicans in this district anymore."

Two months ago, you'd have said Busby was blowing smoke with this cocksure
prediction.

Today, given what's transpired, a visitor to her two-story house
overlooking the San Elijo Lagoon takes notes and nods sagaciously.

Lordy be, the 50th - a presumably "safe" Republican district that
stretches from a part of La Jolla and Clairemont north to Escondido and
San Marcos, as well as along the coast from Del Mar to Carlsbad - appears
to be up for grabs by either party...

After running a spirited, but soundly losing, campaign last year against
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Rancho Santa Fe, Busby was gearing up for
yet another round when Cunningham was exposed as the world's shrewdest
dealer in real estate and yachts - but a fatally flawed politician.

In a flashbulb, Busby went from wallflower also-ran to glamour girl.

The exposure of Republican Corruption in Texas has made DeLay's seat potentially competative, made OH-2 surprisingly competative, and is now making a "safe" Republican seat competative.

This is extraordinary! In fact, this is almost unheard of in modern politics! Don't get me wrong. ALL of these will be hard fights for the Dems. But the point is they will, for the first time in maybe 20 years, be hard fights for the Republicans too! And this is one reason why we have to fight corruption so hard. Those who are as corrupt as the Halliburton Republicans of the Bush era deserve to be brought down. And aparantly much of America agrees.

Please take note of the many actions on my Target the Corrupt Republican blog and remember, your letters to the editor exposing Republican corruption will help turn America around. And help out Democrat Francine Busby for Congress!