New group faces uphill challenge of GOP Rep. David Dreier
By all expectations, Rep. David Dreier shouldn't have a political care in the world. Even in this tough year for Republicans.
First elected in 1980, the GOP congressman has used the power of congressional incumbency to amass a campaign account bulging with $1.85 million. His Democratic foe, Russ Warner, has barely $104,000.
Dreier’s district, which covers parts of Los Angeles Cou
nty out to San Bernardino County, was tailor-made to ensure Republican victory.
But a California-based independent campaign group, Courage Campaign, is targeting Dreier, seeking to tie him to President George W. Bush. An ad intended for cable TV, but so far only on the Internet, calls him a “Bush rubber stamp.”
Rick Jacobs, the group’s founder, is seeking to undermine Dreier’s reputation as a political moderate. Convinced that Dreier could lose, he said: “This is going to be a huge change year.”
In an interview Dreier spokeswoman Jo Maney called the ad an “amateurish smear job.”
Political consultant Allan Hoffenblum, who tracks California campaigns in his Target Book, said Dreier should have little to fear: “If Republicans start losing seats like Dreier’s, they’re in deep trouble.”
As of its last report, Courage Campaign had $36,000 in the bank. But its backers include major Democratic donors. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Mark Gorenberg, and Pacific Palisades investor Thomas Unterman each gave him $5,000.
In recent months, Courage Campaign has mounted a vocal campaign to block a training facility in San Diego County developed by Blackwater, the private security firm, and has also criticized Sen. Dianne Feinstein over some of her votes.
--Dan Morain
Photo credit: Office of Rep. David Dreier
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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This shows how little the LA Times knows about the area. Yes its a Los Angeles based paper but they think the world ends at the 605 freeway. I have already gotten 8 mailers and 2 phone calls from Warner attacking Dreier. He must of spent a ton of money already and Dreier is not liked in the area. In the last election Dreier won by the smallest amount of any setting congressman against a no name with no money.
Do a little research LA Times and get past the 605 and talk to people.
Thomas Jones
Upland
www.bushrubberstamp.com
Posted by: Thomas Jones | July 08, 2008 at 07:26 PM
The Silicon Valley Folks another "Elite" group of "Rich" people who believe they know best. They are betting on Obama who plans to tax them to the poor house, maybe thats a good idea.
VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
ps Obama = Chamberlian = victory for terrorists = Keeping our shoes on forever.
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | July 08, 2008 at 08:42 PM
A new poll shows a majority of the 26th disapproves of Dreier. Dreier might have a lot of money, but all that money only bought him a 54 per cent win in 2004 against a Cnythia Matthews, an underfunded, weak campaigner. Warner is raising lots of money and he KNOWS how to campaign. This race is could be the biggest House race upset this year
Posted by: Ben Marko | July 24, 2008 at 01:52 PM