Thanks to Flash for pointing out the piece from yesterday’s San Bernardino County Sun about the latest development in the misadventures of Rep. Joe Baca and Sons, aka the "Dismal Dynasty".  I posted Part I of this year’s saga on October 9th.  The latest Baca blunder came in the form of their inability to get endorsements from the Democratic Party convention last weekend.

(Pictured, left to right) Joe, Joe Jr., and Jeremy — or as he is now known, "J. Baca", are either running for reelection to Congress (Joe the Father), for a promotion from the State Assembly to the State Senate in the overlapping district (Joe the Son, who likes to call himself "Genuine Joe"), or for promotion to the State Assembly from "education consultant" (the other son, "J. Baca", aka Jeremy). 

Since almost the dawn of his political career, Joe Baca has called himself "Working Joe", but his record illustrates how there can often be a difference between motion and actual progress.  In fact, it seems that every time these guys appear in the press it’s for the most embarrassing lack of industry, follow through, or effort — as if they go out of its way to prove that they’re not ‘working’.

Case in point: no member of the family was endorsed by the State Democratic Party at its most recent convention.  Here is the breakdown:

‘Congressman Joe’ — who is the incumbent and running unopposed in the primary – no endorsement. 

‘Assemblyman Joe’ – who is running against Assemblymember Gloria Negrete McLeod for the Senate seat that largely overlaps Congressman Joe’s district — LOST the endorsement to McLeod.

‘J. Baca’ – couldn’t even get the Party delegates to vote on an endorsement because a pre-vote showed he only managed a tie with his opponent, Wilmer Amina Carter, a former school board member from Rialto.

With any good Baca gaffe there always seems to be a quote that captures the essence of Baca’s lack of understanding about what just happened to him, or that shows his lack of work ethic.  “They took advantage of a loophole, and I could have done that,” Rep. Baca is quoted by The Sun as saying.  "I had the experience, and I know this system is in place.”  The "loophole" Baca was referring to was candidates’ ability to make political deals with delegates for votes.  Seems like this kind of thing is the stuff of everyday life for a politician who’s held public office for 14 years.  ‘Working’ for insurance votes at an endorsing convention ought to be a no-brainer for Working Joe — standard drill.  But I guess not.  It would seem an incumbent Congressman who can’t get his own party’s endorsement at a party convention might be considered a lightweight in Congress.  And indeed he is.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 4th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.