Rep. Stark (D., Calif.) releases his (Democratic) Id

Here is something literally unbelievable—a congressman expressing complete contempt for his own constituents. He is 37 year House veteran Fortney Hillman “Pete” Stark; his constituents, at a town hall type meeting, are asking why more isn’t being done by the government to stop illegal border crossings from Mexico; and he treats them as though they were idiots or killers undeserving of a reply. Has Stark always been like this, or, at age 78, is he going senile? Or, a third alternative, is he following the example of the current president by openly showing his disdain for America and for those of its citizens who care about its well-being?

Answer: he’s always been like this. As Wikipedia explains in detail, Stark has a long history of making shockingly intemperate and insulting statements. About which the San Francisco Chronicle wrote in April 2009:

Only a politician who assumes he has a job for life could behave so badly on a semi-regular basis by spewing personalized invective that might get him punched in certain East Bay taverns. Would-be challengers sometimes sense a whiff of opportunity, but the reality of taking on a 16-term Democrat in solidly liberal terrain is nothing short of daunting. Surely there must be someone along the shoreline between Alameda and Fremont who could represent the good citizens of the district with class and dignity. It’s not the case now.

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Alexis Zarkov writes:

Stark’s behavior at his 2010 Fremont constituent meeting was atrocious, but in my opinion his behavior towards Jan Helfeld during a 2006 office interview was worse. Stark ended up screaming and cursing at Helfeld and threatened to “throw him out of the window.” Now Helfeld had become a pest, and I can see Stark wanting to end the interview, but he did become physically threatening. They were arguing about the national debt, which Stark thinks is an indication of wealth—wealthy countries have big national debts according to Stark. The two argue back and forth until Stark loses his temper. Helfeld seems to have a penchant for provoking Congressman. In this interview Helfeld gets roughed up by Congressman’s Estaban Torres’s staff and they steal his tape of the interview. Helfeld sued and got an award of $45,000, an apology, and the return of his tape. In another interview, Nancy Pelosi becomes enraged at Helfeld and calls security to stop the interview. Helfeld, while provocative is always calm and polite, at least as far as we can see from the taped material. Democrats behaving badly. I’m starting to wonder if many of them are even sane. Judge for yourself.

I once met Stark, and at that time he was sitting on some kind of House trade committee. He seemed to be drunk because I remember smelling alcohol, and his eyes were watery. I asked him where the USSR was the getting the hard currency to pay for the large wheat deal in play at that time. He didn’t know. The correct answer is the Export-Import Bank. In other words, the U.S. government was lending them money to buy wheat with the loan guaranteed by the U.S. taxpayers. He should have known that, but he didn’t.

Stark generally wins with about 75% of the votes cast, his district being the uber liberal California Congressional District 13. I’m afraid only the grim reaper can remove Stark from office, and that’s why Stark doesn’t care about how he looks as he has an absolute lock on his seat.

Finally I notice Stark has gained significant weight since 2006.

LA replies:

I wonder what the southern Bay area including Hayward (which I thought was a rather prim suburban town) would be so much more liberal than other districts in CA.

Kathlene M. writes:

Along with Stark’s ornery personality, he admitted in 2007 that he was an atheist, or “a Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being.” So this guy isn’t beholden to anyone but himself and the growing immigrant populations that have taken over the East Bay. I made the mistake of writing an immigration-restrictionist letter to him a few years ago. After I received his pro-immigration form-letter response, I’ve been on his mailing list ever since. Stark will be 79 this year and I’m betting he’ll live to 100. It seems the ornery ones outlast (or out-exhaust) everyone else. So the East Bay will continue voting him in for the next 20 years at least.

Kathlene M. writes:

You asked: “I wonder what the southern Bay area including Hayward (which I thought was a rather prim suburban town) would be so much more liberal than other districts in CA. ”

Hayward’s ethnic breakdown as of 2000 was:

Ethnic Breakdown (Census 2000):
African American: 10.6 percent
Asian/Pacific Islander: 20.5 percent
Hispanic: 34.2 percent
White: 29.2 percent
Other: 0.9 percent
Two or more Races: 4.6 percent

So I can only guess what the new 2010 census will show. I live in the East Bay and can tell you by observation that it’s dominated by Asians including Indians, Chinese, Filipinos; Middle-Easterners (who mostly inhabit Fremont which has the largest Afghan refugee population in the U.S.); Hispanics; and Blacks. Most of them are liberal and vote Democrat. My son’s school is 10% white and the private schools are about 5% white. When I go to the local parks with my kids, I can hear Chinese, Spanish and other languages spoken. When we go to the local malls or Costco, we are surrounded by a sea of foreigners who speak in their native tongues.

LA replies:

Ahh. I was last in Hayward in the ’70s. At least the suburban areas, in the hills, were all white.

Alexis Zarkov writes:

The 13th Congressional District has Hayward, San Leandro Fremont, as well as parts of Oakland and Pleasanton. Hayward is now about 1/3 Hispanic as well as San Leandro, many of the whites moved out in the 1970s. Fremont has become almost a Chinese colony. I went into a shopping center there last year and found no signs in English. It was like entering a foreign country. Oakland is about 40 percent black, and the whites are very liberal. Pleasanton is now an affluent, largely white, but liberal suburb. The whole of the Bay Area is extremely liberal. Alameda County (not the island city near Oakland) has only a 17 percent Republican registration. It’s 10 percent in San Francisco County (coincident with the city), 22 percent in Marin. In short, it’s almost impossible for a Republican to win anywhere in the Bay Area expect for the 11th Congressional District (where I live). In fact every county in the whole state of California has less than 50 percent Republican registration. Even Orange County is only 47 percent; once ground zero for Republicans in the state. Way up north, Modoc county is exactly at 50 percent. The Republican party is becoming extinct in California.

July 2

Kathlene replies to LA:

Most of the dwindling white remant live in the hills, but they are now outnumbered and surrounded by the growing foreign population.

Mark Jaws writes:

I too googled the Census data for Pete Stark’s California district and found that in 60 years it has gone from being 95% white to near extinction today. Conservative whites must have seen the writing on the wall long ago and hightailed on out.

I still hold and will beat this drum until I die, that the only hope for us traditionalists is to consolidate into a contiguous area and elect feisty and combative governors such as Christie and Brewer who will collaborate among themselves to tell the Feds to screw off and use the power of the states to take matters into our own hands. Things have gotten so bad, that for the first time in my life I am actually serious about joining one of these seccessionist groups, or beginning one among my fellow TEA Party members. I know for certain that the sympathy for such a movment exists among many.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at July 01, 2010 09:10 AM | Send