Stephen R. Jaffe for Congress

According to the Daily Kos Rules of the Road, this site is designed to help make "a stronger more effective, more progressive Democratic Party." This has proved very difficult to do because those in Democratic leadership have seemed out of touch with the voters they claim to represent. No elected leader in the House shows this more than Nancy Pelosi.

From her "we're capitalists and that's just the way it is", to not being able to name current leaders of the party, to saying back in December that the people don't want change, Nancy Pelosi has shown that she has learned very little, if anything, after Trump's election. On top of that, Democrats lost more than 60 seats in the House from 2008 to 2016 with her at the helm. It's time for this to end. Enter Stephen Jaffe.

Just who is Stephen Jaffe? He’s a San Francisco employment attorney that volunteered for Bernie Sanders last year. The Observer has more:

“Two words: Bernie Sanders,” Jaffe said in an interview with the Observer when asked why he was running for Congress. “My goal is to try to pull the Democratic Party away from the establishment, corporations, big money, big oil, big pharma, and return it to the people.” "I was a pretty hard-core Bernie supporter," said Jaffe, who gave money to the campaign and volunteered during the Nevada caucuses. He was one of two attorneys who filed for an injunction on behalf of Sanders supporters in the California primary, requesting "re-votes" and an extension of the voter registration deadline.

Bernie Sanders has inspired people to run for office and work for change. I applaud this strategy. Mr. Jaffe is one such candidate, and he appears that he may be able to mount a serious challenge. Like Bernie, he has a strong record for fighting for grassroots, does not accept corporate cash, and feels that leadership should listen to its voters.

If there is to be a stronger, more effective Democratic Party, there must be leaders who want to work and fight for change. Currently, there are very few in positions to do so. Stephen Jaffe hopes to change that by replacing someone who has seemed resistant of late. It will not be easy, but this is one race that should be watched closely.