Jeff Koopersmith weighs in on a new example of the Republican Party's election season chicanery.

Jose Fernandez, Democratic candidate in California's 17th CD

Former Space Shuttle astronaut Jose Hernandez is a Democrat running in the 19th Congressional District of California.

His opponent, Republican Jeff Denham, is your usual GOP puppet.  High on his list of “What I’ve done”  are:

• "Denham Announces Relief for Backcountry Horsemen from House";
• "Denham Introduces Legislation to Require Transparency of GSA, Protect American Taxpayers";
• the normal Republican pap about cutting spending (which they have never done); and
• giving tax breaks to the so-called "job creator" rich who have never created a job, since that’s impossible. Demand for a product or service produces jobs, and Republicans seem very good at firing huge numbers of people. A sterling example of this is the "creative destruction" business model employed by  Bain Capital and its chief politico, one Willard Mitt Romney, whose name may be familiar to you.

Soon-to-be-lobbyist Jeff Denham. Does this guy paint his teeth white, or what?

Denham has more money right now, but unions are supporting Hernandez which can work to his favor, or hurt him as local business tries to keep him out of Congress.

A major factor working against Hernandez is that creepy California Republicans are the creepiest in America.  Where else would you find a formerly accused felon like Darrell Issa pretending to care about some idiot giving guns to Mexican drug cartels in order to track them?

Even creepier is the fact that "The Party of Reagan" decided that Hernandez could not call himself am Astronaut on the ballot “because astronaut is not a title one carries for life.”

And there, in both Hernandez's job history and the GOP's shrill nuttery, is reason enough to elect Hernandez.

Run over to Jose’s website, Jose for Congress , and make a contribution or give him a great idea to beat Jeff "Richie Rich" Denham.