LOS ANGELES—Democrat Marcy Winograd, who will be challenging genocide denier Jane Harman in a primary race next year in California’s 36th Congressional District, has pledged her full support on a variety of issues important to her prospective Armenian American constituents. Harman made national headlines in 2007 when she secretly wrote a letter in opposition to the Armenian Genocide resolution to the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, while still being listed as a “cosponsor” of the human rights legislation.
The Los Angeles Times and others harshly criticized Harman for flip-flopping on the genocide resolution. California’s 36th Congressional District covers a portion of the South Bay in Los Angeles County, including the cities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, El Segundo and Venice.
Marcy Winograd will be challenging Jane Harman in the Democratic Party primary slated to be held on June 8, 2010. Winograd challenged Harman in 2006 and gave the incumbent a strong run, despite being dramatically outspent by Harman, who is one of the richest members of the U.S. Congress. Winograd is the co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Progressive Democrats of America.
“Jane Harman has been a disaster for the people of the 36th Congressional District,” remarked Kris Demirjian, spokesman for the Armenian National Committee PAC (ANC-PAC). “As her secret effort to kill the Armenian Genocide resolution showed in 2007, she is willing to barter away human rights to satisfy foreign Turkish interests. The citizens of the South Bay area in Los Angeles deserve better than Jane Harman. We urge all voters in the 36th Congressional District to cast their ballots for Marcy Winograd in the Democrat Primary to be held on June 8, 2010,” added Demirjian.
Winograd has strongly endorsed the Armenian Genocide resolution pending in the 111th Congress. She has stated, for the record, “I will not only co-sponsor a resolution to recognize the Armenian genocide, I will work to bring other lawmakers on board as co-sponsors. History should never be revised to suit the needs of current geopolitical considerations; to rewrite history or to deny genocide not only insults the victims and their families, but suggests we are doomed to repeat the same crimes of ethnic cleansing and mass murder because we never fully explore the root causes of genocide.”
Winograd has also expressed her clear support for continued U.S. developmental and humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabagh. She believes that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabagh deserve the support of the United States. She also believes that the United States must intervene in Nagorno-Karabagh to ensure the safety and security of Armenians. Lastly, she believes in the right of self-determination for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabagh.
Winograd has staked a strong position against the continued practice of sending U.S. weaponry to the Republic of Turkey. She supports pre-conditions for arms sales by the United States to Turkey. She believes our nation should not be selling weapons for the purpose of extending an illegal occupation of Cyprus, imposing an economic blockade against Armenia, attacking Kurds, or restricting the freedom of Christians.
The ANC-PAC is a non-partisan federally registered political action committee established to support campaign committees for Members of Congress who share the values of the Armenian American community. The ANC-PAC is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the voice of the Armenian American community is clearly heard in our nation’s capital. The ANC-PAC continues a century old tradition of Armenian American engagement on the public policy issues facing national political leaders, both in the U.S. Congress and the White House.
In 2006, I ran against Jane Harman in the 36th Congressional District as a peace candidate and as someone who had gone on record in favor of the resolution on Armenian Genocide. I was the only candidate in the general election to take this position. Yet the ANC-PAC did not endorse my candidacy because I was a “third-party” (Peace and Freedom) candidate.
I believe this position by ANC-PAC is short sided. All of us who seek justice and favor telling the truth about history will be stronger if we work together regardless of party. President Obama said this week that we need choice and competition in health care. That is true. But we need choice and competition even more in elections. It’s likely that because of the Harman family’s vast wealth, that once again a candidate from the Peace and Freedom Party will be the only opponent of Harman’s who stands with the Armenian community. Will ANC-PAC turn its back on us?