A lifelong Democrat? Robert Lee Ahn is not!

by Paul Ahrens

On the April 4th Special Election ballot, there were multiple good candidates running for the currently vacant U.S. Congress seat in CA34. No matter who you voted for the first time around, the choice in the run-off is now crystal clear. Let me explain why.

I'm a lifelong progressive and I take voting seriously. I am deeply concerned that the right wing extremists running the country are on the verge of forever destroying our Republic. I want my Congressmember to not only make me proud…I want my Congressmember to passionately support a progressive Democratic platform that will ensure we all have a chance at a vibrant future.

I was reading the LA Times article on April 19th and was surprised when I read that Robert Lee Ahn was a former Republican. While I can’t blame him for deserting the Republican Party, I seemed to have remembered seeing something different on his candidate statement. So I went back to look at the candidate statement, and I was right:

“Lifelong Democrat?”

This was incredibly confusing so I asked a friend who was researching CA34. Sure enough:

These documents tell the true story: Robert Lee Ahn lied. He submitted a candidate statement—for which he had to pay for and personally sign—that falsely described himself. In fact, he had to personally sign this document:

Robert Lee Ahn was a registered Republican from the time he was first allowed to vote in 1994 up until 2012 – that’s 18 years of being a Republican. That means Robert Lee Ahn sat idly by while Newt Gingrich led his Republican Congress to defund our school systems and weaken hard working Americans’ pensions. He stood with his fellow Republicans while George W. Bush lead us into pointless wars and lead us to the Great Recession. Robert Lee Ahn even stood with Republicans while Barack Obama built a once in a lifetime movement for change.

Did Robert Lee Ahn agree with Donald Trump’s vehemently racist birther movement?

Did Robert Lee Ahn agree with the Republicans who tried to block the Affordable Care Act from becoming law?

How did Robert Lee Ahn feel when Mitch McConnell stated his mission was to “make Barack Obama a one term President”?

Robert Lee Ahn, you are a fraud. Don’t lie to us and say you were something you weren’t. You stood with a party for years that has a platform that will jeopardize my children’s future. Until you explain to us why you were a Republican for 18 years of your life, you don’t deserve our vote. Until you explain to us why you feel comfortable lying to the people you want to represent, you’ll just be right wing Republican Shawn Steel’s favorite candidate for Congress:

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Paul Ahrens has been a member of the entertainment labor union IATSE for 30 years and has served as Assistant Business Agent of IATSE Local 44 since 2004. Ahrens is a member of the California Democratic State Central Committee, lives in Northeast L.A. and votes in U.S. Congress CA District 34. Organizations listed for identification only. Opinions expressed are those of the author.