Monthly Archives: April 2006

CDP Update 4 – Anglides Gets Convention Endorsement with 68%!

I was a bit tired after a long day of politiciking and spinning and what not, so I’m posting a bit late – but Phil Angelides won the vote for the CDP endorsement with 68% of the vote. So my little prediction earlier was entirely wrong. I’m not afraid to admit it.
The vote itself wasn’t revealed until late last night, but you heard about it when the loud whoops and yells of Angelides’ supporters late that night. It was truly a sight, along with the legions of orange-shirted Westly supporters (most of whom were not actual voting delegates, but rather volunteers) who had a long look on their faces, and quickly disappeared from the evening festivities.
It was a true moment where spin, and betting on spin, paid off. In this case, Angelides campaign, which has run into some trouble because of Westly’s incredibly large TV buy (and resulting name ID and poll momentum) was starting to feel the pressure from the echo chamber, the press and political insiders. So the campaign made a calculated risk to put it all on the convention, and Westly’s campaign put together a well funded effort to make their presence known at the convention to try and block the 60% vote.
But Phil rolled a hard six, and won, bigtime. Westly made the mistake of not playing down expectations for himself, and by Saturday morning at the press conference, was clearly convinced “momentum” was on his side, and was predicting a win for himself. Big mistake. He should have played it cool and not been sucked into the hype. Instead now the Angelides campaign has something they can spin as a big moment for them, and Westly just spent a ton of money on 65 lb. pieces of beef for nada.
Now obviously most voters in this state have no idea who they’ll support for the Democratic nominee, and still, most people either don’t care, or could change their mind at any time. But in the neverland that is the world of spin, the insiders, the funders, and the press, Angelides stopped a tailspin for his campaign, and is flying high. Whether that means anything to the rest of us remains to be seen.
But for now, a chapter of political theater is over. What a night!

CDP Update 3 – Throwing A Wrench In the Machine

See live, uninterrupted coverage of the circus right here!
Today has been a bit less weird. I can safely say that the comic-book convention metaphor is holding, and I don’t mean that in a good or bad way, just a way.
Anyway.
Today I ran into Assembly Candidate Janet Reilly as I stopped to say hello to our esteemed Senator, Dianne Feinstein. Tons of people were mobbing Sen. Feinstein and camera-phones were ablaze in getting a shared moment with the Senator recorded for posterity.
I also had a nice conversation with Frank Russo of the California Progress Report at his booth from whence he is live-blogging the entire convention.
But my favorite moment was watching the convetion speeches of Phil Angelides and Steve Westly, and it would seem that my previous entry about the Westly beef-fueled blocking of the endorsement vote might have been premature. I spoke with several actual voting delegates who told me how they were selected and how most of them were for Angelides, parties or not. It was most notable that when Steve Westly spoke, his legions of volunteers provided the bulk of his applause, not the delegates, something KTVU reporter Randy Shandobil queried Mr. Westly about at a press conference.
I watched Westly and while he seems like a truly nice person, he also comes off as over-rehearsed and evasive as he did in 1989 when he ran for chair. I chose to throw him a curve ball that was not on any “talking points memo” for the day when the press conference started.
My question? Well, I decided to ask him about his campaign’s use of Myspace.com, which the campaign had trumpeted early on as a sign of his tech-savviness and his outreach to young people.
I asked him if this was the case, why was it that after all the hype and hullaballo, his My Space Profile was linked to only 40 or so friends, while rival Phil Angelides’ profile was linked to over 1000 people.
Now, to be sure, a MySpace profile for a politco is not a big deal, but I wasn’t as interested in the answer as I was interested in seeing how he’d handle such a wacky question, wacky questions and situations being something you need to deal with as a candidate and as Governor. I’d hoped for a joke, or something.
Instead he looked at me in that frozen smile of his and for about a second telegraphed a glare that could only be described as “What the F*CK are you asking me this for?” and then gave a weird, rambling non-answer answer.
I was kinda hoping for a sign this guy could go off script and relax, since his speech was so totally rehearsed he went off speech on less than 10 words. More importantly I was hoping for a sign that we are not repeating the mistake of nominating a Gray Davis or a Mike Dukakis or an Al Gore.
Sadly , it didn’t happen. Oh well.
Next up: The vote showdown in the convention center!
UPDATE: It seems my mayhem was not confined to La Convencion…..this accounting of MySpace.com street cred seems to say it all..

CDP Update 2 – Recipe for Derailing 60%

Last night the Sacramento Convention Center was abuzz with all sorts of politicos vying for support from delegates and others, via the time honored tradition of the “hospitality suite.” With so many open races locally and statewide in the June primary, people were in overdrive to put on the best party possible.
On this, and this alone, there is no doubt that ex dot-commer Steve Westly, who has self-financed his campaign for Governor, had one of the best parties I’ve ever seen. They didn’t just have a big room, no they had a live band, a dance floor, a carving station with huge 65+ lb.. side of beef for sandwiches, discounts on the Convention Center’s overpriced drinks, and a lot of people in orange shirts, custom made for the weekend.
It was a bit much, but the stakes are high. Phil Angelides has to roll a hard six to jump start a campaign that’s fallen behind in the polls in the wake of Westly’s TV ads, and it’s in the form of an endorsement vote today.

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CDP Update 1 – The Scariest Star Trek/Wars/Gate Convention Ever?

Thanks to AMTRAK’s trusty Capitol Corridor service I made it up to Sacramento, for only $14! What a bargain. I even ran into the esteemed Marc Cooper of The Nation in the hotel lobby (he noticed my Gonzo T-shirt and we chatted briefly). I did a survey of the convention floor before posting my first update.
All I can say is, of the many Democratic conventions I’ve attended in Sacramento, this is easily one of the most bizarre, and Comic-Con-like experience I’ve ever had. There are mobs of Westly and Angelides supporters all eager to proclaim their candidate’s virtues and give you pieces of paper saying so. There are even more for the legions of term-limited officials who are jumping all over the ballot as well, and they are very very eager to tell you about their candidate.
Which is fine, but it can get a little scary sometimes. The elbowing, jostling, and jockeying between the candidates for governor are taking on Kafka-esque qualities, and they’re a bit much, even for me who usually finds these things kinda fun when I don’t have to work at them. Don’t get me wrong – they are both nice guys and their folks are nice folks. It’s just hard to describe the energy at this convention as anything but strange.
Mayor Gavin Newsom is a featured speaker tonight – I saw him earlier hanging around with various politicos and delegates over by the press office. I guess since he’s not one of the people playing musical political chairs, he’s a bit more relaxed and approachable. I’ll have more after tonight’s revelries…

Introducing Greg Dewar.com !

The paint is dry, the CSS assembled, the PHP under control. Welcome to my new website.
This site is the replacement old blog once known as Schadelmann.com (German for “skull man”). The old site was fun, and developed a readership, but changes in my life and work, as well as my interests, prompted me to make the move to a “real” website.
If you’re looking for Yet Another Political Blog, look elsewhere. My focus is not to prop up one side or another, or parrot the party line from the liberals , the conservatives, or the mushy middle.
Instead, in my role as a longtime political professional and producer I’m going to spend my time debunking politicos, pundits and spin not with partisan rhetoric, but with an analytical scalpel (and occasionally a blowtorch and a pair of pliers).
I will also be casting a critical eye on politics behind “political reform”, a subject most political commentators won’t tackle. Free passes won’t be given to my friends on the left, right, Texas left, or sideways. And of course, what political blog is complete without cheers and jeers for the ongoing soap opera known as the Democratic Party, and special commentary on our esteemed Governor. I’ll be kicking off the site with commentary from the California Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento this weekend.
Most of all, I aim to entertain, as well as inform from a perspective that’s not usually found amongst our chattering classes. If you’re a member of the press and you want a point of view that’s interesting to your readers, I’m the guy you want to talk to. If you’re a voter, a citizen, or someone who needs someone to help them navigate the waters of current events, this is where you want to be.
Thanks, and enjoy the site!
Also, be sure to check out my website on San Francisco urban life and the city’s Muni system at The N Judah Chronicles!

Almost Ready to Go! CA Democratic Convention Coverage Coming Up!

After some technical mishaps, including the death of DSL at home (!) I’m almost done with the new look – just some color changes and a few more HTML/PHP/CSS changes and we’re done! I can’t wait.
This weekend I will be attending the California Democratic Party’s convention in Sacramento, and will blog live updates, much as I did in 2004, and had a lot of fun doing so.
With so many term-limited folks running for so many offices, most of whom are as unknown as the offices they seek, and being just over a month away from Election Day, you can bet that it’ll be a circus. And when a convention is more like a circus, it usually means campaigns do lots of weird stuff. Best of all, it usally means that there is also lots of free stuff to be had as well!
UPDATE Live webcasting of the convention can be found here if you’re just dying to see the circus without any commercial interruptions.

A Big Raspberry and A Rap on The Knuckles to the Bay Guardian

One final thought on the Ma/Reilly debate – and the issue of media coverage of campaigns in generals, as I issue a big raspberry and a rap on the knuckles to the Bay Guardian.
Why? Simple. This editorial, from Bay Guardian editor Tim Redmond loudly complained about the “lack of candidates” in the race in AD 12, and took a decidedly condescending tone towards Janet Reilly.
This, despite the fact she’s running a great campaign, and is likely one of the very few people running in the state much less so-called Liberal San Francisco on the issues the BG and “progressives” claim to care about. I guess you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t at the Guardian. At least self-styled “progressive” politicians are supporting Reilly!
As Mr. Redmond and co. point a finger at The Political Establishment, though, they’re going to notice 4 fingers pointing right back at them. That’s because both candidates have been running since last year, and this seat has been an “open” race for 2006 for a long time now. Everyone knew that.
Yet, the Guardian’s news coverage of the race, starting last year, has been barely noticeable, and I have seen no proclamations about this race, or the “lack of candidates” a year ago, 9 months ago, 6 months ago, or even 3 months ago. Yet now, 2 months before the election, the Guardian takes a “pox on both of you” tone, and treats a fresh face in politics like dirt. For shame.
Memo to the Guardian crew: Perhaps if you spent a little less time with dry cover stories about “Burning Man,” and other psuedo-edgy fare, and spent more time on, oh I don’t know, covering the politics and issues affecting the lives of ordinary San Franciscans with the investigative flair the paper was once known for in the old days, perhaps not only we might have candidates that are “better” in your view, but you might also find it easier to fend of challenges from chain papers who have you in their cross hairs.
Just a thought.

A Debate With Janet Reilly, Fiona Ma, Women Politicos, and More in SF’s AD 12

Running for a state Assembly seat in San Francisco isn’t like running anywhere else in the state. Unless there’s an open seat with no incumbent, they are rather placid affairs. When there’s an open seat, however, things get more interesting.
That’s because for all intents and purposes, the person who wins the AD seat in the June primary will likely serve in that seat for 6 years, barring a major catastrophe or an aspiration to even higher office. Thus, votes in San Francisco’s AD 12 have an extra special responsibility to check out Democrats Janet Reilly and Fiona Ma before they vote in the primary.
However, that’s easier said than done. It seems last week’s debate, sponsored by the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee is apparently the only chance voter’s had to hear these candidates talk to each other and to voters about why they deserve what will most likely be a 6 year term in the Assembly.
To her credit, Janet Reilly had suggested more debates where voters could hear the candidates, ask questions, and get past prepaid media to make their decision, but unfortunately, it seems Fiona Ma’s campaign, unwilling to “legitimize” their challenge, only agreed to this debate, which gave all the major questions of the debate in advance. Hmm.
I’m the first to suggest that the traditional debate format of 2minute1minutebackandforth doesn’t do much to get past the 30 second sound-bites of TV ads and the 8-second rule of mail pieces. That said, since nothing better is on the horizon, this is all I, and my fellow voters in AD 12, have to go on that won’t be an ad of some sort.
Since almost all the questions were given in advance, instead of really hearing much “debate” to compare, we had instead a chance to basically hear each candidate’s stump speech, separated into pieces. Most of the coverage of the event tended to focus on “stylistic” differences between the candidates – i.e. Ma grabbing the microphone and strolling out on the stage channeling her best Bill Clinton, while Reilly maintained a professional demeanor behind the provided podiums, for example.
And to be sure on many issues they did agree – both supported gubernatorial candidate Steve Westly’s idea to make community college free (like it was until about 20 years or so ago).
That said, the fact was there were some pretty big differences between the candidates on some pretty big issues. But you won’t hear them talk about these issues with voters and between each other in any debates before the primary where the questions were given in advance. Getting nervous? I am!

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On Protests By People We Call Immigrants…

Interesting fact no one has mentioned in all the hysterics people are raising about the massive protests by people some call “immigrants” here in the US recently. (although it should be noted many people were legal residents and citizens of the US – for some reason when Californians talk about “immigration” they seem to think anyone with a Latin sounding name or who has a certain skin color is ALWAYS an alien, meant to be feared, and never ever to be regarded as a possible fellow citizen…but I digress).
Anyway, back to the point: When France’s loudmouthed and bigoted Muslim population, mostly French but culturally hating France, had their protests it was weeks and weeks of violence, destruction and the exposure of the French as totally incapable of dealing with conflict.
However, when people in this country had objections to a bill that would have made instant felons out of a significant part of the population without any plans for how to deal with that, much less the inevitable arrests of people simply because they “looked” like a felon, held huge protests here. All were peaceful, there were no violent clashes, no one looted or burned, and in the end, folks were talking and yelling and whatever – but no violence, no burning of LA, no riots.
No matter what you may think of the immigration situation, you have to admit that it’s a credit to this nation that we can still have large protests like this and not have them become violent like the French Muslims. Part of it is due to our culture, and part of it I think also has to do with the fact that unlike Muslims, Latino newcomers and Latino Americans do not have churches who advocate for the likes of bin Laden.
Anyway, I thought that was interesting to note.