Disinfo Rehab

I will be posting an entry tomorrow morning about some ugly politcking at City Hall vis a vis the Taxi Commission. But right now I'm too irritated to write something I'd want to see in print, and I have a rule about never writing when I'm this pissed off.

Suffice it to say, if you ever want to see nasty, lying, scumbag politics, go local. And the smaller the issue, the nastier and uglier it gets. And when you are dealing with a couple of rogue taxicab companies and their minions, politics literally can get ugly. (Hint to rogue taxi-crabbies - try buying pants that hide your crack when you're in public. You'll seem that much more credible.)

Ok, enough for now. You can see me on SF Government TV when they replay tonight's taxicab commission meeting on cable TV. I had to rush my comments but I made a mark as Ambassador from my other blog, The N-Judah Chronicles.

Time for some meditation, some pushing out of negative energy, and a cracker-jack post tomorrow. Taxi-crabbies, you have been warned.

UPDATE: You can read a very thorough accounting of the corruption in City Hall here, which has some history of the issue as well. It makes an interesting point though - that Mayor Newsom, who has prided himself on wanting a City Hall that is about accountability and results has the power to fix the problem - but has been strangely silent. Odd.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wasn't that just a wonderful primary election?

We had the a record low voter turnout statewide, and we had a record number of mail ballots that were held until the last minute, simply because people either didn't know who to vote for, or who to vote against. We had some of the nastiest campaigns, funded by all sorts of well funded interests, and Democrats in particular are left with a slate of candidates most people still don't know a lot about, at a time when we're facing Real Problems.

Whose fault is it? Oh, it depends on who you ask. It's the Democrats' fault. It's the Republicans' fault. It's the consultants' fault. It's the special interest groups' fault. It's the fault of people who wear those rectangle glasses. It's the fault of someone's husband. It's the "progressives'" fault. It's the "conservatives'" fault. It's the know-it-all bloggers' fault. It's the fault of Someone Else.

Oh, and don't forget it's Money's Fault. Bet you didn't know inanimate representations of currency could be at fault. But to some it is.

"So," you ask, "whose fault is it really?" you ask. Good question - thanks for asking!

It would be easy for me to take the Official Snarky Knowitall Position that it's everyone I just mentioned's fault but that would be a bit too easy, and a bit overdone. Instead I'm going to suggest another idea: that we in California had a Perfect Storm of Unintended Consequences, from all the so-called "reforms" that self-styled "reformers" have pushed on us for the last several decades.

Take term limits. People promised us a World of Joyous Rapture, because we'd finally get rid of all those nasty career politicians. In their stead, noble minded folks from the private sector would forsake their jobs, serve for a few years, then go back to private life.

It does not take a genius to figure out that isn't the case. Sure, we got rid of nasty liberals the GOP didn't like, such as John Burton and John Vasconcellos, and nasty conservatives the Demos didn't like, such as those guys in the OC. But we also got rid of any stability we had with people who knew what they were doing (oh and there's that whole denying voters a right to vote for whom they want but who cares).

Most importantly, we got rid of the old incumbents and replaced them with people always with one eye on the next prize, not on the job at hand. Lobbyists and the Executive Branch don't mind it so much, but try holding someone like Sheila Kuehl accountable for her vote in the Assembly to hand over energy policy to Enron - you can't because she's long gone! Lucky her.

That's one part of the storm. The other has been the totally inconsistent regulation of campaign contributions since 1974. We have developed a patchwork of regulations, all with different ideological and political origins, none of which have changed significantly who gets elected to office.

We didn't like Large Checks to candidates, so we put limits on those checks. Problem was, we didn't figure out a way to contain costs. Like postage. And in a spectacular Jedi Move of Brilliance, we changed the limits for each office, even though everyone is running in the same stupid state with the same costs.

Ok, fine. Bad big checks not going to big bad politicians. But guess what? Accountability was thrown out the window too. Sure, large checks from Allegedly Bad People and Interests were cut off. But instead of disappearing, as the People Who Know Best said they would, they simply found a new home in so-called "independent expenditures."

More to the point, anyone running for the Legislature found themselves in an odd position: They could not ask for an "IE" done on their behalf, nor could they control what was said. But most candidates started to figure out that if they didn't have said efforts on their behalf paid for by (insert some group you don't like here), they weren't as likely to get elected in a primary election against other no-names (remember, term limits, people!)

More to the point - these "IEs" can do whatever they please, and a candidate running for office can do The Crane of Gawrsh! Ain't nuthin' I can do about that!" - all the while benefitting from said IE and owing the funders of said IE big time.

Best of all, there is no way anyone is held accountable. If Citizens for Puppies And Rainbows puts out a flyer ripping on a candidate for being Catholic, no one can stop them - they'll just file under a new name next time, and no one's the wiser - except for those who got the benefits.

And since special interests collide and collaborate at random moments based on pending legislation that affect their profits, you can bet so long as people can come up with names like "Leaders for Effective Government" or "Californians for a Better Way," or whatever, ain't nothing's gonna change.

(True, there is a way under the current system we could cut this off, but it ain't gonna happen. La Prensa aren't asking questions, and Los Politicos aren't gonna rock the boat.)

Best of all, no one has ever found an honest and effective way of addressing the fact that many districts are so horrifically gerrymandered, there's no hope of a real campaign, people be damned. Yes, I know Herr Doofinator had some plan on the ballot last year, but as in all Road to Hell Legislation, it had all sorts of nonsense designed to help His Guys and screw over The Other Guys. But the fact no self-styled reformer has found a real answer to this shows that some of the root causes of the problems we have in building fair elections aren't being dealt with.

The fun won't stop now. We have all sorts of promises by more well-intentioned people who want to pass more laws, contradicting existing laws, with more unintended consequences as well. More ways to try and game the system into getting results one wants, and more threads to unravel. Is it any wonder our system is in knots and mayhem as is?

The only way we'll be able to ensure an honest, fair, and equitable election system is one where we don't presume results "if only" but instead ask for total accountability from those who would ask for our votes to spend our money, and make decisions for us. A system where we have total and immediate transparency of both decision-making, and decision-influencing are easily accessible and understandable to the citizen, the press, and anyone else who cares to answer.

Most of all, we need to stop assuming we "know" what people want and let them make up their mind themselves. Oddly enough, if people running for office would take a moment to listen to what people actually think, instead of telling them empty bullshit about "fighting for working families" or "fighting to cut taxes" when in fact, people know no one's done a frakkin' thing about it, who knows? The "good" people might win, sans gimmicky "reforms."

Here's a witty rejoinder to put on the ballot: let's mandate the good people from all sides come together to put a really great system of elections and politics together to preserve the Republic, save Democracy, and stop the games that so-called "reformers" try to use to game the system for Their Guys.

Don't expect a paid signature gatherer to ask you to sign that petition anytime soon.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't already mailed in your ballot, get it to a polling place now! If you haven't voted yet, go vote now! It's easy, it's fun, and you can mess with The Man on his dime and time!

The only big predictions I have are that with so many mail ballots being returned in person today or late in the mail, we won't know the results of any close race for a while. The only other thing I can predict safely is that if Steve Westly wins the nomination, he is going to have a lot of fence-mending and foot-kissing to get back in the good graces of many high ranking Democrats he's pissed on. But we'll see.

Meanwhile, here's a fun note my brother sent to me. It seems last night's episode of the Simpsons in reruns featured our own Mr. Anglides. Check it out! Meanwhile, don't forget to vote and be sure to check out the election parties for free stuff later tonight!

Art Imitates Life Dept. - Official Savors Simpsons Role

February 29th, 2000 -- Sacramento Bee
"The Simpsons" cartoon show has waded into California politics. The latest episode featured a bar-tending contest with the winner getting his photo on a beer calendar. A photographer stepped forward to snap the winner's picture -- a photographer identified as, "Phil Angelides, Duff Beer vice president for calendars and fake ID's."

The character looked only a little like the state treasurer and Sacramento developer by the same name. "Nobody looks good on 'The Simpsons,' but I'll take it as an endorsement," Angelides said. "If I ever run for office again, I'll say I'm the vice president for calendars and fake IDs. That should be worth some votes." The mention was more than a coincidence. Angelides said "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening is a friend. Good thing he's not a relative ...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don't forget to check out the Direct Mail Disinfo Rehab Archive before you vote!

If you are like many people in this state, you asked for a mail ballot this year. And, if you're like most people in this state, you still haven't returned it yet.

Don't feel bad - just about everyone else is in the same boat you are. Return rates in key counties in California are abysmally low, owing to the fact that there are so many candidates, most of whom no one has heard of, running for so many offices. Every campaign I've worked on this cycle is seeing record rates of non return of ballots statewide.

So, beat those election blues, and print out a copy of my patented All-Star Guide to the California Primary. You can easily fill out your ballot, and you get a dose of snark just for laughs!

The Big Races
Note: If people are running unopposed, I'm not including them here since there's nothing to choose!

U.S. Senate: Whatever you think of Dianne Feinstein (some folks love her, some folks hate her, some folks don't know) know this: Dianne Feinstein is going to win the Democratic Primary in a landslide Vin Diesel would envy, and is going to be re-elected. Oh yeah, there's some token resistance but you might as well cast at least one vote for a winning candidate.

Since the balloting is so easy for California, may I suggest you send a 20 or a 50 dollar bill to the campaign of Jon Tester for US Senate instead?. Jon is the kind of Democrat we need in Washington DC, who can win in a place like Montana. He's a no-BS guy who represents the best the West has to offer - and he's going to have a chance to knock out Sen. Conrad Burns, who is so deep in scandal it isn't funny. Besides if he wins he can help DiFi be a committee chair, so it's a twofer.

California Governor: It does not take a genius to figure out that I am not a fan of Governor Doofinator, and his constant lying, "reinventing" of himself, and the tomfoolery that was the Credit Card Bond. So, who then, can send this guy back to his magic ticket and his restaurant in Santa Monica?

I'm telling folks to vote for Phil Angelides. Yeah, I know, I know. But the usual math doesn't apply here. Angelides has been consistently opposing Gov. Doofinator from Day One, he didn't monkey around in the recall or support the Credit Card Bond, and he's straight with voters on what he'll do if elected. Republicans who chortle at the follies of the primary take note: Democrats chortled at your follies when they had Congress and the Presidency in 1994 - and look at what happened to them.

Lt. Governor:Tough one for me, as I met John Garamendi (albeit over the phone) while working for the Insurance Commissioner for the State of Washington. Nice guy. But I've always been a supporter of Sen. Jackie Speier throughout her career. What to do? Flip a coin? Waffle? I can't vote for both!

I'm gonna vote for Speier, since I think she would do more with the office. Garamendi is a great guy, but I wish he'd run for something else so I wouldn't have to make this kind of choice. Besides, she's the hometown hero!

Secretary of State:This one is easy - Easy choice : State Sen. Deborah Bowen. Not only was she one of the few candidates to get an endorsement at the Democratic Convention, she is also the only candidate who actually worked on any of the issues a Secretary of State faces (i.e. voting machines, political reform, etc.) and she was my State Senator when I lived in Venice.

Attorney General: Another difficult choice. I've been supporting Jerry Brown for years. Back in Santa Cruz I organized a rally with him during his Presidential bid that got on CNN and CSPAN, and later when I worked at a tech company, ended up explaining our RealAudio technology to him when he had the radio show. It's hard not to support him, but Rocky Delgadillo isn't such a bad guy either. So vote for Jerry Brown but let's hope we see Delgadillo run for something else someday.

State Controller: Don't you just love that title? Sounds like one is running for Cylon Overlord for California or something. Here's a chance for you to give someone a promotion who actually deserves it: vote for Sen. Joe Dunn. This guy really did stand up to Enron and their BS during the power crisis, and beyond, and he'll bring that integrity to the Controller's office. Unlike people like Sen. Sheila Kuehl, who voted for giving away the state to greedy speculators, Joe Dunn was the guy who remembered job 1 for him is serving the citizens. Go Joe!

State Senate, District 8: This is a tough one for me - Lou Papan was a real hero in supporting the special ed program at my old high school, where my mom works. But Mike Nevin's wife also worked at my old high school and knew my mom too. Oh yeah, there's current Assemblyman Leland Yee running a strong campaign too. So who do I vote for? Calgon, take me away!

In the end I voted for Lou Papan, but not as part of some plot to deny Nevin votes but more due to a coin toss between two guys from San Mateo County, and because he was such a good guy in the Assembly when it came to special education. But the battle seems to be between Yee and Nevin so if you want to vote for someone who's more likely to win, then go ahead and vote for Mike Nevin.

State Assembly, District 12 - SF: Ok, like you had to ask. I'm telling everyone to vote for Janet Reilly. and regular readers know I've written about when she kicked off her campaign, when she campaigned with John Kerry, and about the only debate she had with Ms. Ma..

People ask me why and the answer is simple. There are people in the local and state Democratic Party who view the Party and those in it as part of an exclusive club, and that club likes things predictable, safe, and for the benefit of their club membership, since after all, they have the best interests of The People at heart. Anyone questioning that is cast out as a pariah.

Janet's campaign has never been one on the "inside" and as such is a lot more welcoming to citizen input, and isn't as beholden to the club mentality that really disdains volunteers, Internet activists, and anyone not Already In The Club. They really don't like you, and don't like the fact they have to ask you to vote for them because They're Just That Good. Plus, when you see the nonsense being tossed at Janet, you figure she can't be that bad. Vote for Janet and piss off the Man.

Propositions

Proposition 81 - Library Bonds - vote NO: How can anyone be against library bonds? That means more money for libraries right? And I like libraries so I should support it, right? NO!

This is Yet Another Bond Issue that gets on the ballot because it "gives money" to good causes. But you see, it doesn't "give money" - it sells debt that we have to pay billions in interest on later. That blows out the budget in future years. So many bonds are passed by voters that it is killing our state's ability to make budget decisions. Vote no, and tell them to raise taxes or cut something first.

Proposition 82 - Preschool for All - Vote YES: This proposition isn't perfect, nor is it a cure all. But it doesn't use bonds, and it does take a step towards doing what we should be doing to at least not have as many screw ups in the public school system. Besides, Rob Reiner isn't that bad of a guy.

San Francisco Propositions A, B, C, D: Sometimes there's such a thing as too much democracy and voting, and the fact we're even voting on some of this stuff, which should either be passed by the Board of Supervisor and voted up or down by the Mayor, or perhaps addressed elsewhere, is a sign. But since we do have them, here's an easy way to vote:

If you like Mayor Gavin Newsom, and allied interests, and do not like the Board of Supervisors and their allied interests, go ahead and vote "no" on everything. Sure, there is that issue of violent homeless people being put in the old folks home at Laguna Honda, but so what? Gavin's got a tough re-election in 2007, possibly, and the last thing he needs some ballot measures to give him guff.

If you do not like Mayor Gavin Newsom and allied interest, and like the Board of SUpervisors, and their allied interests, go ahead and vote "yes" on everything. Sure, that whole Ellis Act notification thing probably won't stop a desperate home-buyer from running over Grandma to get that TIC, but so what? Gavin's got a tough re-election in 2007, possibly, and perhaps these ballot measures (some of which were put on the ballot by Supervisor Daly) might be able to give him some guff.

Other Offices:

San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee: Ok, pop quiz: what is the one job people run for, spend money to get elected to, that most people have not even heard of much less know what they do?

That would be the Democratic Party Central Committee. Ya see, each county has a "Central Commitee" for each party. These are partisan positions within the parties themselves - they are not funded by the state or anything like that. These might seem like ceremonial posts, but how the people on this committee vote determine all sorts of party business at the local and state level. So in a way it matters, but not always in an immediately understandable way.

The problem is you have to vote for so many people out of a pack of like, a zillion, and (thank GOD) "Ranked Choice Voting" has no place in these races. I'm going to recommend the two people I actually have met and known: Boe Hayward in the 12th Assembly District and Tim Paulson in the 13th.

Both are good guys - I helped out Boe with his postcards this year, and Tim Paulson is the director of the San Francisco Labor Council and all around good guy. There's two endorsements - figure out the rest of the slots on the ballot after casting your ballot for these guys.

That's it! Enjoy the fireworks on June 6th!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)