The Politcal Turkey

Went to a 49'ers game yesterday. Only the fourth Niner game I've been to - thanks to Tina, GC and Gian. Gian worked many years for the Columbus Salame Company, who in appreciation always extend him six prime tickets every year. They have been kind enough to offer to take us to a game each of the last three years. Despite the pit that it is, I have many fond memories of Candlestick Park and during the day, it's not so bad. Oh, Tampa Bay won 21-0. I enjoyed the experience; no tension.

Politics is a strange bird. On one race I'm upset at the dirty campaign directed at a good person and candidate for supervisor in Dist.2 (not my district) who we supported and did a bit of work for. Although I disagreed more than agreed with her on the city's propositions, Reily made it clear where she stood on every issue. My experience with her -in how she deals with a demanding public is she is accessible, considerate and listens before making a calm, informed decision.

Janet has to this point (she may have to reconsider) not run any negative campaigns, which to say the least, is a rare way to run a campaign but the big business, PG&E- supported candidate (sorry, those are bad associations in my book) ran a huge late anti-Janet Reily campaign with financing by some of the richest jerks in the bay area- a true smear job. They piled on the untruths in a mass media spread which coming in the last week of the campaign gave Reily no real opportunity to respond.
How we vote in SF is a ranked choice system where the accumulation of your first, second and third place votes can have place you as the winner, even if you do not have the most first place votes. Although Janet did have more first place votes, people that voted for her might also have chosen her primary opponent second. However because of the lies of her opponent, those that voted for him would not also have voted for Janet as their second or third choice. They bought into the vote No on Janet Reily push (not voting in any form for her- a type of Vote No on Yes). It stinks. That's politics.
What can still be: The President and The Governor

I do find it funny that Meg Whitman spent $145,000,000 of her own money but ends up losing to Jerry Brown primarily because she wouldn't shell out 5 grand in due pay for her housekeeper. That has to have some big picture meaning! I wish I was good with percentages but would that be something in the ballpark of spending $300,000 for a condo but losing it because you wouldn't pay the cleaning guy his $10 fee. That's politics.

San Francisco will have a new mayor in less than six weeks!
Hey, Gav's stood up for some cool issues (or at least had the sense to let Mark Leno do the hard work and take credit for it) but lately his ambition, hair and cool speak (his street talkin' is especially annoying) reminds very much of the Mayor in the Wire. Can someone ask David Simon if that guy is based on Newsom? Hoping that the Lieutenant Governor leads to Governor Prime, then President Big Time, Newsom is making a point of not being part of the "kooks of San Francisco". Just leave, dude.