by C.W. Nevius, San Francisco Chronicle
April 24, 2010
Moderate Democrats in San Francisco often complain that far-left politicians don't represent their values. Middle-class families are frustrated that their concerns - like safe streets - are undermined by ideologues with wild claims of a "police state." Developers are exasperated when their projects are subjected to endless delays, even when the property has been a vacant eyesore for years.
Would you like to see things change?
Then I've got some bad news for you.
You're going to have to get involved - or at least start paying attention.
The next two months will see a battle for the political soul of the city. It will pit the progressives against the moderates in a face-off that will have huge implications in the November elections and, perhaps, the election of the next mayor. The key is control of an obscure but incredibly influential organization called the Democratic County Central Committee.
Rather than complaining about the direction of the city, middle-of-the-road Democrats have to get active. They have to vote in the June DCCC election and they have to do their homework on the candidates to learn if they represent moderate values.
"If you want to see change in the city, change to the culture of the Board of Supervisors, and bring some common sense and reason back to the city, it starts with the DCCC," said David Latterman, a local pollster.
--snip--
That's no surprise. San Francisco is a liberal Democrat town. When the official voice of the local Democratic committee sends out recommendations in mailers - and it has a nearly unlimited budget to do so - voters listen.
"But when Mrs. Jones receives her Democratic voter guide in the mail," said Scott Wiener, former chairman of the DCCC and candidate for supervisor in District Eight, "she's thinking of
the party of Barack Obama, not the party of Aaron Peskin and (Supervisor) Chris Daly."
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/24/BAU51D3PFU.DTL"The party of Barack Obama?" You mean the president who is continuing the Primate President's wars, straight-up declined to put up a public option for health care reform, kisses up to zombie bankers, and appointed a secretary of education who plans on demolishing the public school system? I suppose that Mr. Wiener's statement tells a lot about the national status of today's Democratic Party now.
And Nevius's reference to "safe streets" refers to a recent controversy over a
proposed sit/lie law that would make it illegal to sit on sidewalks in San Francisco.