There’s been so much fun in San Diego the past week, I can barely decide where to begin…
Sanders Keeps GOP Endorsement… Big in the news and on the blogs was that Mayor Jerry Sanders kept his earlier-obtained Republican endorsement after changing his position on Prop. 22. This, of course, caused many to ask if there will soon be any principles left for the Party to defend. The GOP Central Committee members ended up in a self-imposed tight spot, after previously deciding to "early endorse" the Sanders re-election effort, then having to determine the ramifications of withdrawing support over a significant but single issue. No doubt, some will be hesitant in the future about endorsing anyone prior to candidate qualifying.
Read the Voice of SD’s take on the GOP vote.
Spence Takes a "Real’ Job… Fellow FlashReport contributor and California Republican Assembly President Mike Spence has accepted the position as Assemblyman Joel Anderson’s new Chief of Staff, replacing consulting firm-bound Chip Englander. Spence, who has agreed to serve though the 2008 election cycle, will not be moving to Sacramento. "Joel Anderson is a former CRA Vice-President and has a 100% CRA voting record. It is an honor to help him as his Chief of staff," Spence noted.
Congratulations to both Mike and Joel. Regrets to the liberals in the legislature.
Blogs Drive the Debate in City Council Race… If Red County is any indication, the race (three Republicans, at present) to replace termed-out SD Councilman Brian Maienschein in Council District 5 is going to be a doozy. Actually, it looks like it’s already become one.
First, candidate Bob Ilko’s attendance at a San Diego Labor Council candidate briefing last weekend resulted in an anonymous and secretly-taken posting of his photo at the event. This caused an uproar, with some claiming it as supposed proof that Ilko was "taking direction from the unions." Others jumped in, saying that Republican candidates have been attending the annual "Labor 101" event for years, whether they agree with the unions or not. Others indicated that several prominent GOP candidates had also attended or at least RSVP’d this year. So, did the Labor Council or a Republican opponent snap Ilko’s photo?
The whole thing brings up some interesting issues. One, for example, is that in the past when Republicans have attended such events (which they definitely have), any attempts by the opposition to go to the press with the information would have likely been met with "so what?" from a reporter. Blogs, on the other hand, put the information in the laps of a larger audience, even if the readers end up also asking "so what?" The miniscule and commonplace sometimes become fodder for campaign issues. Not to mention that the web creates a potential venue for secretly taken photos of a candidate’s campaign stops.
Blogs Drive the Debate: Part 2… With the tizzy going on over the above, I thought it only appropriate to ask Ilko about his attendance at the Labor briefing, he quickly responded, and the Q&A was posted, all in nearly real time. "It is not like we drank Kool-Aid, held hands and sang folk songs together all afternoon long," he said. (Read the interview.)
Yet, since the questions were limited to Ilko’s reasons for attending, not his position on labor issues, I was instantly maligned for not asking anything of substance. I’ll bite. So, all of the candidates were invited on-line to answer five specific questions. Both Ilko and City Hall reform movement leader Carl DeMaio have responded (read Ilko Responds and DeMaio Responds).
Blogs Drive the Debate: Right Here and Now… The third GOP council candidate, current SD Unified School Board Trustee Mitz Lee, hasn’t yet responded. Let’s be honest, perhaps she’s focused on her campaign and not spending time reading the blogs…she can’t be blamed for that. It may also indicate that neither her campaign manager nor her consultants are even aware of the fodder. Yet, it’s hard to buy that there’s not one supporter out there that could let her know. (I will ensure she does know about the opportunity to answer.)
In the meantime, many are alleging that Lee is in labor’s pocket (even more reason why it would be nice to see her answers to questions about Project Labor Agreements, outsourcing at City Hall, pension benefits and the like). In the midst of all this, she announced endorsements last week from Senator Dennis Hollingsworth and Assemblyman Joel Anderson. With these two conservative heavyweights on board, is Mitz Lee not the liberal some are claiming?
If that wasn’t enough, Senator Hollingsworth then sent the following, for exclusive use here and on Red County (posted here):
Barry:
In response to your inquiry about whether or not I’ve endorsed Mitz Lee, the answer is: yes. Just not for San Diego City Council. Apparently, Mitz says she has an endorsement card signed by me, which may be true. However, I probably signed that some time ago, and definitely signed it assuming I was signing an endorsement for her re-election to San Diego School Board, not a city council race. That’s what I get for not paying close attention. Certainly, my apologies to Mitz for causing a mix up.
Meanwhile, I have not, and did not plan to endorse in that council race, as I believe there are three qualified candidates in the race. Mitz has shown her capabilities at her current position. Carl is a proven fiscal watch-dog. And Bob, from my times meeting him seems to be a solid community oriented guy. I have planned to stay out of the race, let the campaigns be run, sifting out the qualities and faults of each, letting the best conservative win. That is still my plan, however, the apparent unwillingness by Mitz or her campaign staff to at least return a phone call from my office to discuss this has certainly caused me to re-think that position.
You would think a candidate hoping to tout an endorsement, when they have been informed there’s a misunderstanding, would want to clear it up as quietly and quickly as possible, not get adamant about holding onto what can easily be withdrawn and embarrassingly given to another candidate. Oh well. That’s the scoop. Feel free to post this far and wide, if you’d like.
Sincerely,
Dennis
As they say, "Ouch." And, as they also say, "Developing."
Have a great week!