If you believe the SD Mayoral end-game is now whether Carl DeMaio will face (A) Bob Filner or (B) Nathan Fletcher in a November runoff, here is additional evidence. The politically adept COPE committee of AFT Local 1931 sent this mailer, presumably to persuade registered Democrats not to back Mr. Fletcher for Mayor… complete with a Groucho Marx mask! The mailing promotes Bob Filner for Mayor on another panel.
COPE stands for Committee on Political Education. AFT is short for American Federation of Teachers, in this case Local 1931, according to the printed disclosure on this interesting piece.
Here is another panel of the same mailing, this time with a pro-Bob Filner for Mayor message. Note the “O” for Barack Obama graphic element in the name “Bob”.
Comments 11
The Republican Party thinks he is too much of a Democrat and the Labor Unions think he is too much of a Republican. In my (never) humble opinion, that makes Fletcher exactly the person we need as Mayor.
Alger – It’s not that Republicans think he’s too moderate. For the most part, it’s that Nathan’s the one talking about how independent he is and allowing surrogates to frame him as a moderate. This when just a couple of weeks before his defection, he was portraying himself as Mr. Conservative in order to win the Republican nomination, in addition to his usual campaigning. The issues that he is attacked for, supporting tax increases and some other positions have always been around and there were those who were always troubled by them.
Themarshallplan,
Fletcher has NEVER voted for a tax increase. The ONE vote he is ONLY NOW being criticized for was to close a billion dollars worth of loopholes on out-of-state businesses so California businesses could get a billion dollar tax cut.
Fletcher has always been a fiscal conservative and a social moderate (watch his speech on the Assembly floor in opposition to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell). What he also always has been, and maybe this is what bothers you, is a person who realizes that getting 80% of what you want is better than only getting a campaign issue.
The reason he’s getting attacked from various quarters is he tries to be all things to all people.
Aynd,
And trying to actually serve all the people would be a bad trait in an elected official?
“And trying to actually serve all the people would be a bad trait in an elected official?”
In a word, yes.
In a maxim, when you try to be all things to all people, you end up satisfying none.
In a paragraph, people respect leaders with a vision and principles. One of the best Governors was Gary Johnson from New Mexico. He vetoed over 700 bills placed before him. He let government shrink through attrition. He campaigned on school vouchers and against the war on drugs (drawing heat from both sides of the aisle). Johnson staked out positions and calmly explained why they made sense. Rather than try to satisfy little special interest groups, Johnson led on principle…and he was rewarded with an overwhelming majority of the vote, both times he ran.
Alger – are you really asking the question that a politician should please all of the people all of the time???? Really? What’s that famous saying by Lincoln about ‘pleasing’ people? Someone here refresh my memory…
No Ms. Right, I do not even think it is possible to please all of the people all of the time. However, I do want a politician who tries to do right by all the people and not one who only cares about pleasing his/her base.
As for Lincoln’s quote, here it is:
““You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
I am sure you want a candidate who ascribes to the first part of the statement. My ideal candidate focuses more on the second.
Brian,
Thank you for using Gary Johnson as an example to make my point.
Johnson did what was right for his constituents, not what was right for the Republicans or what was right for the Democrats, but what was right for all of his constituents.
He did exactly what Lincoln said was possible: He pleased “all of the people, some of the time.”
Alger
Johnson stuck to his principles no matter what the cost to himself. Fletcher’s #1 principle is to calculate what faction or factions combo has the biggest payoff for himself. Johnson is self sacrificing. Fletcher is self aggrandizing.
Mole,
Do you know the man? If not, you are just guessing as, I admit, am I. I will continue to take people at their word UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE. You, of course, are free to do as you wish.