Comments on: San Diego mayoral race: Faulconer, Alvarez, Fletcher, Fletcher and Fletcher

By: Bill Gore

Bill Gore — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 22:49:39 +0000

Ah yes, her own ‘family money’, passed on seamlessly from one generation to the next with the aid of very good CPA’s. At age 80 she is the oldest member of the US Senate, hopefully she’s reaching an age where Father Time will give her an assist in determining her next move. Perhaps memoirs and paintings of sunsets from the absolutely fabulous views of her classic California estate. The impropriety of her massive epic capital gains over the years is the fact that said gains occurred while she was employed in elected public service. There are no coincidences in this world (as one grownup to another), so we must “consider the thing in itself”, away from our warm fuzzy emotions of how great and sweet and inclusive and loving we may feel DiFi truly is. If she was, say, a loud abrasive self–made oil tycoon from Texas (NOT a Bush!!) and then got into ‘public service’ then we could see, prima facie, that she had not in fact enriched herself while employed in such service.

By: John Seiler

John Seiler — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 19:56:07 +0000

In reply to SkippingDog. SkippingDog: DiFi did first run for governor, in 1990, losing to Pete Wilson. She then won her Senate seat in 1992.

By: SkippingDog

SkippingDog — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 18:45:38 +0000

… Bill Gore. …. let’s just focus on Feinstein for a moment.

DiFi was never a community organizer or lawyer or DA. Her early political work to prevent housing discrimination is hardly “community activism” in the manner you frame it, but it did show her commitment to public service.

By the time of the Harvey Milk murder, DiFi was a member of the SF Board of Supervisors who was appointed to finish Milk’s term as mayor of SF. Her rise from that position reflected her centrist politics and many hoped she would run for Governor instead of the Senate.

In conjunction with her own family money, wealth inherited through her being widowed by a successful physician, and marriage to Larry Blum, Feinstein has made a lot of money. She’s also been continuously examined by California and national Republicans for any hint of illegality or impropriety. Funny that, finding none, they choose to smear her for being rich.

By: Bill Gore

Bill Gore — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 04:38:41 +0000

The ends justify the means for those who have a genuine will to power in California politics, and it isn’t just the rush they get from the power; the money’s pretty dang good too. Fletcher (VERY old San Diego family, btw) is simply following in the hallowed footsteps of Kehoe (from another old California money family), Saldana, Gonzalez, Hueso, Atkinson, ad nauseam…. The career progression goes like this: college to activist (short stint) to city council creature aid to city council to state assembly to congress to US Senate. By the time they’ve had 2 terms in the Senate they are uniformly worth more than $100 million. If they’re really smart they can bypass all the silly activist posturing and years on the City Council trying to look like they give a damn and just go to law school and then get in the DA’s office. DA’s love high profile sex cases, or murder cases, or especially sex and murder cases, cause they are literally rocket fuel for their political careers. THE case study for this is lovely Dianne Fienstein, who of course presided over the super-notorious Harvey Milk sex and murder case oh so long ago. She literally rolled double sixes on the monopoly board using this case and beamed herself right into the US Senate, where she has now been for several lifetimes. Oh, and yes, she is a confirmed centi-millionaire, thought you progressives would be interested…..

By: SkippingDog

SkippingDog — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 21:49:18 +0000

If the Republicans of San Diego had chosen Fletcher as their candidate a year ago, we wouldn’t have had to deal with DeMaio’s nonsense or Filner’s lechery. Fletcher and Faulconer are the only current candidates with any credibility at all, and Fletcher displays some political charisma that Faulconer simply can’t muster.

I’m actually surprised that CWD and the U-T, Reed’s other employer, aren’t more supportive of Fletcher. He’s a combat tested Marine with clearly Republican tendencies who was run out of that party by the crazies and is now a Democrat. He sounds like an excellent choice for Mayor or for nearly any other political office in our state.