h. “Court Jester” brown.
Photo by Luke Thomas
By h. brown
March 4, 2008
Does Clinton have Obama “Trapped at the airport?”
(Howard Wolfson as ‘Bagdhad Bob’)
I haven’t seen a picture of Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson and I don’t know if he and ‘Bagdhad Bob’ have been seen in the same room at the same time, but they sure do think alike.
Remember how ‘Bob’ gave his spiel to the press as American forces entered Iraq from the South and drove steadily toward Bagdhad?
Baghdad Bob: “We have the Americans trapped in Basra. We hit them and they move. Then we trap them in Mosul and we hit them and they move. We keep them moving.”
Reporter: “Do you have them trapped at the Bagdhad airport now? We’re getting reports they’re moving this way.”
In his last report, ‘Bob’ was swearing that everything was fine while an American tank was caught by the cameras speeding along a road across the canal from him.
Clinton’s finished today
Unless they rig enough machines. Hillary already has staff telling the press to get ready for results that don’t match the exit polls. That’s kind of scary.
I don’t think that’s going to matter much. I think that Clinton will be out of the race this time tomorrow and it will open up an opportunity for Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez to do something really positive.
“Debate us and we won’t run in Ohio”
That’s a good deal. I’d say that if Obama bought it that it means that you can trust Obama. It would be a hell of a risky proposition but one fascinating view for a wonk like me.
Nader’s ideas are gold and always have been. That’s why he never goes anywhere. There’s always a conspiracy to keep money and exposure from candidates who challenge corporate hegemony. Same with Gonzalez. But, the loser in these debates wouldn’t be Obama. It would be McCain. He’ll be the one losing his shit when Nader goes after him. In the V.P. debate, face it, Gonzo’s still got his mojo and neither Obama nor McCain are gonna find anyone to match him.
It would give Barack an opportunity to offer both Nader and Gonzalez posts in an Obama administration. I like Gonzo as the new Attorney General and Nader as Secretary of Commerce. Think about it as you watch the returns tonight. It’s got plenty of cow bell.
Today’s Full Board Agenda
This is the last chance for Board President Aaron Peskin to prove that he is the preservationist he claims to be and send this ridiculous permanent million dollar wheel chair ramp back to committee. A simple, hinged aluminum ramp (they come with handles and you carry them like a guitar case – I’ve used em, got myself a master’s degree in special education and I know all about ADA compliance).
The reality is that Supervisor Alioto-Pier is just being as big a pain in the ass for Peskin as is possible. Taunting him like a trapped tiger and giggling gleefully as she does. This measure should be sent back to a committee where a variety of temporary ramps can be displayed which, trust me, will work better than the friggin’ sidewalk the Mayor wants to build. Alioto-Pier and Mayor Gavin Newsom are simply using this to gouge Peskin.
Neither of them cares about the integrity of the architectural gem that is the Board Chambers.
Item #1
Jake’s move to slow down the privatization of the Golden Gate Park stables and the golf courses at the same time. Good luck, guy but you ain’t got a prayers. Within the next year both the stables and the golf courses (Harding anyway) will be firmly in the clutches of the super-rich.
Item #5
Agreement with the Independent Systems Operator (state outfit that is only supposed to be ‘advisory’). What’s in the agreement? This is a bureaucracy that isn’t supposed to have power to force us to do a damned thing. Does this agreement empower them?
Items #7 and #8
Painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. Pier’s move to put a permanent and horrendous looking railed ramp up to the lowered board prez dais when a portable ramp could be brought in once every few months for the few instances she actually needs it.
Item #9
Assessor Phil Ting is the sponsor here and that screams “PG&E!!!’ to me. Money for solar power incentives? McGoldrick warned 2 years ago that PG&E might set up subsidiaries to rake off the dollars the City has been assembling for alternative energy. This one is floating through and shouldn’t. Dig deeper and you’ll find the end result is to further enrich PG&E and tie citizens to them.
Item #14
Way to go Alioto-Pier! Sure, credit where it’s due. This one is a request from McGoldrick who had an office full of visiting sex workers tell him that D.A. Kamala Harris’ ‘First Offender Prostitution Program was having the opposite effect promised. Sean Elsbernd raved against the Board Budget Analyst audit Jake’s pushing for. The split between Elsbernd and Pier at committee was something to see. It had Sean wanting to keep the hookers in chains and Pier wanting to free them while McGoldrick just kind of sat and watched in wonder.
Items #15 thru #18
Mirkarimi’s Market/Octavia Plan revisions have Rich Hillis and the developers climbing a wall. I’m smart but I’m not smart enough to follow all the revisions that have come to this plan. You figure it out and get back to me. I only list the items because it should be good viewing if they start crossing swords.
Item #20
Power Plant Task Force extension. This the same group that didn’t invite Marie Harrison and Espanola Jackson aboard? That took credit for all of their years of work while standing on a stage provided by PG&E against a backdrop of PG&E decals? If you extend it, put Harrison, Espanola and Ahimsa Sumchai on it.
Items #26 thru #28
Peskin’s Flower Mart deal. This doesn’t just apply to the Mart, folks. It’s meant to slow down the expansion of the SF Academy of Art and I suspect that when Peskin and Ken Garcia are on the same page that it has to do with something that will benefit Warren Hellman who just happens to be expanding his own chain of art schools moving along.
Item #29
Spending a few million to lease and renovate a building at 850 Broderick. Someone tell me what the ‘Arendt House’ does that Matt Franklin over at the Mayor’s Office of Housing thinks makes it worthwhile to be putting more City money into leases when we should be buying property. That’s really dangerous ground, you know? Yeah, if the City insisted upon buying the buildings they lease and renovate with your money, Randy Shaw would be out of business.
Item #40
Mirkarimi wants to change the schedule of Board Budget Analyst audits to fit in a look at just how many PR positions have been added to City agencies under Newsom (even before?). Anyway, expect Elsbernd (who tried to hog all of the audit time for himself) to yell loudest. I mean, here you have Jake wanting to used Analyst Rose’s time to answer a call for help from prostitutes and now Mirkarimi going after Gavin’s PR machine.
Milk Club votes tonight
Mary Mallen for Superior Court Judge!
Obama sweeps another 4
God, I’m prolific.
The Hunger Site
March 5, 2008 at 8:19 am
h.
Please give your crystal ball a good washing and polishing; Hillary is still very much in the game. And Rob Portman of Ohio looks like a very likely running mate for McCain-a Baby Boomer, Bushie, and from a major Midwest state
March 4, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Matt,
You’re a rabid dog and I would never publish anything you write on any site I controlled. Luke thinks differently. Again, my number is 621-4103 and my address is 44 McAllister and I live in room 406. Come on by and let’s talk about your insults to my family. Hey, c’mon by guy.
h.
March 4, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Harold,
As usual, you are full of shit and completely out of touch with reality. Nader (a consumer advocate who ONLY operates outside of politics) would commit suicide before he would ever accept any position in an Obama administration. He even turned down an opportunity to run as Vice-President for Robert Kennedy in 1968 because he knew that he could accomplish a hell of a lot more than any President could hope to accomplish by doing what he has always done and with the added benefit of not compromising his values. Such sensiblities are a part of Nader’s DNA. I suspect that Matt Gonzalez would do the same if offered a similar role.