Leno cries over spilled Milk
The big Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club endorsement vote for State Senate is tonight, as you've probably already heard way too much about if you've been following the Carole Migden-Mark Leno slugfest. Frankly, the whole situation has gotten downright ridiculous, with each side alleging dirty tricks and using whatever tactics they can muster to win this supposedly influential endorsement.
But the topper is now coming from Leno himself, who has concluded that Migden has it sewn up and has decided to essentially boycott the vote, saying he's not going to show up and urging his supporters to also stay home. In other words, he's taking his ball and going home, or crying over spilled milk, or whatever metaphor you prefer.
Why can't he just lose gracefully, congratulate his opponent, and keep his dignity? After all, Leno's people engineered early endorsements from the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and the San Francisco Young Democrats, both times using confederates to essentially rig the game. And now he cries foul when a similar episode goes against him. Puh-leeze!
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Comments (9)
Losing gracefully and congratulating your opponent is appropriate, if your opponent has played fair and square to earn the endorsement. But given what the Migden people have done to thrust an early endorsement vote, it makes no sense to dignify a process that can only be called a sham.
The irony here is that Migden could have waited until early next year, not gotten her operatives involved in stacking a procedural meeting, and nobody would have disputed a scheduled endorsement vote. The Club's endorsement would have been hard-earned, and there would be no dark cloud hanging above it - like what has happened now.
Mark Leno is not complaining about the result, only the process.
And yes, I do support Leno and people will discredit whatever I say because of that. But I am speaking here as a long-time member of the Club. I can't speak on behalf of anyone else, but I know that I would NEVER have stooped down to the level that the Migden camp pulled to get this endorsement.
Posted by Paul Hogarth | December 11, 2007 06:00 PM
Paul,
Yada yada yada. Apparently you didn't bother to read Steven's post before commenting.
Posted by expatriate | December 11, 2007 09:34 PM
The Club's membership voted tonight on the February 2008 ballot and the June 2008 State Senate primary, and the endorsements are . . .
Prop 92 (Community College Funding) - Yes
Props 94 - 97 (Gaming Compacts) - No
Prop A (Neighborhood Parks Bond - Yes
State Senate - Carole Migden
No endorsements in the presidential primary, Prop 91, Prop 93, or Props B or C (endorsements require a 60% vote).
Posted by Rafael Mandelman | December 11, 2007 11:27 PM
Hey Paul, weren't you one of the people that helped engineer the Young Democrats' early endorsement for Leno?
Posted by Steven T. Jones | December 12, 2007 10:42 AM
Yes, but it was within a totally different context. Mark had a long history with SFYD, and had even been honored as Mentor of the Year. I suggested that we move ahead on an early endorsement vote -- where both candidates were invited to debate, and given an equal shot.
Unlike the Milk Club vote, I did not recruit people who have no business or history with the Club to join, with the goal of overwhelming a procedural meeting to intimidate and shout down the opposition. SFYD made a decision that if we were going to schedule an early endorsement vote, no new members could join the Club afterwards to rig the outcome -- although Carole's people tried in vain to do so.
Contrast this with the Milk Club, where Carole brought East Bay attorneys and Sacramento staffers (some who were required by their bosses to be there) into the Club -- to then insist "this is Carole Migden's club" and the rest of the longtime membership be damned.
When I proposed an early endorsement at SFYD, I did it out of full respect for people who were already part of the organization. The question I posed was, given the history that Mark has with SFYD, should we go ahead and do an early endorsement?
Posted by Paul Hogarth | December 12, 2007 01:56 PM
Paul,
It is unnerving to read your postings. Your unwillingness to acknowledge your biases dimishes you as a writer.
Posted by jimmy | December 12, 2007 03:10 PM
I'm starting a new Club. It's called "Idiots Who Don't Know What They Are Doing Club" and I'm nominating Paul Hogarth to be emperor of the universe.
Posted by expatriate | December 12, 2007 03:49 PM
This blog is full of communists. I'm leaving.
Posted by Sniffy | December 13, 2007 06:47 PM
article about sd-3
Posted by mitch4assembly@aol.com, sfydprez@gmail.com | December 13, 2007 09:36 PM