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SFist Tonight
Migden, Leno, Peskin, Daly, Herrera all were on the scene at one point or another, and tempers flared. Why? Because Carole Migden stole the show (along with a hefty vote, not an official endorsement per se) at last night's Harvey Milk Club meeting. It seems that after an attempt was made to adjourn the meeting, Leno supporters asked the 100+ in attendance to "reconsider the vote at the next meeting because the current attendance was an unrepresentative sample of the club," according to BeyondChon.
Ultimately, this whole D3 election seems 100% personality-driven. Leno used to volunteer with Migden, and she got him his start by helping him get appointed to les Board of Supes. After their dramatic split, she supported the more progressive Harry Britt over Leno in 2002. And the rest? Is history. At least that's what careful whispers have told us.
But no one can do last night's scene justice like Mr. Chris Daly can. Written with lightning, he describes the night thusly.
"It would cause too much dissension in the LGBT community," Leno once told me after I encouraged him to think about running for Mayor against Newsom.
Funny.
The Milk Club endorsed Quintin Mecke without too much fanfare. But tonight's showdown between Leno and Migden felt like a street brawl.
Replete with political tension, procedural gymnastics, an attempted political fix, and plenty of shouting, Carole Migden walked out with an overwhelming final vote to conduct Milk's endorsement vote on December 11th. Of course this was after Leno forces left after Milk Club President, Brian Bassinger, called the original 130-80 vote void and announced the meeting adjourned. I was even embroiled in the controversy when the Chair refused to recognize my motion to sustain the majority vote.
This was a night that will be remembered for years. Have you ever wondered why two of the most stalwart gay progressives, Harry Britt and Howard Wallace, hate each other? It's because of nights like tonight. (They both were in attendance on opposite sides.)
After tonight, it's clear that Leno's challenge is further dividing the community. And that is definitely bad for progressives.
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Why would Migden appoint Leno to the Les Board of Supes? Motherfucker probably couldn't name three Ani DiFrancoi songs if his life depended on it.
Did anyone get a bitch slap backhand, or a fractured skull from a purse slam?
Carole Migden stole the show? Rigging of the vote for the club she used to preside over is usually viewed by those in politics somewhere between a vote of no confidence and extreme desperation. Unless you mean "stole" the show in the literary sense...
Let's look at what people other than Supervisor Daly have said.
Brian Leubitz: It's that little d democracy again. It's the belief in machine politics over people powered politics. Look, Sen Migden became a Senator by general acclimation, same thing with the BOE, and the Assembly. Good for her, I suppose, but bad for little d democracy. Were there better candidates? Who knows? The machine picked her, and you better sit down and shut up. That's not democracy, that's Soviet-style Politburo.
Of course, there's the sense of entitlement there, that she's earned 8 years by winning her non-competitive election. You know, by angling others away via the backrooms of SF politics. Is this what we want San Francisco politics to be about? Is this the Shining City on the Hill that we want others to emulate? Machine politics without representative democracy?
Paul Hogarth: It doesn’t matter which candidate you support in the race – Leno, Migden or neither – to agree that last night’s Milk Club meeting was a train wreck and a disaster. “What I saw tonight was deeply troubling,” said one Club member. “If this was the defining moment of a destructive, divisive and non-productive campaign that will tear apart my beloved community, my family, I am very disappointed and saddened.”
And it didn’t have to be that way.
Everyone knew a Milk Club endorsement in the Senate race would be contentious, but a mature club should have agreed on a fair and reasonable process. Instead, the Migden camp channeled the anger of even being challenged for re-election into rigging the process for an early endorsement.
As a Milk Club member, I feel that a Club I belong to has been hijacked to serve a particular politician’s agenda. If Carole Migden thinks that she can get away with a Milk Club endorsement by stacking the turnout, ramming through a process that disenfranchises regular Club members and shouting down parliamentary objections, she is sorely mistaken.
Because anyone unaffiliated with either faction who attended last night’s meeting would have been appalled at her campaign’s tactics.
Be_Devine: Many things distressed me at this meeting. I was most distressed about the absolute insanity of calling for an early endorsement by way of a “Special Meeting. This is an extremely divisive endorsement and there is no reason to vote on it early. There also is no reason that this endorsement could not be voted on at a General Meeting of the Club rather than at a “Special Meeting” that is designed for the sole purpose of excluding many new and long-time members of the Milk Club.
I also was distressed by Carole Migden. She circled the audience like a hawk, keeping a close eye on all of her minions to make sure they all voted the correct way. She even inserted herself into the rancorous kerfuffle that broke out among the E-board running the meeting. I seriously thought she was going the grab the gavel, stand on a chair and declare herself emperor for life.
Last night's fiasco was almost as nuts as Migden's infamous "Ghost Voting" scandal where she went to the other chamber of the legislature and pushed the button of a member of the other party to try and win at any cost.
But last night was a clear indication why this primary is so important.
Proud to work for Mark Leno
The losers are the Alice B. Toklas and Harvey Milk Club LGBT Democratic clubs because I am probably not the only politically interested gay who has absolutely no interest in having any relationship with either of these clubs after the Leno endorsement by Toklas WAY before we know who else will be running for the Democratic slot for state senate and now Milk acting in a similar fashion. Lame-o!
Oh ... and I support Migden 100% cuz I do respect what she's done (looking past the personal drama lately) for San Franciscans. I also believe it is pathetic for Leno to become a hamster and eat his own, if you will, in order to have another job lined up after his term expires .. pathetic. He's also done goods things for San Francisco, but puhleeze... selfishness should not be rewarded as a trait for our publicly elected officials - leave the "step on others" mentality to private businesses.
did anyone ask carol what kind of treatment she's getting to avoid future drugged up driving incidents?
this is further proof of the collapse of the current progressive movement in the city which makes folks like me quite happy.
it's time to try something else for a change guys. as for daly trying to play innocent, that is laughable. he is as responsible for the demise of the party and platform as much as anyone. this gem came up during a discussion about the much loved or hated one rincon hill over on socketsite. it's a fascinating read!
http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-08-31/news/the-daly-deal/
why is this a surprise? I mean seriously, does anyone think Senator Migden is just going to say "Oh well that nice Mark Leno's running I shall retire immediately and not run again, and just lay down on my sofa and watch cartoons?"
think again.
This kind of bedlam at these local club meetings is NOTHING new. Go to any city with similar clubs (democrat republican, whatever) and in a highly contested race, the win goes to the person whose campaign is better organized and KNOWS THE RULES.
I realize I'm supposed to make a decision on how to support based on personalities, who talks the smoothest talk, and whatever, but unforutnately, that's not how elections are won.....and if anyone thinks this election is just going to be a cake walk for Leno, Migden, Veronese, et al, forget it.
at least this is more interesting than the ongoing saga of Ed Jew...
Rincon and Greg - couldn't agree more.
Carole is a fighter, people who support her respect her tenacity. I view this whole situation as despicable in that here we have an incredibly hard working and effective senator, a woman and out lesbian who has devoted her career to advocating for the working people of California and Leno decides to challenge her for all the wrong reasons.
This fight screams of sexism to me.
And btw, I was at last night's meeting and although Migden's people were highly organized and disciplined, I saw Leno's people being the most verbally abusive - our man Paul Hogarth being one of them. Poor guy, I thought he was gonna have an aneurysm.
Damn! You gotta put these events on SFistTonight! Can anyone when tell me when the next one is? Is it free to the public? I'm not kidding.
As a former two term president of the Milk Club (96 & 97), I have seen these kinds of contentious fights before. What was new last night was that the president failed to preside and failed to conduct the meeting in a fair manner consistent with the bylaws. Historically, presidents have ceded the chair to take part in debate and engage in partsianship for their candidates and issues.
The president simply adjourned the meeting without a vote and started stacking chairs--he almost seriously injured a member when his 10 foot stack of chairs teetered and collapsed due to his frantic effort to clear the room.
He refused to acknowledge Migden supporters in debate and admitted before witnesses that he cheated on behalf of Leno in conducting the meeeting.
If the Milk Club cannot conduct its processes fairly, then it will cease to exist and cease to be a voice for the LGBT and progressive community.
Over 200 people showed up to vote, a large number by any standard. Votes were taken--a majority decided--that is how elections and democracy work. The president of the club and presumably Mr. Leno have apparently decide it is better to destroy the club than to allow it to endorse Migden.
Jeff -- blaming Leno -- for Migden using Karl Rove's playbook to rig the vote is almost as funny as when you were booed and hissed during your (very hilariously animated) tantrum last night.
It was Migden's team who decided they could only win by using dirty tricks and tried to game the vote accordingly.
*Proud to work for Leno
Thanks for the ink, Brock.
And, Bob, I'm glad that you've found a job, but I guess we now know the fate of Leno's clean campaign pledge. I hope that you are being well paid for your hatchet work.
*Proud to work for the people of San Francisco
I was there as well, and am also a past president of the club, current housing caucus chair.
I don't know you, bob. I have never seen you at a Milk Club meeting until last night.
Migden and her supporters (including me) just did what you are supposed to do to get endorsements, organize and get out the vote. We did that. That, my friend, is how you win elections.
If that looks like dirty tricks to you---maybe you should get out from behind that camera. I think your lens is a bit foggy.
CAROLE MIDGEN FOR SENATE-DISTRICT 3
Supervisor, I'm glad you appreciate somebody being able to work SF politics for what they believe -- yet another reason why I agree with you most of the time.
Yet if you are going to accuse me of breaking the clean campaign pledge (that was necessitated because of Migden's Clear Channel slime), please post it. Till then, as always, it was great talking with you last night and I hope all is well.
For Debra, I'm sorry you were so backed into a corner that you acted like you did last night.
bob---I just love how personal you all get. When the candidate fails, attack your opponants supporters. Cute.
I did a search to see who exactly you are, and found you on this website
Is this really how much you get paid for hangiong out and making stuff up?
from www.lenothelapdog.com:
Blogger Bob “Baby Gannon” Brigham, who
Leno is paying $80K to post phony stories in the blogosphere.
Debra, as an internet consultant, I'd suggest you don't believe everything you read online. As a political consultant, I'd suggest you look it up in the reports and see that I make $3K a month to work for Assemblyman Leno.
I'm sorry you were suckered, but not exactly surprised.
One of them will win, one will not. In the meantime may the fur continue to fly. I can't wait until it REALLY starts getting nasty.
What happens to the loser?
Regroup and run for Mayor/Assessor in a few years?
Hire a Santeria priestess for revenge incantations?
Move to Palm Springs?
Rehab?
"This fight screams of sexism to me."
That's funny, because it was the Migden campaign's homophobia that really helped me decide between two candidates whom I had always voted for in the past.
Migden's campaign, via her former top aide's blog, smeared Leno as supporting pedophilia--the classic smear against gay men. Migden initially would not disavow the lies, which sounded like they came from Concerned Women of America, but finally agreed to a clean campaign pledge with Leno.
Though I consider myself a queer progressive, the actions of the Milk Club make me hope for the club's demise. Perhaps in its place could rise one that again was a vehicle for our community's aspirations.
I don't think the Toklas or Milk Club need to die .. they just need a shake-up in their Board members. The only problem is finding folks who respect those clubs enough to try to wash out the stains and freshen things up so that folks like me might actually want to belong to the clubs instead of despising of their activities as petty and low.
I think you all take yourselves WAY to seriously and I think Carole Migden is super scary. The last time i saw her, she gave a weird speech that made me uncomfortable and had red lipstick running all down her face--no seriously, it was all over her chin. It was quite alarming really. I kinda think she looks like Emperor Palpatine. After reading the Beyond Chron article, i was not surprised.