Matt Gonzalez was against the war protests.

As the mayoral race approaches, I'm increasingly upset and pissed off that we, the Left, are divided between Matt Gonzalez and Tom Ammiano. Matt's last-minute entry into the race has split us so deeply that it's very possible that Angela Alioto will make it into the runoff instead of Tom or Matt, and then we're screwed because Gavin will win (or, alternately, still screwed because Angela is a loose cannon and really not nearly as progressive, especially regarding housing issues, as she is playing herself out to be.)

Anyway, I support Tom Ammiano whole-heartedly. His commitment to progessive causes and his many years of support for tenants' rights, public power, queer rights, and a living wage, and his ability to facilitate negotiations between opposing constituencies, have proven that he can, and will, govern from the left. He also, unlike Matt, has previously won citywide elections and has garnered the support of voters outside of the generally liberal districts on the east side of SF.

Here's the point. I'm sick and tired and pissed off by Matt Gonzalez supporters telling me that Tom has moved to the center, or that Matt is more left than Tom. Every Gonzalez supporter I've spoken is severely misinformed about Tom Ammiano, making me wonder what kind of negative campaigning is coming out of Matt's campaign. Because you know what? Tom and Matt both have remarkable records and commitments to the Left. At the same time, neither of them is perfect. After the war started, I heard Matt on the news express a conservative response to the war protests, in fact, the exact same view that Willie Brown took, some complaint about how the protesters were costing the city so much money. The quote, and a link to the article online, is copied below. I'm posting it because it's evidence that Matt Gonzalez is not a god for the left--he's a guy, he's a politician.

I'm not saying Matt isn't progressive. Of course he is. And Tom is as well, and Tom is far more experienced and far more capable of winning citywide--in fact, Newsom's people have been delighted lately to hear that Matt's doing well in the polls. They're saying he'll be the easiest to beat in the runoff.

I suppose I can respect your choice if you vote for somebody other than Tom, but I will not listen anymore to Matt Gonzalez supporters claiming their high-and-mighty, self righteous crap about Matt's record being somehow more progressive or that he's more pure. Fuck that.

Vote for Tom Ammiano this Tuesday.

---
here's the quote and link:
from http://www.counterpunch.org/harrison03292003.html.


As the Franklin Street protesters were being loaded into buses, the president of the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors, Matt Gonzalez, stood alone in front of City
Hall watching a group of bicyclists who had managed to flee the arrest. ''Go do this on federal property, go do this to a town that refused to pass an anti-war resolution, go protest in front of Congressional reps that refused to take a stand on this,'' said Gonzalez gloomily as workers barricaded City Hall in preparation for Saturday's anti-war rally. ''They are costing us, the city, the people who are against the war. When we get into budget hearings, the city
could be out $2 million dollars for this. I could do a lot
of good with $2 million dollars.''

''We are not going to sit at home in front of the TV and
watch them drop bombs, we won't be passive,'' replied a protester named James Q. who had halted his bike to talk with Gonzalez. ''Everyone needs to do what their conscience tells them to do.''