Reformers Happily Join the San Francisco Democratic Party Machine

by Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron (reposted)

Tue, Sep 5, 2006 7:34AM

Last Thursday, the Bay Area Reporter revealed that Supervisor Tom Ammiano was running for Assembly in 2008. Mark Leno, the current incumbent, is said be heading up Ammiano’s campaign, and John Burton is allegedly on board. The former School Board member and longtime progressive supervisor is already an electoral lock for the November 2008 race, adding to San Francisco’s trend of virtually uncontested races for major offices. The San Francisco Bay Guardian and many San Francisco progressives once attacked these backroom endorsement deals as the evil work of the infamous “Brown-Burton Democratic Party Machine.” But now that even former insurgent candidates like Tom Ammiano---whose 1999 mayoral run against Willie Brown targeted “the machine”—have been granted entrée to machine politics, San Francisco appears to be entering an era where Democrats are one big happy family. This is good news for Mayor Newsom, who will be the first Mayor since Dianne Feinstein in 1983 who will not face a serious Democratic challenger for re-election.

Anyone who picked up a San Francisco Bay Guardian from 1973-2003 is familiar with the “Brown-Burton” machine. This machine was blamed for much of what was wrong with San Francisco, including PG& E’s longstanding energy monopoly, downtown “Manhattanization,” the transfer of a national park to the machine-controlled “Presidio Trust,” the backroom handoff of Sala Burton’s congressional seat to a political newcomer, Nancy Pelosi, and to other nefarious deals made outside of the requirements of the Sunshine or Brown Acts.

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§democratic party = mass murderers

by reality calling

Tue, Sep 5, 2006 12:15PM

Under (Democrat) Bill Clinton's reign, 1.5 MILLION Iraqis died due to sanctions. Half of them were under the age of 16.

When (Democrat) Madeleine Albright, Clinton's Secretary of State, was asked about this point-blank on the TV show 60 Minutes, her response was "WE THINK THE PRICE IS WORTH IT."

The response from Democrats? Overwhelming, complete, and total SILENCE.

Democrats murder every bit as much - if not more - than Republicans. The only difference is that people demonstrate when a Republican murders, while they smile when a Democrat murders.

IMHO, Tom Ammiano, who has been 100% silent about the genocide of the Iraqi people perpetrated by his own party - is a fucking war criminal. Same for Brown, Burton, Newsom, and the rest.

And the same for all you fucking murderers who vote for these (or any other) murderers.

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§Tom Ammiano is a mixed bag, not a war criminal.

by deanosor (deanosor [at] comcast.net)

Wed, Sep 6, 2006 10:19AM

I'm an anarchist who doesn't believe in politicians or government. However i also believe in honesty. And when the commenter "reality calling" says that Supervisor Ammiano has been 100% silent on the genocide/occupation of the Iraqi people by the U.S. Governemnt, s/he is 100% wrong. Ammiano has sponsored and voted for every bill critiquing the U.S. policy in Iraq and related matters. (There have been several.) He is also good on civil liberties, queer rights (duh!) and on what could be called the progressive agenda. He is not perfect. He supports the murderous apartheid regime in Israel. Nevertheless, he is probably better than 99% of the politicians in America.
The opposition, the original poster wrote about within the Democratic party, didin't really matter, because the Democratic party is the center and left of capitalism. Yes folks, Tom only wants to get rid of some of the worst symptoms caused by capitalism. Most Democrats don't evne want ot do that. The oppostion that really matters is what we do in our day to day activist work independent of wing of capital and not supporting any wing of the government.

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§excuse me, but

by reality calling

Wed, Sep 6, 2006 3:19PM

Excuse me, but the zionist entity which you refer to as Israel is currently using white phosphorous chemical weapons against children! The entity has 200+ nukes and is not a signatory to any nuclear regulatory treaties! A minister of the entity has publicly proclaimed that the nukes are targeted at the capitals of Europe!

And the filth in the Democratic party know this. They don't do anything about it because THEY SUPPORT ISRAEL.

Ammiano not a war criminal? Tell it to the famlies of the dead in Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan, and in Lebanon.

Once again, for those of you too willfully blind to have read or understood it, WHEN YOUR DEMOCRATS WERE IN POWER THEY MURDERED 1,500,000 IRAQIS IN COLD BLOOD. HALF OF THEM WERE UNDER THE AGE OF SIXTEEN. YOUR DEMOCRATIC LEADERS WENT ON TV AND SAID OPENLY "WE THINK THE PRICE IS WORTH IT."

And yet, here you sit, defending democrats. Human beings would have left the party the moment Albright made that statement. But subhuman filth like Ammiano stayed there for his own power. That's right - murdered Iraqi children are less important than Tom Ammiano's power. Think about it.

Fuck the democratic party and anyone who votes for it.

And when, oh when, will people who support elected officials in a non-democratic fascist state stop calling themselves anarchists???

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