One of the most important races in the Bay Area -- the Oakland mayoral struggle is equally interesting and key -- was the struggle for the 12th Asseembly District in San Francisco and northern San Mateo (Daly City, etc.).
The incumbent was accountant Fiona Ma, a protege of long-time Democratic power John Burton and the only Chinese American on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Her challenger was Janet Reilly, wife of brilliant and controversial political consultant Clint Reilly, who not only ran positive ads EXCLUSIVELY, but also had the guts and brains to run on what should be the key domestic issue of ANY Democratic campaign: single payer health care.
In a perfect symbol of everything wrong with the Democratic party throughout the country, Ma ran a total identity politics / negative advertising television campaign that had some of the most disgusting spots I have ever seen on tv ...
Not to mention a shocking advertising total for both candidates of more than three million dollars -- and for a State Assembly race !!! Come on ... this is a ridiculous way to do politics ...
Now let me avow from the very start that I was a staunch supporter of Janet Reilly, and did some volunteer work, including walking the precinct on primary day ...
which, since it was nice and sunny, was a lot of fun ... just to get out and walk around and breathe some air and talk with people about politics ...
But I was for Janet because she took positions I think are crucial and important, and talked about them in a way that I respect -- which is very rare for me when it comes to electoral politics.
And that's why Ma's victory - a 60-40 thumping during a historically low turnout - should be a wake-up call for those of us who are just sick and tired of all the nonsense that goes down as political discourse --
not to mention sick and tired of all the money spent in spewing that nonsense ... what a complete waste --
just like fighting with the insurance companies when you're sick and money is the last thing you should be worrying about ...
Apparently this is just the kind of sleazoid campaign that Rahm "Brother of Ari Gold in Entourage" Emmanuel wants the Democrats to run nationally ...
And since he's the head of the House Democratic Campaign Committee -- or whatever it's called ... ;-) -- it's likely that his vision of "what works" is going to once again lead the Democratic party to another pathetic defeat where the Republicans make them look like idiots and they just stand there and take it ...
So instead of the Emmanuel vision, I'd like to think we are part of what might be called the Janet Reilly movement --
talking in a substantive way about things that matter, not talking down to the voters by keeping the focus on issues --
not this constant, Republican-perfected, character assassination that Democrats have so eagerly and pathetically adopted (see Angelides and Westly below).
Janet's approach may not have worked this time -- which is a real loss for all the people of California's 12th Assembly District --
but the ripples the Janet Reilly campaign started are one of the few hopeful signs in American politics today ...
Which is why we need to create a lot more such positive signs ... and fast ...
Because the national and global situations grow ever more frightening -- Banning Gay Marriage bullshit and Somalia, the new Afghanistan, the two most recent bad signs -- with each passing day ...
[Previously posted at Grok Your World.]