The Greenberg Brief: Still Voting With The Cult?

It’s hard to believe after the daily onslaughts of negative news, crime, drugs, homelessness, retail collapse and tourism decline, there are still voters who will regardless vote for keeping elected officials, which are most responsible for the debacle, in office. And not for just one term, but continuously.

Career politicians are a double-edged sword. A good politician, who’s caring, respectful, effective, diligent, are of course rare, but are revered and then re-elected. So how it is that hard-working, taxpaying, law-abiding citizens  voting for change instead suffer when the opposite type of politician runs – and somehow is re-elected over and over?

One reason is the obvious cult-like following which so many of these crappy politicians have. Take San Francisco city board member Dean Preston. If you don’t know him or his policies, he’s like Senator Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Preston is a self-identified DSA (Democratic Socialist); he adores the farthest-Left governance doctrine, drawing well-deserved, harsh ridicule.

Yet, in his district, he’s a hero. Even with the downwards spiral in much of our city, even in the specific neighborhood and district which he himself has represents and has jurisdiction over, with power, influence over voters, he’s fast approaching re-election to office this November. By all intents and purposes, he should’ve been recalled or resigned in disgrace sometime over these last three years.

But even there being a challenger to Preston, making this a true race, he’s still got a very good chance at winning, and another four-year term in office. Why? His supporters love progressive politics and progressive candidates.

Yes, that “Vote Blue No Matter Who” mentality strikes again, and again, over and over.

A few years ago, I was riding in an Uber Pool, which if you aren’t familiar with that level of ride-sharing service, it allows multiple stops for additional riders to be picked up mid-ride, and dropped off mid-ride. It was the least expensive way to travel with Uber, if time wasn’t a factor for you.

On that day, a late-teens girl appearing to take the “San Francisco Flowers in Her Hair” dress up just a bit too seriously, had gotten in the car. It happened to be the day just before Election Day, and being who I am, I naturally struck up a conversation will all the other fellow passengers in the Uber – and the driver as well. At some point, this girl said, (and it was evident this would be the first election she’d vote in), she doesn’t care who the candidate is, as long as they are progressive.

There you have it.

Voting based on good vibes, joy, gender identity and racial background is the worst way to utilize our cherished voting rights as American citizens. Yes, I am probably preaching to the choir right now. So, if you have friends, family, colleagues, remind them to take voting seriously.

At this past week’s DNC convention in Chicago, Michelle Obama led the delegates in attendance to chant, to “Do Something”, with this chant now a mantra for the Democrats. I agree. We who are fighting here in San Francisco, and California, against the worst elected leaders, do indeed need to do something.

At every opportunity, respectfully of course, we should and must do something by reminding fellow voters of the need for meaningful change. Do something by reading up on the ballot measures and candidates. Do something by questioning why incumbents have the nerve to run for re-election when conditions on the streets remain dire. Do something by pointing a finger at the government officials in office which have contributed to, or are directly responsible, our city’s, state’s and federal government’s mess.

Political slate mailers, with recommendations for candidates and ballot measures, are going to start arriving at homes in the next few weeks. They are particularly dangerous if you don’t know nor trust the source implicitly.  Tailored for the low-information voter, slate mailers often contain endorsements not based on a candidate’s merit, nor issue voting record, nor on universal positive praise, but by that candidate merely paying for appearing in that mailer.

Similarly, for years, San Franciscans have eagerly awaited the special election edition of the SF Bay Guardian print paper. Long functioning as the de-facto guide for the city’s laziest, low-information voter, it was indeed really popular. Voters carried a copy of the guide with them to the polls. The amount of influence it yielded was legend. And unfortunately, many a respectable, quality candidate’s campaign was derailed by the Bay Guardian. They ceased to regularly publish as a periodic print newspaper, but still put out their annual voter guide.

Another example is a producer of mass political mailers in San Francisco, the “League of Pissed-off Voters.” They consistently recommend the farthest-Left candidates and off the rails ballot measures, which are paid for by the candidates and ballot committees which appear there. It’s an outrageous pay-to-play scheme.

So, you want to do something? Warn your friends, your family – to ignore these types of guides and mailers. Take just a little time to research the issues. Make your votes meaningful and throw those suspicious deceptive slate mailers in the garbage.