Andy Caldwell
Who is watching local liberals play a game best described as a combination of “Monopoly” and “Twister,” a game having to do with political machinations and campaign contributions in a one-political-party town?
Due to the fact that two progressives are running against each other for 1st District supervisor, namely Laura Capps and Das Williams, pundits and activists are grasping at straws to make the case that these two candidates somehow differ from one another. The Capps contingent is twisting itself into a pretzel trying to make the case that Das Williams is playing with “dirty money” coming from unions, political action committees and, gasp, marijuana growers.
For your information, unions have as much a right to give money to election campaigns as anyone else. And political action committees are not funded secretively. In fact, every donation to a PAC is disclosed in the same manner as direct contributions to the candidates. With respect to marijuana growers, well, I don’t see that in any different of a light than any other business contribution, despite the controversy surrounding the industry. Why? The typical refrain is that money from oil companies, North County interests and developers is considered similarly suspect and denounced ad infinitum in each and every election cycle. Pot just happens to be in the hot seat because Ms. Capps needed a political straw to grasp, and the controversy concerning the stink of pot fit the bill.
All I can say is cry me a river. Every Democratic politician gets money from unions and political action committees, and lots of it. In fact, up to two-thirds of the campaign contributions to Democrats can come by way of unions and political action committees, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. But, because Laura Capps isn’t getting any of this money in this particular election cycle, well, she is crying herself a river while pretending this is all unprecedented.
Allow me to tell you what is really going on here. The reason I believe a PAC was formed to aid Das Williams in this race has nothing to do with dirty money. It’s worse than that. Are you sitting down? I believe a PAC was formed because somebody, somewhere, decided that winning this contest could come down to Republican voters, who otherwise have no obvious horse in this race.
That is, to the horror of everyone, yes, Virginia, there are still Republican voters in the South County, and it would be political suicide for Das Williams or any other card-carrying progressive to directly court their vote. Hence the need for a special PAC that features a couple of prominent Republicans touting the praises of Das Williams, notwithstanding the fact one of the quotes was taken completely out of context.
That’s it. Nothing nefarious going on here, except that courting Republican votes in this town is considered anathema for overwrought reasons by the Democratic and socialist power brokers, including the media. Hence, Das Williams can, will and must deny any and all knowledge about anything and everything having to do with this outside-the-box campaign strategy — namely, asking for and courting Republicans.
Ergo, no self-respecting partisan progressive politician can appeal to anyone outside of the party faithful, because there is zero tolerance in this town for moderation. That is not to say that Das is a moderate; he just doesn’t toe the line for limousine liberals. Nonetheless, the political rule all Dems must abide by is a commitment to monopolize the body politic while keeping the voters in the dark and Republicans at bay, no matter how much you have to twist the truth.
Andy Caldwell is the executive director of COLAB and host of The Andy Caldwell Radio Show, weekdays from 3-5 p.m., on News-Press AM 1290.
