“It’s why five people in this town take Darrell Issa seriously”
By Doug Porter
San Diego’s own Congressman Darrell Issa is making headlines nationally this morning, but not in the way that the local daily paper would like you to believe.
Today’s UT-San Diego has a Page Two story up featuring a picture featuring Issa holding up a piece of paper, with a caption that says “interviews with employees at the Cincinnati IRS office indicate they were directed by Washington to target conservative groups.”
The north county’s answer to Joe McCarthy went on CNN Sunday morning to tout his latest ‘evidence’, which turned out to be highly edited selections from staff interviews with IRS agents. Politically correspondent Cindy Crowley called Issa’s bluff, actually reading the documents and pointing out that they proved nothing.
From Think Progress:
In fact, after hearing Crowley read the transcript of an interview, Issa himself admitted that he has yet to uncover evidence that demonstrates IRS coordination with Washington.
Issa also used his Sunday morning talking head time to brand current administration spokesman Jay Carney as a “paid liar.” (Well, duh, isn’t that what all spokesmen could be called?).
Former Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs went on Monday’s MSNBC Morning Joe to defend Carney:
“I mean, it’s a stunning thing,” Gibbs said of Issa’s charges. “It’s why five people in this town take Darrell Issa seriously and it’s the surest bet the Republicans are very much on the verge of overplaying their hand publicly and the American people will lose interest in their side of this. They want to see the IRS cleaned up, but they will understand quickly that Darrell Issa is doing nothing more than politicizing this event.”
The GOP spinmeisters, as evidenced by today’s UT-San Diego coverage, are trumpeting a ‘new’ report on IRS spending for conferences. This is old news, being pumped up as a new revelation. Buried in the Associated Press account in today’s paper is the information that the IRS has already reduced such spending from $37.6 million in 2010 to $4.9 million in 2012. None-the-less a $50 million figure is making the headlines, a figure achieved by lumping together three years worth of spending.
Unnoticed by the local press is the fact that these high-ticket ‘improvement, leadership and efficiency’ conferences are the kind of ‘business’ enterprises that made local conservative hero Carl DeMaio wealthy.
Columnist Andrew Sullivan has decided that he’s had enough of the Congressman’s antics and penned a full frontal assault on his credibility, reprinting large sections of stories in the New Yorker and NPR that allege a past criminal (grand theft auto and arson) activity by Issa. From The Dish:
But if you apply the standards of evidence Issa uses to indict the president – pure innuendo, speculation and smears – then you can fairly say that Issa was a likely car thief, con-man, and arsonist. Having figured out how to steal cars, he then repurposed his expertise to set up a company to prevent car theft. In the end, it made him a multi-millionaire. And former crook.
Mayor Filner Gets Some Love
Friday morning San Diego was all atwitter over yet another showdown between Mayor Bob Filner and the Tourism Marketing types. By late afternoon the Mayor had gotten his commitment for support of the Balboa Park centennial and the tourism types called off plans for yet another ‘shutdown’.
Then the good news started to roll in, in the form of news coverage that managed to escape the standard local media narrative about Mayor Bob’s brutish behavior. CBS/8 went beyond the spat to talk about Filner’s vision for the Balboa Park event:
“They didn’t keep an agreement with me last week about funding the Balboa Park Centennial. That’s going to bring in more tourists than anything else that year.”
The Tourism Marketing District on Friday agreed to write a check for $500,000 to go toward the planning of the Balboa Park Centennial.
But just what will the big 2015 celebration have in it?
Mayor Filner already has ideas how to spend the estimated $40 to $50 million it will cost for an event on a global stage.
“Every two weeks, for example, a new city or country will be the focal point of an international exhibit.”
The mayor is considering lighting up the Coronado bridge during the year-long festival. Also, bringing in new sculptures and artwork for display inside the popular park.
“We have an almost feudal system in San Diego”
Then there was the feature about Bob Filner in the Los Angeles Times this weekend. The story says the Mayor is shaking things up in San Diego. Unlike local media accounts, the LA Times story doesn’t conclude or imply having a progressive mayor will be the highway to hell for San Diego.
As mayor, he often approaches issues — like the tourism industry allocation — not as technical matters to be parsed but as crusades of right versus wrong: “It’s what Cesar and Martin told me: It’s all about the morality, not about winning and losing.”
Too many city officials and City Hall insiders, he added, are comfortable with an “old boys’ club” approach to government.
“We have an almost feudal system in San Diego,” Filner said. “The same kind of people have run San Diego for 50 years, and that’s hard for them to give up.”
And the account concludes with an actual compliment from a Republican:
“Bob takes no prisoners, and anyone who thinks he’s going to change is crazy,” said John Kern, a Republican political consultant and a former chief of staff to Mayor Dick Murphy, who served in the early 2000s.
Kern said he disagrees with Filner on nearly every issue but admires him on two points: “When he makes a deal, he sticks to it. And he’ll say to your face what he says behind your back. Those are rare traits in a politician.”
Point Loma Dems Get in the Picture
Meanwhile, tired of hearing all the negative narratives in the local media about the Mayor, the Point Loma Democratic Club has started up a group calling itself San Diegans for Mayor Bob Filner. Over 200 people signed up on its Facebook page over the weekend.
When the mayor stands up to the powerful interests who have run this city for the last 50 years, the Mayor is constantly attacked. Not by the people who elected him, but by the special interest groups who wanted their lackey, their pawn, to be Mayor. These groups actively try to hamper his policy decisions at every turn. We must push back and be heard. Show that we have Bob’s back.
…
If you use Facebook, you should check out San Diegans for Mayor Bob Filner and Like their page. Whenever you see a story about Bob that you agree with, give a Like or post a supportive comment. If you use Twitter you can follow @4MayorBobFilner and retweet messages that you support.
We can, and must, counteract the negative comments from the UNION T, and the misleading headlines from the Voice of San Diego.
Even More Bad News for the GOP
Last weekend there was former US Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole talking smack about the Grand Old Party. From Scripps-Howard columnist Ann McFetters:
At 89, Dole is that old-fashioned Republican who thinks the federal government has a legitimate role, that Congress should not just say no to everything and that bipartisanship is not a bad word.
A certified wounded World War II hero, Dole ran the Senate as majority leader when things got done. He ran a civilized presidential campaign against Bill Clinton and, although he lost, he stayed dignified and statesmanlike and a voice to be heard. There’s not much to dislike about Dole — unless you’re truly far right and think government is the enemy.
Asked what he thinks of the modern Republican Party, Dole said someone should put a sign on the national committee door reading “Closed for repairs.”
Today it’s the National College Republicans report on the GOP, emphasis on “old”: From Politico:
In the report, the young Republican activists acknowledge their party has suffered significant damage in recent years. A sampling of the critique on:
Gay marriage: “On the ‘open-minded’ issue … [w]e will face serious difficulty so long as the issue of gay marriage remains on the table.”
Hispanics: “Latino voters … tend to think the GOP couldn’t care less about them.”
Perception of the party’s economic stance: “We’ve become the party that will pat you on your back when you make it, but won’t offer you a hand to help you get there.”
Big reason for the image problem: The “outrageous statements made by errant Republican voices.”
Words that up-for-grabs voters associate with the GOP: “The responses were brutal: closed-minded, racist, rigid, old-fashioned.”
Before You Start Complaining…
…About how El Cajon Boulevard is torn up and traffic disrupted, you might want to learn about the impending construction on the Mid-City Bus Project.
This is what those of us that live in the more ‘urbanized’ areas of San Diego are getting instead of Trolley Line. It’s being pitched as “a high-frequency, limited-stop service between San Diego State University and Downtown San Diego via Park and El Cajon boulevards.”
It’s a done deal, so you might as well get the low down on what’s in store if you happen to live or pass through any of the affected areas. Two meetings are being held:
Monday, June 10th, 5:30-7:30 pm, at Grace Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 3967 Park Boulevard.
Thursday, June 13th, 5:30-7:30 pm at the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association, 3727 El Cajon Boulevard
For more information: KeepSanDiegoMoving.com/
Check Out the SDFree Press Calendar
Thanks to the efforts of Brent Beltrán, the San Diego Free Press now has an on-line calendar of events. You can see events in the arts, performances and political gatherings of every persuasion by clicking on the ‘Calendar’ Tab at the top of the page. To get your event listed, drop us a line: events@sandiegofreepress.org
On This Day: 1784 – The U.S. Congress formally created the United States Army to replace the disbanded Continental Army. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress had created the Continental Army for purposes of common defense and this event is considered to be the birth of the United States Army. 1965 – Edward White became the first American astronaut to do a “space walk” when he left the Gemini 4 capsule 1967 – The Doors “Light My Fire” was released.
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Doug Porter
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Hey Doug! I don’t miss the U/T half as much as I thought I would since you are reading it for me. I now read your column first thing in the morning to get the day going. Do you think you could add the crossword puzzle?
If my daughter’s laptop would quit crapping out (meaning she gets to do her homework on my pc), I’d do the Washington Post one online all the time. No paywall (yet) and it’s interactive.
Hi Doug, thanks for the shout out on how to support Bob Filner, America’s Finest Mayor.
For the record we didn’t start the Facebook page San Diegans for Mayor Bob Filner, but we fully support their bi-partisan support of all he’s doing for regular citizens. Support for the Mayor is far larger than just the Democratic Party. Many independents and decline to state voters supported Bob’s election and over the last few months working class, middle class, and female registered Republicans are beginning to see what Veterans (of any political persuasion) have known for years – that Bob Filner’s policies are better for them.
Here, Here! I’m one – an independent, or “decline to state” as some describe us who really enjoys what Filner is doing. His years of experience have taught him well. He’s energizing.
Does everyone realize that obnoxious North County Republican Congressman Darryl
Issa got rich by inventing and marketing the obnoxious CAR ALARM?
Also, how about that ubiquitous warlord Senator John McCain (R-AZ)? He sneaks off to Syria to go around with rebels; comes home for his son’s wedding in San Francisco but makes time to go on CBS’ morning news “Face the Nation” to call for American military intervention there; then shows up in NYC this morning to talk to CBS’ Charlie Rose about President Obama’s “trifecta” of domestic scandals and, again, an Rx for getting us involved in the Syrian snake pit. (I guess you don’t learn much locked up for years in a North Vietnamese tiger cage.)
Darryl Issa INVENT the “obnoxious” car alarm? Where did you get that information? As far as I know he didn’t, but his company, DEI, had a more successful penetration strategy onto aftermarket auto electronics dealers’ sales floors than any of the others, and they pretty much gobbled up most of the other brands competing against them.
This was also a strategy when they entered the car audio industry, they bought up already financially troubled brands such as Orion, a/d/s, Precision Power, etc, and while they admirably did pick up the warranty contracts for existing customers, they also unceremoniously shuttered their US production facilities and outsourced manufacturing to China. They solicited samples from their Chinese partners, and if the product was substandard they sent them to US materials testing labs and found out what they did wrong and taught the Chinese how to do it right.
Essentially participating in the huge intellectual property giveaway that’s been the root of all of the economic woes in the country now.
However I doubt anyone will notice such a tangible skeleton in Issa’s closet, that really did do damage to America, surely it’s a lot more fun to accuse him of being a car thief or hypocritically point out that he’s “politicizing” an issue in Washington.
What do you think he’s supposed to be doing?
I’m apparently not the only one who heard echoes of Joe McCarthy in Issa’s rant:
From the National Journal;
Headline: Issa Stirs Echoes of McCarthy as Obama’s ‘Best Friend’ in IRS Probe…
In one brief and repugnant interview, the GOP’s chief congressional investigator into Internal Revenue Service abuses cherry-picked evidence, overstated his case, and violated the sacred American principle of presumed innocence.
If that was not enough, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., called White House press secretary Jay Carney a “paid liar,” and couldn’t explain why. “We’re getting to proving it,” he said.
Meet the best friend of a controversy-plagued Democratic White House: a demagogic Republican.
“There is a consensus out there that I am an odious, self-serving tool who uses congressional hearings to advance my own petty political agenda,” he said. “I think it’s important to know who created that impression.” From a sharply satirical piece by Andy Borowitz writing on the call by the ‘House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) for hearings to investigate why no one has paid any attention to him in the weeks of hearings he has called for thus far.’
… “old boys’ club” approach to government… “The same kind of people have run San Diego for 50 years, and that’s hard for them to give up.”
If this were describing a South American country, we would see it for what it actually is – political corruption. This city has been run by a corrupt elite. Let’s stop calling it an “old boys’ club.”
Good point, as it must not be forgotten one of the most corrupt political figures in recent history- so bad even the GOP washed their hands of her- was a woman.
“I threw up a little bit in the back of my mouth” (is that how that goes?) when I heard her claim she had no clue about her husband Dick’s illegal financial dealings… even though some of the recordings used for evidence had her voice in the background.
However “old boys’ club” IS just an age old saying, bringing to mind Hollywood representations best portrayed by Southern small towns, like in Dukes of Hazzard, or Burt Reynolds movies like “Gator” and “White Lightning”- but I don’t think San Diego quite approaches that level and it’s probably improved.
The days when the Copley owned U-T basically decided who won or lost elections are thankfully over.
Romneys in San Diego & now, “San Diego’s own . . . Issa”? I thought (hoped?) he was from Orange County. There goes the neighborhood, European tourists & others won’t come, schools will close, we’ll be skipped, forgotten, laughed at, oh well.
But it was demanded of the new IRS Commissioner to explain why the IRS is not going by the law (passed in 1913) that states the 501C’s are to be “exclusively” engaged in social welfare activities, and is instead going by a 1959 regulation that replaces “exclusively” with “primarily”. The committee member in the investigation insisted the law is what must be followed, not the regulation. The law was the result of Congressional action, regulation was not.
It will be terrific if Issa’s efforts end up causing the regulation to be removed, repealed, and made obsolete. If IRS has to revert to the law, all those who are so “victimized” by the process, claiming to be targeted will not be eligible for the exemption based on the applications they’ve submitted. An even greater result would be retroactive application of the law that states the purpose must be “exclusively” instead of primarily.