By Doug Porter
The more we learn about the inner workings of the Carl DeMaio campaign, the more bizarre it gets. If you believe defenders of the Republican Candidate for the 52nd Congressional District, former campaign staffer Todd Bosnich has perhaps gone back in time to fabricate emails (much of which are mundane) and/or hacked Carl DeMaio’s Sony VIAO laptop.
Yesterday we learned about a fake twitter account allegedly used by DeMaio to transmit trashy blurbs about various local politicos. Then there’s the hilarious (in a sad way) and ongoing attempt by a UT-San Diego editor to justify their coverage (or lack thereof) of the steadily leaking emails purportedly from the DeMaio campaign.
City Beat columnist Dave Maass spotted an item in a emailed worklist regarding an assignment to “finish Wikipedia”, apparently directing a staffer to make favorable edits on entries related to the campaign. This sort of thing would be a big no-no, and it’s something DeMaio and/or his staff were busted (by Maass) for in 2011.
UPDATE (and it’s a biggie): A second former Carl DeMaio staffer has come forward and sided with accuser Todd Bosnich.
And, since I’ve gotten no response from DeMaio camp on this one, let’s make it public. Via former deputy campaign manager Alison Rentschler:
— Kelly Davis (@citybeatkelly) October 24, 2014
“I… can confirm Todd was not fired for plagiarism. Carl was very involved with the report and referred to it as his ‘baby.’” +
— Kelly Davis (@citybeatkelly) October 24, 2014
The story is now posted on City Beat. End of update….
The fake twitter account, Truth Sayer @4SanDiegoNews, functioned for three months earlier this year. The account started by calling out various Democrats around town, demanding they apologize for supporting Bob Filner in 2012. Then the abuse was aimed at assorted (former) campaign staffers, and ending up with insults hurled at DeMaio’s conservative primary challenger Kirk Jorgenson.
It was, to put it mildly, a non-stop insult machine. Here’s one example (name of insultee deleted):
Truth Sayer @4SanDiegoNews · Apr 11 It is noon time. that means @XXXXXXXX has probably already had 3 meals today. a few more on the way.
A Child’s Garden of Excuses from Mission Valley
Following are my favorites from UT-San Diego Watchdog Editor Ricky Young (aka @Ricky Why) on Twitter with his litany of excuses as to why the newspaper won’t look at the technical data contained in the emails currently circulating concerning Carl DeMaio. These are actual excuses lifted from his twitter account. I’ve stripped some of the names of people involved in this conversation out and made other edits just to make this less confusing for the non-twitter user. My goal was to retain the essence of the excuses being offered up.
As we join the conversation Ricky Young is being asked if he’d sent a reporter or tech expert to examine accuser Todd Bosnich’s computer:
Benjamin Katz (Who knows a thing or two about computers): Did you take up Bosnich up on his offer to look at his computer directly?
Young: I never received such an offer.
Several people point out the publicly made offer:
ATTN Reporters: My computer will be available at the Gomez Law Firm until 5PM today (1/2)
— Todd Bosnich (@Te_Boz) October 22, 2014
Feel free to investigate it and the Kate Lyon email. All reporters are welcome, including the UT/DeMaio campaign (2/2)
— Todd Bosnich (@Te_Boz) October 22, 2014
Benjamin Katz: If any reporter still has doubts about the veracity of the Bosnich emails, I can meet you at the Gomez Law Firm today to go over it. DM me.
Young: I didn’t see that. I was pretty busy just responding to tweets sent @ me yesterday.
Young: Verification requires entire chain of custody. We wouldn’t have that from looking at one person’s laptop.
Benjamin Katz: It will take about 90 minutes to figure out if the next Congressperson from San Diego is lying to you.
Meanwhile, Young, in response to a statement from Andy Cohen: In truth, writing about the email as “news” was a bit biased against Carl, who said it was fake.
Will Moore: [Local Attorney] : So, it’s settled. You’re headed on over. Right?
Young: Those [Tweets from Bosnich] were yesterday. It appears I missed the 5pm deadline.
Will Moore: (sure, it says 5PM, but since you guys were explicitly listed in the offer, you could reasonably ask for another chance.)
Todd Bosnich: Sure. I’ve always said they could. Unlike the UT and Carl I don’t answer to Doug Manchester and have nothing to hide
Young: I am waiting to talk to [Benjamin Katz] about whether that would really verify anything.
Will Moore: One rationale after another for not investigating gets taken away, and you keep making up new ones.
Kelly Davis (City Beat Editor): Your persistent skepticism leaves me wondering how anything gets done over there.
Young: I learn as I go. What investigating do you think remains here?
Benjamin Katz: That’s in the header. It a Time Warner IP address and the computer is identified as “CarlDeMaioVAIO”
Ricky Young: [In response to Kelly Davis ] Read that [NBC7 News] Wendy Fry story. You’ll see what good it does to look at the laptop. Total fabrication
Young could have spared himself so much grief if he’d just started out that way. You have to remember that this is an editor who backed a reporter dogging ex-candidate Nathan Fletcher for his high school transcripts. I do give him credit for staying in the conversation as long as he did (70+ tweets). And in his mind I’m sure he’s justifying his stances as good journalism. On that we disagree.
There’s more from Young… and you can read it at: https://twitter.com/RickyWhy
Editing History for Fun and Political Profit
Finally, we get to the Wikipedia story.. Here’s Dave Maass calling out DeMaio campaign flack Dave McCulloch, following his refusal to comment on a purported email from the candidate:
Join me in formally calling on @dtmcculloch to explain whether the @carldemaio campaign has edited Wikipedia. See img pic.twitter.com/YLaNbkp8of — Defunct Dave (@DaveMaass) October 23, 2014
Later on former staff Todd Bosnich joined into the conversation on twitter:
@DaveMaass @DaveMaass @jeffhammett We also edited Peters wikipedia page too. I remember adding stuff about Coastal Commission and pay raise — Todd Bosnich (@Te_Boz) October 24, 2014
Reporter Maass has already identified the unauthorized Wikipedia edits, some of which were done anonymously and some under the pseudonym VickieJR.
The point of all this minutiae is that it illustrates just how mean spirited and petty the DeMaio bunch are and the lengths their supporters will go to defend them.
On This Day: 1940 – The 40-hour work week goes into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act, signed by President Roosevelt two years earlier. 1970 – President Richard Nixon appealed to radio broadcasters to screen songs with lyrics that urge drug use. 1992 – The Toronto Blue Jays became the first non-U.S. team to win the World Series.
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And just think, as soon as we get through reeling from the stench from these grim droppings, 2016 will soon be here and they’ll start dropping caca again.
And this lying bag of crap is going to be my next Congressman.
Do you really believe his opponent is more honest?
It’s absurd how many voters pretend to hold those they support to standards of ethics. As the job entails making decisions that always leave someone unhappy and require sugar coating the bad news. the only result is we elect only the most skilled liars.
(It is said Bill Clinton could look people in the eye while virtually lifting their wallet from their pocket and they would thank him for it and feel warm and fuzzy afterward)
I thnk we know what really goes on. The only lies that matter enough for feigned indignation and outrage ate those told by the candidate for the other party.
All I can say about all this hubbub is: welcome to the world of competitive campaigns.
FBI investigations? Check. Happened to me and my consultant in 2004. (and since the FBI spokesperson in an NBC report this week is quoted saying they would neither confirm nor deny an active investigation is underway, why is it being reported as fact?)
Wikipedia alterations? Check. Happened to me often whenever I would introduce high-profile legislation on gun safety etc. Also happened to me during my 2012 primary and we had to assign staff to clean up the mess.
Unhappy staff with a grudge against me? Fortunately, no. In fact I was one of the few elected’s in Sacramento who had the same Chief of Staff for all six years, and very little turnover in my Capitol or San Diego district office.
Likewise, my campaign staff never had a reason to go public with complaints in the way we are seeing now.
A lot of these distractions are exactly that: distractions. They are intended to keep people thinking about things other then running an effective campaign.
Lots of smoke doesn’t always mean there’s a fire. The fact that these stories keep appearing, sometimes with questionable verification, is just par for the course.
Campaigns now are just cheap fictions, with a lot of moneyed people competing to publish them.
Money has doubled and tripled the amount of crap enveloping government and politics. I’m not sure there is any longer a “par for the course,” or that there is a “typical campaign crap.” Only a sick mind can foresee the next wave of shit unleashed by most candidates today.
This is what it’s like to live in a modern plutocracy.
The intelligent voter should care more about the issues than crap about an individual candidate. However that also becomes the way to forward their agenda- destroy the individual candidate who is on the opposing side of the issues.
1) Brian- Agree: 52nd CD voeters aree pretty savvy. These attacks could just as easily backfire, make some “on the fence” feel that the “DC crowd” is piling on. And I’ve said many time: mud flies indiscriminately. It sticks on those throwing as well as the intended target.
We could wind up with a new rep who will spend much of his time cleaning off the slime from this campaign, which again is part of the tactics (see #2)
2) John- you’re right- the “Politics of personal destruction” are becoming all too common. They: not only destroy the candidate, but demoralize/weaken people to discourage them from running again.
3) Bob- yes, it’s gotten worse in recent years w/massive amounts of money, social media, etc. Politics have always been like this, but now there’s more funding to spread the dirt far & wide.
All this stuff coming out about DeMaio validates–in my mind–Donna Frye’s claim that he’s a political sociopath.
So the question becomes: Would you prefer a corporate Democrat (which is what Scott Peters is) or a Republican with not enough common sense to keep his dirty laundry out of the news. It’s not a wonderful choice, but those are the names on the ballot.
No matter what promises either candidate makes on the issues, their lack of seniority in the House means a high percentage of what they’ll actually accomplish (beyond press releases) will be at the behest of their political party.
So if you’re concerned about the “issues,” look to that Party’s track record on enacted legislation (not symbolic votes, like the four dozen or more opposing Obamacare).
True- newbies mean less influence, less institutional knowledge, and also less chance for mischief (vs, e.g., Issa)
A lot depends on how many other new members arrive. Turnover means chances to advance- e.g., Kevin McCarthy from CA went to DC in 2006, and rose extremely quickly to become Boehner’s Whip by 2010, mostly thanks to GOP retirements in 2008.
I’ve also heard some say: “if DeMaio wins, and flounders, Dems have a shot at electing a strong progressive in 2016 with Hillary or Warren on top ticket.”
Maybe. I’m not arguing for that, just repeating dinner gossip.
San Diego is being robbed blind. This frenzy is a distraction from civic issues of the Successor Agency assets and Revenue. Money is being stolen from the neighborhoods.
http://tinyurl.com/20141021a
Please try to follow the Long Con and Conspiracy Theory by Following the money.
Civic San Diego and the City Council Liquidated $382 Million of Cash Residuals in the bank that former Mayor Filner promised to Neighborhoods to fund the 6 am to 6 pm School program, infrastructure, and homeless solutions.
Instead the $382 Million in Cash was redirected to the General Funds as Residual RPTTF Distribution instead of Paying off $1.67 Billion Successor Agency Debt or the HUD OIG Audit Debt Payments.
http://tinyurl.com/20140728a
On July 28, 2014, Civic San Diego staff Reclassified $151 million in Federal HUD OIG Audit Debt for CDBG Program Income as General Inter-Agency Debt. The Results are $46 Million in cash was diverted to the City of San Diego’s General Fund for the City staff and Union Reserves instead of CDBG Program Income for Homeless, children, seniors, and poor neighborhoods. Then staff erased and deleted the remaining $106 million for the poor based upon a purposeful misintepretation of State law for the benefit unknown parties.
All outside of the yearly Budget process for the taxing agencies, and required 5-year Budget projections. No Successor Agency budget exists for FY-2013 to FY-2015 because supposedly the Successor Agency is just temporary agency, therefore no written budget or analysis is needed.
CPRA request to the County for Successor Agency shows that $524 Million in Successor Agency (SA) Property Tax Increment (TI) is missing from City, County, and Schools Yearly Budgets. The information is also missing from the City’s 5-year budget projections.
Plus the annual $200 million off the City’s budget books for the next 20 to 30+ years that it will take to pay off all $1.67 BILLION in debt, at the current rate.
http://tinyurl.com/20141021a
+ $524 million Property Tax Increment (TI) ROPS-1 to ROPS-6.
– $145 million Tax Sharing Pass Through Distribution off the top.
– $166 million ROPS Enforceable Obligations (EO) paid from new RPTTF TI.
– $202 million in Residual RPTTF Distributions to Taxing Agencies. Goal is always Zero.
– $5 million Allowable 3% Administrative Costs.
– $6 million Miscellaneous Fees to County and State.
Existing Reserves and Other Funds. $908 Million in SA Assets as of June 30, 2012.
Non-Housing Other Funds ($616 million) and LMIHAF ($293 million).
$180 million Residual Distribution to Taxing Agency in 3 Due Diligence Review (DDR) Payments. Goal is always Zero.
Unknown amount of ROPS Enforceable Obligations (EO) paid from existing Reserves and Other Funds Accounts. Unaccounted.
Unknown amount of new Revenue in Reserve and Other Funds Accounts. Unaccounted.
Unknown starting and ending balances of Reserves and Other Funds Accounts. Unaccounted.
$20.4 million in General Fund Reserve Loans and Gifts to Civic San Diego, City Departments (City Attorney, IBA, Financial), and outside Consultants for extra Administration Cost over 3% Allowable. Debt was erased as part of $211 million written off in the FY-2013 CAFR.
$1.67 Billion in Acknowledged ROPS Debt.