Reader columnist Don Bauder.
In the San Diego Reader, columnist Don Bauder has a different view of the Filner scandal and imbroglio. He says it “is all about greed” and that the “business community reveals it plans to pick [our] pockets.”
Bauder, who was a U-T columnist and journalist, has been one of the only independent voices in San Diego’s media realm for years. His conservative publisher dislikes the San Diego establishment for his own reasons.
We are reprinting Bauder’s piece in its entirety:
Don Bauder / San Diego Reader / August 1, 2013
A story in the Aug. 1 Union-Tribune tells all that has to be known about the Filner slaughter. First, the city attorney’s office issued two dubious opinions to smooth the way for a recall. City Attorney Goldsmith, a toady for the downtown corporate welfare crowd, has been an enemy of Filner from the beginning. But then comes this quote, which is all you need to know about what is going to happen.
Bill Geppert, co-chairman of the San Diego Business Alliance, stated, “We are convinced that the crisis has done serious damage to the city of San Diego’s business climate. Our tourism marketing industry has been gutted, the film Commission has been disbanded, the Chargers stadium talks are dead in the water, developers are being put in difficult positions or are simply not pursuing important projects. This must stop.”
In short, Geppert is attacking Filner for doing all the things he was elected to do. The tourism marketing effort has been slowed because Filner wanted the hotels to pay their way. They have not done so. The Film Commission has always had a dubious mission. The Chargers stadium talks SHOULD be dead in the water. This will be another case of colossal corporate welfare for a billionaire family.
Developers SHOULD be put in difficult positions. They have run the City far too long. Filner was correctly trying to put them in their place. Filner was ousted by a pre-planned cabal plotted by people saying they have a progressive agenda. But the keys to the City have been turned back to the downtown overlords who lost the election.
Yes, Filner’s disgusting behavior — almost all of it occurring long before he was elected mayor — helped bring this on. But no one could have stopped the hysteria once the mainstream media twisted reality like a pretzel. Taxpayers and financial stability will be the losers. When the hysteria dies down in six months or a year, San Diego will be a laughingstock, at least among those who understand how politics works — and fails to work.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Democracy is being choked out one incident at a time. This all started with Clinton and has continued down the food chain every since. Any time corporate america has the chance to nullify an election, it will be tried. North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan. The list of offences is long and sordid.
Cross those three states out of my last comment. Detroit did get taken over,
TRUTH has never been more CLEAR!!!!!
Thanks’ to the OB-RAG and Don Bauder!!!!
Why is the City Attorney involved in this matter at all? Why hasn’t that office recused itself completely as the District Attorney very properly did? It doesn’t pass the smell test at all.
Our “City Attorney” is not an attorney! He is a political shill, controlled by the same personalities that are fighting to keep their stranglehold on the city!
Goldsmith should be recalled himself, for prosecuting the guy that “defaced” BOA’s sidewalks with washable chalk, that entire case was a shameful waste of taxpayer money!
Thank you. I have read Don for so many years and I need to check his blog more often. Straight honest opinion/journalism.
Great that you decided to run Don Bauder’s piece, Frank. In this fractured journalism environment, it is a public service to broadcast the thoughtful opinion of Don Bauder, a long-respected financial writer and city observer who writes for the independent and alternative San Diego Reader. Obecians are lucky to have the OB Rag. In La Jolla where I am, the local weekly has dutifully called on the Mayor to step down.
Tell it like it is Don Bauder. Doesn’t Michael Pallamary’s groupie look like Mama June?
What makes sense – if there is going to be a house cleaning – really clean it – recall Goldsmith along with Filner. Who might lead that charge?
Thanks, OB Rag.
Kudos to Bauder, who knows San Diego better than the National TV commentators who’ve rejoiced in shaming Filner and San Diegans who elected him. How did they get this story so fast? Was it planted? By which faction? The bunch who attacked him at Golden Hall, an alliance of women who sees the incidents as an issue for Women’s Rights, Big Daddy’s newspaper, the Business Community or PBS?
The sort of things Filner is accused of happens all across the nation, and goes without comment outside of local papers.
Okay, I’ll concede the Weiner story.
Salacity is so…titillating. Pun intended.
It is too bad that the city of San Diego, its poor leadership, and its top citizens don’t work as hard caring for the well being of the residents of the city as they do on their Filner which hunt. They have not been able to stand having to curtail their spending. Where were the stories when Bob was running for mayor? No one had a problem until Bob started to address their entitlements. San Diegan’s pay for all these tourist attractions but few of them can afford to partake in the attractions themselves.
No doubt we need a much more balanced approach to city management. The greatest threat to Filner is Filner. No self control. Bless me with Donna Frye.
“Bless me with Donna Frye?” I don’t think so. Just another outraged, destructive, free-range, locovore ego. Very shocking and sad.
A severe rant – Donna made a misstake, she’s not perfect, but on the Council she did pretty good – asked a lot of tough on the mark questions. But locovore ego, meaning she has the ego of a person who likes locally grown food? Got me on that one.
JEC-Donna is old enough to exercise well measured self discipline. Just because we feel outraged by information we hear does not give us the right to abuse people. These people attacking Filner look just as bad as his poor behavior. No one should get a free pass to abuse others. San Diego can be very cold and exclusive to those that are not interested in their cool-aide.
I agree with Frances. Donna, unfortunately, is no blessing. I am not keen on these folks that are inappropriate communicators. Seeing Donna Frye perform her rant was embarrassing. What on earth is going on that grown people that put themselves in leadership positions act like snitty school children? Why would Donna Frye have a press conference about Filner poor behavior? It appears that Filner made some poor choices. That does not give a community he right to persecute him. He is a human being. Why is it that San Diego has such a delicious time mauling people?
All illustrates a political point my father once made – in a mud fight everyone gets dirty. Who’s going to get out of this clean?
*locavore* (NOT “locovore”)
Smuffy is right. Donna Frye has previously been the angel of the environmentalists. However, watching her screw her face up and howl at the 2nd press conference was brutal. I can only surmise that maybe Bob Filner disappointed Donna in some way regarding the transparency job she was supposed to take in his administration. That might explain her screaming banshee behavior? Psychology 101: Donna might be mad at something else Filner did and is transferring her anger towards him by striking out publicly at a his boorish behavior with these women who are now coming out of the woodwork,
I agree with your Dad JEC. I always think that when things get muddy that is the time I need to double check my self and be on my best behavior. When times get tough we have to be our best.
Gail- I too wondered what these folks had against Filner and what some unknown entity had against them. Does someone have dirt on all these Bob Bashers? Are they being used to tank Bob so the greed mongers can get back at the cash flow? Last Friday there was a woman on TV talking abut how she felt harassed because Bob asked her if she had a boyfriend or was married. The president routinely makes comments about peoples looks and he goes unchecked. I learned in corporate HR training that we can’t say anything about what a person looks like and it is too bad if we don’t like someone’s personality. Our job is not to judge others it is to work together. If someone is poorly communicating step up and say something appropriate. Don’t go behind their back and bash them to the media. I wonder who is behind this orchestra. I want to know who the conductor is. Surly it is not any of the women that say they were harassed or they would have come forth sooner. None of them seem like weak spirited women. Even if Filner was inappropriate he is still a human being and to slander him and nit pick every disagreeable personality trait makes all those that slanders look like purchased pawns.
JEC & Smuffy: An old Southern politician used to say that you let the mud dry and you just flick it off. Then he would brush off his lapels and smile.
That’s long before citizen journalists with camcorders and smart phones, twitter, etc, of course. These days, a butt noise is reported before anyone can smell anything.
Sorry to be so crass.
Anyone who gets into politics has to have a thick hide. Most of us get hurt and leave the field of battle. Add courage to the thick hide. 8-)
Marilyn; I think these days the battle cry of the media is “let no fart go un-sniffed.” It seems the very worst mankind has to offer is leading the program.
Is there more to this than we know? Why these people, why now? Raising questions about the accusers is likely to get you branded. But in this edgy political climate, where the domain name for the Filner Recall was registered 7 months ago, it would not be unreasonable to reflect on what these women share in common, besides crossing Filner’s path. Some, like Patti Roscoe, have known Filner for 30 years, since his days on the City Council. Others like Emily Gilbert meet Filner once, while performing as a Marilyn Monroe look alike at a Filner fundraising last December and appears to have very little in common with the others. The four who appeared together on KPBS share one thing in common – a history of political involvement. Not that it means something, or means nothing, but as it happens Ronne Froman, Patti Roscoe and Joyce Gattas were listed as top end endorsers of Deborah Berger, a Deputy City Attorney who ran for City Attorney in 2004 and lost to Aquirre. Right or wrong politics is all about perception; a history of political cooperation could invite belief in a conspiracy theory. Knowing how ill-mannered men can be; and that Filner’s behavior doesn’t pass the smell test, it remains a valid question. Why these women, why now? It seems likely there are other women including some who accepted Filner’s proposal. While McCormack appears to have a good case of sexual harassment leading to a hostile work environment, the others do not. Do these women have something more in common, besides endorsing Deborah Berger?
JEC-fear no branding. Be your own brand no matter what the bandwagon plays. I find it interesting that the recall domain was registered 7 months ago. Wasn’t that about the time that Manchester tried to get Filner to be his yes man? Do Berger and Manchester have any connections? Seems highly suspect that so many of these women have connections to the same person; Berger. Any idea how much if any SAN moneys has gone to Manchester or any of these women? We need deep background checks on all these people. While I do not agree with unwelcome treatment by anyone; I like that Filner is not stepping down. I won’t support the which hunt. It is wrong weather Filner is guilty or not. Who is getting big payouts the city? Who is in jeopardy of loosing their big payouts?
JEC: “The four who appeared together on KPBS share one thing in common – a history of political involvement.”
Right on, JEC.
I was listening in the car and was too distracted to drive because that fact, and the way at least one of the women are described: “successful business woman” struck me.
The men politicians are trying to be more politic, quietly suggesting Filner step down.
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