By Kate Callen
The OB Rag has always gotten pushback on its endorsements of political candidates and ballot measures. But our choice of Nicole Crosby for the District 2 Council seat has triggered an unusual backlash from supporters of Richard Bailey.
We expected individuals to post negative comments on our Crosby story — that comes with the territory. But we never thought an advocacy group like San Diego United Communities (SDUC) would use its Instagram account to vilify us as “the worst and cringiest newspaper in San Diego.”
We respect the work of SDUC in fighting for sustainable growth in residential neighborhoods. But we are saddened by their scorched-earth tactics. They don’t just disagree — they attack, and often in personal terms.
In a separate Council race, SDUC’s efforts to disparage District 4 incumbent Henry Foster on behalf of their preferred candidate, challenger Martha Abraham, led to a rare public rebuke from two elected officials.
As Voice of San Diego reported October 2, County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe and City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera held a press conference to decry SDUC’s combative actions. Those included cartoons that depicted Montgomery-Steppe and Elo-Rivera, who support Foster, as gross caricatures.
How do we make sense of such vitriol? Why do people take offense at someone who supports a different candidate than they do?
It is worth noting that when the Rag endorsed Crosby, two of its own writers used the Rag’s platform to express misgivings about the decision.
Paul Krueger questioned Crosby’s support from labor unions in a city where unions have outsized influence on elections. I questioned Crosby’s resistance to shrinking the city payroll by cutting highly paid middle manager positions.
By any yardstick, Frank Gormlie qualifies as a political firebrand. But he posted our comments taking issue with his stand, and he said he appreciated that we had divergent views.
That’s how political discourse in a free society is supposed to work.
Yep!
It’s ironic that the OBRag would complain about reaction to it’s endorsement of Nicole Crosby by a community group yet attribute it “Bailey supporters” when Frank himself criticized La Prensa San Diego’s endorsement of Bailey by claiming we have lost our “grounding” without calling himself a Crosby supporter. Guilt by association is a tired (and failed) attack.
Art, I wrote this because, as a Rag staff writer, I will always stand up for my publication when it is disparaged. I think your staff writers would do the same. I don’t know what transpired between you and Frank, and honestly, I don’t care. We Rag writers are a team of journalists who work hard, as you and your colleagues do, to report the news fairly and accurately. Anyone who slams the Rag slams all of us.
Thank you, Kate. I just got off the phone with Art and after explaining to each other our positions vis a vis Bailey, ICE, Trump, Crosby etc, we have an agreement that when we have a disagreement, we express it and don’t go negative. He won’t call me “racist” and I won’t claim LaPrensa has lost “its grounding.” We do appreciate each other’s platform.
Glad you guys made up. Still I think we should all be quite alarmed at the potential of having a supporter of maga nonsense lead our city, and certainly should not be discouraged from harshly yet respectfully criticizing those who throw their support behind that candidate. Bailey’s smarminess is also giving serious ick. If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.
It appears no one on this paper seems to consider the fact that the current political party running SD has failed to improve the quality of life.
They were quick to raise taxes and fees while ballooning the city payroll with highly paid managers.
They’ll turn a blind eye to people smoking meth/fentanyl in public, but will come down hard if you mistakenly park in the wrong spot.
Not every Republican is MAGA, just like not every Democrat is Antifa/Democratic Socialist. Read what the individual stands for, and my eyes have not fooled me.
I AM OPEN TO BAILEY OFFERING A NEW PERSPECTIVE HERE!!!
You need then to familiarize yourself with the last 2-3 years of posts critical of city hall and many of the electeds inside
First… all caps? So cringe.
Second… I can be disappointed and even appalled by the terrible Campbell administration and the missteps of the council and mayor as a whole. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna turn over the reins to someone who was comfortable and likely enthusiastic in casting a vote for this maga chaos. Donald and his supporters are a poison to our society full stop.
But Bailey is DOGE 2.0
He makes claims about being able to reduce costs by outsourcing services and that he will be able to cut the cost for a building, but without ever providing facts or data.
Musk did the exact same and people wanted to believe him and yet DOGE saved us nothing. Even Musk admitted it was a failure.
So maybe Bailey isn’t MAGA but he sure sounds like MUSK
“and my eyes have not fooled me.”
Apparently, they have.
San Diego United Communities was established expressly to advance Richard Bailey as a political force in the City of San Diego. They are part of a well-crafted strategy assembled by former Larry Turner supporters to try and move the city to the political right and restore a Republican presence on the City Council and in the Mayor’s office.
Their M.O. is to generate enmity and anger via social media platforms and direct a disaffected public towards their preferred candidates, of which Mr. Bailey is paramount. Much of what they present is inaccurate but compelling misinformation. Unfortunately, our flat-footed city leadership is witlessly giving them plenty of fodder to work with.
You may remember the term “swiftboating” as it pertained to Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign. That’s what is going on here. It’s willful, deliberate and disingenuous.
Greetings Frank and Kate:
So, it’s supposed to be a “political discourse” that is the backdrop to this festering blowback from the Bailey forces, huh?
Yes, a healthy and good faith exchange of differing opinions through discourse is essential to preservation of our democracy, but that is not the axis upon which this dispute has emerged.
Frank, you never know when a political controversy will trigger a genuine teaching moment.
I submit that this controversy invokes a retrospective opportunity to recall the factors and political dynamics that led to the very establishment of the OB Rag.
And, in telling that story, requires you to roll the tape back over 50 years to profile the backdrop of the fierce political factionalism in San Diego that led the Republican Party to move their Convention from San Diego to Miami with less than 30 days notice.
Capturing that historic conflict and weaving in the factors over 30 years afterward that led to the founding of the OB Rag, will illuminate the visceral control dynamics also at work in this Bailey controversy.
The driving group who promote Bailey are the same team that sold this community on his predessor as the moderate Republican, Pete Wilson.
Mayor Pete sold us on his vision of controlled growth for this region, with concentric growth control boundaries that would insulate us from the Los Angelization of SD County.
We were told to “trust” his vision and his expressed good intentions.
Once in office, Pete cast his eye on Sacramento and Washington DC and became the spokesman for the real estate finance oligarchs that prospered as this community’s soul was trampled with unbridled suburban sprawl.
As you fast forward to the current controversy and parse out the underlying agendas, you will discover that little has changed.
This is where the teaching moment reveals itself as well as the recognition of the vital role that the OB Rag has served—in promoting healthy political discourse— and must continue to serve.
Keep up the noble struggle.
Stuart
Right now San Diego has a number of visible issues that enables an astute politician like Bailey to create social media posts hammering the Gloria and Campbell with a single blow as though they are interchangeable. His one solution to cut City staff to 2015 levels would require a decrease in the City’s mission. But, beginning in 2013, “ Revenue recovered, and the city added work it had not staffed before: homelessness programs, climate and equity offices, Get It Done, stormwater compliance, organics collection, Pure Water, and new parks, libraries, and fire stations. ARPA funds and later wage catch-up (nearly 23% over three years) filled long-vacant jobs. Fire rose from 1,208 to 1,674; parks from 1,525 to 2,119.” Mr. Bailey has taken the low, simplistic road, as Musk did. At the same time, City Council members have commented in their reports to the City that San Diego wins the fewest number of grants, which is a real solution identified by Crosby.
I don’t use Nextdoor much, but I’m skeptical that someone would be removed because they are critical of Bailey. Do the groups in question prohibit discussion of local politics? Some do, but members often can’t help themselves. There are so many who pivot every discussion about a local city council race or issue into how much they despise Trump.
Almost anytime I censor someone for violating social media group rules in regards to decorum or discussing national politics, I get accused of being a shill for the other candidate, or Biden, Trump, etc. Watch I’ll probably get accused of something for even questioning the claims in the article.
It would be nice if we could debate the issues with substance instead of resorting to personal attacks and invoking Trump at every opportunity. Bumper sticker politics disgust me.