Friday, February 29, 2008

Green Party Makes Waves

(San Francisco, California)
 
We've written mostly about the Democrats and Republicans here all year, but the Green Party is making waves.
 
I've had a number of inquires about Ralph Nader's VP choice, Matt Gonzalez of San Francisco.
 
I covered Matt as a member of the SF Board of Supervisors, and as a candidate for Mayor in 2003, when he narrowly lost against current Mayor Gavin Newsom. I have had the chance to interview Matt Gonzalez more recently, when he helped represent some Yale singers who were severely beaten on a New Years trip to San Francisco 14 months ago. The case made national headlines and some of it is still pending.
 
I was impressed by his passion in the Yale case, and that of his co-counsel Jim Hammer a former SF Assistant District Attorney. The case seemed a "slam dunk" for prosecution. The beating was particularly brutal, and the eyewitness accounts pretty clear. Yet, some of the suspects were wealthy, well-connected San Franciscans, and accusations of political favoritism began to fly.
 
Eventually charges were filed. While I admired Gonzales and Hammer for "standing up for the little guy" and "standing up to the San Francisco establishment" many people wondered aloud about their own political agendas.
 
Gonzalez was mulling another race for mayor, and Hammer a possible run for District Attorney. Ultimately neither ran, so the political motive (if there was one) faded.
 
Matt is 42, a Stanford educated lawyer, with pretty good political skills. He was never part of the "SF Crowd" of insiders with Newsom, Willie Brown, the Alioto's etc. He's kind of made a career of sticking his thumb in the eye of the Bay Area establishment. Kind of a political tradition here!
 

Anyway, that kind of attitude makes him a great fit for Ralph Nader who has spent his whole adult life skewering the national establishment. He and Gonzalez would liven up the fall debates too! Let's see if they get in.
 
I will be in Dallas, Sunday through Thursday covering the Texas primary, and keeping watch on Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island, which also vote on Tuesday.
 



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