San Francisco Politics as Self-Parody

(Danville, California)

 

    They seem hell-bent on outdoing themselves time and time again, and this idea is no exception. Some San Francisco political leaders are hoping to name the city's sewage treatment plant after President George W. Bush. The idea is that, in their opinion, the Bush presidency has been so bad that giving the sewage plant his name is a befitting recognition

 

    "In President Bush's case, we think that we will be cleaning up a substantial mess for the next ten or twenty years," said Brian McConnell, of the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco, in an interview with the Associated Press. "The sewage treatment facility's job is to clean up a mess, so we think it's a fitting tribute," McConnell added.

 

    This Commission is serious, and members are trying to have a ballot initiative ready for the November election. This is the same San Francisco that was about 400 million dollars "in the hole" a few years back and is still short staffed in its police department to the tune of about 800 officers. The city's crime rate (including murders) has jumped in recent years. Gangs are a real problem.

 

    This is also the same San Francisco that tried to ban the Junior ROTC program from the public schools because many in the city were opposed to the war. Being against the war and the President who led it are certainly legitimate areas of political discourse, but why punish a bunch of needy teenage kids (many of whom use the ROTC program to launch themselves into the military, college or both)? Even Mayor Newsom and Sen. Diane Feinstein had the good sense to oppose banning the Junior ROTC. It's another classic lesson in "If you don't like the message, don't kill the messenger!"

 

    Naming the sewage treatment plant after President Bush poses the question: "Don't we have more important things to do?" The problem is that such a move just adds to the national perception that San Francisco is a place filled with kooks. That's a shame because it remains one of America's most wonderful cities, not to mention a major tourist destination point. Besides, not all the ideas from here are bad. San Francisco is modeling a health care plan for all its residents that could spread throughout the nation, as talks of health care reform continue in the presidential race. But good ideas get overshadowed here by the bad.

 

    As you might guess, Republicans think naming the sewage treatment plant after Mr. Bush is a bad idea and plan to fight the ballot measure. "This is why San Francisco is considered wacky," said former state GOP spokesman Patrick Dorinson in an interview with the Associated Press. Dorinson also called the ballot initiative "a horrible idea" that is "childish."

 

    Political activists in San Francisco may be doing this as a practical joke, because an idea like this is sure to make national headlines (and it has); but, instead of making President Bush look foolish, it has the opposite effect - leaving the "City by the Bay" with egg on its face once again.

 

    I will be writing about politics all summer as I gear up to attend both political conventions in Denver and St. Paul.  Check in often at www.MarkCurtisMedia.blogspot.com.    

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