David's Telescope
by SFYD Newsletter Editor David Weinreich

By David Weinreich

Stop the press!! Gavin Newsom had an affair. I know, that's supposed to shake San Francisco stronger than the fires of 1906.

Why? The "man code," of course, and that pesky little problem that relations with a paid employee are illegal under California law. Yet he gave his mea culpa, his platitudinous "oops, my bad."

Now what? The Mayor runs into his next election, bruised, but still clutching his record of four years, which will pay a much bigger role than some Chronicle-worthy tabloid story.

Still, San Francisco's bubble of moral authority is thoroughly broken. So let's focus on more righteous events outside our bubble:

Where were you when Nancy Pelosi took the gavel from a teary-eyed Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)? Or when Bush desperately tried to explain in his State of the Union Address why he would continue to stay the course, without using those words: "...and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won."

Most significantly this past month, though, Nancy Pelosi took firm control as third in command of our country. Even as the media move their cameras to the latest drama surrounding Hillary, Bush, Obama - and now, Newsom - our own Pelosi has moved to pass things like stem cell research, increase the minimum wage, restore college student loan subsidies, fund research into alternatives to oil, and allow our Medicare Program to negotiate for cheaper drugs.

This is just the beginning. The week of February 6, Rep Waxman (D-CA), new Chair of the Oversight and Government Accountibility Committee begins hearings on graft and abuses of the public trust in Iraq. Make sure C-Span is on your dial this month!

Forget the talk about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton running for President. Ever the skeptic, I stand by my belief that the second congressional change of power in 50 years is more significant than which Democrat can craft the perfect media image to make a decent run against McCain.

Don't get me wrong. The President wields incredible power over war and peace, as well as incredible influence over the course of our nation during an era where American dominance is no longer seen as a perpetual certainty. I have two concerns, though. One is that we still don't have a candidate who can win. The other is that we're already getting so focused in Presidential politics that we're threatening the longevity and success of our newfound Congressional successes.

If we must win, some think Hillary is our best shot. She has the experience and the stature, but some people are still skeptical of her involvement in Whitewater. Her vote for the war, and subsequent uneasiness about the way it was carried out puts her in line with mainstream America, but makes her look too much the calculating politician. Also, she does not show enough "Clintonesque" charm to overcome to connect with people and explain her past inconsistencies in policy positions.

Barak Obama is no tweedle dumb, but is he ready to run? His star has risen fast, and has the potential to burn out just as quickly.

Then there's Edwards. He's running first in Iowa and has a strong network in Nevada. Of course it's still many months away, and many voters don't have the slightest clue whom they'll vote for yet. Do you? Still, in spite of his loss last time, he has spent the last four years preparing for this campaign. He now lives in Southern California, well-positioned to raise the money he needs, but still has the southern twang needed to win over those swing states. Question is can he win them this time?

I certainly hope to win the Presidency, but I all the concern thrown into this one, perhaps lost, cause, concerns me. Let's look at which candidates compliment our goals and our message from the Congress, and not suck all the energy away from that branch. Nancy Pelosi has the potential to be one of the most important and powerful speakers in American history, if she continues on her present course. That's because, as a woman, she's a national figure without precedent in American politics, and people are a bit fascinated by her and all she does. Simultaneously, her willingness to challenge the President on international issues goes against the old principle that "partisan politics stops at the shore." Clearly, Bush's unwillingness to engage Democrats over the last six years brought the current debate over troop surges to a head. Nancy Pelosi and all of America stand to gain tremendously by continuing to advocate issues people want in a very public way.

Historically, the President usually gets the most attention. But that doesn't mean he (or she) has the most authority. Now that the balance of power has swung, my main concern is that our party does not put all its resources into a poorly-planned presidential run at the expense of a stronger position in the all-important legislative branch. (of course, if we can do both well, then great). Nancy Pelosi can become a kind of "shadow president" and let's not lose sight of that goal-because it will serve us far better for far longer.

In other news...

Late night Transportation

At our January SFYD General Meeting, BART Board Member Tom Radulovich, District 9, and newly-minted AC Transit Board Member (as well as Young Democrat member) Rocky Fernandez bravely visited our meeting to answer questions about late night transit. Mr. Radulovich came with answers to the basic and perpetual question of why we are without all-night BART service here in the Bay, saying the system does not have additional tracks for trains to go on while main ones are being maintained during nighttime hours (New York Subways have four tracks per line to BART's two).

The BART system is closed from 12am-5am, but because 12am is the time the last train leaves the beginning of its route, the system closes a much shorter time than that, leaving less time for maintenance than one would think.

Both Board members recommended taking the All-Nighter AC Transit bus across the bay after the BART closes, and suggested SFYD members would be helpful in promoting it. However, through our question and answer session, it also looks like there are still many more opportunities for BART to promote the AC Transit-operated All-Nighter system in BART schedules, on BART trains and in BART stations. SFYD is encouraging a letter writing campaign to Tom Radulovich, our locally-elected BART member, to correct the situation and ensure that more people realize that a viable and well-run late night bus system is now in place.

Write to: tomrad@well.com

Congratulations Jen!

On Sunday, January 14, our own SFYD Communications Director, Jennifer Longley, was one of 12 people elected to represent the thirteenth Assembly District on the State Democratic Central Committee for the next two years. As part of her new role, she will be an official delegate in state party conventions, and will represent SFYD and young voters at the inner circles of our party.

I caught up with Jen, celebrating her success and looking toward the future at Martuni’s, asked her what she had in mind for the year ahead. "I’m branching out to communities we haven’t encouraged before and engaging a more diverse group of people in political activism."

So what would you like to see in the Democratic Party in the years ahead?:

"I would like to see the party go back to its grassroots. I feel the Democratic Party has been lucky because the Republicans are less organized than we are but that isn’t a winning strategy, and we need to move away from the top-down campaigns, spending just on media markets, which isn’t working, and go to where the voters are," said Jennifer.