San Diego Politics & Media Mashup
I feel like a kid walking around campus for the first time as I write this blog post, which I hope is the first of many for FlashReport.
Jon Fleischman called me about a week ago and asked me to join the team, and here I am. Some of my posts from San Diego Rostra have run here in the past, but this is my first post for FlashReport.
Eight months ago I launched a weekly blog called “Politics & Media Mashup” at Rostra, which has helped me market my communications consulting business, By George Strategies, and some of my clients. Rostra also introduced me to some great people who don’t take themselves too seriously, so I’ve had a lot of fun.
As a blogger, I enjoy writing about politics and the media, especially when the line that separates the two is crossed. I’ve been on both sides and I hope that comes through in my posts. I like to highlight what’s working. I’m not a bomb-thrower. More interested observer than critic.
Politically, my friends on the right think I’m too liberal and my friends on the left think I’m too conservative. I’m neither. I registered as an independent several years ago. I lean to the right on fiscal issues and to the left on social ones.
Jon asked me to post weekly and I will try to do so. My goal is to highlight some news and views under a “San Diego Politics & Media Mashup” header. You’ll be able to find the posts on Rostra, too.
Before I sign off I want to share a couple thoughts:
- The New York Times ran an interesting piece on the decline of the California GOP on the front page of yesterday’s paper. The percentage of registered Republicans in San Diego and across the state are nearly the same, but the results have been very different. In San Diego, the GOP has backed numerous candidates and initiatives during the last two years that have attracted broad support. In California, not one Republican holds statewide office and the State Assembly and Senate is controlled by Democrats. Why are the results so different?
- Outside of the presidential race, my guess is no race will be as contested, or attract as much attention, as Proposition 32.
- I walked in San Diego’s Pride Parade Saturday and saw some people snub councilman and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio, who is openly gay but has said he won’t make it an issue in the race or if he’s elected. There are clearly differences between DeMaio and the left, but I still think it’s fascinating to watch the left attack the only gay candidate for mayor.