 |
| This may be Nancy Pelosi's last primary |
But there are other people and issues on the ballot, and I'm going to write about those, because you simply won't get much advice elsewhere.
For some reason the San Francisco Chronicle, after running its best endorsement page ever just a few months ago, has decided to put its endorsements behind a paywall. Why? I am very sympathetic to the need of newspapers to increase revenue, but I doubt that the Chronicle will gain 5 new subscribers with this strategy, and even 5 new subscribers wouldn't be worth it. Why limit the reach of your endorsements? Don't you want to share your knowledge and help elect the candidates you prefer?
Fortunately the very liberal San Francisco Bay Guardian is still doing online endorsements years after the print publication ceased. Thank you, Tim Redmond. I also drew on candidates' statements at votersedge.org, and stories from the Mercury News, 48 Hills, Mission Local and The Bay Area Reporter.
To the ballot!
President: I'll get back to this.
District 12, US House of Representatives: Nancy Pelosi
Pelosi has been a national, not local, figure for much of her time in the House and it will be nice to get a representative to pay attention to local issues again. She has had very limited success in opposing Trump despite the House Democratic majority. We love her dismissive gestures, but the decision not to impeach after the Mueller Report -- which was far more damning than the Ukraine fiasco -- hasn't been criticized enough. It might be time for new leadership in the House. But she doesn't have impressive opposition this time. If she retires as expected before 2022, this seat will be a free-for-all.