I wish I could say I'm not disappointed with the outcome of San Francisco's mayoral race, but we all know better. It's difficult to pour energy into any cause only to see it disappear before you.
The irony is, we didn't really think we had a shot in hell to begin with. For many of us, it was a battle against an all but inevitable conclusion. We shouldn't be surprised... but we are.
Sadly, I fear we may well lose all of the enthusiasm and interest generated by this race. It was exhausting and disappointing; It's simply easier to sit back and hope others do our fighting for us.
On the bright side, we came very close to electing a truly progressive leader. In the noise of the election, his opponent successfully portrayed him as fringe, a dreamer. What went untold was the fact that Gonzalez inherited a badly mismanaged and deficit-ridden budget when he became president of the SF board of supervisors. He immediately went about making the cuts necessary to balance it, winning over conservatives and liberals alike.
If nothing else, this election taught me we can have it all: leaders who are fiscally and socially responsible. And we can get them the old-fashioned way, by exploring the issues, finding a candidate that represents our values, and making a stand. The test will now be to stay committed. Check these links for ways to transform this momentum into a movement, including a debriefing between Gonzalez and the Green Party on Friday, January 16th:
Peace.
Added December 10, 2003
By C.
"Claxton" Murray
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