Political talk turns nasty and brutish - Daly's blast at mayor reflects new age of acrimony

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 6/30/7 | John Wildermuth

[SmithL]

An Antioch Chamber of Commerce executive is heckled for backing a plan to expand a Wal-Mart in the city. Visitors to a popular progressive Web site call President Bush a "sociopath," a "despicable cretin" and "scumbag in charge" for vetoing a stem cell research bill. Oakland Council President Ignacio De La Fuente is jeered and told to "go back where you came from" by a crowd in the City Council chambers.

In the new world of hot-talk politics, San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly's City Hall suggestion that Mayor Gavin Newsom had used cocaine fits right in.

When state Sen. Leland Yee was first elected to the San Francisco school board in the late 1980s, there were plenty of disagreements, he said, but when people came up to talk to the board, "individuals were courteous and respectful,'' he said.

But Yee, who has served on the school board and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and in the state Assembly and now the state Senate, has felt the heat rise as many politicians and voters put aside the often unspoken rules of civility that governed political discourse.

"I've seen a dramatic change since I started,'' he said. "Now, it seems that anything goes.''

Since last year, the Antioch City Council has put aside time at each meeting for the council members to respond to any public comments. It's not used often, but the council members felt they needed a way to rebut attacks as soon as they were made, said City Manager Jim Jakel.

As president of Antioch's Chamber of Commerce, Devi Lanphere often represents the business community in front of the City Council. But last fall, when she stood up at a meeting and announced the chamber's support for expansion of a Wal-Mart store, she was flayed by opponents.

[kitkat]

Change the word, “progressive” to “socialist” and the article might be worth reading.

[ripley]

“political talk turns nasty and brutish...”

the left wing has always been obnoxiously nasty and brutish. now they’re in politics and politics has become nasty and brutish. (they are nasty and brutish because they have to expend much energy in hiding the fact that they are communist revolutionary thugs who are committed to change.)

[HerrBlucher]

In San Francisco its all just one big ongoing Catfight.

[OB1kNOb]

[Biblebelter]

On the Republican side, bloggers have called Hillary Rodham Clinton a lesbian and suggested that she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have murdered several of their political opponents.

The Clintons are doing nothing to disabuse me of the notion that all the dead bodies in their past was pure happenstance and not somehow coming from their own designs and criminal aspirations. In fact their criminal aspirations are so powerful, that they materialized in the video where Bill gets to play Tony Soprano. Tony may be a murderer but there is no reason to believe he was serial rapist. Tony could get laid without force and he has better taste than Paula Jones. Tony was more of a man than the fat boy who played the tuba will ever be.

[Eagle of Liberty]

But Yee, who has served on the school board and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and in the state Assembly and now the state Senate, has felt the heat rise as many politicians and voters put aside the often unspoken rules of civility that governed political discourse.

You can blame the RATs for providing the example and being the role-model for millions of little leftists.

[Right Cal Gal]

Of course, the article fails to mention that the left has also called Bush “Hitler.”