"I'm going to have all the [health care] negotiations around a big table. And it will be televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." -...

Gavin Newsom's Channel 5 interview last week revealed a Mayor defensive about his recent behavior, and it suggested he will lash out against critics by making vindictive budget moves. It's only November, but Newsom has already ordered every Department Head to propose 30% in cuts - alarming those who...

I hate losing elections, but what I REALLY hate is losing after a high turnout. Losing because our base didn't vote is depressing, but at least it tells us what we need to do to win next time -- and progressives can take heart in the fact that "the people"...

SOUTH PORTLAND - I'm writing this on Monday, November 2nd at 2:00 a.m., and will get up early so I will be brief. This weekend has been intense, as myself and Jay Jonah Cash have placed "No on 1" campaign volunteers from New Hampshire, New York, Boston, Vermont and 20...

I'm back home in San Francisco, after spending 10 days on the ground in Maine with the "No on 1" campaign. After my time there, I truly believe that - with our help - Maine will become the first state in the nation to successfully defend marriage equality at the...

Tonight, I'm taking a red-eye flight to Maine - arriving in Portland tomorrow. I'll be there for 10 days, volunteering for the "No on 1" campaign to protect marriage equality. And I'm taking my laptop with me - so...

Using the same right-wing consultants that passed Proposition 8 in California, the "Yes on 1" campaign in Maine is once again trying to scare voters into believing gay marriage will be "taught" in public schools. But supporters of marriage equality this time have effectively re-framed the issue, arguing that...

"Yes on 1" -- the Maine campaign to repeal marriage equality -- aired its first San Francisco produced ad this week, which was kind of a dud. It was like the first "Yes on 8" ad in California - minus the Gavin Newsom footage. Within 24 hours,...

Last year, California sent more Obama campaign volunteers to the swing states than any other part of the country -- in part due to a website called "Travel for Change." Now, the same activists who organized that effort are working to send volunteers to Maine -- where in 55...

In just 77 days, Maine voters can set the national agenda for marriage equality. The state legislature passed same-sex marriage earlier this year, but now the right has collected enough signatures to put a referendum ("Question One") on the November 2009 ballot -- and has hired the same political consultants...

It's Wednesday morning, and I have packed my bags for a long flight to Pittsburgh to attend Netroots Nation. It will be my third year going as a blogger from Beyond Chron -- but my first as a speaker. Evan Coren, who parlayed his blog activism to...

Last Friday at 5:00 p.m. (which he's apt to do when releasing bad news), San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom vetoed three pro-tenant ordinances designed to help renters facing hard times. He even nixed a relatively mild proposal to limit "banked" rent increases to 8% -- despite this being consistent...

Yesterday's front-page story in the SF Chronicle on the California budget crisis was shocking, dishonest and disgraceful. The piece described Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as a "steely-eyed, sword-wielding strongman" - who will "hold his ground" against Democrats in the state legislature. Never mind the Terminator has driven the state to...

When Barack Obama ran for President, he pledged to fully repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - a mean-spirited piece of legislation that Bill Clinton signed in 1996 for crass political reasons. Obama says it's still his intent to do so, but has yet to follow up with...

Mayor Gavin Newsom must assume that when releasing a budget everyone expects to have cuts, the press will just take a few pictures, jot down some snappy quotes, and -- maybe -- read his one-page press release. Beyond Chron, however, bothered to review the whole proposal, and the numbers contradict...

In 1964, Stanley Kubrick produced the Cold War film Dr. Strangelove, or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." By upholding Proposition 8, the California Supreme Court has learned to stop worrying and love the initiative process. It's an apt analogy, because today's decision leaves an...

The California Democratic Party "split the baby" on the six propositions for the May 19th ballot - endorsing Propositions 1B, 1C and 1F, while not supporting Props 1A, 1D and 1E. This shifts the dynamic for the last three weeks. No longer can Prop 1A's defeat be a mandate against...

Before the California Democratic Convention ended yesterday, delegates bucked the Party leadership on the May 19th ballot measures - by securing a "no endorsement" on Propositions 1A, 1D and 1E. State legislators and Party operatives pushed "yes" on all six measures, but enough of the grassroots who stayed for the...

With his fourth run for Governor failing to get traction, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi yesterday announced his plan to run for Congress in the East Bay's 10th District - in a special election to replace Ellen Tauscher. On name recognition alone, Garamendi will be the front-runner in a crowded field...

In 2007, right-wing political operatives tried to place a measure on the June 2008 ballot that - if successful - would have awarded California's electoral votes by Congressional District. Democrats and progressives strongly opposed it, because everyone assumed it would give the G.O.P. presidential nominee...