A Tale of Two Progressives

George Rebane

Two Nevada County progressives have claimed to receive different receptions from local folks and the established mover and shaker networks.  In yesterday’s (12jan15) Union we had a long lament by Jim Firth, a leader of the Democrat Party hereabouts.  Upon arriving, Mr Firth quickly jumped into local politics and came away a bit bloodied, having been rejected to seats on local commissions and received a drubbing from the voters in two elections.  He puts the blame squarely on the shortsightedness of the county’s establishment, and an undeserved pummeling in the local blogosphere.

On the obverse side we see Ms Heidi Hall who has her eyes on Nevada County as a proper stepping stool for higher public office.  Readers may recall that Ms Hall already attempted to unseat Congressman Doug LaMalfa last November.  The lady has an impressive array of impeccable progressive credentials, and now a correspondent advises me that she will be able to promote her brand of politics through two significant Nevada County trumpets – KVMR and The Union for which she will do a weekly radio commentary and write a bi-weekly column.  Quite a different reception from that received by fellow Democrat Jim Firth.  (Full disclosure - I am a former Union columnist and do a regular commentary on KVMR.)

Both Firth and Hall are devotees of extensive government care, central planning, and a more economically homogeneous society.  So it is a puzzlement why two people with such similar ideologies have fared so differently.  But don’t get me wrong, the jury is still out.  Nevada County remains a distinctly right-of-center county with an unusually large population of retireds.  Perhaps Ms Hall has moderated her tilt to port to account for that.  Her first Union column appeared today wherein she encouraged people to get informed and engage in politics.  Within this seemingly neutral counsel was wrapped her enthusiasm and support for Betty Yee who was elected California Controller last fall.  In there she pointed out Yee’s rejection of “corporate money” without even a whisper of the extensive union funding her campaign enjoyed.  Fair enough – I, for one, do not expect nor want ideologues to attempt some claimed ‘balance’ in their advocacies and apologetics.

In sum, I hope Jim Firth keeps up the good fight to get into some public office of note, and in that pursuit continues to leave a trail of prescriptive opinion pieces in the paper and on blogs that extol the joys of expanding collectivism in our county.  And I welcome Heidi Hall’s “joining the local punditry”, but do hope that Ms Hall’s future columns and commentaries will depart from her, perhaps understandable, cautious inaugural pabulum to give us all something substantial to chew on.

Comments

[Bonnie McGuire]

Mr. Rebane I love it that you brought this up after reading Mr. Firths article. Another small learning experience for all observers. Especially your politely opening your blog for discussion. It's wonderful.Thank you.

[drivebyposter]

From Heidi Hall's CV:

"Raised by teachers, and as a daughter and mother of veterans, she knows full well the value of hard work"

What in the heck does that mean? Hopefully she has some experience outside of being a bureaucrat/busybody.

In any case, it's impossible for me to ever vote for a person with a name like that. No gravitas whatsoever.

[RL Crabb]

I could never vote for someone named "drivebyposter." It sounds too foreign.

[drivebyposter]

I mean, seriously, imagine having a picture of President for Life Heidi Hall in every classroom.

Don't worry about me running for office. I don't feel a strong internal need to run other peoples' affairs.

I was thinking about small-time local pols today at lunch. It's a darned shame that those who like to give speeches to groups (I'll use Ms. Reinette as an example) don't make solid efforts to put together groups that involve only group members. Maybe it's the ongoing death of fraternal organizations (Bowling Alone by Putnam is a decent tome on the issue), but born organizers in modern decades appear to want to drag everybody into their personal vision.

Maybe a political cartoon about the wooden homeless people gypsy carts might be in order, although to their credit, nobody hit me up for cash on that one.

[Gregory]

Scoopy seems to think she's a moderate just like him. Considering her campaign site didn't see fit to mention she was the Democratic Party candidate, and leaves the visitor to recognize her photos with the likes of Barbara Boxer without naming perhaps the most partisan operator in California politics, I'd say Scoopy really has a political soul mate there.

Yet another Moderate In Name Only.

You can fool some of the people all of the time.

[Walt]

Vote?? for them???? Not even for dog catcher.

[Russ Steele]

I went on line and down loaded the KVMR News pod cast so I could hear Ms Hall's opening editorial commentary. I am still wondering what was her point, even after I played the pod cast twice. It is going to be a long winter if she continues down this path to liberal enlightenment.

[JeffPelline]

This blog will be enshrined as a museum of western Nevada County politics. ROFLOL. Stay tuned.

[Walt]

Poor Jeffy.. Feeling irreverent?

[Barry Pruett]

Not irreverent...irrelevant is more like it.

[Todd Juvinall]

I just laugh at Pelline. The man is truly irrelevant. LOL!

[Walt]

Thanks for the correction Barry. Yup,,, that's what I meant. My eyes were to damned fuzzy, and only half way through my fist cup of coffee. Better make the letters bigger on this screen. Damn spell check screwed me over.

[Bill Tozer]

Irrelevant you say? I can assure you that nobody is more qualified to comment on the Hall-Firth drama than BubbaBubba. I stand by this 100%. There are a lot of nobodies out there and they are immensely more qualified than the Insignificant One.

[fish]

OT: Looks like it's shaping up to be an interesting day in the financial markets! As a local man likes to say......stay tuned!

[Bill Tozer]

Fish: Without reservations, I could highly recommend the local man that says "stayed tuned" to comment on the financial markets. Unfortunately, I have reservations.

[Bill Tozer]

And now, the tale of three progressives:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/white-house-running-out-of-paintings-to-cover-spot,37736/

[Todd Juvinall]

I sent off a tweet to the Steve Peoples AP reporter who had a article in the Union this morning. He has shown his stripes as he as usual, trues to trash a conservative. Ben Carson spoke at the RNC Winter meeting in San Diego and this "reporter" twisted his words into something Carson did not mean. Rather than talking about all the other things in a 35 minute speech that would be uplifting, this "reporter" shows us all why we don't trust them.

[George Boardman]

So what's the problem with the Carson story? I understand the context of his remarks, and I suspect people who gave him a fair reading did as well.

The rest of Carson's speech may have been uplifting, but it's probably the same stuff he says in every speech. Drawing a parallel between ISIS and American patriots is new--as in news. That's why it's a story.

[Todd Juvinall]

No I see it different. The story disregards the good and twists the meaning of what he sad into something bad. It just jumps tight out as usual as we have put up with that crap forever. Same as "climate change" and any other issue. That is why no one trusts the press. Obviously the "reporter" has an agenda and it is not in favor of Carson.

[Bill Tozer]

The sad tale of 3 progressives.

https://www.facebook.com/195357827228930/photos/pb.195357827228930.-2207520000.1421597340./574443605987015/?type=3&theater

[Bill Tozer]

Y2K, Global Warming! Y2K, Global Warming!! Y2K and Global Warming!!!. Quick, run to your caves and build a train to nowhere! Them progressives are coming and boy are they pissed.

[Bill Tozer]

A tale of all progressives:

http://www.inquisitr.com/1763990/michelle-obamas-cynical-birthday-stunt-sign-my-card-and-donate-to-the-democrats/

[fish]

Posted by: Bill Tozer | 18 January 2015 at 08:59 AM

Yeah William they've been working this scam since the beginning.....

My favorite step in the offering of birthday greetings to the first lady.....

THANKS - NOW TAKE THE NEXT STEP

I know that they probably just want money but I bet for every tenth visitor or so the message is altered.

THANKS - NOW TAKE THE NEXT STEP....SELL YOUR SOUL TO SATAN!

[Bill Tozer]

Fish, this is not a trick question: Do progressives really believe this stuff coming out of Broomstick Debbie' Witchhair's mouth? Loved the part about "unlike our opponents" (non-lefties) we don't take money from PACs, Corporate Lobbyists, special interests, just the little people. Happy Birthday to the First Lady, but excuse me if this little person doesn't have 2,000 clams laying around with your name on it. Shake down Silicone Valley again if your bank account is overdrawn.

Debbie W. Has always reminded me of one of the ex's when she would wake up with vultures on the headboard and I knew it was going to be one of those lovely days unless I found solace under the dog house. But, I miss her to this day. A terrible tragedy. She was chasing out of the house and continued as I fled. I was speaking down the freeway at a high rate of speed and she was right on my tail with that Debbie W. Look on her face. In a turn of most unfortunate events, she was too focused on trying to run me off the road to notice the overpass that she flew her broomstick directly into. I never seen her so quiet and peaceful as they scrapped her face from the concrete overpass.

[fish]

Posted by: Bill Tozer | 18 January 2015 at 10:01 AM

Do progressives really believe this stuff coming out of Broomstick Debbie' Witchhair's mouth?

If it generates revenue....then yes....they believe it like the revealed wisdom of the almighty!