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| Does he even read the Examiner? |
We've stated in the past that
Republicans love Mayor Ed Lee. And to say the least that didn't sit well with the Lee campaign (or Tony Hall for that matter), despite the fact he had been endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans, and given an extra special vote of confidence by the
San Francisco Republican Party.
But what's more damning than support from all 12 of the city's gay Republicans is getting an endorsement from the San Francisco's notoriously right-wing newspaper. The
Examiner proudly noted today that it recommends Lee as its "no. 1 vote for mayor."
And here's why:
His administration and his personnel decisions highlight his vast
knowledge of city government. He reaches out to people on every side of
an issue before making tough calls -- such as his selection of Greg Suhr
as police chief and Ed Reiskin as head of Muni, two insightful and smart
picks.
Sure, that's good reason enough to want Lee. But keep in mind, this is the same paper that truly carved out its place as a conservative crusader when it endorsed John McCain and Sarah Palin in the 2008 presidential election. That endorsement
sent San Francisco readers into a swearing frenzy; within hours of printing, the paper was flooded with angry phone calls and comments from readers who felt betrayed. It was also after that endorsement that that one City Hall insider told us candidates were tripping over one another to get
away from any kind of official stamp of admiration from the
Ex.
The editorial did get one thing right: Lee's camp has been warm and welcoming toward all sides of San Francisco. "Yeah, we are very glad to have the
Examiner's strong first choice endorsement. Its widely read every day by many San Franciscans. We obviously couldn't disagree more with most of their national editorials, which are dictated by their national publisher. But this endorsement was made by their local editorial board, which includes people like former
SF Weekly writer and editor Will Harper, and which generally has a very different outlook and is in tune with local issues," Tony Winnicker, Lee's spokesman, told us.
"As we've said all along, we're glad to have the support of anyone who agrees with Mayor Lee's agenda of creating jobs for every neighborhood of our city, Democrat, Independent or Republican."
And
Evangelicals, too?
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