September 5, 2006
Morning Roundup: Post Goes Fenty Edition
And so ends the suspense -- Adrian Fenty is the Post's pick for mayor. Though Fenty has held a comfortable lead in recent weeks, the Post's endorsement was seen as Linda Cropp's final chance in what has become a hard-fought campaign. Today's endorsement is sure to give Fenty the win next Tuesday, with the Post recognizing his "can-do quality" and his "vision of the city that challenges the best in people." And maybe to add insult to injury, the Examiner similarly threw its weight behind Fenty. The Ward 4 councilmember wasn't able to go three for three, though -- the Washington Times picked Marie Johns as their candidate of choice.
Bomb Scare Shuts Down Metro Station: Well, at least it was on Labor Day, right? WTOP writes that a bomb threat shut down the Greenbelt Metro station for a few hours yesterday, an event that on any normal day would have snarled commuting for tens of thousands of District workers. A man apparently told riders and police that a suitcase he was carrying had a bomb in it, though upon later inspection it was found not to have one.
Wait -- Bush Isn't Popular?: Though the White House may have us convinced that all is fine and dandy, Maryland's top Republican pols seem to think otherwise. The Post writes today that President George W. Bush's Labor Day stop in Maryland was notable because neither Governor Robert Ehrlich nor Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, both wrapped up in tight races, showed up. Of course, their spokespeople claimed it was simply because of conflicting schedules.
D.C. Considers Nixing Summer Break: D.C. Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey may have found the perfect way to raise student performance at city schools -- threaten to do away with their summer break. WJLA is reporting that school officials are considering a proposal that would shorten the summer break at certain under-performing schools, with five to be identified by December.
Briefly Noted: Man arrested for killing of psychiatrist ... Washington Latin School opens doors ... Deadly weekend in region ... Jim Webb sees son off.
This Day in DCist: On this day last year, we saw Katrina evacuees arrive in the District. Two years back, we reported on a debate over gentrification in Columbia Heights.
Picture snapped by Burnt Pixel
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I tried to email this to the dcist core email, but it was returned saying posting not allowed. Did DCist see the article over the weekend about Metro being forced to rehire the train driver that crashed the train at Woodley Park?
I'm old enough to remember the Washington Post's hearty endorsement for a young city councilman by the name of Marion Barry. They do have the habit of picking a winner.
I hope you mean they're considering a year-round school schedule, versus nixing school breaks period.
The Post endorsed Barry a couple of times.
Then the Post decided to endorse Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelly Whatsername, and her "I Don't Smoke Crack with Hookers!" campaign slogan.
Ahhh, good ol' Sharon Pratt Kelly; twice as corrupt in half the time!!
The Post's endorsing Sharon Pratt Kelly was a huge mistake in 1990, but the The Post has gotten it right for the last four elections in a row: 1994 they picked Ray over Barry and Kelly in the primary, and chose Schwartz over Barry in the general; 1998 Williams; 2002 Williams; and 2006 Fenty.
My question for Fenty: has he really walked every single street in DC? Really? Even all those alleys and mews? How about those gated roads in Hillendale? Do those count? What about 395 and 295? That would just be dangerous.
But seriously, in that commercial, it looks like the reason he's walking all these roads is because he's lost.
I think it's great that the Superintendent is considering year-round school and hope it becomes the norm throughout the District. In talking to the kids on my street this summer, it bacame perfectly evident to me that two and a half months of vacation is too long. These kids were bored to tears with nothing to do. Staggering vacation days throughout the year would give some of these kids the structure they need to stay out of trouble during the long summer months.
I think that Summer vacation needs to be modified in some way, but I think there is going to be a lot of resistance from seasonal businesses that count on the cheap labor of teenagers.
Does being endorsed by the Washington Times help or hurt a candidate in a Democratic primary? How many Times readers will even be voting?
I was hoping someone could answer a question: I'm registered to vote in dc, but do not have a party affiliation. Can I pick a party on the day of the primary, or is it too late for me to vote?
No worries, they'll probably end up hiring Salvadoreans anyway....
The time Fenty has spent walking the streets to meet people during his tenure on the DC Council has given him the experience necessary to schmooze, not govern. If he's elected mayor, what do you think he'll do when he realizes that he'll actually have to spend time in an office governing?
Just because the Post endorsed Fenty doesn't mean he'll win the primary. The voters will make that decision when they head to the polls next week. Hopefully, enough people will see through Fenty's "I've been everywhere, so you have to pick me" campaign and vote for Marie Johns--the only candidate in the race who can effectively run the DC government.
To all those Fenty/Cropp supporters: If you don't know what Marie Johns stands for, you owe it to yourself and to our city to at least be aware of her platform so that you can make an educated decision on Sept. 12.
"he'll actually have to spend time in an office governing"
Says who? Tony Williams, our mayor-in-transit? There's a decent case to be made that mayors do need to "schmooze" as part of governing. It's a way to attract developers to particular parcels of land, it's a way to attract businesses to explore headquarters in the city - it's not the whole package, but it definitely plays a role.
In fact, I would suppose many voters who considered Marie Johns would look at her business experience and see there a veteran "schmoozer" - someone who can grease the wheels of politics or commerce with congeniality.
Reid: Fenty knocked on half the doors- his campaign staff did the rest.
KC: The Times often outstrips The Post in local coverage, sad but true, and so alot of Dem operatives are regular readers.
JP: I think today's your last day to straighten out your registrations- ask for BOE @727-1000 to confirm.
Well, the Post also endorsed Marion Barry, twice, and Sharon Pratt Kelly. So I don't put too much weight on Post endorsements. I find it interesting that they minimize his malfeasance as a lawyer calling it "legal errors", then it goes on to say that they are sure mistakes will be made during his administration. I find it a very bizarre endorsement.
I think this pretty well secures it for Fenty. And thank goodness! He has been a terrific councilmember and will be an outstanding mayor. Finally a mayor with some vision, charisma, and the can-do attitude to get things done with respect to our schools and our streets.
For those of you discounting the impact of the Post endorsement, you sound like a supporter of someone else. The Post endorsement may not be the thing that gets Fenty elected mayor, but it sure is the thing that put a nail in Cropp's coffin (and Johns' too, though that probably happened some time ago).
NW --
Fenty? Vision? Give me a break! What is this vision thing you reference?
As a point of clarification, Mayor Williams has vision. Apparently for many DC voters, however, Williams lacks charisma. For some reason 8+ years of extreme prosperity isn't enough. Many DC voters (including many of the Fenty faithful) need BS. So be it. I only hope that Fenty proves me wrong -- time will tell.
The best thing to come out of this mayoral election is that we now know, if Fenty wins, which commenters will pursue a little-green-footballs-intensity grudge in all their DCist comments.
Swell.
Not sure what that was all about, Jim, but it seems to me that those who talk the loudest about grudges usually hold them the longest.
I still have hard time believing that the citizens of this city will really let the Washington Post dictate who is the most qualified to lead our city. Fenty supporters' enthusiasm aside, there is simply no way a 35-year-old lawyers with barely as much professional experience as time he spent in school has the gravitas or experience to be mayor. I don't care who that 35-year-old is.
Maybe after eight years as a key member of a Marie Johns Administration would give him the practical experience and wisdom he needs to be a truly effective mayor.
Cropp shouldn't even be a front runner and I blame the local media for that, as well as Fenty. If we were actually having an intelligent discussion about the subject, Marie Johns would be the clear front-runner based on experience at running a large, multimillion dollar organization as well as grassroots efforts behind the scenes. The media would have never even raided the SPK specter for fear of someone pointing out that beyond the fact that they have never served in public office, their backgrounds are completely different.
I am still hopeful that in spite of the Post endorsement, this city might actually do the right thing and elect Marie Johns.
Hopefully, in this final week, people who are only lukewarm and in Fenty or Cropp's camp because they don't know Johns will at lest give her a second look. This is too important not to get it right and "There's no on else to vote for" isn't a good enough reason. If that is only reason, please stay home.
Meet Marie Johns!
Correction to the link above: Meet Marie Johns!
That is truly, truly, truly outrageous.
I'm not sure why the Fenty-nistas keep touting their young man's ability to fix the schools. That job belongs to the School Board, which answers neither to the Mayor nor the City Council. Sure, he can spend money to repair buildings, but to really "fix" the schools you need the School Board and parents who get involved.
One thing I never understand: why do folks confuse their advocacy in favor of a particular candidate with their predictions as to who will win?
Do the Johns people (not to mention, more and more, the Cropp people) really believe she still has a chance of winning? A Post endorsement would have been her last chance to receive even a glimmer of hope or a shred of momentum.
I can only presume that those who are still giving her a chance are either engaged in pure denial, or guilty of intellectual dishonesty (in a last dash hope to gain a couple of voters or keep her supporters from jumping ship) -- or some combination of the two (the cognitive dissonance option).
Any observer of politics knows that it is now much more likely for some of the supporters of a distant also-ran to switch at the last minute to one of the two front-runners, or stay home altogether, than for the supporters of the front runners to flip to someone who has zero chance of coming close. I defy anyone to cite a race where there was a swing of 30 points from two front-runners to a candidate who was an also-ran for the entire race, without any intervening factor (e.g., scandal, major endorsements).
Irrespective of whether one likes Fenty or not, he will beat Johns by 40-50 points (maybe more) on election day. Moving from certainty to probability, I'd say his margin over Cropp will exceed 10 points. One of my co-workers bet me that he will beat her by at least 30 points, which I think will be out of reach -- some of the Johns/Orange/Brown supporters will move to Cropp.
At any rate, regardless of whom we support, can we get real about our prognostications?
"The Holograms" - quite hilarious. I can always hope that particular bit of trivia is left in the past someday.
I have a hard time believing that Fenty is even a serious candidate given his lack of direct, high-level management experience. And as for Cropp, her record is such that she should simply drop out in shame.
For my vote, only one candidate has the experience, heart and dedication necessary to be the truly great mayor this city deserves - Marie Johns.
We should get real about our dire predications of what a Post endorsement or "polls" really mean. Self-fulfilling prophecies aren't necessarily in your own best interest.
Hope doesn't come from the notion that any one candidate will win (though I am certain only one, maybe two, actually deserve the job.) Hopes comes from the idea that perhaps people will realize that certain candidates shouldn't even be in the conversation. Most of Fenty and Cropp's support is soft support, from people who don't know Marie Johns and haven't found an alternative to the crap they've been handed by the Washington Post.
Here at the end of a long campaign, which found the post declaring this a two candidate race almost from day one, it is in the alternative media that those marginal voters are looking to for new information.
To pretend that some spurious poll (Does anyone know a single person who has actually been polled?) or an endorsement by a paper steadily eroding its own credibility is true intellectual dishonesty.
Intellectual honesty comes from continuing to fight until the last moment and hoping somehow that common sense will prevail.
Meet Marie Johns! It's never too late to find a candidate you truly support (and this city deservs!) instead of trying to choose the lesser of two evils.
The Post based their endorsement of Fenty over Cropp as, essentially, “energy over record.” There’s probably a reason that the Post discredits using the past professional record of a candidate as a rationale for their endorsement. Let’s look at theirs:
1978 and 1982 endorsements: Marion Barry—arrested and indicted while in office.
1990 endorsement: Sharon Pratt–Kelly—almost recalled after a series of scandals in office.
Now, they want us to take their endorsement of Fenty as having weight. But with a track record like that, can we trust them?
On September 12th, I will vote for substance over style, and record over show. I will vote against the Post and Fenty, and for a candidate with a proven track record, because, given the history, it’s too dangerous not to.
Again, let's get real: jem, do you really believe that mainstream-media election polls are spurious? Are all the polling firms (liberal, conservative, and unaffiliated), all the university/non-profit pollsters, all the academics in virtually every university statistics department, and all the media outlets (liberal, conservative, and nonpartisan) -- all over the country, and in every other democracy -- are in on a major conspiracy about the scientific accuracy of random-sample polling?
Yes, there are poorly constructed polls by non-reputable firms, and so-called "polls" that do not use scientific methods (e.g., self-selected sampling, as in online polls).
Nevertheless, scientific polls (i.e., those using accepted statistical methods, employed by reputable firms, and hired by mainstream media outlets) tend to get it right (as a snapshot of when the polls are taken).
To say that one has never met anyone polled is a facile argument, proving nothing. [By the way, for the first time in my life, I was inteviewed for a poll -- in fact, two: the W.Post poll, and one of the two Survey USA polls that were sponsored by WUSA-9 News.]
It is OK to hope. It is OK to dream. But, the polls, the press coverage, the number and amount of campaign donations, the endorsements -- all measurable indicators point overwhelmingly to a 2-person race, with one of the two ahead.
Irrespective of one's views of her attributes, a dispassionate analysis must conclude that Johns will be a distant, distant third on election day. But, that need not be the end of the story. After the election, I hope she continues to channel her desire for public service in positive ways. She undoubtedly can make a real contribution.