Feinstein faces criticism for daring to be honest
Sen. Dianne Feinstein has become the latest victim in our new world of politics — one where instant emotional gratification and ideological reinforcement crowd out intelligent discourse.
Feinstein jammed a stick into a snake pit when she said in a Commonwealth Club appearance that there was little chance of President Trump being impeached, and that she hoped “he has the ability to learn and to change, and if he does he can be a good president.”
Never mind that she also listed all her objections to both the president and his policies. Never mind that she’s certainly right about Trump’s impeachment chances, at least barring a Democratic landslide in 2018.
She did not feed the emotional needs of the audience. When some in attendance hissed at her candor, the story went viral, with Berniecrats quick to point to her remarks as proof California needs a new, progressive voice in the Senate.
Welcome to the circular firing squad. Bring on the purge of anyone who is not 100 percent into “resistance.”
Look, folks. There’s no reason to root against Trump learning and changing and being a “good president.” That would mean he wouldn’t blunder us into a nuclear war with North Korea, and would get religion on immigration, and wouldn’t let corporations do whatever they want to the environment. If he became a good president, that would mean he wasn’t using the office to enrich himself and his family and that he was respecting the rule of law.
But if all you want to do is to shout down any peep of dissent from the party line, there’s no room for that kind of reasoning. Feinstein found that out the hard way and, in less than 24 hours, had to issue a clarification defending herself.
“I’ve been strongly critical of President Trump when I disagree on policy and with his behavior,” she said. “Most recently, I was appalled by his comments in response to Charlottesville and the pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. President Trump said that there were ‘very fine people’ in a crowd chanting, ‘Jews will not replace us.’ There’s nothing ‘fine’ about white supremacists, Nazis or the KKK.”
That is the way it is in today’s politics, where the key to success is to pander to people’s emotions rather than getting them to think or face reality.
It’s a good tactic. Just ask Donald Trump.
Texas pride: My home state of Texas has endured a disaster of biblical proportions. We don’t have any experience here with anything this bad — chances are the last Californians who could relate were the ones who survived the 1906 earthquake and fire.
There are, of course, no silver linings to these kinds of horrors. But they do have a way of bringing out the best in people.
The business of race, gender, ethnic and cultural identification seemed to disappear as the floodwaters rose. Those who took to their private boats to rescue people weren’t paying attention to skin color.
It’s reassuring, because the Texas experience once again shows us that whether it’s a flood, fire or earthquake, for the first 72 hours we are pretty much on our own.
We depend on each other. And we do come through.
Rally right: San Francisco showed the nation last weekend the right way to make space for people who want to protest peacefully, safely and with dignity.
San Franciscans, by and large, didn’t take the bait of the “free speech” jokers who announced at the last second that they would move from Crissy Field — which the city and National Park Service were prepared to defend — to Alamo Square Park. Most people headed to the alternative pro-diversity rally at Civic Center Plaza, and the ones who went to Alamo Square kept it peaceful.
The result was zero violence and zero injuries. It was a day of celebration.
As for Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Bill Scott, they handled it to perfection. Facing the possibility of things going south at Alamo Square, the city quickly said “no” and threw up fortifications that would do Beirut proud.
In one move, city leaders showed that in the game of cat and mouse, they were better cats than the Patriot Prayer attention seekers were mice. Chow fun: Just when you think you’ve seen everything in restaurants, something pops up like the multiplekitchen concept at China Live on Broadway.
Along with plenty of tables, the first floor has four cooking stations placed throughout. One does meat, one handles noodles, one sticks to vegetables, and one takes care of dim sum.
You ascend to the second floor, and it’s just as inviting as the first. You might think you’re in Shanghai or Hong Kong for all the dishes on the menu.
It’s really big, and it’s really good. Word play: Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., was in town the other day for a fundraiser at the Rocket Lawyer offices on Howard Street.
After I introduced him, he turned and said, “Mr. Brown, you have the reputation for being outspoken. What’s the contrast of that?”
“Inspoken?” Day off: San Francisco’s labor leaders had their annual Labor Day breakfast at the Holiday Inn on Van Ness Avenue this year. On Friday. Seems everyone wanted a three-day weekend.