new column:

"Our Own Anti-Arnold"

I’m writing while riding the train from Sacramento to San Francisco. I’ve just attended the state Democratic Convention where Phil Angelides received the crowning achievement of the endorsement of the convention’s delegates. It was a strong showing of support by the Party for the candidate those of us who are Party stalwarts and diehard true-blue Democrats want to move forward past June 6th, onto November, and beyond.

There is tremendous energy and hope among our Party brethren for taking the governorship back from Arnold. No matter how Arnold might try to position himself, once again, in order to win over the voters, our Party members know that we must defeat him come November. And we LGBT people will forever remember his veto of Assemblyman Leno’s marriage equality legislation in 2005. He will forever be on the wrong side of history with that veto and he will forever have to deal with our animosity.

No matter how warm and fuzzy Arnold tries to make himself this year; no matter how much he tries to warm over the electorate and everyone’s hearts; no matter how he might try to pretend he’s a moderate; no matter how many times he will say he has ‘no problem with gays’ or that he supposedly is pro-choice—we will all remember.

We remember that he supported the anti-choice Proposition 73 last year. We remember he called Democrats ‘girlie-men’ in order to try to emasculate us and to taunt us. We remember he pushed a barrage of anti-union, anti-teachers, anti-nurses, anti-women, anti-progressive ballot and legislative proposals last year. We remember how he broke his promises continually. We remember how he said he was going to be the “Collectinator” to get money from Bush and the federal government, but hasn’t done anything of the sort. And we remember the Veto.

We have a real fight on our hands, my friends. Whatever happens this June when we as a Party formally decide who are nominee is—whatever happens—we have a real fight against this man named Arnold. He will have tons of money. He will have Bush’s own political campaign team members who helped Bush win elections—however dishonestly, antagonistically, divisively, homophobically, and with much disenfranchisement. He will have his fake Hollywood charm. He will have the name ID of which most candidates can only dream. And he will have another new image that will be poll-tested and poll-approved—one which he hopes will make him all warm and fuzzy to the electorate.

We will have the hard part. We will have to remind the voters of how wrong he has been for our state, our families, our children, and our lives. We will have to remind them of their anger from 2005—even if they want to lull themselves back into a rosey outlook with Arnold. We will have to remind them that he’s a politician—a right-wing politician—who is playing them for their votes, and not the actor they may want to think they like. And all of this will be very difficult.

Angelides likes to call himself the Anti-Arnold. It’s a good fit for him as he has done so much in fighting against Arnold from the beginning, even when everyone else in the state’s political establishment was falling all over themselves to join with Arnold because of his high poll numbers. Fighting against Arnold during those early days was not easy and Angelides deserves much respect for doing so.

During this year of 2006, as we gear up for the November election to take out Arnold and reclaim the governorship, we will all have to join Angelides in being our own Anti-Arnold. We will need to be talking to our friends, our families, and our communities and remind them all of why Arnold needs to lose come November. We will need to spread the Anti-Arnold message throughout the state. It will not be easy; but we never entered these fights for our lives at the ballot box thinking it would be. Join me as we all become the Anti-Arnold.