The San Francisco Chronicle’s "Despicable, Odious Politics"

by Randy Shaw via Beyond Chron

Mon, Jun 25, 2007 6:24AM

Monday, June 25, 2007 : The Chronicle's June 22 Letters to the Editors Page was titled, "Chris Daly's despicable, odious politics." The headline did not refer to the Supervisor's behavior or conduct, but rather to his politics, i.e. his political views. The headline arose from a letter by Hadley Roff, the longtime San Francisco official, who used the terms "despicable" and "odious" to describe Daly's "outburst" and "descent into rumor mongering." But Roff applied these words to Daly's conduct, not his politics.

And Roff's letter raises a larger question. As one of Mayor Feinstein's top advisors, Roff remained publicly silent as the mayor subjected homeless persons to atrocious living conditions, repeatedly vetoed tenant protection legislation, promoted gentrifying-causing highrise development, and governed to benefit the wealthy and powerful as the expense of the vulnerable. Chris Daly's conduct will never bring him close to Roff's enormous popularity, but Daly has never remained silent in the face of such injustices.

As I wrote last Friday , the Chronicle's attack on Chris Daly is less about the Supervisor's ill-advised reference to Newsom's cocaine use and more an attack on district elections and the city's political left. The Letters to the Editor headline eliminates any doubt as to their intentions --- Daly's politics, not his behavior, is the target of the Hearst Corporation.

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