Oakland Is A City Of Democrats So Can We Stop Calling Some Dems “Right Wing”?

Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – One major hallmark of this “divided society” is the habit of trying to drive a wedge between one person and another for the most ridiculous of reasons. And here I am referring to the habit of calling some Democrats in Oakland “right wing”. At a time when we say “believe her” or claim that we want people to be their “authentic self”, it’s wild that some don’t put those words into practice. This problem has come to damage Oakland and in particular, it’s government.

We’re all Democrats, but too many people in our Oakland City enjoy playing the game of calling another Democrat “right wing” just because of their perceived position on one or two issues. And these policy subjects have nothing to do with actual, real, litmus tests like one’s position on abortion (the common Democrat wants to protect a woman’s freedom to choose), or taxation, where Democrats believe Americans should pay their fair share of taxes, or voting rights, where Dems seek to protect the right to vote for all Americans, or civil rights, where registered Democratic Party members (like me) want to make sure that all American, regardless of race, creed, color, or sexual orientation enjoy rights of access to housing and businesses across America and the World.

Now, even with that, we have some in the Bay Area media (including blogs) who have taken to adopt the habit of calling someone right wing even if that person checks all of the boxes that commonly define what a Democrat is. Let’s take this 2023 entry from the otherwise informative Blogger blog “The Emeryville Tattler” about once Emeryville Mayor and now Alameda County Supervisor Candidate for District Five (Keith Carson’s old seat), John Bauters:

John Bauters: Donations Reveal An Embrace Of His Conservative Side in Supervisor Race

And then these subheadline, headlines:

John Bauters’ Funding Machine Quietly Milks the Alameda County Right Wing

Corporate Lobbyists, PG&E, Developers, Police, Tech Entrepreneurs Tapped for Donations

Then Brian Donahue, the main owner of the “The Emeryville Tattler”, writes this head-scratching entry (also questionable for his bad habit of using the same word twice in a sentence, but I make that error at times, so let’s move on):

The race for Supervisor this year is a race between corporate power and working people despite Mr Bauters’ denials against that framing. Councilman John Bauters loudly says he’s a true progressive. But his actual record on the Emeryville City Council notwithstanding, consider who’s putting up the money in the hotly contested Supervisor race. On Mr Bauters’ side it’s virtually all corporations with a material interest in having a friendly voice on the Supervisors Board. Them and right wing lobbying groups, tech entrepreneurs, police officer’s associations and the sheriff’s office, as well as corporate Democrats and Republicans. Ms Bas has the backing of mostly regular Alameda County people (a few wealthy supporters) and labor unions. With donor lists like those, not surprisingly, the backers of John Bauters have given their candidate more money (over $500,000 so far) than have supporters of Ms Bas.

As the CEO of Zennie62Media, a media tech startup Delaware C-Corporation (because that’s the standard tech corporate structure used if one wants to gain investors and credibility) that has covered two Democratic National Conventions, a number of California State Democratic Conventions, and pioneered the use of YouTube (via my Zennie62 You Live Channel) to report the news, I really resent the idea that just because someone owns a business , they are “right wing”.

Why? Because that implies that I and others are against women’s right to choose, voting rights, civil rights, and taxation – and I’m not against those lychpin determinants of what a right-wing or left-wing person is.

Plus, Brian Donahue, the main owner of the “The Emeryville Tattler”, implies that anyone in business is automatically a bad guy or gal (except himself, because he is running a media business, like it or not). While I agree that some businesses don’t treat their neighbors with the care and respect that goes with reduced emissions, cleaning up property, etc, not every business person is that way. But to read Mr. Donahue is to see the World in a way that’s different from the truth: we’re not black and white, but shades of grey. That happens to be true for a man I don’t personally know or am at this point not yet backing for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Seat: John Bauters. And no, I’m not backing my friend Oakland Councilmember Nikky Bas at this point either. I have a personal issue here blocking me and that I will explain below, later. Back to Mr. Bauters and this right wing crap.

Brian Donahue writes:

Despite his list of backers, Council member Bauters says he’s a liberal.  But the campaign donors know better.  And they know a good investment when they see one.  That’s why Bauters has gotten major donations from PG&E and the pro-developer lobbying group YIMBY California as well as Sacramento’s corporate right wing California Real Estate PAC.  Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs also have given generously to Mr Bauters’ campaign (expecting nothing in return if you believe them) as well as East Bay politicians; the controversial former mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf and Emeryville’s current mayor Courtney Welch, a corporate Democrat who generously gave her Council colleague $1,100 (so far).  

Here’s the thing, the majority of the group that Brian thinks isn’t liberal, is. To say my godsister Former Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf is not liberal is to basically admit your publicly drunk. Do I like how Libby handled the Raiders matter? No, and because she made it all about herself (her presentation at the NFL Owners Meeting in Boca Raton in 2016 was a disaster because she didn’t know stadium financing and forgot she’s just the Mayor of Oakland), and in the process pissed off my friend NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and severely damaged Oakland’s chance of getting an NFL team in the future. Did she ignore the use of tax increment financing to help small businesses, landlords, and renters during the Pandemic? Yep.

And should Libby have hired me as Howard Terminal Project Manager rather than mining me for free advice considering that neither Libby’s hand-picked Assistant City Administrator Betsy Lake or Ms. Lake’s friend she hired to be the PM Molly Mayburn had no experience with the redevelopment process in Oakland, and could not calculate tax increment revenue or size a bond issue to save our lives, where as I have decades of experience with both? Yes. And do I care that my take is self-serving? Hell no, and because I was the best qualified for the role and everyone knows it. But enough about me, my point is that even with those major disagreements, I would never call Libby “right wing”. I would never insult her – at least not like that (big smile).

And my presentation in the last two paragraphs above underscores my point: we as Democrats have to get back to the point of debating and arguing issues, rather than avoiding debate and just dismissing a person with a wave of a hand as being “right wing” or “left wing” – the total approach is unintelligent and if taken to its logical conclusion, could lead to violence. Oh, wait, you say: we’re already there in Oakland? This Oakland Uber Driver from eight years ago would agree with you:

You say look at Donald Trump and his January 6th 2021 Illegal Insurrection? That’s why we need to put the breaks on this mindless namecalling and threats of bodily harm and get back to the time when we used our minds and hashed out our issues by debates and think-pieces. I guarantee you we will fix our City of Oakland, State of California, and our nation. Now, let me explain my issue with the whole Bauters vs. Bas Alameda County Supervisor vote coming up on November 5th, 2024.

Keith Carson Should Have Picked Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett As His Successor And Maintained District Five As A Black Seat

That’s my issue. And I’m not into doing endorsements because I want to talk to everyone for the purpose of news reporting. Hence, my very not-consistent record of backing candidates. However, I am not shy about sharing my views, like I did regarding Zack Unger because I believe in my bones he’s not a good pick for Oakland City Council District One at all. Mr. Unger is way too much of a social climber and not at all government policy fixer, which is what we need in Oakland. Unger reminds me too much of the late William Hurt’s character “Tom Grunick” in the 1987 movie Broadcast News.

Anyway, I have not yet gotten over the fact that Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who one would think understands the need to maintain African American political involvement and pave the way for opportunities for blacks in politics, would go back door and pick John Bauters, who’s white. And that’s not racist, but it’s race-concious. If we have too many examples of black folks not getting picked for something, which results in loss of economic power, then obviously picking someone black who’s a good choice anyway, is the logical step in solving the problem. After all, we’re talking about a damaged system of resource allocation. The same problem that caused Keith and Senator Nancy Skinner to talk about Black Lives Matter in this vlog I made:

But why Keith Carson picked John Bauters over Ben Bartlett remains a head-scratcher to me and to many others in Oakland and Berkeley. Ben Bartlett is a good friend of mine and has been a very good Berkeley Councilmember. Keith should have given Ben his backing by Keith own action – in other words, not waiting for Bartlett to approach him. My big issue of late is how we as black American increasingly save our worst views and words for other black folks. As far as I’m concerned its the worst black-on-black crime there is. My view is that who a person dates or marries is their business, but where they put their economic focus as a public official, especially a black elected official or even a public executive, should be scrutinized just to make sure that person’s taking care of their own.

It’s purely silly for someone to be black, argue for reparations for African Americans, but then turn around and not pick someone black to run something, or insist on and support the development of healthy black businesses, or get more blacks to own media companies, or be tech entrepreneurs. It’s like some of us as black folks are not comfortable with other black folks in power, or think of someone who picks a non-traditional job as “being white”, so those African Americans cut the others off at the knees the first chance they get. That needs to stop. Now.

And now, about Nikky Bas.

My small issue with Oakland Councilmember Nikky Bas is why should I support someone who never gives me a chance to talk to them? Some of these so-called “progressives” think they’re doing themselves a favor by avoiding an interview with me, when I have never sought to damage anyone I interviewed. I like for people to get to know that person. Now, you might say that has nothing to do with governance, but you’re wrong.

Now Nikki once made herself available for me to interview and here’s proof:

So what was wrong with that? I have no idea. But I do know that in Councilmember Bas’ last reelection campaign she pushed commercials that sent a picture with her surrounded by nothing but young white folks on bikes in Oakland. Black folks or any other person of color, or both, never to be seen in Nikki Bas’ Oakland. It’s like Nikki is communicating that she think’s she’s cool because she is on bikes with the cast of Clerks.

I complained about it:

You can not effectively govern because you only like certain people, you have to like everyone you represent unless that person’s got a view unlike Hitler’s. My view of Nikky Bas is she’s changed to be “that person” (no, not Hitler) – a practitioner of divisive politics – and it also explains why she gets behind policies that have damaged the City of Oakland. This divisive way must stop. So, unless I have some sign she’s going to change, I can’t get behind her. If she changes to be that person who listens, like she used to be, I’m there for her. So, I’m in the middle, between the two, but I can only select one, and so I’ll figure it out, and welcome your input.