Saner heads are trying to prevail in San Francisco

At least one less extreme Democrat in San Francisco is very worried about the hardcore Leftism that has taken root and flourished in the City.  A City that was always to the lefter side of the political spectrum now has the potential to devolve into the kind of ideological Leftism that will destroy the City’s financial infrastructure:

Moderate Democrats in San Francisco often complain that far-left politicians don’t represent their values. Middle-class families are frustrated that their concerns – like safe streets – are undermined by ideologues with wild claims of a “police state.” Developers are exasperated when their projects are subjected to endless delays, even when the property has been a vacant eyesore for years.

[snip]

The next two months will see a battle for the political soul of the city. It will pit the progressives against the moderates in a face-off that will have huge implications in the November elections and, perhaps, the election of the next mayor. The key is control of an obscure but incredibly influential organization called the Democratic County Central Committee.Rather than complaining about the direction of the city, middle-of-the-road Democrats have to get active. They have to vote in the June DCCC election and they have to do their homework on the candidates to learn if they represent moderate values.

[snip]

The DCCC endorsement doesn’t necessarily mean a win in every election – it just seems to work out that way. In 2008, the DCCC went 6-for-6 in supervisor races (the seventh, Ross Mirkarimi, used to belong to the Green Party and was not eligible for a Democratic endorsement) and 3-for-4 in the school board elections.

That’s no surprise. San Francisco is a liberal Democrat town. When the official voice of the local Democratic committee sends out recommendations in mailers – and it has a nearly unlimited budget to do so – voters listen.

[snip]

“Aaron Peskin is building a political machine that would make Willie Brown blush,” Wiener said.

Campos scoffs at that idea.

“We don’t sit around trying to figure out what we, as a machine, should do,” he said. “I talk to everybody.”

Maybe so, but with the DCCC’s unmistakable power, a progressive voting majority will guarantee endorsements of far-left candidates in the November elections for supervisor. And remember, if Gavin Newsom leaves office as mayor, the supervisors will elect his successor. The stakes are huge.

The election for the DCCC is in June. You should be sure to vote. And you should make sure you know who you are voting for.

You can read the whole thing here.

Only San Franciscans, of course, can appreciate a world in which Obama is a centrist.  You and I think of him has having grabbed the country and dragged it far left, but San Franciscans understand that, at the local level, it can get even worse.