IT IS TIME FOR "CHANGE".......
It has been very apparent that here on the Modesto Bee “The Hive” on-line public forum over the past several months there is a group of bloggers who have made an concerted and choreographed effort to misrepresent a specific group of people who were running for public office. This effort, up until the election, consisted basically of insinuating that specific candidates have committed illegal activities, making innuendos that specific candidates were receiving funding for their campaigns with “quid-pro-quo” elements behind the funding, and that some of the candidates (they felt) had in their opinion violated the law by actually voting on issues for political pay back on contributions.
This very small group have posted information on specific candidates who they dislike presenting what little information they could scrounge up and packaged bits and pieces of unrelated information in a manner that they hoped would make it seem as if these candidates had ‘in fact’ committed violations of election laws or their current oath of office in addition to potential misconduct and violations of State and Federal laws. At no time did this group present any real substantiatable evidence or facts to prove any of the allegations and innuendo. Basically these actions have been a thought out and orchestrated smear campaign against people based on an ideological difference on how they felt Modesto should be governed.
After Tuesday’s election, after it appeared that this smear campaign had not worked in their favor and the citizens of Modesto had voted, it became very clear that this small vocal (blogging) group on the Hive was switching their smear campaign to their “Plan B” mode. What is becoming very clear that the 'Plan B' was going to be even more damaging to the citizens of Modesto than the original smear campaign. 'Plan B' consists of something that most local residents have worked very hard over several decades to eliminate; that be “race baiting” and pitting one group of citizens against another based on their ethnic background.
‘Plan A’ (the guttural political use of a smear campaign) was bad enough. The candidates that were targeted did not take the smear baiting and in fact took the high road during this campaign and ran clean “here is what my platform is” campaigns. They did not (for the most part) single out their opponents, call them names, make accusations or try to sling mud at them. They went out, campaigned hard, had a message that voters backed and all of the candidates who were being singled out by this small group at the Hive won their prospective elections.
Before the polls even closed last evening, the call of “vote rigging”, the “race card”, and “money from developers bought the race” started. All these accusation, in spite of pleas and reasoning for all of the candidates to unite and work toward making Modesto a better place to live and work in a civil and respectful manner were ignored. The tone of some of the posts on the Hive (in many cases) was venomous and vengeful; and the level of animosity was pushed to its outer limit. I myself had appealed that we all make an effort to restore civility to the close of this election cycle, only to be rebuffed and called out based on my choices of candidates.
Voters who did turn out to vote sent a clear message here in Modesto that they did not like the low road, mud slinging political tone of this election. The voters who cared showed up at the polls (or mailed in their ballots) and voted their choices. For the vast majority of Modestians the election is now over and they are eager to move on and work together to revitalize our economy, work on financial issues trying to keep Modesto solvent and public services available to the residents of the city, and to continue to look for ways to meet the needs of all citizens. This small group at the Hive does not see it that way and has launched a second unofficial campaign to continue the campaign that was decided by yesterday’s vote of the people. They pledge to continue to fight and to stir the pot until they get what they want… regardless of what the voters have declared and affirmed.
It would have been a better idea to have recognized the will of the people and turned to a more civil and responsible approach to the election results. This select group who feel that what they want is more important than the vote of the people have made it clear that that approach will not be in their strategic plans. It saddens me to see this happen here in Modesto. Most of us have grown up with the understanding that in life there are some winners and those who played the game but lost. It happens in every walk of life from the playground in elementary school, to athletics in high school, to jobs and promotional opportunities, in relationships, and yes, in politics. The majority of people understand that when the game is over, you look life in the face and accept the outcome, and move on or look for a better approach to reaching their goals. Apparently there are some here at the Hive who did not learn that lesson and have adopted the “sour grapes” mentality towards those candidates who did win their races. Most of the candidates who did not win have been gracious and have gone on to wish the winners well (for the benefit of all residence). That is how it should have been… Sadly here on the Hive (and especially for our community) that is not the case for all.
Yes, it is time for "change"... It is time to work together for our communities. It is time!
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bmoore
You need to include yourself, as you have smeared Stanford so get off your high-donkey and start braying.
bmoore
the chants of "fixed" and "racism" is the plan B you speak of. These lies will be their mantra!LOL!!!!!
Wayne
From the guy who suggested relocating the Modesto Airport (yeah, I read your old posts there) to saying my election results last night were "fudged", I gotta say that you aren't exactly the one to facilitate a new era of Modesto politics. Your conspiracy theories abound.
But hey, the election is over. Now we can focus on the next big race - the race to replace our lawsuit-ridden Sheriff AC. Believe it or not, that's only eight months away (June 2010).
Bmoore I agree with you
Bmoore I agree with you 100%, in that it’s time to start working together and moving forward. The only way a democracy/republic works, and it’s one of the wonders of our system for over two hundred years. Your attitude should not be wasted on just local politics but you should put forth the same effort when it comes to our nation. We have a President that has been called everything from Hitler to the Anti-Christ. We have hate being spewed towards him every day and by people here on the Hive.
If we want this nation to survive we need to get over the fact that someone you might not agree with is the President and we should be working to help this nation out of the hole we are now in. this is a man that has surrounded himself with Republicans and still the people on the right are not satisfied. He has continued many of President Bush’s agenda, and yet everything he is doing is wrong, although it wasn’t wrong when a Republican was doing the very same thing.
Here’s a man that inherited a national debt of $11 Trillion, a deficit of $6 Trillion, and that wasn’t even counting the two wars we are engaged in, a Stimulus Package of almost a Trillion dollars to bail out the banks and lenders, even though if these same lenders had have been regulated as they should have been they would not have needed the bail out, and an unemployment crisis that was growing by the day, and yet not one Republican in Congress has lifted a finger to advance any program needed to bring us out of this crisis. They have not put forth not even one responsible, comprehensive bill that would help lift this nation out of the hole we are in, and every conservative has gone along with that say no attitude, even the ones here on the Hive.
So what I’m saying to you is take your own advice and start working for a better tomorrow, both in this city and this nation.
Charlie Lockett
BMoore3
Some cannot resist the put down, others are just to stupid to make any snense, I have found I have done that to my personal chagine, but meds kivk in and it should then be time to be off.
Your subject though speaks to this Country, why can we not have discourse. If we all agreed we would not plce in our two cents. On the election endgame, we haave districted elections lets hope they work. I am also glad that the Northeast upgrades were defeated.
Maybe I am a bit altuistic but there is an entire population across Hwy99 that has gone crap in the past 26 years I have been here, I came to know some of these areas in my catholic Charities Days, the bad guy I am and all, and saw what Newark its impression post riots of the 60's looked.
Maybe many are on section 8 I hope that doen't mean we can warehouse families that then live on cardbord boxes circling a very old black and white, that poor. And just a block away well groomed homes and people of all colors trying to do best for their community.
I hope this Latino lawsuit Millich, spent over I beleive $7.2 million dollars to fight will make a social change to people lives, Small manufacturing, strip malls at reduced rents to get people out investing in their own communities so they are inclusive in the Community as a whole. Maybe the parents can be emboldened to wallop the kid with the gun or taking meth, I know it worked with my kids.
As you may know i have a complainy pending, in it neither by PD reports or school reports a total of 97 over three years have my kids been at fault and to many amazeents school administrators admitted they believed my kids were targeted.
Well spoken Bill, hope we have some debate left and accept my typos, I am great with a 10-key however. Be well and keep you opinions coming, please.
Joe...
Don't worry about the "typos" - I've gotten to the point I can read what you are trying to say (most of the time at least).... If we can't agree to disagree and do it in a civil manner, well, we might as well throw the towel in and just give up on each other... I choose to listen (may not agree - but I'll read what is written and then one way or the other comment based on my own opinions)... In some instances I'll take sides, in others just try to sort out what is being written.
I'm a conservative and lean to the right on both fiscal and social issues (that does not mean I am in lock step with the far right (just as most liberals are not 100% in lock step with the far left)... Just as others speak up when they do not agree with government/social policies, I do the same (and will continue to do so as long as I still have the freedom to do so)...
From day one I have made it clear that I don't intimidate easily... and I make every effort not to intimidate others... Opinions are just that... you have yours, I have mine... Sometimes we'll agree, sometimes we'll butt heads... but that is what freedom is all about... the right to agree to disagree.
Yes, it is time for "change"... It is time to work together for our communities. It is time!