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Palace coup? Filner could be locked out
Thanks Don. And I for you. But I can't believe you are swallowing this story about somebody "listening in on conversations in Chief of Staff Lee Burdick's office from the Westgate Hotel". That story (it was a mere rumor two days ago) is nothing more than an effort, and a clumsy one at that, to scare Lee Burdick into abandoning Bob. Whoever is behind it knows City Hall well and the view of Westgate, particularly from the 10th and 11th Floors. Whoever your "excellent inside source" is (more likely a former inside source like Aguirre or Frye) they are being very clever in that they know to target Burdick as their best chance of getting at Bob. But I don't think they will intimidate Burdick any more than they have done with Filner. They have badly miscalculated and are looking for cover. Don't forget that this "palace coup" was started by Donna Frye and two other Filner "supporters", not by Republican bad guys or any sinister "intergovernmental" agencies. Now that the coup is failing the initiators who called that first press conference are concocting a cover story and you are being used to give it legs. That tells me that they know their plan is dead in the water. Sorry Don, I still respect you enormously, I just think you are being had on the Westgate spying story. I hope we can remain friends.— August 15, 2013 6:33 p.m.
Palace coup? Filner could be locked out
"according to excellent inside sources". Who in God's name is feeding you this rubbish?— August 15, 2013 4:30 p.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
historymatters: I think I know where you are coming from. I carefully read and studied your "Filner's accusers and their interesting connection to KPBS and the Port Authority" at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/ive-got-iss…. You have done your homework and I admire that. I also read the entire transcript of the 10-27-2011 State Lands Commission hearing of the Ports application for an extension of the B Street Pier concession in which Cory disputed the Port’s version of events regarding the Coastal Commission’s waiver. I don’t think we should read too much into any one event such as that Nov ’11 hearing. Cory and Irene are now joined in a common cause. Nor would I spend too much time on CONNECT. We already know that rich folk love each other’s company and that the wannabes yearn to have their photos taken with the rich and powerful. CONNECT just confirms what we already know, that such ladies are power-sycophants and rich-husband-seekers (in the case of Froman she succeeded “admirably” – pun intended). But to get back to Filner, to motivate this kind of a deadly attack AFTER he became mayor there has to be a powerful “Dark Vader” pulling the strings in the background. The best theory I have heard so far (and it is only a theory, but from somebody who is no dummy about San Diego politics) is that Irene McCormack was Doug Manchester’s Plan B. She would be parachuted in behind enemy lines and penetrate Filner’s inner circle if Plan B, Carl DeMaio, failed. That makes sense to me because of Manchester’s oft-demonstrated unscrupulous greed and a shared interest in the waterfront with Irene. I have had a working assumption for a long time that Irene has been Manchester's mole in the Port from when she got there. Doug wanted the Oval Park removed because it was encroaching on his Navy Broadway Complex plan, which she did by promoting a cruise ship terminal monstrosity on Broadway Pier, which nobody wanted, not even Carnival. But it neatly required the removal of the Broadway Pier Park for "access". Neat trick Irene and Doug, never mind the public expense or the destruction of San Diego's front porch. Anybody who pretends to think that this is all about Bob's sexual harassment of some of the most powerful women in San Diego needs a few weeks in re-hab to check their moral and/or naivety monitor. Keep digging historymatters. I think Dougie is your man, with Jacobs merely scavenging behind as usual.— August 11, 2013 4:27 a.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Don: just wondering, did you read Lee Burdick's email to Scott Lewis published in the VOSD, the last sentence of which said "The mayor will be given the keys upon his return" before you wrote this piece? Because you wrote: "New locks have been put on the mayor's door, but it is not clear if Filner will have a key or not." Even if you had not read Lee's email what made you think that the Mayor might be locked out of his own office? Who would have the authority to do such a thing? Who is telling you this stuff? You are one of the last reliable sources of journalistic information in this sorry town I hope you are not deserting us.— August 10, 2013 1:01 p.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Don: you wrote above "According to unconfirmed reports, the spy or spies listened in on conversations of Lee Burdick, Filner's chief of staff, who has been busy talking with Jan Goldsmith, city attorney who hates Filner". Doesn't that sound like somebody was trying to make it look like Lee was getting chummy with Goldsmith behind Filner's back? Now who but the most scurrilous of rumor mongers would tell you a story like that? Listening in to their conversations! Wow!— August 10, 2013 11:33 a.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Don: Are you saying Lee and Ekard can be bought off with money? That they will sell Filner out?— August 10, 2013 11:17 a.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Don, that is very unfair on both Lee and Ekard, particularly on Lee who has shown enormous personal courage in this. "Filner's enemies" as you call them are concentrating their fire on her as they know that Bob will never buckle to the bullies who started all this viz. Donna, Marco and Cory. Bob knows who his real enemies are and that the Republicans are merely using the free stick that was handed to them. Yes, this is nastier than anything I have ever encountered in my lifetime of observing politics and I am under no illusions as to where it is coming from.— August 10, 2013 8:20 a.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Don: There was not one mention on Twitter "that Homeland Security has caught a person or persons eavesdropping on the mayor's office with a directional microphone from a room at the Westgate Hotel" or any variation of that. That malicious rumor was started by somebody who is not on Twitter and who knows very little about it. It was an awkward attempt to intimidate Lee Burdick by making her believe that she is being stalked. I suspect you got your information from Donna Frye because I know of one other person who was fed the same false rumor by that source.— August 10, 2013 8:07 a.m.
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Psycholizard: I agree. And Don, you don't think Filner can survive this pressure? I think he can. I have no doubt that he sees this, as I and many others do, as a challenge to democracy itself. Bob Filner can earn himself a place in American history by standing alone against the undemocratic forces that would replace "presumed innocent" with "presumed guilty". I think he will stand and I think he will win.— August 10, 2013 2:28 a.m.
Filner imbroglio is all about greed
He has the rule of law on his side. If he caves to the Lynch mob (pun intended) we will have lost more than a progressive mayor, we will have lost what many brave Americans gave their precious lives for. I believe Bob will ensure that they did not die in vain.— August 2, 2013 9:29 a.m.