When CBS, NBC and ABC cut away from President Donald Trump’s news conference at the White House on the evening of Nov. 5, they took pains to explain why they were shutting off the nation’s commander-in-chief. It was a moment that for me, as a journalism historian, carried echoes of the 1954 takedown of another flamboyant populist demagogue, Sen. Joe McCarthy. Making false accusations The…
Editor’s Note: Michael Patrick Welch, renowned New Oreans writer, musician, teacher and friend of The Escondido Grapevine, conducted an interview with the provocateur known to Andy Kauffman and Bob Zmuda fans as Tony Clifton. While others have shunned this outstanding piece of informational journalism, we embrace it and re-print this as a public service. “After a year of chasing Tony Clifton to get his thoughts…
Election polling is facing yet another reckoning following its uneven-at-best performance in this year’s voting. Although the outcome in the 2020 presidential race remained uncertain the next day, it was evident that polls collectively faltered, overall, in providing Americans with clear indications as to how the election would turn out. And that misstep promises to resonate through the field of survey research, which was battered…
Veteran homelessness has been cut nearly in half in the last 10 years, but tens of thousands of vets remain on the streets, and a program intended to help is short-staffed and thousands of housing vouchers are going unused. On Tuesday, members of Congress heard the story of a veteran known simply as “Mr. Brown.” Brown received an other-than-honorable discharge because of alleged drug use during his…
San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones and the San Marcos city council may be taking a curious approach to Tuesday’s city council member election. While most elections feature a few candidates and lots of voters, Jones and council have twisted that fact into an inverted pretzel. Do the math. At 6 pm. Tuesday, more than eight times the usual number of candidates for council possibly will…
Not a good week for GOP candidates in San Diego… Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret are expected to be arraigned on Thursday morning in Federal court. A 47-page grand jury indictment accuses the couple of diverting more than $250,000 in campaign funds to family vacations, school tuition, theater tickets and other personal expenses. They are facing charges of wire fraud, falsifying records,…
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-49th District) on Tuesday confronted protestors at his Vista office, then climbed on the roof of his district office building and shot pictures of what was called the largest demonstration yet against his activities and policies in the embattled congressional district. He also reportedly threatened a reporter for being an alleged “operative” for his opponents. This came on the heels of Issa giving supporters…
At a Clairemont community park Congressman Scott Peters marked the sixth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling by speaking plainly about the deleterious effects it’s had on politics. “There’s way too much attention on this big money, secret money and raising money for this government to work very well,” Peters said, flanked by a handful of UC San Diego students. It’s something the San…
What it’s like to be on the shrinking island of Donald Trump political backers — Washington Post These days, being a Republican and supporting your presidential nominee can be a lonely place. A new USA Today survey finds that more than a quarter of top elected GOP officials won’t endorse or have rescinded their endorsement of Donald Trump. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) thinks pulling away from Trump…
The Gist: There was a competitive election for county supervisor in coastal North County, but many voters told us on Tuesday that they declined to weigh in on that race because they weren’t sure what a county supervisor does. The presidential election is driving North County voters to the polls for this primary election. Gary Dyer, a 59-year-old North County real estate investor, was so…