In more than 50 years of being involved with politics, I have never witnessed such a vicious and ugly smear campaign like the one recently launched against Carl DeMaio. About four years ago I got a call from someone who worked at City Hall who informed me that some City Council aides were having “fun” spreading raunchy rumors and gossip about the newly elected Councilman Carl DeMaio who had not long ago publicly confirmed that he was gay; almost all the Democrats on the 10th floor greatly disliked the then rising young Republican star. I immediately informed Carl of the situation and with the help of Councilman Todd Gloria, those Council aides were reprimanded.
At the time, this “bathroom” gossip and lies were dismissed by the naïve young councilman, but Gloria and I knew immediately that unless this outrageous gossip was not put to rest it could spread and these lies would continue. For decades prominent gay men have been subjected to these types of bathroom whisper campaigns … after all, homosexuals are “deviants and sex crazy” aren’t they? Now four years later, this same vicious rumor has popped up and it’s an outright lie … period.
For years no one would touch this ugly story, but now because of the recent mayoral sex scandal, anti-DeMaio forces feel very comfortable spreading it all over the place. No matter how you feel about Carl’s politics all GLBT and decent San Diegans should be outraged at this homophobic smear campaign. It’s disgusting and I call upon Ben Hueso to denounce it immediately.
Who will be our next mayor?
Every poll shows Nathan Fletcher and Carl DeMaio leading the pack, with Todd Gloria and Kevin Faulconer being possible strong contenders. Tomorrow Gloria becomes our city’s “interim mayor” and his popularity could rise greatly in the next few months; but then this hard working and dedicated public servant’s dream has always been to succeed Susan Davis to the U. S. Congress. Many would like to see DeMaio continue his congressional race and once again make history; but big pressure is mounting on him to make another run for mayor. The experienced and true gentleman, Faulconer is liked by many and would make a very competent mayor, but it is the young bright Kennedy-like ex-Marine Nathan Fletcher (who I call the Gavin Newsom of the south) who is getting all the buzz … the popular former state assemblyman with a beautiful wife and two wonderful boys is the one to watch, but our next mayor will definitely be one of these four qualified men.
Community helps more than 65 kids
For years now the Imperial Court, The Center, Martinis Above Fourth and many others have been supplying children in need with backpacks, school supplies, new shoes and clothing. This year more than 65 kids got assistance and Allan Spyere (Court president), the owners of Martinis, Council President Todd Gloria and I spent a wonderful Saturday morning passing out new school supplies. A very special “thank you” to Family Matters (Carolina and Jane), The Center, Rob Benzon Foundation and you the community. I wish you could all have seen these wonderful and excited girls’ and boys’ faces!
Nicky Awards draws public officials
In 1975 when the “Nicky Awards” were established, no politician or official would be caught dead at a gay event. “Homosexual acts” were against the law in California. This past Sunday the “gay Academy Awards of San Diego,” held at the Marriot Hotel, drew Police Chief Bill Lansdowne, Sheriff Bill Gore, County Supervisor Ron Roberts, Judge Ken Gosselin, former state Assemblymen Nathan Fletcher and Anthony Portantino, Sixth City Council candidate Chris Cate as well as state Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins, Council President Todd Gloria, School Board Vice President Kevin Bieser and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis (Nicky Award honoree) among others. Boy, have times changed! Among top honorees were Russell Roybal (deputy director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force), movie/TV actor Wilson Cruz (GLAAD), Gays for Good (San Diego Chapter), Bixi Craig, (Lavender Lens) and Ron Sperry (RC Awards).
Congratulations to all the 2013 Nicky Award winners! Another great job from producer Allan Spyere; but we agree the special board of governor’s honors and speeches will be cut down next year.
A Filner book?
Well the local media has been reporting about a possible future book deal for Bob Filner, and I hope so. The whole complete truth needs to be told as well as his life of more than 40 years being a public servant and a fighter for social justice.
I agree, there should be a lot of nervous Democratic leaders concerning this possible book because many were hypocrites and liars. I agree it’s time to move on but there was much more to Bob Filner than this scandal and now he has been totally ruined and destroyed. He will always be my friend … “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” and many a hypocrite cast huge boulders.
Ben Hueso did NOT withdraw his factually correct statements about Mr. DeMaio,, but affirmed them.
Carl did a silly “lie detector” test by an examiner he selected under conditions he controlled. He did not take a blood test for drugs that can “fool” a detector. That was worthless.
Carl’s lawyer demanded a retraction from the OC publication, but that request was met by another affirmation of the factual accuracy of the article.
Carl has NOT denied these claims in a simple declaration under oath. Nor has he sued either Hueso or the OC publication.
So far Carl appears to be loosing the credibility battle here. Can anyone who knows Carl believe he would take liberties with the truth ? Raise your hands folks.
Carl is nor entitled to get a “Free Pass” on this issue because he happens to be gay. This is not an unfair “smear” of a gay politician. It is a battle of credibility, and Carl seems to be loosing badly.
I forgot to attach this link:http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/28/Hueso-breaks-silence-on-demaio-masterbation/
You seem pretty sure it didn’t happen. He’s a state Senator who gets no benefit out of this being true. Indignation is wonderfully dramatic here but certainly not productive. I look forward to newspeople doing their jobs and finding out if this is in fact true.
Who cares. Carl DeMaio is a sleaze ball and I wouldn’t vote for him period.
1) The proper title of this piece is, “The smearing of Ben Hueso”.
2) Polygraph tests are not lie detector tests, as the American Psychological Association states very clearly: http://bit.ly/15hyLaf
3) Is Gavin Newsome related to Gavin Newsom?
Newsome ////???????????
When you start running campaigns based on sexual scandals, you should not be surprised when it blows up in your face, or hands…
Our community should be less concerned with gossip concerning Carl Demaio and any allegations of “Wanking his Willy” at City Hall, but more with promises he made to many in the LGBT community including yourself, Columnist Jim Winsor of Hale’s SDGLN, and many others, that he would marry long time partner Johnatahn Hale once the courts had overturned Prop.8.
Two months and counting on Prop. 8s being overturned, and no word on the Holy (or unholy as the case turns out) matrimony of these supposed leaders in the LGBT community.
Has Carl Demaio been playing both ends on this issue, trying to garner support from the LGBT community (which he lost 2-1 in the Mayoral election) and also placating his Conservative Republican base that finds Same Sex Marriage repugnant?
When will you or anyone else put them to task for this unkept promise?
When will Hale stop publishing articles extolling Demaio’s virtues as the Mayor who “could have rewritten San Diego LGBT political history”, and instead actually put his money where his mouth is and finally follow through on that Marriage promise and actually rewrite that history?
Just as Martin Luther King urged us to judge someone by the content of their character, not their skin color, we in the LGBT community cant accept a Politician as our “Savior” just because he professes his sexuality to the world, but on his actions and deeds and character, just as any other Politician should be judged.
In this area Demaio falls completely flat and is not worthy of our community’s support, nor worthy of all the attention he seeks from us.
Please publicly pose the question to Demaio once and for all, “When will you follow through on your promise and marry Johnatahn Hale?”
As my Grandfather always used to say “S**t or get off the Pot”, Carl!
Funny how you have moral outrage in this case, but only a couple months back you were smearing Bronwyn Ingram and “outing her,” which I still believe you fabricated.
You’re the embodiment of hypocrisy and have no moral compass. It is beyond me why you are still published and why anyone would take you seriously.
I’m a Republican and couldn’t bring myself to voting for De-mayo over Peters. I took the lesser of 2 evils.,