Newsom Avoids Unscripted ForumsPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Jan. 16‚ 2007Two hours into Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Town Hall forum at the Richmond Recreation Center, someone asked me “is this an infomercial or a filibuster?” Given the political context that led to this forum, I’d say it was a filibuster. United States Senators use the filibuster when they want to avoid a controversial topic from being voted on, hoping to exhaust their opponents by speaking endlessly on an issue and refusing to yield the floor. Mayor Newsom held this forum to avoid “Question Time” at the Board of Supervisors, hoping that a well-scripted Forum on homelessness will deflect any criticism that he is blatantly violating the will of the voters. Two hours into the forum, half of the audience members had already left by attrition – with about 40% of those remaining employed by the Mayor’s Office. |