This Time, Jerry Brown Wants to Be a Lawman (running for CA Atty General)

[UpInArms]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/05/us/05brown.html?ex=1307160000&en=6a56bc95d769ab11&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

(free registration or try www.bugmenot.com)

OAKLAND, Calif., June 2 — In his nearly four decades in American politics, Jerry Brown has been a lot of things to a lot of people: a two-term California governor, a three-time presidential candidate and, most recently, the mayor of Oakland, this Rodney Dangerfield-like city across the bay from San Francisco.

<snip>

And not just any lawman. Mr. Brown — faced with a mayoral term-limit — is running for attorney general of California, the nation's most populous state and one where hot-button wedge issues like immigration, medical marijuana and same-sex marriage are constantly simmering for law enforcement officials and politicians alike.

Could it be that Mr. Brown — a former Jesuit seminarian who once shared the limelight with Linda Ronstadt, then his girlfriend, tended to the poor with Mother Teresa, and fought The Man with his nonprofit political action committee We the People — is suddenly siding with (gulp) the establishment?

It certainly sounds that way.

"The attorney general owes a duty of loyalty to his client, and his client is the governor and people of California," Mr. Brown said Friday in his Oakland campaign office. "And as attorney general, I'll have no hesitation in carrying out that law, whether it is capital punishment, bars on same-sex marriage or collective bargaining or anything else."

...more...

[rpannier]

1. Wonderful...

he has no problem barring same sex marriage...Just lovely (sarcasm)
To think I voted for this guy in the '92 Primary -- Maybe now I should be more glad that he lost.

[UpInArms]

3. you know, I have the same feeling

and yes, I voted for Brown for the Dem primary in '92 also.

Jerry lost me in a big way in 2003

Violent crackdown on US anti-war protests

April 8 2003

Between 500 and 750 protesters blocked gates of the pier brandishing placards bearing slogans that read "Shut down the war makers" and "Embargo war cargo".

"Demonstrators were picketing legally to protest the war when police overreacted and began pelting them with rubber bullets and other objects without warning," said Patrick Reinsborough of Direct Action to Stop the War.

"The protest was totally peaceful," said Steve Stallone of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union who was at the scene.

"The police suddenly gave a two-minute warning for demonstrators to disperse and then began firing objects and grenades into the crowd.

<snip>

City council aide Joel Tena, an observer of the protest, said he saw no provocation by the picketers. "It was scary. They were shooting indiscriminately," he said.

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. He didn't say that

"I'll have no hesitation in carrying out that law, whether it is capital punishment, bars on same-sex marriage or collective bargaining or anything else."

He said that he is going to carry out the law. Would you prefer someone who said that they would only carry out laws they agreed with?

[rpannier]

24. I would prefer

That he make some sort of acknowledgement that he disagrees with these positions -- something that he didn't do in the article. If he does disagree with these laws he should acknowledge this. It's easy to point out his past opposition to the death penalty, but that doesn't mean his position hasn't changed.
As to your question...No, I wouldn't prefer someone like that, but I would prefer someone to speak out loudly against the injustices of the law.
I lived in California while he was governor and after he left office. I voted for him in the 82 Seante race and in the 92 Primary. If I was still a California voter I would not vote for him in the primary.

[regnaD kciN]

2. I remember, back when his father was governor...

...the state executed a convicted murderer. Jerry Brown was at the prison gates joining with a group protesting the death penalty. Now he says he would have no problem seeking it for others like that convict.

I guess Garry Trudeau was right about him all along: "Hey, ho, go with the flow!" :puke:

[Neshanic]

4. Yikes. Probably one of the most repulsive people on the planet.

Pompous, sickeningly craven, opportunistic parasite.

[CountAllVotes]

5. Jerry Brown got my vote!

And he always will as long as he remains in politics. I also think he was a great, way before his time candidate for the Presidency in the late 1970s.

He is a GOOD and HONEST man! :loveya: Jerry Brown.

I believe that he has done a very good job on fixing up parts of Oakland, a town I know well.

He is sort of like a modern day version of President Theodore Roosevelt IMO.

Perhaps Jerry Brown's time has finally come! :D

:dem: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[Book Lover]

6. All the folks I know in Oakland dislike Brown for being disconnected

I live across the Bay so I have only my friends and coworkers words to go by: they feel he lost interest in Oaktown several years ago. And no one I know of in the Bay Area is happy with how he mishandled the protest fiasco at the docks. Are you in Oakland? What have you seen result from his actions that you like?

[CountAllVotes]

11. I'm a 3rd generation Oaklander

If that is a word (?).

I was very impressed the way he cleaned up the school board after he took office as mayor of Oakland. I remember he said after elected mayor, "Some heads are going to roll!". And boy did they ever roll. It was beyond corrupt!

Also, I can remember the day that you could no longer go to Jack London Square and walk around safely and have a good time there enjoying it. Now it is much better thanks to Jerry Brown's efforts to "clamp down".

It is perhaps this aspect of him that people have turned against because he has not let up on the law enforcement clean-up effort in Oakland (also very corrupt). So maybe people do not like all of the things he has done, and most recently the war protest thing (which I did not agree with).

However, nonetheless he it quite the fine man. He was going to become a priest before he ended up going to law school and becoming a lawyer. I remember his father, Pat Brown (Edmund G. Brown, Sr.). He is so much like his father! And his sister, Kathleen Brown, I really like her a lot too and I feel it is a shame that she was not elected when she ran as the Treasurer for the State of California.

As an old native of the east bay, I know this family and I've watched them over the years. For this reason, I will likely always support them and Jerry Brown especially. He has a very good and fine mind, something we don't see much of these days.

I hope this helps.

As for the people of Oakland, well they loved him at first when he began making changes. Then all of a sudden his rather "in your face" attitude and facade I guess is no longer being embraced as it once was. I also thought he did a very good job as the Governor of California. For these reasons (and many more) I support him and also his sister Kathleen should she ever run for office again.

:D

:kick:

[Book Lover]

15. I very much appreciate your reply

A third-generation Anytown in California is to be respected, I think :-) And as I say, I don't live there; I just know what I see from the outside. As for myself, I personally don't care about his desire to become a seminarian, nor am I pleased with the notion of political families. I am sure that's where some of my own animus comes from. I take your point about those things in Oakland which have improved under his administration, though.

[Cleita]

18. I always liked Kathleen too. I wish she would run for some

office again. She would have my vote.

[mulsh]

27. I'm a 2nd generation Oaklander

I agree with what you say about Jerry Brown. Also, for years prior to his run for mayor I saw Jerry out in shopping centers and neighborhoods campagning for city measures, always doing it alone.

He's been a damn site better mayor than his predecessor, Elihu (here my price list) Harris, ever was. Jerry has at least attracted some developers into the downtown area. I've also noticed some real improvements in the Fruitvale, West Oakland and even Elmhurst and Havenscourt out there in East Oakland. No doubt neighborhood groups deserve most of the credit but I didn't see any real improvement in these neighborhoods prior to Jerry Brown's tenure.

I voted for him for attorney general.

[Cleita]

17. He did a great job as Governor under nearly impossible odds

and he left the state treasury with a surplus, something every Republican governor since then has managed to reverse leaving the state in dire debt.

[xthetylerx]

7. Hmmm?

From "California Uber Alles" by Dead Kennedys:

I am Governor Jerry Brown
My aura smiles
And never frowns
Soon I will be president...

Carter Power will soon go away
I will be Fuhrer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school
Your kids will meditate in school!

Uh...yeah.

[upi402]

8. of course, to uphold the laws that lawmakers make -IS the job description

If people vote Republicans and DINO's in, then you get conservative laws. And I would trust him more than anyone on earth to enforce those draconian laws with as much care and reason as is possible.

Who would you want in charge of the system if BushCo swept your loved one up in some BS sweep?

I know he had to say those things, and he knows he is obligated to promulgate those laws as required. But he would not abuse those laws, nor his position. He would be as kind as possible. Who would be kinder with that system in his/her control?

[Clarkie1]

9. I voted absentee for Jerry! He's a good guy and a smart guy. nt

[goclark]

12. All my literature from Democrats here name Jerry Brown, I voted for him nt

[bemildred]

10. What a pantload. nt

[Joe Chi Minh]

13. Seems the moonbeams finally did get to him. So, farewell,

Governor Moonbeam...

[hunter]

16. Oh Please.

I'm absolutely certain Jerry Brown is going to piss me off again, but not so much as a Republican Attorney General would.

[BrotherBuzz]

19. I wish Jerry Brown would retire...

and go back to doing his old radio show 'We The People" (affectionately called "I the Person"). Jerry is an idea man and that was an excellent vehicle for conveying his cool ideas. Got me to think, and I miss it.

Nevertheless, Jerry will have my vote tomorrow and I hope he wins. I also hope he doesn't micromanage the office.

[Raine]

20. NO vote from me

this time, I just want him to go away. x(

[CreekDog]

21. Interesting Fellow

I remember when he was running for President in 1992. Some friends from out of state said they'd read about a rumor that Brown took cocaine at a party.

A number of us from the Bay Area said we didn't believe it. It seemed out of character. After all, Jerry Brown doesn't seem like the kind of guy who goes to parties. ;o)

I like him and his open minded approach to problem solving and when it comes to law enforcement, I think this is badly needed. I also think he deserves a lot of credit for what he did as governor in his two terms.

[KingFlorez]

22. I voted for Rocky Delgadillo

Thought it was time to select someone who can bring new ideas

[alcibiades_mystery]

23. Brown is running on the following platform

1)Required in-school meditation.
2)Mandatory jogging, in happy face t-shirts.
3)Criminalization of non-mellow behavior.
4)Establishment of suede/denim anti-terrorist task force.

:evilgrin:

[The_Casual_Observer]

30. Campaigning against prop 13 crippled his career.

He never recovered. Prop 13 was extremely popular in the 70's, middle class people were literally being taxed out of their homes at the time due to steep increases in property taxes tied to steeply rising property values.

[xxqqqzme]

25. voted for Rocky.

At the women's caucus @ the Democratic convention, Jerry was shouting and acting very aggressive at the podium, I couldn't(still can't) figure out why. this was a friendly group, no one was threatening him but he was SHOUTING & carrying on. Time for Jerry 2 retire.

[mitchtv]

26. He got my vote

was a great Gov and an honest man

[JI7]

28. he won the primary easily

didn't vote for him myself.

[Mz Pip]

29. I liked him when he was Governor

and voted for him for Attorney General.

At least he's honest.

Mz Pip
:dem: