Articles by dweisman

Joel Anderson turns into political punchline

ALEC’s favorite legislator, previously guilty of campaign finance fraud and most lately known for drunkenly threatening to “bitch slap” a female lobbyist at a Sacramento bar this summer, career Republican politician Joel Anderson finally has been ejected from the body politic. And that’s just Anderson’s political punchline. Anderson was elected to the Senate in 2010 after serving in the Assembly for four years. He termed out…


Hunter poll watchers slow down vote count

Reports from the San Diego Registrar of Voters Saturday said Duncan Hunter poll watchers had begun challenging virtually every ballot with a Spanish-sounding surname being counted, slowing the vote count. Vote “observers” working on behalf of Hunter’s campaign were challenging ballots based on the contention they were not from US citizens and signatures didn’t match registration forms, according to reports. Many of the pro-Hunter “volunteer…


‘Big Mac’ attack: Esco mayor race turns blue; Mac by 1,325 votes (UPDATED 6 p.m. Nov. 23)

Hell just froze over. With Escondido mayoral mail-in and provisional ballots continuing to be counted Wednesday afternoon, Democratic challenger Paul “Mac” McNamara soared to a commanding lead over incumbent Republican “Bad, Bad Abed, Sam.” The hits, or in this case, McNamara votes, keep coming. Big Mac’s lead grew again for the seventh straight day. Abed claimed victory Nov. 7. Now, the only remaining question is when…


Another Florida recount, calling Valley Center

(Editor’s Note: Even as Broward County and Palm Beach County election officials grapple with a razor thin-tight election recount, shades of 2000 reflect on the registrar of voters walls. The road to Florida election recount chaos runs straight through Valley Center where the originally defective voting machines traced to the well-turned home of Dick and Loralee Stephens at 29751 Valley Center Rd. The Stephens were…


Abed’s Esco mayor lead shrinks from 275 to 29 votes (UPDATED 6 P.M. NOV. 13)

Don’t believe EVERY vote matters? One might term it the ‘Big Mac Attack.’ With Escondido mayoral mail-in and provisional ballots continuing to be counted Monday afternoon, Democratic challenger Paul “Mac McNamara pulled within 29 votes of Republican incumbent Sam Abed. Although all 75 Escondido precincts have reported results, the race for Escondido mayor turned into a race for the ages this weekend as McNamara cut into…


Grifter Duncan Hunter’s pyrrhic victory

Criminal grifter Duncan Duane Hunter Jr. stole his latest election metaphorically speaking since it was, at best, the epitome of a pyrrhic victory, defined as a victory “won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor.” Fact is, Hunter’s 9 percentage point victory over Ammar Campa-Najjar means only that the 50th Congressional District will NOT be represented during the initial part…


John Oliver calls out criminal grifter Hunter

National laughingstock and criminal grifter Duncan Hunter made the national spotlight again Sunday night as political commentator John Oliver called him out along with another well-known racist, Steve King of rural Iowa. Hunter’s laugh-out-loud clown segment begins at around the 1:08 point in Oliver’s video shown here. With polling showing Ammar Campa-Najjar, an honest and competent person, statistically tied with the criminal grifter Hunter, the…


Hunter losing it with one week to go

Ammar Campa-Najjar is now in a dead heat with federally indicted grifter Duncan Duane Hunter Jr. in the race for California’s 50th Congressional District. Hunter won the June 6 primary by 32 percentage points. A poll released Tuesday showed Hunter and Campa-Najjar statistically tied. Furthermore, in a district where Republicans typically far outperform Democrats in early voting, Hunter held a mere 49-48 percent lead in voters…


Duncan Hunter JR. has-been who never was

Duncan (D.) Hunter JR., is a criminal grifter federally accused of using $250,000 of campaign funds illegally to support a lavish lifestyle at the expense of his defense and special interest campaign contributors. For those who don’t appreciate how little Hunter has done for anybody besides himself and grifting associates, this editorial is for you. Hunter — called Duane before he ran to replace his…


Ret. Marine Col. McNamara taking on Abed

Controversial two-term Republican Escondido Mayor Sam Abed has drawn a formidable opponent in the form of retired Marine Corps Col. Paul “Mac” McNamara. “I’m running for Mayor of Escondido because I believe we can get Escondido back on track,” McNamara said. “As a retired Marine Colonel, and a private sector executive who turned around struggling businesses, I know how to manage large organizations and get…