Getting pissed at the 540

I was late for last night's League of Pissed-Off Voters event at the 540 Club, but arrived in time to see my District Supervisor, Jake McGoldrick, speak for a little while, then hand over the microphone to punk rocker, activist, and onetime mayoral candidate Jello Biafra. Jello is one of the all-time best ranters, and this was one of his classics: he talked for nearly a full hour, well over the allotted time, ranging from local issues to national and international affairs. Sometimes he was nearly nonsensical, other times he was lucid. He does call people silly names and take potshots at decent people sometimes. And while there were times I disagreed with him intellectually, he said a lot of things people absolutely needed to hear.

Some of these progressive events are really just parties with a political spin. I think for some younger people, particularly in San Francisco, progressive politics is just one more way to define yourself, like being a Deadhead or something. When I try to talk to people about real issues at events like this, a lot of times I come away thinking that a lot of them are enraged -- and they should be -- but not necessarily very thoughtful. Are all corporations evil? Is everybody really brainwashed? Didn't I see you driving a 325i down Haight Street last week? Doesn't it make you uncomfortable when they associate rich people with evil people?

That's why Jello's remarks were so beautiful -- finally, a real if imperfect backbone rather than simple sloganeering and anti-Bush jokes. He laid bare the philosophical necessities, and the inconsistencies, of the progressive agenda. He suggested some actual remedies, which was very helpful and rather unusual at functions like this. Jello's junk-mail ban is a great idea (though of course it's an infringement on free speech, right?). He says we should "become the media"? Hey, man, this is the blogosphere, I'm on it. But why the anti-biotechnology research thing? He played it like it was all about Frankenfood, and played on people's fears. That's just backward. (The candidate himself, Jake McGoldrick, voted in favor of the biotech payroll tax break, and I would've done it too.) Biotech startups are not going to be the new dot-coms -- I simply can't imagine that field producing dorm-room-and-a-dream ideas that turn into venture-backed juggernauts that flame out in 18 months. Ridiculous, and wrongheaded. (Plus someone's got to fill all that empty office space.)