8 Supervisor election)
Hi Charlie,
Saw the article in yesterday's Chron... I appreciate you mentioning some of my positions from the email I sent you. I knew you were going to need more material than the bare minimum that you asked me about over the phone in order to do my candidacy anything approaching justice! Overall, the article still wasn't quite balanced in terms of the amount of space and focus you gave me compared with my two rivals, but by the standards of the mainstream media it was pretty good, so I give you credit for that.
I do kind of wish you hadn't led off with my take on the handgun issue. That was just one of a long list of campaign positions I sent you, and wasn't a focus of our conversation. It wouldn't be a big deal, if Tim Redmond of the Guardian hadn't already gone out of his way to try to make me look like a gun nut. I hope that your putting that issue first in writing about me, and potentially reinforcing the impression he sought to create, was just a coincidence.
Also, I'm afraid that mentioning out of context that I think "candidates like (me) don't get enough media attention" makes it sound like I simply have a personal gripe -- after all, few people think they get enough press coverage for their causes. If you didn't have enough space to note what I had to say in support of that view, such as the fact that the Chronicle has a poor track record of covering Libertarians (a criticism you agreed with when we spoke on the phone), or the arguments that the media should put not just equal but more focus on lesser-known candidates so that voters can be adequately informed about all their choices on the ballot and that lack of coverage of a race tends to help incumbents and hurt challengers, I would have really preferred it not be mentioned at all.
Nevertheless, thank you for taking time to call and interview me, and include me in the story. I hope that it won't be the last time I hear from you or the Chronicle before November 7. However I encourage you to keep my contact info on hand after that, and call any time you're working on a story with issues of government power, expense, or control over peoples' lives, and need a quote. Or if you'd just like to chat some more about these or any other issues.
Sincerely,
<<< starchild >>>
Candidate for Supervisor, District 8
(415) 621-7932 / (415) 368-8657
RealReform@...