I support Vincent Gray for DC Mayor because...

[Anonymous]

...well, I'm not sure I do support him, and my reasons for leaning toward him are about him not being Fenty. Are there any Gray supporters out there who could tell me what they really like about him? I'd love to be convinced.

[Anonymous]

There is only one thing to like about him: He's not Fenty. That's the entire basis of his campaign. I recently read an article about how, even at his own damn fundraiser, people talked more about how they hated Fenty than liked anything about him. And he was good with it. Obviously, he has very high self-esteem

[Anonymous]

Report my comment because I out you as a troll? Bah. It's one thing to start a thread to discuss Gray's shortcomings or weaknesses. But to do it under the guise of supporting him to try to bait people.... amateur. How old are you?

[Anonymous]

The Goose is back. With all of his assumptions and naivite. Goose, your post was deleted because OP is Black, and you are White, and Jeff is trying to turn DCUM into a level playing field by stripping you of the privilege you did not earn, and do not deserve.

Well, this theory is more likely correct than the one posited by Goose: If every time someone hit the report button, Jeff automatically deleted the reported post, every post would be deleted and the board would cease to exist.

The most likely explanation is that Jeff saw your alarmist post; determined that OP is not a troll, and deleted your post, Mr. Goose. Looks like in this particular instance, you were judged to be the troll.

Perhaps if you spent less time reading dogmatic texts on radical race theory and more time in the moment -- the real world -- you would be able to make these connections for yourself. Instead, a Mommy had to explain it to you. Patiently, as she does with her toddlers.

Goose, next time you are at a complete loss as to how basic things work, could you ask your own Mommy to explain it to you? Because I'm pretty busy with my own kids.

[Anonymous]

Wamp, wamp, wamp. I'll try your approach. I'll avoid talking about issues, throw out hyperbolic statements, and be deliberately antagonistic. I'll draw conclusions before looking at evidence and then disregard that which does not conform to my previously-formed conclusions. I'll be pedantic, condescending, and, when all else fails, make ad hominem attacks. I'll engage in straw man arguments since I can't otherwise responds to counter-arguments.

How many other logical fallacies and disingenuous, intellectually dishonest tactics will you resort to? I suppose I'll take my discourse elsewhere, where real adults talk about things, instead of a site where what color counter tops best compliment a taupe wall is more important than things like racism and privilege. Good day.

[Anonymous]

Flailing, flailing. I didn't start the thread, Goose. And instead of attacking me for refusing to address the issues, why don't you try to answer the specific questions I put to you? Too hard? Don't know the answers? Let me ask you: Is, "Bah. You're not worth my time.", what you always resort to when you can't answer questions on their merits? You're going to set a poor example for your little geese.

[Anonymous]

Dorrie-

Check Gray's website. It's pretty comprehensive. While it's obviously not particularly objective or unbiased, it will give you a sense of where he stands on most issues. You can also look at the endorsements he's received and make certain determinations from there. Lastly, Gray has been in the public eye for a long time now. Look up his voting record and the stances he's taken on previous issues. There is a lot of information available on him.

http://www.vincegrayformayor.com/

There is his website. Gray's major platform items are looking at institutionalizing reform and bringing improvements to the city district-wide. Fenty has made a lot of changes, but it's hard to know how many of them will stick. That's not necessarily a criticism, perse, but it's worth nothing the different perspectives from which they come. If you want more quick-fixes, Fenty is likely your man. If you want more long-term, big picture, but slower progress, Gray would be your guy.

For trollmeister... it's a good thing I work with young children. It makes it SO easy to not get frustrated with infantile behavior. Good luck with that.

[Anonymous]

Actually, I would sum their differences up like this: If you think this city has languished enough, and that we need to move forward as fast as humanly possible, even if that means making tough decisions, Fenty is your man. If, however, you would like to return to the 90's, when the city pretty much maintained its miserable status-quo, vote for Vincent Gray. He'll take you right back to the good ole days of Marion Barry and Sharon Pratt Kelly. Gah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dorrie-

Check Gray's website. It's pretty comprehensive. While it's obviously not particularly objective or unbiased, it will give you a sense of where he stands on most issues. You can also look at the endorsements he's received and make certain determinations from there. Lastly, Gray has been in the public eye for a long time now. Look up his voting record and the stances he's taken on previous issues. There is a lot of information available on him.

http://www.vincegrayformayor.com/

There is his website. Gray's major platform items are looking at institutionalizing reform and bringing improvements to the city district-wide. Fenty has made a lot of changes, but it's hard to know how many of them will stick. That's not necessarily a criticism, perse, but it's worth nothing the different perspectives from which they come. If you want more quick-fixes, Fenty is likely your man. If you want more long-term, big picture, but slower progress, Gray would be your guy.

For trollmeister... it's a good thing I work with young children.

It makes it SO easy to not get frustrated with infantile behavior. Good luck with that.

You mean you play with young children. Like, at the preschool you attend. That's another plausible explanation for your erectile problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I would sum their differences up like this: If you think this city has languished enough, and that we need to move forward as fast as humanly possible, even if that means making tough decisions, Fenty is your man. If, however, you would like to return to the 90's, when the city pretty much maintained its miserable status-quo, vote for Vincent Gray. He'll take you right back to the good ole days of Marion Barry and Sharon Pratt Kelly. Gah.

That's not only unresponsive to the question here at issue, but a repetition of an attack that has already been beaten to death elsewhere.

Unfortunately, I can't say for sure how Gray will be as Mayor. Like OP, my vote will be primarily a negative about Fenty, whom I believe to be far too responsive to development interests and not sufficiently concerned about the poorer sections of the City Whether Gray will be able to carry through on his stated intention to do better for those areas, or whether the resources exist to do it even if he tries, I am not sure. But he does have background both in and out of government, and in both the executive and legislative branches, so I feel some grounds for hope.

I don't think that's a great answer either, but I hope it's at least responsive.

[Anonymous]

But you do appear to at least concede that Gray has, indeed, stated an intention to help those Wards that he perceives to be more worthy of his attentions, if elected?

Looks like 12:45, who is also 12:49, got right, and that other people, in other places and other contexts, are hearing the same message.

I call that divisive politics. Fenty wants move the entire city forward, and I therefore perceive him as a more unifying force than Gray.

[Anonymous]

I meant to post it here. Every reading is reading both threads. They know what Vincent Gray was quoted to have said, and that 12:45 and 12:49 are the same poster.

[Anonymous]

Dorrie, Let me ask you this: Do you have kids? If so, why would you not want to give Michelle Rhee another four years to complete the job she started? To move onto our middle schools and our high schools?

Gray's plan for education is a plan without a plan:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/10/AR2010071002532.html

He wants to educate everyone from in utero through college. Doesn't that sound sweet? Only he has no idea how to pay for it (oh wait -- maybe that's where his message of diverting money from one Ward to another comes in), and no idea of how to implement this grand plan. Meanwhile, Michelle Rhee isn't talking the talk, but walking the walk. Fast. If it's not broken, why leave it to Vincent Gray to fix it?

He doesn't even have the gumption -- or should I say the balls -- to answer the straightforward question that he has been asked too many times to count: If elected would you retain Michelle Rhee? What kind of leader answers an important question about education by saying (and again I quote), "I haven't said that I would definitely fire Michelle Rhee."

What a way to take a stand. If this is the kind of decisiveness and leadership he shows as a candidate, just imagine what it will be like if he is elected. We'll wait and wait why he tries to make up his mind; holds hearing after hearing, and time will march on and nothing will get done.

If you're like me, and you'd like to stay in the District and cannot afford private school, why not allow Rhee a shot at making middle school and high school at least a possibility for your child. Fenty has a system in place and, so far, the results of that system have been good. Why would you want to give Vincent Gray the chance to fuck it up for all of us?

[Anonymous]

What makes you think Rhee's not competent to finish the job? Do you have any issues with her results thus far? And what issue could possibly be more important than the education of your children, and to which park are you referring?

Rhee's remarks may have sounded selfish at first blush, but think about it: Why would she want to stay and continue to take on this enormous task without full support from the Mayor? And what would make her think that Vincent Gray is going to give her any support, let alone his full support? He's done nothing but question her decisions and criticize her every chance he gets. He hasn't even said that he wants to keep her on board. In the face of these circumstances, I would argue that it would be selfish of her to stay. She'd just be collecting her $275,000 salary, and be stymied at every turn. It would actually be in the better interest of the children to let Gray turn the education of our children back to his good buddy Jaffe (don't believe for one second that Gray is above cronyism, because he's not. He just wants it to be his cronies instead of Fenty's). At least with Jaffe back at the helm, he'll be able to accomplish the very small, slow steps for which he is so well known.

So, once you really start to think about it, Rhee doesn't seem selfish at all.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I am voting for Gray because I believe him to be the Messiah. That right: Jews, Christians, Muslims -- our wait is over. No Wards will be wanting, and everyone shall receive a first rate education from in utero to grave. Vincent Gray has arrived. Bet you didn't even know that he can sing and play guitar.