Maureen Erwin

How Scott Wiener narrowly defeated Jane Kim for state Senate

After narrowly pulling off a win in the June primary against Scott Wiener, how did Jane Kim lose the November election — by about 14 votes per precinct — for state Senate? Wiener had a six-month lead in money and endorsements, but Kim caused an upset…

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

Having trouble keeping track of the latest Republican House members who have decided to call it quits? You aren’t alone. Every week, it seems we hear of more Republicans deciding to throw in the towel for a variety of reasons. With 435 seats, every…

Can the US ‘keep’ its Republic?

Are you numb yet? Are the daily disasters (fires, hurricanes, Trump administration cabinet appointments) and near nuclear armageddons taking their toll? If you pay attention to the news, you may be getting the sense that we are headed toward…

San Francisco is a political proving ground

Learning of Mayor Ed Lee’s passing last week was deeply shocking and sad to me, in the same way it was for so many others. It’s been said many times already, but he didn’t sign up for the job to boost his ego. I recall filming a TV spot for…

Twitter still turning blind eye to abusive bots

It’s been one year since I started this column at the San Francisco Examiner, and I’m grateful to have this platform, where my editors have supported me in “following my nose.” I took a brief hiatus at the end of last year when a hit-and-run driver…

What is Donna Brazile thinking?

Donna Brazile, the former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, just released her latest book, “Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House.” Well, it sure sounds definitive, as in:…

The ‘ism’ that’s still acceptable

Most women cannot run with a firehose; therefore, women should not be allowed to be firefighters. That’s one of the arguments for keeping women out of the firefighting profession. As Democrats, we reject that. Right? We know that some women can carry…

No time for rookies: Despite past missteps, stalwart Feinstein is still the answer

It’s official: Sen. Dianne Feinstein is in, planning to run for another six-year term in 2018. Since Republicans are without a bench for any office voted on statewide, the only real challengers would be from the left, given that we now have a…

Why use the term ‘Antifa’?

Antifa. The term is increasingly being used to scoop many people into a giant rhetorical net, and there’s debate about what it refers to. The definition evolves as we speak. If you listen to Trump apologists, you might get the impression that…

How we shut down the hate in San Francisco

After the violence in Charlottesville and the reaction by Donald Trump, let there be no doubt: Our president and his key advisors are knowingly empowering the KKK and neo-Nazis — and they are all demented. Doesn’t sink in too easily, does it? But if…

How to fight a kleptocracy and win

Have we found Vladimir Putin’s Achilles’ heel? The Russian president likes to look like he’s in charge. From his smirks, nods and chuckles to his bare-chested rides on horseback, Putin knows how to project the look of a suave dude who has it all…

In an era of bots and fake news, we must appreciate real people

As a political consultant, I am responsible for at least some of the political phone calls you have received in the last 20 years. I’m proud of that. You are welcome. Most of these calls were from real, live volunteers, who called neighbors and urged…

Vladimir Putin needs a time-out

Russian intelligence operatives are driving around, presumably doing reconnaissance on our nation’s telecommunications infrastructure. These and other nefarious activities have been going on for a while, according to intelligence officials quoted in…

Your social media feed is anything but random

#Disinfoweek. It’s a thing. It’s happening now. And here’s a phrase I just heard for the first time: “Speaking truth to social media.” Think tanks are now considering the impact of fake news on democracies and what can be done about it. In fact, this…

Politicians are people, too

The prospect of dinner conversations veering into politics during the holidays boosts booze sales more than the anticipation of happy toasts or good cheer. At least, that’s my theory. I say that as someone who comes from a family with a variety of…

It’s time for Democrats to take the long view

Unity isn’t easy. Especially among idealists. Sometimes, we Democrats even ugly cry in front of everyone. Sometimes we get so caught up in our candidates that we forget to move on when the primaries or intra-party battles end. Like, for instance, at…

France sets precedent for propaganda crackdown

Say it with me: Robots. Are. Not. People. The Putinbots who were preemptively shut down in France leading up to Sunday’s election are really “unhappy” about France trampling all over their “rights” — like liberté, égalité and fraternité. Fake people,…

Searching for proof of Amy

There’s a powerhouse advocate of President Donald Trump on Twitter. She doesn’t hold back. She has 144,000 Twitter followers and tweets about 26 times a day. Her name is “Amy,” according to her Twitter bio, and she is solidly pro-Trump. She tweets a…

Modern warfare looks nothing like it once did

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the Democrat serving as vice-chair of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, recently expressed how concerned he is that we fully investigate how Russia interfered with our election and to what extent any…

What would Sun Tzu do?

Sun Tzu, the Chinese military general and tactician born in 544 BC, advised: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also…