Why is Mirkarimi raising big bucks?

Supervisor Mirkarimi has raised $87,429 so far in the non-race in District 5 against poor old Rob Anderson, who spent $1,628.59 of his own money on a doorhanger, his only campaign expense. Since Mirkarimi's re-election is a sure thing---only the margin of victory is in doubt---what's the point of all that money? There's only the Murk, me and an affable guy named Owen O'Donnell in the race---and he's running a more or less issue-free campaign that is no threat to the incumbent. Why the big push by the Murk? The answer: He's already looking ahead to 2011, when he plans to run for mayor.

My campaign, such as it is, has already inflicted some wounds on the Murk that his opponents in any future campaign will find useful: his slavish support for the SF Bicycle Coalition's agenda, including his support for Critical Mass; his support for anarchist Josh Wolf, who withheld evidence from a Federal Grand Jury about a demonstration during which a city cop was seriously injured; the anti-American riff by convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu Jamal on the SF Green Party's website; his periodic indulgence in left-wing rhetoric about "revolution"; and his support for the crackpot idea of eliminating the traffic underpass at Geary and Fillmore.

I of course hope that the Murk's future political opponents will also use his support for huge housing development schemes against him, like the Market/Octavia Plan, UC's massive housing development on lower Haight Street, and the Rincon Hill luxury highrise condo developments. 

Given the fact that the Murk's political opponents will probably be running to the right of him---that is, they'll also be aggressively pro-development---it seems unlikely that they will use these destructive developments against him. Too bad, because that's the real damage Mirkarimi---and our "progressive" Board of Supervisors---is doing to the city, not his goofball revolutionary rhetoric or his support for the bicycle bullshit. (Interesting to see, however, how Mirkarimi downplays the bicycle issues in his literature and on his website!)

On the other hand, voters citywide have never had a chance to vote on bicycle issues, and whoever runs against the Murk could use that against him. The city's bike people act as if they are beloved by the citizenry, but that's a dubious notion that I'd like to see tested in a citywide vote. If the Bicycle Plan and/or Critical Mass was on the ballot, I suspect the bike people wouldn't be too happy with the results.

The political case against Mirkarimi.

Mirkarimi: Leader or progressive lemming?

The Chronicle's story on the money.