One of his primary opponents was his former boss, Jim Bates, who had lost his seat in a sexual harassment scandal in 1990 and whose home had been drawn into the district.Īnother opponent was veteran state Senator Wadie Deddeh, who was term-limited. In 1992, Filner ran in a five-way Democratic primary for the seat and won a narrow victory. It includes most of California's border with Mexico, except for the city of Imperial Beach. The district is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation, including much of San Diego's southern section, the cities of Chula Vista and National City and all of Imperial County.
BOB FILNER AND THE MONSTER WITHIN KPBS SERIES
House of Representatives īob Filner with the 2009 Little League World Series champions meeting Barack Obama Elections Ĭalifornia gained seven seats after the 1990 census, and one of them was the 50th District in south San Diego (renumbered the 51st District after the 2000 census). He was elected to the San Diego City Council in 1987 and was reelected in 1991 his colleagues elected him Deputy Mayor of San Diego. His "back to basics" approach to education won him wide praise, and his colleagues elected him president of the board in 1982. His elective career began in 1979, when his opposition to the closing of a neighborhood school led him to run for the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education, defeating a longtime incumbent. He also worked for Congressman Jim Bates from the San Diego area in 1984. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota in 1975 and for Minnesota Congressman Don Fraser in 1976. Early political career įilner was long interested in politics. While completing his PhD, he moved to San Diego, becoming a history professor at San Diego State University for more than 20 years. He graduated from Cornell in 1963 with a degree in chemistry, and earned his doctorate in history of science from Cornell six years later. In June 1961, after pulling into the bus station in Jackson, Mississippi as a Freedom Rider, Filner was arrested for "disturbing the peace and inciting a riot." He refused to post bond for his release and remained incarcerated for two months. He attended Cornell University, where he worked on the Cornell Daily Sun, a student newspaper, and took part in civil rights demonstrations. Army veteran and later international metal trader. His father was a labor union organizer, U.S. 1 Early life, education, and academic careerĮarly life, education, and academic career įilner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood.Speaking of the liberal media, ‘Leafblower Leslie’ didn’t cover any of this in her 60 Minutes report on Gulen. Joe McCarthy’s legacy seems to be aging much better than what the communist left – to include the liberal media – would have us believe. That would mean that Communist leftists are working with Islamists. So the son of a leader in the CPUSA is a Socialist Communist Democrat who is connected with and has ties to Gulenist groups. Even the New York Times wrote in 1990 that the elder Filner sold Soviet products in the United States for 35 years. How about some more background on Filner? As a Democrat who is a member of the DSA, would his father’s communist leanings be relevant? According to the Pittsburgh Press in 1942, Joseph Filner was secretary of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) in Pittsburgh, PA.
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Ok, so Gulenist-connected groups have bought influence with a member of the Democratic Socialists of America communist caucus, which further validates Rep. Yes, Pacifica is listed as a member organization of the TAA. There are countless examples of Filner’s ties to Gulenist-connected groups, to include his appearance at and participation in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Turkish American Alliance upon returning from his Pacifica-sponsored trip.
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In 2009, Pacifica sponsored the Gulen Conference at USC in Los Angeles. The Reader also reported that Filner took another trip courtesy of Pacifica in 2011 that totaled $3700 according to Filner’s filing. The 60 Minutes piece by ‘Leafblower’ Leslie didn’t hit on this disturbing connection either.įirst of all, Bob Filner is one of 70 Congressmen who was registered with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Caucus in 2009.Įarlier this month, the San Diego Reader reported on Filner’s trip to Turkey in 2010, which was paid for by a group known as the Pacifica Institute, an entity with extremely close ties to the Gulenist movement. In particular, it focuses on the ties of Democratic Congressman Bob Filner (CA-51) – who is currently running for mayor of San Diego – to the Fethullah Gulen movement as well as the degree to which he is beholden to that movement. This entry is a separate follow-up to this post from last week.