Democrat moves one step closer to San Diego mayor's seat

On Tuesday San Diego voters took the first step towards electing its first Democratic mayor in living history (or is it ever? Any historians wish to weigh in?).

City councilwoman, activist, surfshop owner and hot blond chick (hey it IS San Diego after all) Donna Frye won a plurality of votes in the initial election to replace disgraced Republican (aren't they all?) mayor Dick Murphy. She now will face Republican (of course) former police chief Jerry Sanders in a November run-off election.

Since most mayoral elections in San Dayglo are Repug v. Repug, the very fact that she's in the final is historic. But then so is the $1.4 billion hole which SD's GOP/good ol' boy power monopoly has dug for itself.

As an SD native I find this race intrinsically interesting, but it also has wider ramifications. Frye is the ONLY candidate to suggest that it might be necessary to raise San Diego's (historically low) taxes in order to solve its current budgetary crises.

If a Democrat can win in San Diego, even after admitting the possibility that (gasp) higher taxes are the responsible way to go to achieve municipal solvency, then I have hope that the realist streak in American politics can overcome the (GOP nurtured) greediest streak.

The GOP has long since deserted it's good business, fiscal responsibility roots with it's current anti-tax (no matter how neeeded) mania. Which leaves Democrats as the sole proprietors of the civil liberties, fiscal sanity side of the street.