An analysis: Joseph Turner's mailer
It landed in thousands of mailboxes late last month: An eight page campaign mailer neatly summed-up all the time-honored American tactics of luring (predominately conservative) voters to check your box.
We've spent some time here at SBNOW dissecting and questioning the strategy behind the infamous Judith Valles letter in support of City Clerk incumbent Rachel Clark, so now it's time we take the magnifying glass to Turner.
The title is ominous, if clumsily-worded, with bold red letters declaring "Official Sex Predator Guide." (Obviously, the uninitiated could mistakenly take this title as meaning a guide FOR sex predators ... but that's not the intent, so we'll stop the cheap shots right there)
Click below for the full analysis ...
The cover is black, the face that was there in test-prints obscured for the final draft. Another question asks: "Do you have a sexual predator living next door?"
Also on the cover, the name of a convicted rapist, presumably pulled from the Megan's Law Web site, along with the man's address.
Also on the cover is a note saying the man lives in an unlicensed rental property "one block from Arrowhead Elementary School."
On the bottom, it says it's sponsored by Turner, referred to as "San Bernardino City Clerk."
I should mention that there is an online shot of the entire mailer at www.redcountysb.com, the conservative blog for which Turner sometimes writes.
Turner uses a number of well-established tactics on the front page. Had the mug shot been visible, the cover would have harkened even more obviously to the notorious Willie Horton move by George H.W. Bush in 1988. Beginning in September of that year, an ad produced by a conservative political action committee aired on television that featured a menacing mug shot of Horton, a convicted rapist who happened to be African-American. The Bush people had no qualms about boasting that they'd put "every suburban mother's greatest fear" front and center in a grab for votes.
A sober discussion of the merits of challenger Dukakis' anti-crime record? Nah, just put a black face out there and overtly suggest that the Democrat would turn him loose on YOU!
Turner's move isn't quite so ham-handed, but it's close. It's a scare tactic, no doubt, probably somewhere close to the level of Valles' suggestion that Turner would make the city clerk's office an adjunct to the dreaded "INS."
Also, I should not that Clark has said that Turner's ad is untrue, and that Arrey lives in a licensed rental property. Turner says it is not, a clear indictment of Clark, who is charged with licensing rental properties. We haven't yet figured out who is telling the truth.
But back to Turner's mailer.
Page 2: Picture of Turner, dark suit and dark hair boyishly tussled, an expression of precocious determination on his face. Alongside is a letter addressed "Dear Voter."
In it, Turner wastes no time proclaiming himself a father of two, "deeply concerned" about the city being "degraded" by "absentee slumlords, sexual predators and other unsavory characters."
Turner goes on, bolstering his two biggest campaign points: Clark has been inadequate in licensing parolee homes and asleep at the wheel in ensuring sales taxes are properly paid in the city.
This is probably Turner's best page. Hyperbole aside, he hits his two best real issues: 1) There is a problem with absentee landlords in the city with virtually no stake or care other than netting profits, a situation that inexorably leads to poorly maintained properties that become breeding grounds for crime. The extent to which an active clerk could remedy this is debatable, but surely more pressure could be exerted on these people.
2) Although the city clerk is not responsible for sales tax collection, the fact that Clark knew of noncollection for months before this reporter simply called Wal Mart - which immediately changed their unlawful policy upon notification - and didn't do enough to get them in line is an incontrovertable fact. Clark isn't the only one to blame (Finance Director Barbara Patron also knew), but she could have been more vigilant.
Page 3 is time to roll with the boys in blue. Turner has one institutional supporter, the San Bernardino Police Union, and he's been using it more as the campaign has progressed. On this page, he's pictured standing, flanked by uniformed Sgt. Dan Gomez and Det. Travis Walker. Both cops praise Turner's anti-crime bona fides, particularly his vow to crackdown on "absentee slumlords," which they testify generate "Many of our calls for service."
Below that he has a list of more than 100 "known sexual predators in your area," a list of people Clark has said mostly live in licensed, lawful dwellings. Turner denies that claim.
Pages 4 and 5 are the softer side. Turner poses with his young son, and both bring their boyish presences to bear in the lust for votes. In one picture, Turner has his boy playfully pose while wearing the old man's necktie.
"My children are my world," is the headline.
What can you say? No doubt some will assert that Turner is crassly using his kids as political pawns in an effort to draw the "ah, cute" and "family values" votes, presumably the same moms who also don't want rapacious sex fiends housed near their precious mini-van riders. I won't do that (did I already?). Suffice to say that candidates of all stripes like to look kid-friendly, and especially Republican types like to look family-friendly. Maybe Turner is taking cues from his former friend-turned-mortal-enemy Chas Kelley ("As a father of four ..." Kelley has begun countless policy discussions with this prelude).
Page 6 features your standard unflattering photo of the opponent, here a lifeless black and white mugshot of Clark. He adds to the collage a series of paragraphs ripping Clark as generally lax on keeping an eye on sex perverts and making sure taxes are collected, two sacred cows of the conservative votes he's courting. Along the bottom the list of sex predators goes on ...
Page 7 is time to burnish Turner's resume. He quotes the Wall Street journal profile of him in September 2006 and touts his USC degree and fouding of his nonprofit (which he doesn't mention is an anti-illegal immigration outfit). He then repeats a memorable piece of his stump speech: "I know what it's like to be poor, homeless and hungry."
Page 8 sums it all up: He's against sex predators, slumlords and tax cheats. He's backed by the badge. He calls himself "San Bernardino City Clerk" again.
There it is.
In sum, it's a political piece, full of flattering images and a strikingly one-sided communique. In context, it's not all that bad, probably right in the middle of all the other propaganda dispensed by the candidates.
What's notable here are two things: 1) Turner is signaling, again, that he is totally off the anti-illegal immigration thrust that has heretofore hung from his public image like an unshakeable albatross.
2) Turner is a hardcore conservative populist, minus the religious overtones. He's for business, but he's not unabashedly big-business or a free market zealot (note the anti-landlord rhetoric). What he's really high on is the notion of aggressive law enforcement slamming down any and all threats to the sanctity of law abiding, wholesome family types.
This reporter has drawn analogies before to pinpoint Turner's spot on the political spectrum. Also, admittedly, to try and categorize the metamorphizing candidate. Is he the short-sighted, grassroots xenophobe that he resembled a year ago? Not sure.
More likely, he's something close to how I've sketched him before. In a recent post, I said Turner's debate rhetoric made him come off like a cross between Rudi Guiliani and John Edwards - part reactionary anti-crime (anti-terror?) fighter and part a new breed of economic populist, a guy who's for low taxes but for some level of social justice and vigorous government regulation (licensing, tax collection, law enforcement). He even mentioned 9/11 as a turning point in his life and philosophy.
He's probably still those things, but his campaign mailer echoes another interesting conservative: Richard Nixon. The focus on law and order, the zest to use government to suppress or scatter unsavory elements to the satisfaction of the silent majority (ie. law-abiding middle class voters), and last, but not least, the quest to tidy up a gruff and abrasive image with odes to the family.
It's all there. Who says mailers contain little truth?
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Thanks to Robert Rogers for sorting through that.....probably the biggest campaign mailer I've ever received and I haven't gone through it yet. Sitting in a pile waiting for this weekend......when I decide who to vote for.
This blog has been very helpful too with this mess about the flyer that I didn't receive from Rachel Clark.
Decision time.....
Turner's mailer is despicable. The face hidden in the all black cover is quite simply a racist act. Sure Turner hasn't mentioned race or illegal immigrants in this campaign because he knows that line of political rhetoric is a dead-end with the voters. So instead this time around he fans the flames of fear against sexual predators and parolees (nicely piggy-backing on Jim Penman's favorite election year issue).
His campaign this time around is a classic case of mis-direction. He blames the city clerk whose primary job is record keeping and keeps talking about "sex-offenders" so everyone is scared into voting for him but if you have ever spent any time with Joe Turner (and I have) the only issue that matters to him is illegal immigrants. It would be ignorant to think that he isn't planning on using the position of city clerk to go after illegal immigrants. His failed school board campaign and his failed initiative were focused on that issue. Specifically in his failed initiative he focused on legislating rentals for illegal immigrants.
If Joe is elected the city council will have its hands full trying to keep him within the boundaries of the job. I would predict multiple lawsuits as Joe re-interprets the role of city clerk. I would not be surprised if he tried to get his current employer a city contract to check the immigration status of all applicants for city licenses, or some other crazy business.
Joe Turner is unfit to be city clerk. Vote Rachel Clark for City Clerk
According to Councilman Brinker, sending campaign literature only to Hispanic households is okay but warning residents of the dangerous CRIMINALS in our neighborhoods is despicable. Okay…….
“Councilman Can’t We All Just Get Along” disagrees with Mr. Turner as City Clerk. He states Mr. Turner’s campaign is a “classic case of misdirection”. Does Councilman Brinker know which direction he is going in? This is the councilperson that believes he is the great unifier on the City Council. (By the way, how is that going?) He believes all the council has to vote unanimously or he will change his vote to obstruct the Council from completing city business. Councilman Brinker states “If Joe is elected the city council will have its hands full trying to keep him within the boundaries of the job”. Another comment from Councilman Brinker is “I would predict multiple lawsuits as Joe re-interprets the role of city clerk”. Yet Councilman Brinker accuses Mr. Turner of “scare tactics”. Okay……..
Any resident in this city who does not fear the parolee and sexual predator situation is acting like an ostrich with its head in the sand. Has anyone looked at the statistics for violent crime in this city lately? It is posted on the city website under the Police Department. We have had more homicides, rapes, and assaults in the last NINE MONTHS that we did ALL OF 2006 – with three more reportable months to go. How is that for scare tactics?
Mr. Turner is brash but has new ideas to try and gather more revenue for this city that will not cost the taxpayers a dime. (Not that we haven’t spent money – we passed Measure Z) Mr. Turner wants to clean up the rental housing and licensing issues – what is wrong with that? Ms. Clark can’t even figure out who sent her mailers out to only Hispanic families……Mr. Roger’s reported on that in a previous article……he asked her three times and she couldn’t or wouldn’t come up with the answer. And Councilman Brinker wants us to vote for her?
Mr. Turner has an issue with ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Please note the description ILLEGAL before the word IMMIGRANTS. There is a reason the Police in this city are backing Mr. Turner – his plan might just make their job easier. And this city safer…..is that really so bad? While Mr. Turner may keep the City Council on their feet, if Councilman Brinker is worried about the extra work he could always resign……no one HAS to be a councilperson.
I will concede that the Councilman did sign this with his own name unlike the Morris camp that is famous for posting under aliases. Kudos on that point.
Cal Johnson
If Joe Turner is ever elected next Tuesday, I, HANK RAMEY, WILL serve recall papers. He was arrested by Glendale Police back in 2005 at a Nazi rally (which) shows that he is a bona fide Nazi. He'll use his position to invade the privacy of every resident in San Bernardino, and especially on ALL Latinos (including those born here), Blacks, Jews, etc. He espouses the doctrines of enemies we defeated in World War II which makes him a traitor. Voters should not give Turner the time of day. We also need community policing, not racial and neighborhood profiling, and what does the City Clerk have to do with crime? People with sane minds ought to see their Mayor and City Councilmen about having better police. As for Turner, he can go back to the deep, ignorant, South where he belongs, or he can go back to Germany--WAIT A MINUTE! Germany now outlaws the Nazis. Oh, well!
I am hispanic and I am voting for Turner because I think he will do a better job as City Clerk.
When my grandparents came here from Mexico, they came LEGALLY. They became citizens, learned the language and have worked hard to raise their family. I am proud of my heritage but I can also see a need to deal with ILLEGAL immigration.
Mr. Ramey:
The rally held in Glendale in 2005 was not a Nazi rally. It was a demonstration regarding ILLEGAL immigration. Your belief that Joseph Turner is a Nazi, a racist, or a white supremacist is incorrect. A few mouse-clicks can confirm this……for anyone that wants to know the truth.
Mr. Turner has publicly stated "I don't want to be affiliated with any white supremacists or even white separatists”.
The Save Our State website has posted this message:
WHITE SUPREMIACISTS, WHITE POWER, KKK, ETC.
Your posts are not welcomed or wanted on this board and they will be deleted with or without notice. Your membership is also subject to immediate termination.
Mr. Turner stated in an article published at www.theredalert.com “I’ve had to delete a sh*tload of white supremacists who want to come over and throw epithets” and “I don’t support any sort of racial supremacy ideology”.
While the City Clerk position does not have anything to do with policing the City of San Bernardino, the police have backed Mr. Turner in his candidacy for this position due to his strong belief in anti-illegal immigration.
I have NEVER seen or heard a statement by Mr. Turner that “espouses the doctrines of enemies we defeated in World War II” or anything derogatory about any race (and I watched both debates at City Hall - did you?). I have researched him on the internet and believe he is not focused on race issues; he is focused on community activism preventing ILLEGAL immigration. The organization that he founded, Save Our State, has members of different races. IT ISN’T ABOUT RACE – It’s about migrating LEGALLY into the United States.
Your post is nothing but name calling, and is a crude attempt at scare tactics that is pathetic.
If the citizens of San Bernardino decide to elect Mr. Turner as City Clerk, you can serve his recall papers……the same citizens who elected Mr. Turner will turn out to defeat the feeble attempt at pushing your own agenda.
CJ
Mr Brinker,
If the city of San Bernardino required businesses wanting city contracts to verify the legal status of their employees, wouldn't that be following the law? All employers, and the city is employing the business, are required by law to hire "legal" workers. Don't you, Mr Brinker, support the law?
I do support the law. I don't support Joe Turner or his racist views. My point about Turner was that he might try to benefit his current employer and place the city at risk of lawsuits by overstepping the boundaries of the assigned duties of the city clerk (which are clearly defined in the city charter).
Among his many flaws, Joe Turner lacks judgement. I say that because he willfully mis-represents the duties of the city clerk and tries to blame Rachel Clark for the "Sex Offenders" in our city- through a twisted interprestation of how business licenses work. He distorts logic even more with his attempt to hold the city clerks office responsible for sales tax collection which is a function of the State Board of Equalization.
The shameless lies that Turner has told in an attempt to get himself elected are a clear indication of how unfit he is to serve.
Councilman Brinker:
It is interesting that you would suggest that I am the one who shamelessly lies.
Afterall, it was you who told me and others in a face to face meeting that you opposed Measure Z.
A couple of weeks later, you did a 180 and became a staunch advocate for higher taxes.
It is laughable that you seek to portray yourself as a Reagan Republican...perhaps, a John Kerry Republican is more appropriate.
Then you later stated that you had received the endorsement of the San Bernardino Valley Republican Assembly, when you hadn't.
Another lie, another flip-flop.
Then, being the man of principle that we all know you are, you resigned from the San Bernardino Valley Republican Assembly this year because of my membership in the organization.
You state that I am a racist, which is obviously predicated on my illegal immigration work. However, when you were seeking the endorsement of the SBVRA, you didn't mind the fact that I was a member then.
Later, when the San Bernardino Police Officers' Association endorsed my candidacy, you did not reject the endorsement of the Police Officers. Even more telling was the fact that you did not return any contributions you had received from the SBPOA.
Mr. Brinker, I am glad you are a man of principles and conviction. I just wished they extended past your lips and into your wallet.
You state I have racist views, yet you never elaborate on what makes those views racist. But again, why debate facts and logic when you can smear someone with innuendo.
Of course, your definition of racism would never include mail targeting Hispanics such as was practiced by Clark's campaign...but I digress.
With respect to Rachel Clark and the sales tax issue, it is obvious you haven't watched the candidate interview she did with Mayor Judith Valles. In that interview she clearly states that the City Clerk's office performs periodic sales tax audits. Now, why would she do that if sales tax collection is the sole responsibility of the BOE?
Thanks for participating in the discourse, Mr. Brinker. Your devotion to political expediency is endearing.
P.S. If I sent you an autographed copy of a Webster's dictionary, would you use it?
You know what is scary?
Mr. Brinker is allowed to teach our kids.....
And he thinks "outing" sexual predators and parolees is "despicable".
And he thinks that someone who wants to stop ILLEGAL immigration is a racist.
It is a shame the mayor couldn't come up with someone to run against him. But surprising considering what a "yes man" he has become......