When political stunts go wrong
Beyond John Cox’s bear: A rundown of political shenanigans that backfired, failed, or were just plain dumb
I think it’s safe to say that John Cox isn’t going to be governor.
In what may prove to be the most ill-fated campaign in memory, the North County San Diego businessman has been dragging around a 1000-pound bear named Tag for the past few months as part of his promise to bring “beastly changes” to California. What this means—apart from framing Gavin Newsom as a “beauty” in this narrative and obsessing over his looks—I don’t really know. I’m no political consultant, but maybe don’t call attention to how visually unappealing you are compared to your rival?
Frankly, it’s been a shitshow for Cox, whose bear stunt has been met with resistance and opposition since day one. I guess the fact that he continues this nosedive is a testament to his perseverance: He’s facing rampant accusations of animal cruelty, The Humane Society’s legal team is investigating him, and San Diego’s Animal Protection and Rescue League have filed a lawsuit against him. Apparently, people aren’t as impressed at the sight of a wild, exotic animal as they were in the Wild West travelling circus days. I mean, I didn’t make it to any of Cox’s appearances—was he also slinging electro-galvanized Cure-Alls?
Yet, I’m low-key obsessed with this trainwreck, which is just one inept piece of the much larger and dumber “Recall Newsom” movement. Back in March, the movement collected the 1.6 million signatures required to trigger a special election—which is what you get when the values of business people and QAnon/White supremacist/Proud Boys align.
I’m no Newsom stan—I think the dude’s kinda slimy and and he deserves all the hate he got for the French Laundry thing—but I do think he largely followed science’s recommendations while facing an unprecedented disease that killed more Americans than 166 9/11s. You can’t really fault a guy for trying to wrangle with the unknown.
However, it brings me tons of joy to see the candidates emerging to challenge Newsom. You’ve got former San Diego mayor and milquetoast incarnate Kevin Faulconer uncomfortably playing a tough guy, successful getter-awayer-with-murder-er Caitlyn Jenner, and, well, this guy with a bear. And this is just a start—the Recall Newsom clown car is packed with doofuses vying for attention and using every political stunt to get noticed. If I had worked on securing those 1.6 million signatures, I’d be pissed (fwiw, you can still recall your individual signature. Just sayin’).
So, in honor of John Cox’s failed political career and the rest of the Recall Newsom spectacle, here are some more stunts from California politicians that either backfired, failed or were just plain dumb.
Vaping Dunc
Duncan Hunter’s entire political career might as well have been a political stunt. The disgraced congressman of California’s 50th Congressional District was found guilty of stealing campaign funds in 2020 on a variety of colorful expenses, including video games and plane ticket for his kid’s bunny, Eggburt (RIP, Eggburt. You were truly too good for this world).
But we must not forget Hunter’s magical emergence into the spotlight: him vaping during a Congressional hearing. Truly a moment that will be revered by Huntington Beach bros and Insane Clown Posse fans alike, Hunter pulls from his vape, exhales a cloud, holds up his rig and says, “This is the future.” Oh buddy, if only you had any idea what the future had in store for you.
Darrel Issa’s Benghazi investigation
California congressman Darrel Issa found his cash cow in the 2012 attacks on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. As House Chairmen of the Oversight Committee, he headed a full-bore investigation that seemed far more interested in tarnishing the Obama administration and then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton than actually finding justice. And the stunt worked. “Benghazi” and “her emails” became shorthand for right-wingers, and ultimately contributed to Clinton’s failed presidential run in 2016. It’s funny that Issa was eventually kicked out of his own little Benghazi committee, but his admission that the investigation worked because “it hurt Hilary Clinton’s poll numbers” proves his true intentions. This stunt could be seen as either opportunistic or brilliant based on who you ask, but based on the result—i.e. Trump winning office—we all suffered for it.
Former mayor Maureen O’Connor tries on homelessness for 48 hours
Back in 1988, then-San Diego mayor Maureen O’Connor spent two nights in the streets, accompanied by undercover reporters and police officers—an experience that left her “feet blistered” and forced her to sleep in Balboa Park. Oh dear. It seems that every blue moon, some politician gets the bright idea to do a stunt that finds them “slumming”—what’s it like to experience houselessness? What’s it like to live on minimum wage? What’s it like to eat food stamps?—and it always feels icky and pandering. It’s like they’re playing tourists, appropriating desperation in a self-centered attempt to gain performative insight. Those who truly experience homelessness don’t have safety nets or lifelines if their situations become too harrowing, so just cut it out, politicians.
Nick Popaditch incites mob
Back in 2010—in a move that feels like an eerie prelude to 2021’s Capitol Riots—California congressional candidate Nick Popaditch stoked his white supremacist Tea Party followers into a frenzy at downtown’s Golden Hall on the the night he was ousted by Bob Filner. The former marine and Sagat-from-Street Fighter II-looking motherfucker reportedly cornered Filner and his supporters and proceeded to berate, yell, shove and spit. “They had violence in their eyes,” Filner told the San Diego Union-Tribune. While it’s hard for me to find a lot of sympathy for creepy, predatory Bob Filner, Papaditch’s stunt just proved how powerful and scary political zealotry can be on angry people.
Carl DeMaio’s life
Like Duncan Hunter, perennial loser Carl DeMaio’s life seems like one big stunt. The guy’s career is laced with so many stupid, attention-seeking moves that I’m beginning to think it’s some kind of performance art where the object is to see how pathetic a man can truly be. Where to begin? Some of his highlights involve kicking kids off a playground for a photo op, a proposed “cat tax”, or performatively filling in potholes while wearing khakis. My personal favorite, though, is him finding two (2) gas stations to offer lightly-discounted gasoline in support of his crusade to repeal a gas tax back in 2018. In Encinitas, he got a Mobil to offer gas at $2.49 per gallon for two hours (7 a.m. - 9 a.m.), and a Shell to offer $1.99 gas for three hours (3 p.m. - 6 p.m.). The whole thing is so inconsequential and obtuse—much like DeMaio himself—that it reminds me of that Nathan For You bit where Nathan makes people climb a literal mountain to get a gas rebate. BTW, DeMaio’s gas tax repeal failed miserably.
Jason Mraz Day
When Kevin Faulconer was mayor, it was hard to buy into the notion that he was actually human and not just a robot hellbent on securing a new stadium for the Chargers, so it made his efforts to connect with anyone who wasn’t a business owner or land developer incredibly difficult to watch. It was as if the mere act of being human was a PR stunt for him. Nothing illustrates that more than when Faulconer awarded San Diego native, avocado enthusiast and $35-cup-of-coffee pioneer Jason Mraz (I guess he’s a singer, too) his own day. Video from the ceremony shows a befuddled Mraz doing his best to look grateful, even faking interest in Faulconer’s signed guitar picks, but the whole thing feels like when your uncle drops by with a gift that reflects only only the most superficial knowledge of your interests. I’ve yet to experience a Jason Mraz Day that’s not in some way spoiled by this memory.
Broke-Ass Stuart runs for mayor of San Francisco
In 2015, San Francisco writer/blogger/personality Broke-Ass Stuart ran for mayor to replace incumbent Ed Lee. Originally intended to be a “journalistic experiment,” Broke-Ass found himself in hot water when he was fined $2,552 for using campaign money to fund an AirBnb-related proposition. Just a reminder, people: not everything has journalistic merit. (Side note: my former CityBeat colleague Dave Maass once compared me to the San Diego equivalent to Broke-Ass Stuart and I still have yet to recover).
Ronald Reagan takes a drug test
In 1986, President Reagan took a voluntary drug test “to set the example and lead the way to the President’s goal of a drug-free workplace”—which is about as useless as the Pope taking a drug test. A pretty self-righteous stunt for a guy who callously let so many die during the AIDS epidemic, or what his administration referred to as the “gay plague.”
2003 Governor Recall - The Original Circus
As strange as our current timeline is, I don’t think it’s quite as batshit as the political stuntery that went down in 2003 during the recall of Governor Gray Davis. Back then, you had people like Steve “Integrity” Young, a comedian who had gained notoriety for putting his family for auction on eBay, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, and Hollywood actor/musician/model/personality Angelyne throwing their names into the race. In Angelyne’s case, she didn’t seem to know exactly what the governor did, but viewed the opportunity as yet another way to forge her own celebritydom into the minds of the public. And guess what: she’s running again.
Gabriel Green, the first UFO president
So I don’t think this constitutes a stunt, but back in 1960 a fellow named Gabriel Green from Whittier, CA ran for president on the [checks notes] flying saucer ticket. It sounds like he was serious. You can laugh all you want about this proto political “nutcase,” but let’s not forget that so many people are currently 100% down with Trump’s Space Force and Elon Musk’s Mars colonization. Green ran for president again in 1972 (both times as a write-in candidate) and only received 200 votes.
Big thanks to Kelly Davis, Julia Dixon Evans, and Seth Combs for contributing to this post.
THE WEEKLY GOODS
Go to this
Remember last week how I was singing the praises of Teros Gallery and Burn All Books? Well, I’m doing it again! This Friday, Teros and BAB are teaming up to present a group art show called GHIDORAH LIVES!: AAPI Heritage Month Exhibition, which will go down at Good Faith gallery in Sherman Heights, explores the Asian identity through various politics and experiences, and is inspired by the anti-imperialist zine GIDRA from the 1960s. Admission is free, but make sure you reserve your spot.
Buy tix to this
Hey, folk and country music-heads, have I got some news to make your overalls straps go ptwing: San Diego fave grampadrew is taking his beloved Flim Flam Revue out to Wild Seeds Ranch on Saturday, June 5th. I know I’m acting all nonchalant, but holy shit: a live show?? Wild Seeds Ranch is a bit of a drive—about 25 miles east—but totally worth it for an evening of earnest and lovely crooning. I think tickets are almost sold out, so don’t sleep on this. Also, don’t forget your designated driver.
Watch this
A few months ago, I solved the eternal question: is Cake a good band (thusly kicking off AWKSD’s “Is This Band Good?” series). Given how much time I spent with that good band, I can’t believe I forgot to mention the time me and my chums made a Cake-adjacent short film, and I recently remembered that it’s online. Filmed nearly 15 years ago, “Cake Day” tells the story of two cool dudes who are trying to make a cake. It stars me, my good friend Ryen Schlegel, and my beautiful tribal tattoo. If it’s not extremely obvious, we were very drunk during the filming of this.
Got a tip or wanna say hi? Email me at ryancraigbradford@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter @theryanbradford. And if you like what you’ve just read, please hit that little heart icon at the end of the post.
Julia Dixon Evans edited this post. Thanks, Julia. Go follow her on Twitter.
OMG Cake Day Noooo
This was an amazing little history lesson for me. Loved it.