Is Chuck Reed a Closeted Republican?

On Saturday, I attended the Santa Clara County Democratic Picnic at Rainbow Park. For the low price of a $10 donation, I got barbecued food, Doritos, and even a delightful Safeway Select Brand Cola. Needless to say, I didn’t go for the food. I went to hear some candidates speak. But while both mayoral candidates Cindy Chavez and Chuck Reed were in attendance, Chuck did not receive the opportunity to speak.

Reed, a life-long Democrat did not receive the endorsement of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party. And if you take a look at his record, it is clear why. Mr. Reed should take a cue from Lance Bass and finally come out of the closet… as a Republican, or at least an Independent. I don’t have a problem with Lance Bass’s new identity and I don’t have a problem with Chuck Reed’s. It’s okay to be conservative – but just be honest about it. Let’s look at the facts…

-On October 25th, 2005, Chuck Reed voted against the City Council’s symbolic vote against Governor Schwarzenegger’s anti-abortion proposition (Prop 73 on the special election ballot). To clarify that triple negative sentence that my 4th grade teacher would kill me for writing, Reed is pro-life.

-On March 4, 2004, Chuck Reed voted against the city recognizing same-sex marriage. Again, on September 20th, 2005, Reed voted against a resolution urging Governor Schwarzenegger to sign a Civil Marriage Protection Act. All of the sudden, the Lance Bass analogy seems a little inappropriate. Ironically, the Civil Marriage Protection Act is the one thing that Chuck Reed agrees with Mayor Gonzales about. They provided the only two votes against the item. You see, nothing unites people more than intolerance.

-If there’s one issue Reed is not afraid to be conservative about, it’s money. He votes against the mayor’s budgets and against numerous subsidies, most notably, the Grand Prix subsidy and the new City Hall subsidy. Chuck Reed is like San Jose’s Grandpa, giving the city a nickel and telling the city not to spend it all in one place.

With all this in mind, it is no surprise that at the end of Cindy Chavez’s speech at Saturday’s Democrat Picnic, she recognized Mr. Reed’s presence but did not invite him up to speak. This decision from Chavez wasn’t made to spare the audience from Chuck’s classy Hawaiian shirt and dress pants ensemble, but more to spare Reed from a not so friendly welcome. After all, Reed has a mailer that declares, “Republican Women Endorse Chuck Reed”. To say the least, Chuck’s presence was much like a hardcore Boston fan in the bleachers at Yankee stadium…it was only a matter of time before his Hawaiian shirt was covered in peanut shells and sunflower seeds. San Jose can still thrive under a Republican or Independent or Democratic mayor. But a spade’s a spade and Reed should be upfront about his political affiliation. We all know how damning a “flip-flop” label can be for a candidate.