Why Peter Ragone Should Do "the Opposite"

Lefty Gomez once said, "I'd rather be lucky than good." That quote reminds us of Gavin Newsom's press secretary, Peter Ragone. Before Gavin's recent troubles knocked him out of the spotlight, Peter was self-destructing before our eyes. But we haven't forgotten about him. First he was busted for posting blog comments under phony names and blatantly lied about it on camera. And then he lied again about Gavin's drinking problem. How can we believe anything the guy says? How can Gavin Newsom restore the public trust when his press secretary is a liar--and a bad liar at that? In today's video, we take a humorous look at this serious subject.

Something Silly: The Dynamic Duo

Over the past week we can't tell you how many discussions we've had about the morality of making GavinWatch videos about the man's recent scandals. Gavin and the gang have given us material for countless humorous and scathing videos, but our conscience won't let us touch most of them. We want to be respectful of the Tourks and of Gavin's attempt to deal with his problems. At the same time, we want to continue to contribute to the substantive policy dialog about this Mayor's shortcomings. It's a tricky balance to find. So while we're working on that, we present you this brief comedic diversion. We hope that Gavin and Peter can put aside their troubles for a moment and share a laugh with us.

Great Lies in U.S. History

Peter "Byorn" Ragone posted comments on local blogs using assumed names. He knows it, SFist knows, Dan Noyes knows it, we all know it. But he's making the controversy worse by refusing to admit it. Byorn, haven't you learned rule #1 of political damage control? The cover-up is always worse than the crime. Fess up, Peter.

UPDATE: KCBS reports that Byorn fessed up. Gavin is disappointed that he's being asked about "someone blogging" when he's trying to talk about "global climate change and the realities of waste water." Sounds like someone can't walk and chew gum at the same time.