The Extreme Makeover edition of Fargoformayor.com!
Have you seen the Great Fargoni’s new and improved web site? When it first loaded into my browser today, I had to double-check the URL, because for a moment I thought I had inadvertently pulled up PLAY-DOH or LEGO’s web site.
From the toddler-esque color scheme and unorthodox layout, to the brainy revelations (”vision is seeing, not saying”), to the family-unfriendly logo of the naked lady with a Tommie Smith fist to the sky, Queen Fargo’s new web site is a text book study on what NOT to do when designing a web site.. especially when you’re trying to win an election.
Let’s start with the copy. The main page shows the message: “Kiplinger’s just named Sacramento the 8th Most Livable City in America, and The Business Journal recently named Sacramento the best city in our region to do business — a move from last to first. This was my vision for Sacramento when I first ran in 2000, and now it is reality.”
Yeah and my goal with the Joe Sac web site was to win a Pultizer.
Someone please break out the “Fargo for Mayor 2000″ campaign promises list, and check it for these two entries: 1. For Sacramento to place eighth on Kiplinger’s list of most livable cities”; and 2. For Sacramento to be named best city in region to do business with.”
I wonder if one of her goals was also to be ranked the second most dangerous place to live in California, too? Or to have young men and women being shot to death on street corners within walking distance of her home?
But I digress. We know all about Heather’s agenda: Greening the city and creating a downtown urban lifestyle.
There are two stories on the main page of fargoformayor.com. The first one tells us how Heather “spent part of her summer” in area libraries “reading to school children.” I am duly impressed. I didn’t even know the mayor could read. Last I heard she had everything read to her (except crime statistics). But come on you ruthless pundits, you have to give the mayor some credit here. This was not only the seventh year in a row she participated in the reading program, it was also the first time a mayor ever had the groundbreaking idea to ask the five year-olds in the reading program to design their campaign web site, too! Now that’s what I call PROGRESS.
The second story on the main page is titled “Women Win with Heather!” and features an image depicting what appears to be a woman with an Amish beard (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), whose nekked body is protruding out of the Venus gender symbol with an outstretched fist of power.
Update 10Sep08: Fargo REMOVED the image from her web site! She’s also added the line: “Breaking through the glass ceiling for good!” How original! YAWN. I hope she supports Sarah Palin!
According to the site, this “grass roots” support group of empowered Fargo surrogates (I LOVE misusing that word like real journalists do!) was officially started on August 20, at the home of–you could never have guessed it–former mayor of Sacramento, Anne Rudin.
Perhaps this is Fargo’s way of getting back at the “male dominated business (politics),” because she “understands the obstacles facing women first hand and works to tear down barriers for women on a daily basis.”
Women win, men presumably lose with Fargo. =(
I was about to holler, “Hey no fair! Men want to win, too!” (tongue in cheek, don’t worry), until I read the last sentence in the story: “The campaign would note that men can also participate.”
“The campaign WOULD note…” WOULD. If it was forced to.
You aren’t surprised are you? After all, this is the mayor who readily admits her “consensus-building” style is “more friendly to women than men.” Remember, this is the mayor who never mentions the word “families” in her speeches and interviews. Why would she have a family-friendly web site? Heather Fargo serves the bureaucrats, fat cats, special interest groups, and fellow environmental geeks (when there is a PR opportunity involved.. don’t ask Friends of Swainson’s Hawk what they think of old eco-happy Heather).
Last time I checked Nancy Pelosi was the top senator in all the land, and Hilary Clinton had 18 million votes for her presidential nomination. I wonder what Feinstein, Boxer and Huffington would think of Fargo’s obvious gender bias as a means of achieving her political goals? Is this an accurate representation of Democratic values? There is so much talk of how Fargo is the official choice of the local Democratic party, but in an age where the Partisan lines are blurred more and more every day, is this how the Democratic party wants to be represented? I thought the party was trying to rebuild its reputation as champions for the working class?
How about the PUBLIC SAFETY section of the site. The copy reads, “For any Mayor, the safety and security of the citizens of a city are always the highest priority, and this is no different for Heather Fargo..” Well, we all suspected Heather Fargo was not really a mayor, so it’s nice to see her people validate.
But come on, since when was public safety her priority? In her 2008 State of the Downtown address she asked Sacramentans to help her make “global warming THE agenda item for Sacramento.” Since when was global warming a public safety concern akin to say, 15 year olds waving guns in the faces of pregnant women in their North Natomas garages?
“The Mayor will continue to strengthen resources for police and fire, and in her next term will work to make service and response time more uniform across the city.”
Ah, her NEXT term. Good, because God knows she spent her LAST term vacationing in every country in the known world, missing 122 days of work and 16 city council meetings in the process, while Sacramento was being ranked SECOND MOST DANGEROUS PLACE TO LIVE in all of California–not by Kiplinger’s, by the FBI!
Eight years of essentially ignoring gangs and violence and crime trends in general, and now, during election season she wants us to believe she is going to do something about it?
Here is my favorite part though “Additionally, Mayor Fargo believes that a key way to stop crime from going out of control is to make sure that our young people stay busy and engaged in their community, so that they aren’t tempted by gangs and drugs.”
So what did she do this summer to keep those young people busy? She read to school children in area libraries.
Oh, and the new site also introduces a Fargo BLOG. Can you believe it? There is one entry in it. It reads:
“I am sure many people want to see a debate between the candidates. What do you think?”
Hmm, that’s a tricky one, Heather. Actually, I think many people want to see you step down (off your pedestal), and allow a more devoted public servant to lead Sacramento out of the crater you have dug it into. That’s what I think
Finally, in a section called “THE FUTURE” on Fargo’s web site, we read:
“I have said during this campaign that vision is something you see, not what you say.”
Is this groundbreaking political poetry or what? What a revelation. Vision is… seeing.. not saying! Who knew!? I’m thinking this came out of one the bedtime stories Heather was reading this summer.
I don’t know about you, but I have SEEN (and heard) enough of Heather Fargo.
If the extreme makeover edition of fargoformayor.com is Fargo’s idea of ‘progress,’ I will pass.
On a contrasting note, wanna know what Kevin Johnson has been up to this summer? Have a look at this photo album on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24617461@N02/ You will get tired just LOOKING at it. This is a supercharged man with energy and passion levels most of us can not even fathom. If his enthusiasm and ubridled energy during this election season is any indiciation of how hard he will work for this city, I believe we can look forward to true “progress” that isn’t measured by Top Ten lists and magazine covers, but in the hearts and minds of the people who live here.
Oh my goodness that logo is hot! That is like super duper hot, Joe!
Amish beard. I admit she looks kinda trans.
But she’s still hot!
Looks like Heather has a little naughty streak!
Is that a boob!? Are you sure that’s Fargo’s official web site??
Oh snap Fargo’s logo had a wardrobe malfunction! Kids cover your eyes!
Holla Joe!
Nipplegate! Fargo is going to catch hell for this one. Joe you are on top of it! I’ll bet anything that logo is gone tomorrow. Everybody take a screen shot!
Agreed about KJ’s energy. You have championed him all the way, but you have also kept it real and called him out on things when necessitated. I think you have done an excellent job in this respect. It’s very rare to see someone like yourself tell it like it is, even when it means stepping on your own feet. Dying breed.
Joe you know you are always like a millimeter away from being genuinely funny. So very close my miscreant friend, but yet so miserably far away.
I will say this though. You do have some balls to go up against the great Fargoni and her $50,000 campaign. I mean, you sir, you have balls the size of steroid-injected coconuts.
Hey Joe I really don’t have a problem with the naked lady, do you? I think the exposed breast has a beautiful perky slope to it, and I’m certain the great Fargoni and the honorable Ex-Mayor Anne Rudin both fondly reflect on the days theirs did as well.
So please Joe, you thunder-stealing little zit, please let them enjoy this perky moment
I think the logo is hot also. That would make a super t-shirt logo with the words “Fargo for Mayor” over it. In fact, she should have that image as her campaign logo. Power to the women! Forget the lying, cheating, two-timing, slimy, moronic men!
Did you get to see the video announcing her “new online headquarters?” I’m pretty sure she stole the animation from the opening of The Simpsons. Which makes me wonder. If Fargo were a Simpsons character, who would she be? I vote for Lunchlady Doris. Fargo’s new campaign slogan: “More testicles mean more iron.”
Simpsons. Haha.
Yes, I saw it, and as the clouds passed by I thought maybe it was a clip she filmed from an airplane seat en route to China.
Yes! That is the Simpsons opening sequence! Hilarious. Some “online headquarters” huh? Real state of the art. It’s so funny because when she concludes she makes it sound like when her voice stops the web site is going to blast off or something. She says something like “so let’s see what this can do” or something like that and you half expect the thing to roar to life and zap the shit out of your screen or something. I hate to say this gang but this lady might not know exactly what the internet is. Her campaign people may have told her the world wide web was some sort of satellite orbiter or something exotic like that.
Hey people that reminds me. At what point are we being cruel to the old lady? Have you thought about that? When she initially started her trash talking of KJ and making herself out to be impeccable, it was easy to bag on her. But now I’m beginning to feel genuinely sorry for her as I would Ronald Reagan in his Alzheimer’s years. What do ya think?
I second Brian’s question. Are you sure that is Fargo’s official campaign site? I looked around it and I don’t see the obligatory “paid for by Heather Fargo” bit that I believe is mandated by law isn’t it? Given that image I have to guess that must not be her official site. She is out of touch plenty but I have to think she isn’t so out of touch that she would allow a soft porn image on her site. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Can anyone confirm that is her official site?
Good lord, that site is simply craptastic on so many levels. And I thought her campaign lawn signs sucked…those apparently were only a warm up. (I suspect they’re brought to you by the same Brilliant Individuals who came up with the idea that Sacramento should try to be more like Portland…and I’m still irritated about that.)
I’m all for chick power, but that whole “Women Win” thing made me want to run, far, far away. Like over to KJHQ, if ya know what I mean.
Good commentary, Jose.
Yes, there is a difference between chick power and political gender discrimination
Joe, it is no wonder that her site has all the features that appeal to 6-year olds…it was designed to appeal to people at that level. That is what she thinks of our intelligence level. She is hoping that we will have the memory of 6-year olds; that we will wake up after hearing that our levies are about to burst in the first extended season of rain, and that every corner is going to be populated with the rejects of failed social experiments in Oakland and Long Beach and forget all about these man-made problems. Or should I say “woman-made”? Perhaps she also hopes we will have the attention span of an elementary school child. That way, we won’t ask where the buck stops when talking about missing water meters. That way we will look at a pretty bird flying by instead of asking why her city council insists on suing for eminent domain on properties better left with their current owners.
If you look closely at the logo, you will see that is actually Marcos Breton with his fist in the air, a salute he no doubt learned while a journalism major at San Jose State.
Mike, as I said, the comments are always better than my articles, and yours are always amongst the best. I could not agree more.
And Mayor Fargo if you are reading this, always remember that you wouldn’t be had you treated all neighborhoods equally, done your job as we are paying you to do it, and shown some more humility and class when Kevin Johnson announced his desire to serve our community in the capacity of mayor. You have the word “Trust” all over your web site. You have proven you can NOT be trusted under any circumstances. Do the right thing and resign and stop spending your supporters’ old money in the hopes of staying in a position you are not even qualified to hold.
AT LEAST she is NOT A CHILD MOLESTER like Kevin Johnson, and AT LEAST she IS NOT BORROWING her campaign from Barack Obama (plagiarism) so go ahead and slam MAYOR FARGO for her website, o did I mention she is severely out spent on this election too. So go ahead and vote for Mr. Famous money bags with a lack of creativity, just like is sorry Andy Warhol rip off at his campaign office, sound like the lack of brains on Kevins side forces him to either A) Rape it B) Buy it or C) Borrow it, and also from my point of view that logo is art, last time I checked a womans body is a beautiful thing, Your lack of brains frightens me, so return to your REPUBLICAN BATTLE and suck some more Johnson!
>AT LEAST she is NOT A CHILD MOLESTER like Kevin Johnson,
She is worse. She has abused her position to obsessively pursue her environmental and discriminatory women’s rights agendas at the expense of education, family development, and public safety–all of which are in extreme peril compared to other cities in the United States. She brags about all the commercial brick and mortar she has brought to Sacramento. Most of it is empty. How much high tech has she brought in to fill those offices? NONE.
>did I mention she is severely out spent on this election too.
Well duh. Who in their right mind would give this woman MORE money to spend like a drunken soldier on weekend pass in Vegas? Have you given her campaign money?
>and also from my point of view that logo is art, last time I checked a womans body is a beautiful thing,
Well so is a man’s, right? So why not have a picture of a guy too with his drawers around his ankles? We’re all beautiful Godly creatures, aren’t we?
>Your lack of brains frightens me, so return to your REPUBLICAN BATTLE and suck some more Johnson!
David, is that you? I think it is. The last time you posted here you made a reference to me being on my knees for Johnson, too. You seem to think about gay sex a lot. You know what that means, right?
Peace and love,
Joe
You know.. It occurs to me that Heather Fargo is perceived by some of her ilk as the poor little old lady with the grass roots campaign struggling to get her little point across in the shadow of the big celebrity machine that is KJ. And it comes as no surprise because that is precisely what she wants the public to believe.
When she realized her pathetic pitbull tactics wouldn’t work (attacking Johnson with BS accusations, trying to get the police to arrest him, et al), she instead began to portray herself as the underdog, out of campaign money, the little lamb being stalked by the KJ lion.
Well, the lamb strategy has not worked, either. Now she just looks desperate.. and so do her followers.
Want to know what kind of people support Fargo? Just look at how cruel, and hateful “Barack Obama’s” comments are here. These are the type of people that follow Heather Fargo. Each time they post another nasty comment like this, I am more and more certain I don’t want Heather Fargo and her discriminating kind anywhere near our city hall ever again
PS: The troll using the name “Barack Obama” to post here has been banned from this site.
Fargo has been in a position of influence in this city for nearly two decades. You would think that she would have contacts in the creative class of this city that would have done her website for free or at a steep discount. Apparently she holds innovative talents in so little regard that she has to rely on the work of semi-functioning monkey to put together her “online headquarters”. The current issue of Sactown Magazine has an interview with Richard Florida who coined the term “creative class”. He tells why these artists and entrepreneurs make cities stronger. To me, Fargo’s website is indicative of how much she values the creative class. Our city will NEVER improve while Fargo is around. She needs to go NOW.
” To me, Fargo’s website is indicative of how much she values the creative class”
AMEN TO THAT! WELL SAID, TOM!!!
She should have more than contacts in the creative class. Hell, Natomas Charter’s Performing & Fine Arts Academy has a phenomenal fine and digital arts program and is recognized at a national level and state level. She coulda tapped into the creativity of our student base (and that of other area schools). Maybe get in touch with the community.
But she can’t see the artists for the trees.
Ban the truth… just because you have a website doesn’t mean you decide truth! the truth is that Kevin Johnsons city does not work for everyone, especially if you don’t share the same point of view or if you are a Union worker, Kevin Johnson ruined Sac High, anyone remember VAPAC? Ask the teachers of the former Sac High… Principal Billingsley and Kevin Johnson had a plan for Sacramento High school…, they accomplished their goal of restricting many from such a great program like VAPAC and many GREAT TEACHERS FAILED without the SUPPORT of the administration (Probably because they were too busy stealing money and sucking Kevin off) as a former student of Sac high and as someone who was at one of the last town hall meetings about the stability of the former Sac High, I saw LOTS of respect for UNION teachers and for the saving of Sac High, The support is out there. the people who miss the old Sac high are out there, now only the NAZI CHARTER remain, its Kevin’s way or the highway! if anyone looks the FACTS UP they would realize that ME and the Obama poster have more SUBSTANCE than the rest of you… so now that the TRUTH is out I prepare to be BANNED, I consider it a compliment… we must be saying something you are SCARED of… maybe the… TRUTH?
Has absolutely ZERO to do with being “scared” about anything or anyone. I have ONLY banned people who are ABUSIVE, and your previous post was abusive.
You wrote: “Your lack of brains frightens me, so return to your REPUBLICAN BATTLE and suck some more Johnson!”
Learn how to debate your point without being abusive, please. And GROW UP