Talton Loses It

On November 15th The Republic's Jon Talton gave a speech at the Scottsdale Town hall in front of a large crowd that included Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross.   The transcript shows that he spent much of his time riduculing the city  and by all accounts Talton completely lost it during the question and answer session.  Becky Fenger was there with a tape recorder and has provided a transcript. Here's her take on it.  And here's the entire speech with the more outrageous comments in bold. (Download the_entire_speech.doc )   

The transcript is really amazing and includes gems like this.

"There’s a lot of work left to be done. You may get there and you may not. In the current issue of BizAZ Magazine--- they’ve asked me to write a regular column---  my first column I call, “How Scottsdale Got It’s Groove Back.” Because when you look at where Scottsdale south of Bell, you know, the SOBs, was 6 years ago, it was in a mess. You were willing to give yourselves away to Steve Ellman for a Wal-Mart? Oh, but it would be a Scottsdale Wal-Mart. That’s different! You know, we’ll have employees on AHCCCS, but they’ll all wear $800 shoes."

"I think you have to have diversity and edge, even in Scottsdale. I mean, it’s nice to come over here and see all these white people, but I don’t think that will help you in the long run."

Talton knew he was crossing the line.  Check out this references to his "bosses."

"Now, DMB has assured me that I can go out there and lie in their parks if I want, and I am grateful for that, especially after word of this speech gets back to the big bosses and I’m out of a job."

Talton opened the floor for questions afterwards and that's when things got really tense.  Here's an exchange that I'm told sounds even more shrill on tape than it does in print.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 4: I’m sorry. I’m going back to what you said earlier about inclusive. Portland doesn’t seem very inclusive to me.

TALTON:  Have you been there?

AUDIENCE MEMBER 4:  Oh, yes, quite often.

TALTON:  Well, I have quite often, and to me it’s very inclusive. More so than the exclusive parts of Greater Phoenix. You are in a competition for talent. And they have talent by the boatload. But, I mean, I don’t want to get into some kind of arid argument about, you know, this Socialist wants us to be Portland. God, I wish! That’s not what’s going to happen here. You need… you need to keep your eye on the real challenges we face and the real opportunities we face. Because if you just get derailed on Portland, “You said Portland!” then you’re going to miss the point.

AUDIENCE MEMBER 4: You said it was a model.

TALTON: It has many wonderful model things.

AUDIENCE QUESTION #5 (George Knowlton): Let’s go back here a minute. You talk about Portland…

TALTON: Pay attention, Mister (to #4)

KNOWLTON: I lived in Oregon. The reason Portland is the way it is is because of an appointed crew that could not be stopped by anybody called the LCDC who literally stopped all development, and ruined…

TALTON: I love it!

KNOWLTON: …  thousands of people.

TALTON: I love it.

KNOWLTON: Those people would love to shoot you right now.

TALTON: Well, I’d shoot ‘em back, because I don’t…

KNOWLTON: You’d lose.

TALTON: Don’t make threats, moron.  I was taught to shoot by my mother.

(Audience laughter)

KNOWLTON:  But I’m telling you..

TALTON: Are you making threats?

KNOWLTON: No. I’m telling you…

TALTON: Are you threatening me?

KNOWLTON: What I’m telling you…

TALTON: Because, step up here if you want to threaten me.

KNOWLTON: What I’m telling you…

TALTON: Step up here if you want to threaten me.

KNOWLTON: If you’d shut up and listen…

TALTON: I’m not going to shut up and listen if you’re going to threaten me. If you’re going to sit there and threaten to shoot me….

KNOWLTON: What I’m trying to tell you is…

TALTON: (In a fake accent) “What I’m trying to tell you, boy, is that we’ve got our property rights and nobody is going to take”--  Look, let me tell you something, boy…

KNOWLTON: That’s exactly right. I have property rights.

TALTON: You’ve got what you want here, and it’s a disaster. Now, if you’re willing to be open to some other ideas for a half a second when you’re not making threats to people who you don’t even know…

KNOWLTON: Don’t have to.

TALTON: Oh, well, I know you too, brother.

KNOWLTON: When you threaten my property rights, and what they did in Oregon was all wrong.

TALTON:  Oh, yeah. Well, you got what you want.

KNOWLTON:  I left there.

TALTON: Why are you here?

KNOWLTON: A million and a half dollar store, I left there.

TALTON:  Why are you here? And you came down here, and you made this place better I’ll bet.

KNOWLTON: I’m trying hard.

TALTON: Can we have a few questions of people who actually might be interested in something?

The guy in the back. Do you want to shoot me?

AUDIENCE QUESTION #6:  (Inaudible)   

TALTON:  I don’t think you’re going to (get light rail), so that just means more transit money for everybody else. I wish you were more open minded about it.

AUDIENCE MEMBER #6: (Inaudible)

TALTON: I didn’t say it should. Well, I think that’s what you were hearing. You can’t pave and drive your way out of the future.

AUDIENCE MEMBER #6:  Well, I know you said that, but, who do you think would be riding this light rail?   

TALTON: I don’t know. People who would live, people who would live in your downtown.

AUDIENCE MEMBER #6: (Inaudible)

TALTON:  The Pearl District in Portland. The streetcar is wildly successful.

AUDIENCE MEMBER #6: (Inaudible)

TALTON:  OK. Then you and I are on the same wavelength.

Mayor, do you want to shoot me?                                                                                                                                                         

MAYOR MANROSS:  (Inaudible question #7)

TALTON:  What Phoenix most needs is private sector investment. And, you know, the early adopters of downtowns tend to be highly educated, affluent people, and Phoenix does not have enough of those. And so both of those are challenges. They’ll get there. It’s going to take a long time. You guys have that, potentially, and so that’s an advantage.

Is there anybody else? Ma’am?

Comments

[Ann]

WOW! Linda Valdez and Talton in the same week?! Is it that they have so much protection from the powers that be at the Republic that they feel isolated from the consequences of their actions or is it hubris brought on by no real competition?

BTW.. there is an article on the back page of Valley and State about the Cantleme/Shields brouhaha. Of course, the Governor again says, All is well... basically, no harm, no foul. How many days later....?

[Special Agent Johnny Utah]

Another theory is that the Republic editorial board encourages this sort of thing from its columnists, and from Benson -- controversy is one way of selling newspapers. Yet another, first propounded on Zonitics, I believe, but possibly on Espresso Pundit, is that Talton is playing Russian roulette with his job, half-hoping to get fired, don the marty's mantle, and get picked up by a paper in one of the municipal utopias he writes about.

[DSW]

I am utterly shocked by Talton's presentation. Does the Republic allow this type of behavior and representation? One has to wonder if he was under the influence or on a Michael Richards tirade. Another reminder why I will never pay for the Arizona Republic.

[Joe Baby]

Thank God for Jon Talton, or I wouldn't realize how stupid and uneducated I am.

I know Linda Valdez thinks I should thank someone else, but I can only handle so much cosmopolitan secular snobbery in one week.

[Matt]

Wow. All that hubris, and Talton still hasn't run for office? Makes me wonder why he didn't run as one of the new and improved democrats. Nancy Pelosie would love him.

[netrootsdemocrat]

I like Talton's views on trade. And I suspect a lot of GOPers agree with me. The Charlotte Reeds of the world, no doubt.

[BloggerforPhoenix]

So what is the different level of accountability for bloggers vs. columnists? As odious as Valdez's views and Talton's manners are, we all have the option of not reading and not subscribing, right?

If I don't like Coke and love Pepsi, I don't spend all day complaining about how bad Coke is, planning boycotts, and wishing for the demise of the brand. I enjoy my Pepsi and assume Coke and its customers can fend for themselves.

If we believe in the free market (both economically and of ideas) why don't we just let it play out? Either the Republic will figure out how to operate in the new media age, or it won't; and its columnists will either get more provocative/offensive, or they won't; and we can choose to read the rag, or not.

Yes, engage them intellectually, but this fixation with the Republic as an institution just seems wierd.

[JL]

Greg- Please consider taking off the comments entirely. The comments on Nathan Sproul were vicious in nature, and uncalled for. By all accounts they appear to have come from a competing consultant who is jealous. I read your blog every day, but the comments are getting out of control and it appears that flame throwers have taken over. If you would, please consider removing all comments postings.

[Joe Baby]

I visit a lot of blogs -- this isn't even close to flame throwing and viciousness.

Comment sections are a great way to enhance the debate, and they also as a way to clarify/correct the blog owner, if necessary.

And the comments re: Mr. Sproul were hardly vicious, but rather some detailed opinions (with links) regarding campaign strategy and party organization -- and I thought Mr. Sproul responded quickly and convincingly on the matter.

In short -- within one week, a major campaign consultant and a staff member from AHELA visited the blog and made comments for all to read. That only happened because this EP asked questions and allowed folks the ability to further the discussion.

[Yummy]

I think the comments really enhance the website, especially for someone like me who frequently travels and relies only on the internet for news and opinion rather than in-person contact. I don't think the comments have degraded into visciousness at all - and I agree with Joe Baby that the comments on this site are not only tame but highly thought provoking. I think the comments also add a degree of balance that was not previously present on EP.

On a further note:
I disagree, however, that Mr. Sproul responded convincingly. I, for one, was dismayed at the Republican performance this last election cycle, and I think some of the points brought up by other bloggers were important and went unresponded to by Mr. Sproul.