Will this finally be enough to get beset San Diego Mayor Bob Filner to resign?
Slate offers the photo above Tweeted by a top San Diego County Republican Party official showing a poster now up at all of Hooters’ four San Diego County locations declaring the eateries’ refusal to serve Filner. Dave Weigel adds this bit of reporting:
“The signs went up at our four locations in San Diego this morning,” said Melissa Fry, director of marketing for HootWinc, the west coast Hooters franchise. “It’s not a political move for us in any way, shape, or form. We’re strictly taking a stand for the fair treatment of women. At our franchise alone, we employ 1100 beautiful, talented women.” And so Mayor Bob Filner, who has been locked out of city hall, has just been locked out of this fine family restaurant.
He adds a footnote that the text and design come from a suggestion by conservative talker Glenn Beck. Indeed, here’s the apparent Tweet on that:
Show San Diego Mayor Bob Filner you won't stand for his abusive behavior. SJ http://t.co/9Egz2S1poj
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) August 7, 2013
So far 14 highly respected San Diego women — some in the military and some of them his political allies, including his former communications director — have accused Filner of sexual harrassment. But not just harrassment in terms of words — but physical actions as well. Filner refuses to resign.
GO HERE to read this summary of his unseemly saga.
UPDATE: The Hooters story is a story with “legs.”
On Twitter:
"Filner" sounds like something Hooters food is just loaded with.
— Harold Itzkowitz (@HaroldItz) August 13, 2013
Here's a tough one: whom to root for? #Hooters vs #Filner http://t.co/WijDopWNH2
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) August 13, 2013
So Hooters restaurants in SD now say they won't serve Mayor Filner. Perhaps movement will spread, lead everyone to stay away from Hooters
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 13, 2013
Hooters PR guy deserves a raise after the chain bans Bob Filner from all restaurants in San Diego. http://t.co/RVcUlqXCqX
— Matthew Reichbach (@fbihop) August 13, 2013
San Diego Hooters won't serve Bob Filner because "woman should be treated with respect." http://t.co/cVHw7wnPaI
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) August 13, 2013
So, does Bob Filner frequent Hooters, or is that a preemptive measure?
— Kelly Davis (@citybeatkelly) August 13, 2013
Some blog comments:
—Vodka Pundit:
Make the punishment fit the crime, I say.
The sign format was originally suggested (and created) by Glenn Beck, which is available for download at TheBlaze.com.
“I think this sign should be in every establishment in San Diego,” Beck said on his radio show last Wednesday, according to a Blaze article.
“Put it on your windows. Take a stand. Take a stand for being a better person,” Beck added. “Take a stand for treating women with respect.”
Hooters isn’t the only establishment from which Filner had trouble accessing. Just Monday Filner, who has been accused of sexual harassment by 13 women to date, was locked out of his own office.
No word on whether area strip clubs will be joining in the boycott.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.