Phillip Burton

I promise you that.

That's Phil Burton, John's older brother, Sala's husband, a chain-smoking giant in San Francisco politics.

The Burton political machine specialized in something that seems pretty standard today: coalition politics.

They mobilized groups other politicians overlooked.

It wasn't called that.

Gay, African American, labor.

Phil Burton put it a little differently.

I've got the support of the gays and the cops as well.

We all need each other, and we've got each other, I promise you that.

That's Phil Burton, John's older brother, Sala's husband, a chain-smoking giant in San Francisco politics.

The Burton political machine specialized in something that seems pretty standard today, coalition politics.

They mobilized groups other politicians overlooked.

It wasn't LGBT as it is today, but, you know, it wasn't called that.

Gay, African-American, labor.

Phil Burton put it a little differently.

I've got the support of the gays and the cops as well.

And then, you know, in October of last year, he actually announced he was going to run before she retired, announced she was retiring.

And, you know, in the world of Pelosi, you know, and the Burton machine, and I see this election kind of as the last gasp of the Burton machine, loyalty is everything.

And by Weiner stepping out before it was, quote unquote, his turn, you know, they saw that as very disloyal.

Interesting, because that's exactly what Pelosi did when she ran for leadership back after the 2000 election.

It's tricky for him.

Yeah.

Also, just noting for folks, Phil Burton and then Sala Burton, right, succeeded him, which is going to come up later with another.

And don't forget John Burton.

You have to know Baltimore politics, her father, her brother, their history there.

You really plant the flag that like, no, to know Nancy Pelosi's politics, you have to know San Francisco politics and the Burton machine and the 87 campaign.

Yeah.

I mean, we've said this before.

I mean, why is it that people like Nancy Pelosi and Phil Burton and Dianne Feinstein and Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris emerged from this city, which is only 800,000 people? I mean, we've been punching above our political weight for decades.

And it's true.

Like if you emerge from San Francisco, you know, David Chu famously called it a knife fight in a phone booth.

We all need each other, and we've got each other, I promise you that.

That's Phil Burton, John's older brother, Sala's husband, a chain-smoking giant in San Francisco politics.

The Burton political machine specialized in something that seems pretty standard today, coalition politics.

They mobilized groups other politicians overlooked.

It wasn't LGBT as it is today, but, you know, it wasn't called that.

Gay, African-American, labor.

Phil Burton put it a little differently.

I've got the support of the gays and the cops as well.

[cheering]

That's Phil Burton, John's older brother, Sala's husband, a chain-smoking giant in San Francisco politics.

The Burton political machine specialized in something that seems pretty standard today, coalition politics.

They mobilized groups other politicians overlooked.

It wasn't called that.

Gay, African American, labor.

Phil Burton put it a little differently.

I've got the support of the gays and the cops as well.

And trying to dive into that.

I'm also seeing the implications of like the other really big biography that I love about Phil Burton, Rage for Justice.

And kind of like, you know, it doesn't mean that like Nancy Pelosi was such a powerful speaker for so long and she like came up through Phil Burton's seat.

the master gerrymanderer and like this guy was like you know incredible story and so like thinking about like the the story of the state of Delaware it's a I like I feel like I've been a really interesting place because I literally like I feel like I've been exiled mm-hmm and I often like feel like I'm in the witness protection program as a public school art teacher now but uh it's just it's it's wild the last time that I was I was here I was kind of riding high off of getting to meet Sam Rivera the director of on point New York City

I remember you talking about it.

What do you think is unique about San Francisco that kind of forges these political candidates like Nancy Pelosi?

You know, I think San Francisco is a city of about 800,000 people, and it's been punching above its weight in politics for decades, going all the way back to Phil Burton, you know, who was also a powerhouse representing San Francisco in Congress.

To me, I think it's several things.

You know...

You mentioned the Burton family just a minute ago.

And what was her relationship to Nancy Pelosi? Yeah.

So Sala Burton was married to Phil Burton.

Phil Burton was almost almost became the first, you know, speaker of the House from California.