.
.
.
Type "AD-69" into Google Images and this is one of the first ones that comes up: an ad for the 1969 Pontiac GTO, which our crack research staff suggests may feature a young Tom Daly.
Our vicious blog-brethren at Liberal OC have posted “softball” questions and answers for the Democratic candidates for the new Assembly District 69. Speaking for OJB, which I can do so long as Vern doesn’t notice it, I applaud their industry in pursuing this story and their wisdom in posting it during a period where, from what I can tell, many readers are on vacation.
This journalistic coup is undercut only by the failure or refusal (or “failfusal”) of Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez to submit her answers to their softball questions, for which the Lib OC team held up publication. They have just gone ahead with the answers of Julio Perez and Tom Daly, the latter of whom we believe may be featured in the above prescient AD-69-themed ad for the enchilada-sauce-colored 1969 Pontiac GTO (which we further understand stood for “Go, Tom! Olé!”), and told Councilwoman Martinez that it is now too late for her to answer their softball questions. The Liberal train has left the OC station!
Well, we here at THE Orange Juice Blog are happy to proclaim that our train never leaves the station! (Let me rephrase. Our trains do leave the station, but they are then followed by other trains.) The point is: if Michele Martinez wants to send her answers to OJB, even at this late date, we will publish them in the interests of fair play. And then I will personally go to that post on Lib OC, leave a comment letting them know that we have the goods on how Michele Martinez answers softball questions, and depart with an epic “nanny nanny boo boo” and invitation for their readers to link here for more.
Congratulations also to St. John’s Ranch (I’m translating “Rancho Santiago” to English in case Tom Daly is reading) Community College District Board Member John Hanna, prominently featured endorsing both Perez and Daly. In fact, I’m going to add an eleventh question to the softballs for Michele: did you ask John Hanna to endorse you as well? If not, why not? Maybe it’s not too late.
Please feel welcome to use the comments section of this post for any reason whatsoever.
Maybe Michelle was acting mature, smart and responsible in not answering questions.
After all, this query was issued by a guy who sends anonymous packages(s) to city appointees, has a rich history of unproductive, destructive politics and does not have any claim to the district.
The impact of the LOC Q&A dwells between non-existent and “what’s on channel two tonight?”
IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME INCREDIBLE WEATHER IN CALIFORNIA!!!
Welcome back Ken. And both of you-all, Greg and Ken, Michele spells her name with ONE “L” – like Bachmann.
I’ll try to express the problem I have with Michele. A problem she doesn’t help by continually postponing OUR interview, by avoiding the Liberal OC’s questionnaire, or by standing us up at DFA. (If Art and Sean are telling her to do those things, they’re not doing her a favor.)
When I met her she was charming, much smarter than I’d been led to expect, and obviously very ambitious. But a few things she said to me, and has said to other people I know, make me think that she will not be a fighter at all for us 99%. For the people that need and expect representation from a Democrat.
She is ASPIRING to be a compromiser, a deal maker. You don’t ASPIRE to be that. You may end up doing that after putting up a good fight for what you and the folks you represent really need. She’s told both me and Matt Southgate that there’s very little you can get done in government, that you have to keep your expectations low, that all competing interests need to sit around the table yadayadayada… Not too inspiring.
Relatedly, she seems to feel that a politician – such as herself – is not a representative of the people who vote for her, but her own self-interested class. She said as much when she and the priapic buffoon Carlos Bustamante were at a public meeting with some developers. The citizens there said, “Michele, why don’t you stand up for what the people want?” And she said “Carlos and I are not here to represent the people, we’re here to represent the interests of the City.” That is troubling.
And also relatedly, I think she is being groomed by Jose Solorio. She told me there are a few people who have been coaching her on what to do, how to behave, the whole ropes up in Sacramento. And judging by what I wrote above, it sounds a lot like Solorio. We don’t need another Solorio.
And also relatedly, and related to the fact that she spurns the blogs and the Democratic clubs, she seems to think she is ENTITLED to the office.
That’s all. Maybe if she returns my call and lets me interview her, or responds to this article, I’ll decide I might have been wrong about some of this. But for now, I’m most impressed with Julio.
Thank you Vern. I have been fortunate enough to travel the later half of this year, which has broadened my already (so I thought) views.
I don’t disagree with you about the things you say about Michele. I believe they are honest, perhaps more real than what you might here elsewhere, in a canned, planned response by someone who is either a life long politico or a newbie backed by a GREAT BIG MACHINE.
Her comment reminds me of a similar one made to me by a first time canidate named Lou Correa, who knocked on my door in 199X in Floral Park. Lou was competing for a seat in Sacramento, and when I asked him in my living room, what Lou could do for me, he replied: “NOTHING”. He went on to explain, rather plainly that he wasn’t doing this for me, my kids his kids, but to endorse the sytem that benifited us (Democrats). he was succinct, honest and frankly, looking back he was right.
If the 99% is to be represented, certainly Michele is better suited than ANYONE else. Better than a Millionare politician (DALY), or a Union Machine Representitive (Perez).
Yeah, and I also wish we could do better than Lou Correa and Jose Solorio. I could write an encyclopedia of bad votes they’ve made, votes for the benefit of industries that have contributed to them, insurance and polluting industries, votes where they broke with the Dems, sided with Reeps, and killed good bills. I would not support someone in their mold.
Well… maybe over Tom Daly if it comes down to that in November — he seems even more that way.
Man, I just read the following comment from Chris Prevatt:
“Hey Michele, Get Serious or Get Out”!
What the fuck is this guy talking about?
To begin with, Chris has ABSOLUTELY no say in the matter, he lives in Los Angeles County! Not even in Santa Ana, The 69th but in another county.
I am increasingly frustrated by his meddling. Is this on behalf of his union?
Chris, you say you hoe to move back to Santa Ana one day, give up the effiency apartment and DO IT.
I have come to realize many democrats are scared shitless of Martinez, merely because they don’t/Can’t control her like the puppets they have in Krom, Solorio, Daly and dare I say Joe Dunn, a personal friend.
Loretta rode to victory by dumping the likes of Howard Kieffer (FELON), Michele could do the same by ignoring pests like Dan C. and Chris Prevatt.
These two flakes are CANCER to the OCDP! If I were Daly and Perez, I would put the Santa Ana river between myself and Chris Prevatt……….Oh wait a minute, it already does divide them: HE LIVES IN LONG BEACH! WTF???
Well, Greg and I are not Dan and Chris. We just want everyone to have their say so that 69ers will know who they really want to vote for, and interested Dems like us will know who they really want to support from the sidelines. She shouldn’t be avoiding us. I like her.
Not really sure anyone’s “scared shitless” of her though – that’s laying it on a bit thick.
When the AD-69 rep stops voting in the California legislature that governs my state, I will care much less about which Democrat is in that spot. Until then, this KLND/NSA “anti-meddling” criticism still strikes me as bizarre Scooby-Doo-ism.
Is that why Pulido and Santa Ana company support Michele, KLND, because they want someone very independent, not their own “puppet”?
As for Julio, I judge him by his own proposals. It looks to me like he pulls his own strings.
Greg,
I am un familiar with “Scooby-Doo ism”, sounds clever.
My point is plain, the fine line between supporting a canidate and trying to influence an election was crossed by these guys a long time ago.
That being said, there are plenty of areas where bigger impact could be made, the San Joaquin Valley comes to mind.
Greg, to imply that if Mr. Perez was a banker or a nurse he would be in the position he is in is dellusional. I am not anti-union I am as scared of big machines like like labor influencing things just like OCCUPY is of big banks.
Maybe. But you get my point. An average, honest, upward mobile politico messes things up for the stake holders, and really F’s up the machine! Just look at Congress with the populous assholes from the Tea Party.
Michele is NO Tom Daly and certainly NO Beth Krom!
Did anyone mention that Santiago is St James, not St John?
A. Nalle
Good catch; it’s not the same as “Sinjin.” My understanding is that Sant Iago (or Santiago) it’s actually best rendered as “St. Jacob,” as “Jacob” translates pretty well into Iago given that I and J used to be one letter, but no one is really sure how Iago and Diego both then came to mean “James.”
In any event, this story from 32 months ago, which I have not reread, is no doubt officially ruined.