It looks like the OC bloggers are having fun parsing the statements of the candidates running for the 1st District. Here’s my take (with tongue planted firmly in cheek):
Larry Phan – Mr. TV producer says that when he first arrived in the U.S. he found work right away. Really? Turns out the government had everything to do with that. No wonder he is a Democrat! But – he says he wants to cut down on unnecessary expenses. Watch out Larry – you are sounding like a Republican – except that the Bushies have left us with such a deficit…
Larry for got to include a way to contact him (phone #, email address, website) and he also has trouble separating his thoughts into paragraphs. That is par for the course when it comes to candidate’s statements.
Brett Franklin – He is proud to have been Vice Mayor of Orange County’s largest city – but not so proud that he actually mentions the name of the city. That would be Santa Ana by the way.
Franklin’s statement is fairly innocuous, but he closes by saying that he will “make sure the county gets its fair share of state and federal resources, whether for street repairs, schools, or homeland security.” Watch it Brett – we haven’t done a very good job with the streets and schools in Santa Ana – these are not exactly areas you want to brag about.
Also, Franklin does not mention the “R” word. And he does not share his contact information.
Carlos Bustamante – Good grief! Whoever wrote this for Carlos sure didn’t skimp on the word count! His statement is a real piece of work. He says he is going to bring “New Energy, Vision and Leadership to Orange County government.” Really? He has not brought any of that to Santa Ana, where he is an embarrassingly over matched Mayor Pro Tem.
Carlos then starts talking about crime and bragging about how he will “make our neighborhoods and parks safe from gangs.” Mentiroso! Park Santiago is in Bustamante’s ward – and it got tagged recently. If he cannot keep parks in his own neighborhood safe, how is he going to do so throughout the 1st District?
Carlos then pulls another Pinocchio by saying that he will “support strict accountability with your tax dollars.” Like he did when he voted to spend over $240K on ten small LCD screens, ostensibly to tout the City of Santa Ana? You can walk over to Best Buy and buy ten big flat-screen HD TVs for about $20K! Oh – I forgot that one of Carlos’ buddies reportedly made a few thousand dollars on that transaction.
The rest of his statement is similarly vapid. But he does mention his website. Barf.
Tom Umberg – How’s this for an opener, “No candidate has done more for our community than Tom Umberg.” Give me a break! Watch him part the waters! Watch him turn water into wine! Watch him run for the 1st District even though he lives in Villa Park! Who is he kidding?
Umberg does take great pains to explain that as a former prosecutor he busted a bunch of rapists, white-collar criminals and “those who transported foreigners illegally into our country.” What? Memo to Umberg – the last thing you want to do when running in the highly Latino 1st District is tout the fact that you have been a mini “La Migra.” That message might not sell very well. Maybe he is going after the Minuteman vote? Watch out Lupe!
You have to hand it to Umberg. He is proud of being a carpetbagger, “Umberg has a unique understanding of the issues we care about. After all, this is where he and his wife of 24 years raised their three grown children.” Not true Tom! You did not raise them in the 1st District Oh well, never let the truth get in the way of a good statement…Tom also forgot to note his contact information. Maybe he is hiding from the ladies?
Kermit Marsh – Great opening paragraph! Kermit lets us know right away that he is no fan of taxes. Very solid and very Republican. The rest of his statement is not bad – but he actually mentions winning a “Superlawyer” award. Not good! I think I might have left that out.
I did like that he mentioned opposing eminent domain. Bustamante voted for two eminent domain deals that made rich car dealers richer. Good for Kermit to oppose such shenanigans.
Kermit closes with his phone number. Well done!
I will cover the rest of the field in a subsequent post…
-Tom also forgot to note his contact information. Maybe he is hiding from the ladies?-
Tom Umberg NEVER hides from ladies if you know what I mean.
Unless he is married to them.
“Watch him part the waters! Watch him turn water into wine!”
Umberg as Moses! I’d be kinda curious to see that on a mail piece.
Umberg dressed in a smoking jacket, holding a glass with wine, and carrying a big stick.
Sounds kinda like the time in Washington when he…
Art you were right he is playing the victim role this was in the viet newspaper
UCV/GSV Nguy?n Quang Trung Ph?n
Hey buddy this is America. No, you are getting it all wrong. See, you need to provide the english version unless your one of those Vietnamese only conservatives.