In all the brouhaha that erupted when Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante made his now infamous sexist remarks after the appointment of Sandra Hutchens as our new O.C. Sheriff, we forgot to ponder a simple but important question. Why isn’t the Democratic Party of Orange County trying to take out Bustamante? He is a Republican. He is up for reelection this November. He is as of now unchallenged. What gives?
All of the Santa Ana Council members are Democrats, except Bustamante. Wouldn’t the DPOC like to brag about ALL of the Council Members being Democrats? You would think so.
The problem is that Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido has a man-crush on Bustamante. Pulido backed him last year against Tom Umberg, the endorsed Democrat, for the First Supervisorial District. So did most of Pulido’s cabal. And Bustamante still got his a** kicked. His loss was so spectacular that it took your breath away. You would think the DPOC would want to take out this lamest of ducks. Alas you would be wrong.
Now Bustamante is reeling from the outcry against his sexist remarks. And the DPOC is silent. They are allowing an easy opportunity to slip away. They need to get with the program – recruit a candidate and take out Bustamante!
The irony about Bustamante’s sexist remarks is that when Pulido and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle held a fundraiser for him during his supervisorial campaign, he actually got up and compared himself to Forrest Gump! Bustamante said at the time that he has been in the right place at the right time throughout his life, just like Gump. If you scrutinize that comment, what he is saying is he is not sure why he keeps getting promoted. But all his life he has been moved up the chain of command…while not deserving it! Unlike Hutchens who IS eminently qualified to be our Sheriff!
The DPOC also needs to find a good Democrat to run for the neighboring Garden Grove City Council. Paul Lucas is the best they can do? Are you kidding me? I heard today that he finally got a job…at Costco. Now that makes sense, if it is true. Lucas has that Costco look. I could see him in a Costco uniform. But we are to believe that Costco Lucas is the best candidate the Democrats can find for the Garden Grove City Council? Are you kidding me?
Does DPOC Chairman Frank Barbaro need to wake up? I think so. If you would like to ask him to get off his butt and start looking for candidates to take out Bustamante and sweep aside Lucas, you can email him at this link. Wake up Frank! Your party just ran a lame Trannie for the Board of Supervisors – and he got trounced. Now you are taking a pass instead of going after the sexist Bustamante? What is up Frank? Get to work!
Art,
A better question is, why aren’t the R’s doing it themselves? How long does someone have to hang off the side of the wagon before you finally realize they are slowing you down and making look like fools?
why?, obviously because the dpoc is weak. and by the way, nice pic of bustamante hanging with a couple of communists. where was the communist janet nguyen when this pic was taken? she would of fit right in.
Interesting thought that the DPOC should bear the responsibility for recruiting for a nonpartisan office.
Perhaps a better role for the party would be endorsing candidates who choose to run.
The best local electeds are not highly partisan, interested in moving up into higher elected office. Instead they are individual with deep roots in their community, experience in youth sports, school, neighborood associations, civic groups, et cetera, and an understanding of the issues.
We’ve frequently been ill-served by the bench-builders who start running for higher office as soon as they’ve been elected without ever doing the work they were elected to do.
Oh, and redevelopment is the hidden government that steals from us all. We need local candidates who will swear to shoot down the black helicopters of the redevelopment agencies.
Thank goodness for that last paragraph Denizen, I was starting to think you were somebody sane… somebody like Citizen of the Vern-o-Sphere. I still say nobody will be able to take out Bust-amante until they bite the bullet and create a photoshop of him hypermammiferous.
#3 Den, that redevelopment thing really has you going, doesn’t it? So, you just learned about it or have you been sounding the alarm for what, 30 – 40 years? Some of the original redevelopment agencies are still going I’ll bet.
Why not? It’s a lucerative business, all that tax money and none of the governance. Woo-hoo! Mix in a few developers and some eminent domain and your slums can become highrises! A great way to hide all those extra tax dollars and shift the focus to now underfunded public safety budgets. “Damn you Deputies and your evil retirement agreements!”
Yeah, redevelopment – good, redevelopment agency – bad, black helicopters – very bad. Anything else new?
Nice Photoshop. A Vietnamese flag suspended above Van Tran and a flagpole to the left with an invisibility cloak.
Art – you seem to think the Democrats have candidates stored up like stacks of fireplace wood. This is just an excuse to bash the DPOC for your perceived shortcomings of the party. There’s still time for someone to enter the race.
Good catch, Dan.
But remember: Art promised last year, on this very blog, that he would run against Carlos if no one else did.
It is up to all of us to help Art keep that promise to his readers. Wouldn’t want to betray The Revolution!
Dan,
The photo IS strange. I found it on Van Tran’s website some time ago. They actually removed an American flag from the picture.
And yes your party SHOULD be bashed for letting Bustamante run wild. Why hasn’t your party ripped into Pulido for propping Bustamante up? Could it be because your party chair, Frank Barbaro, is Pulido’s lawyer? How very chummy.
Matt —
Right, and I believe he also said he would no longer comment on any other blog than this one.
And I guess “man-crush” is the phrase of the week.
Matt “Jubal”,
Yes I was thinking of running. I think I could take him out. But in the months that have passed since I wrote that post I have come to realize that it is more important for me to spend my spare time with my family.
Here is a question for you to ponder. When is YOUR party going to give up on Bustamante like it did on Tan Nguyen and move to get rid of him? It certainly is about time to dump him. There are plenty of Republicans in Ward 3 that your party could get behind.
Yes I was thinking of running.
Art, you weren’t “thinking” of running. You flat-out made a promise to do so if he didn’t draw an opponent.
I think I could take him out.
Talk is cheap. Only one way to find out.
You can break your promise or keep it. Don’t pretend like it was only something you “thought about.”
Right, and I believe he also said he would no longer comment on any other blog than this one.
And there was also the oft-repeated promise that OJ would never allow pseudonymous bloggers, accompanied by emphatic condemnations of pseudonymous blogging.
Promises, promises.
Matt/Jubal,
I reserve the right to change my mind. And quite frankly I value my family more than your opinion. In fact I value my cat’s opinion more than I value yours. (And he thinks you’re a shill too!)
So no, I am not running against your boy Carlos. But I have a feeling someone will. He is so weak now that a homeless guy could probably take him out. And yes I would vote for the homeless guy over Carlos.
I reserve the right to change my mind.
I hope you will keep your promise.