Earlier this week, I challenged the operator of AnaheimBlog.net and his Sacrilegious Priest — or, at least, his BFF — to a debate. I was refused. Not only was I refused, but I haven’t had a comment published since.
For those of you not in the know, AnaheimBlog.net is a propaganda machine operated by blogger-for-hire Matt Cunningham largely as a mouthpiece for the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. Naturally it doesn’t tolerate dissent well; the vast majority of comments appearing on the blog belong to anonymous hooded minions of the Chamber’s President, Todd Ament — himself a minion of Anaheim Godfather Curt Pringle — using a myriad of pseudonyms. As if to mock Arte Moreno’s “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,” it would appear that part of Todd’s commenting agreement specifies that approved aliases shall include the name “Anaheim” therein. Anaheim Insider, Anaheimster, Anaheim Jack, Anaheim Hack, One Who Knows in Anaheim, AnaheimAnnoymous, Anaheimolicious, I<3Anaheim, AnaheimofAnaheimdeAnaheim . . . all monikers belonging to what is probably up to three unique individuals operating out of Godfather Pringle’s basement.
Anyway, I digress.
Since Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Ament have such a low opinion of what is the fundamental building block of democracy– dissent — I’m proud to bring you this permanent addition to the Orange Juice Blog. I welcome, nay encourage!, all of you to pay a visit to Matt’s blog and to comment. In the event you find yourself censored by the powers at be, copy your message here.
Along with this thread, each week through the election I will honor to most ridiculous and insanely outlandish comment with an award — The Skadooshy!
November 4th is only four weeks away. Will we allow Matt Cunningham and Todd Ament to unleash their shenanigans upon Anaheim unmitigated? NO! UNLEASH YOUR SKADOOSH!
Wait. Don’t do that. Just comment as sharply, intelligently, and incisively as possible. They deserve it. The Chamber’s minions on the Anaheim City Council have pilfered or attempted to pilfer over $1,000,000,000 (yup, check those zeros, it’s a billion) of Anaheim’s tax dollars in three years. It’s disgusting; I won’t stand for it, and neither should you.
Anaheim Insider doesn’t understand Econ 101. I thought that was a requirement to work at the Chamber of Commerce. Maybe they ought to rethink that.
Insider sayz . . .
“BUT most residents of Anaheim would be dead before its use would return to the city.”
So what? Do you want the City of Anaheim to manage a giant entertainment/retail destination? Are you upset because the city would have to wait 66 years to raze the property? Point?
“Tait has continually stated that the taxpayers should split the profits on any new stadium development. What he doesn’t say is that would involve risk – share the profits, share the risk.”
Uh-uh. All the development risk is on Arte Moreno. The city risks no capital; it’s leasing asphalt for development, and reaps the reward if it succeeds. Tait is demanding that Moreno take all the investment capital risk, and then give Anaheim half the revenue. If Tait were in Moreno’s shoes, he’d tell the city to take a hike, and rightly so.
“The Mayor is only ONE vote.”
Yes he is. And has been skillful in delaying and politicizing the negotiations and freezing his council colleagues, who can’t coordinate effectively due to Brown Act constraints, and who went along with the delaying tactics Tait wrapped in “transparency.”
Tait has a force amplifier in the media, especially the Voice of OC. Being mayor makes him chief city spokesman and in a much stronger position to dominate news coverage with his messaging. He’s unafraid to use the negotiations as a wedge issue while his colleagues, until recently, tried to play the good government role. The Voice of OC might as well change its name to the Voice of Tait when it comes to Anaheim coverage, which is one-sidedly pro-Tait and anti-council majority.
And let’s not forget how negotiations have suffered due the continual city manager turn-over, and a city staff’s mediocre handling of negotiations while burdened with a mayor doing his level best to scuttle them.
The poor, pitiful Tom Tait spin doesn’t wash.
Reply
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October 13, 2014 at 12:10 pm
Ryan Cantor
Dear Lord.
You know that land and capital are equivalent, right?
In this case, Anaheim is putting up hundreds of millions of dollars worth of land. That’s risk. The MOU gave back nothing in exchange.
If this is just ignorance on your part, fine. That’s excusable. I honestly can understand that. It’s not excusable for Kring. At her level, it’s incompetence.
You should really try to understand this. Hundreds of millions of dollars risked by the pubic (that’s a fact. Don’t try to waffle out if it) and no profit returned to the city. The value put forth by the city is probably greater than the cost to engineer and build in the land, yet Moreno would keep all of it while only expending what he’s already obligated to expend under the existing lease.
To top it all off, the council gave Moreno three extra years to develop a deal to leverage against Anaheim and got nothing in return! That’s not leadership. It’s just incompetence.
I get you’re angry. I get that you want to win. But the MOUs were absolutely horrible.
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October 13, 2014 at 1:49 pm
David Zenger
“Maybe you you are free with your opinions, Zenger, but that isn’t the same thing as being honest. And there is, in my opinion, a dishonest statement in the same comment”
Calling me a liar? Telling me what I actually think. naughty, naughty. You have violated two of Cunningham’s “rules,” personnal attack and mind reading! 🙂
And from an even stupider steaming pile blog, DanCe, ever quick with the defamation lawsuit threat (he won one by default, so he must be an expert):
“By and by Cynthia, you and the Tait clown car have done a merry little job of defaming Lisa Lewis, a private citizen who has never contributed a dime to any candidate. She is not a public figure. Don’t be shocked if and when you’re served with a defamation lawsuit.”
Aha, haha! Oh, bring it on Lisa! Can’t wait for the depos!
He needs to worry much more about explaining how (and from whom) he got the advance copy of the “court document” maligning Pettibone. Maybe he and Lisa Lewis got it from the same person. I wonder if they’ll compare notes.
P.S.: “By and by”?
I’m reminded of Sam Jackson’s house slave Stephen singing “In the sweet by and by…” and Django Freeman responding from the balcony, “You’ll all be joining Calvin in the sweet by and by soon enough.” Does that make Cunningham Billy Crash, and Pringle Calvin Candie?
And us Django!
In the “Nobody Told Me” Category…
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October 13, 2014 at 4:18 pm
David Zenger
Golly, I guess it means they prefer a guy who dropped out to Murray or Eastman.