AnaheimBlog Censortopia Open Thread, Round 3

Skadoosh! 3

Final pre-elections version!

We are well-passed 100 comments on the second installment of this series — so even though there may now actually be fewer days left before the election than AnaheimBlog has actual individual commenters, it’s time to put up this final pre-election installment.  The Skadooshy Awards commemorate the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce’s decision just to suppress opposing contrary voices altogether, especially if they showed sound and incisive analysis, and honor the things that we would have said there had such commentary been allowed.

They also now cover some Kremlinology-type activities, trying to see how the Anaheim elections are going based on the polling data that is being fed to Pringle Company Vice-President and registered lobbyist Todd “Anaheim Insider” Priest, chewed thoroughly, and then regurgitated into the beak of Matt Cunningham.  And, frankly, at this late date, they also cover anything else that our regulars and honored guests want to toss out there.  You want to make a prediction?  Fine, you can do it here — but we will keep track of it and time permitting will make fun of you later this week.  Election predictions have consequences.

What can we learn from recent writings on AnaheimBlog?

1. They have all but conceded the Mayoral election to Tait

Sometime between October 24 (which saw multiple nasty and forceful attacks on Tait himself) and October 28 (which featured whining), Tait’s opponents appear to have mostly given up.  If Kring — or even Galloway, who has received continually respectful treatment on the Chamber of Commerce’s blog — were anywhere within shouting distance of Tait, they would be hammering on him constantly.  Instead, the attacks on Tait — when they’re not simply pissy — are in the service of subsidiary issues.  They (1) attack his parents for funding attacks on Kris Murray and Gail Eastman; (2) attack him for his (tacit but obvious given the alternatives) rooting for Dr. Jose F. Moreno (#1), as distinct from recidivist irritant JoJo Moreno (#2); and (3) attack him for supporting Measure L.  No affirmative case is being made for Kring — or even Galloway.  So that’s likely a relief for many readers.  (Of course, if his supporters fail to show up on Tuesday, all of that could change.)

2. Dr. Moreno is driving them to heights of acute wackiness

Of the five political stories on the Cunningblog Friday and Saturday, three were attacks on Moreno.  (One was whining about why people support Tait; one was on Disney spending and the districting measure.)  That doesn’t happen unless Moreno is doing pretty darn well.  (It may also be why Jordan Brandman was forced to betray his party and Latinos in the most destructive mailer of the election — at least for his career.)  I’m not party to the polling data that they can buy with that Disney money, but this suggests that Vanderbilt is either comfortably leading or trailing and that Moreno is probably second or third.  Judging from the vitriol and monomaniacal focus, I’m guessing that he’s several points ahead of Murray.  Without Murray on the City Council, the Pringle machine on the City Council can still run — but it will not fire on all cylinders.  Brandman can’t explain what Pringle wants to do, Eastman isn’t in the loop, and Kring is likely to be bitter bitter bitter that all of that money was spent on Murray (and, incidentally, Eastman) while they gave up on her race early.  She’s probably going to be fine if Murray has to come back and explain what Pringle wants people to do in Public Comments.  I for one look forward to that.

3. The campaign against Measure L seems sullen and perfunctory

Again, I haven’t seen polls, but from the Cunningblog I suspect that Measure L is comfortably ahead at this point.  The tone of Measure L coverage tends towards the sullen rather than triumphant.  The content, meanwhile, is perfunctory: two of the stories on Measure L feature little except Gloria Ma’ae and Ron Bengochea speaking at the last Council meeting.  One gets the sense that at this point Cunningham is covering it just because he’s getting paid to — so including a couple of short speeches by citizens helps him keep up appearances.  Fine by me.  I’m still planning on spending Election Day making calls for Measure L.  I’d like to see a decisive, crunching victory there — and with Disney’s almost $700,000 of spending that we know of so far, the idea that districts should be small enough to walk over the course of eight months is getting more and more appealing.

Meanwhile, five of the last seven articles published by Cunningham’s pal Chumley on his blog have been on Irvine.  Anaheim was apparently a lot more interesting to him when Galloway and Murray had more of a chance.  Just as well; the Irvine beat is pretty much a full-time job right now.

Your turn.


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)