Since we no longer can take for granted the old days of civility, it should be noted that Scott Malsin, the casualty of last Tuesday’s City Council election, laudably conducted himself as a well-bred gentleman throughout the campaign.
Which is far more than a generous, imaginative observer could say of most of Mr. Malsin’s critics. They wore masks. They hung out in heavy shrubbery. Only their worn sneakers were visible.
Mr. Malsin had to be thinking rhetorical bullets the final six weeks when the meanest, nastiest jibes –most spawned by raw, puerile jealousy – were unloaded, especially by those critics who clouded their identity.
Courageously, the candidate held his fire. That speaks to Mr. Malsin’s strength of character.
Last year, while he spent six months making up his mind about healthcare and remaining on the City Council, I was his harshest critic.
Last Tuesday, I was disappointed by his loss.
I was pleased, though, to see him grip defeat with admirable aplomb, drawing a further distinction between his conduct and the behavior of anti-Malsin flamethrowers.
Undeniably, there are dents in Mr. Malsin’s character, a whiff of pomposity and a splash of arrogance. So what? When you are the smartest person in the room, isn’t there a limit to the bounds of modesty?
Every person who lives in public life happily sacrifices more than a pinch of humility that comes naturally to others.
In public, it is mandatory to believe you are more muscular, more capable than the competition. Else, why not go back home and puff on your corncob pipe? If you are on the periphery of confidence, you are guaranteed to sink.
We may thank our Dear Leader Swishy Obama for ordering his Left minions to declare envy of all who have worked harder and earned more than most liberals.
Such a disgusting attitude badgered Mr. Malsin, starting with the dreadful behavior by Culver City Friends of the Animals. Their doggies must have eaten their ethics when, in early March, they sent a blast email that told an untruth about Mr. Malsin.
When you have an opponent who crawls, it can be tough to convince normal people you are the one being honest.
Lacking faith in their shaky argument that Mr. Malsin’s unknown income should disqualify him from healthcare benefits critics euphemistically knocked on his door every night at home to annoy him.
Make him think he is hearing things even though he had rendered a morally, ethically proper decision to retain his health benefits.
His critics, no doubt, are gleefully dancing around the crackling campfire this week.
However, Mr. Malsin’s peace of mind over his choices should be more rewarding and enduring.
