Re “I Am Stupid, and You Cannot Change My Mind”
[img]1294|right|Christopher Armenta||no_popup[/img]The heavily criticized mailer that state Assembly candidate Christopher Armenta sent out last week to select homes, lashing at the race favorite’s alleged nepotism, was so egregious that even the neutral moderator of last evening’s Culver City Democratic Club forum, before a virulently pro-Armenta crowd, was moved to ask two haunting questions:
• “Do you have any explanation?”
• “Do you regret sending out the mailer?”
Undaunted, the ever-smiling Mr. Armenta not only threw off the inquiries by Gary Walker of the Culver City News, he swung back even harder.
He scarcely could wait to reach the only microphone in the Rotunda Room at the Vets Auditorium.
Standing by His Claims
“No,” Mr. Armenta answered promptly, plainly. “I am actually outraged. That’s why I did it. This is a hijacking of democracy.”
Uncommonly aggressive, he was on offense the whole time.
During his decade at City Hall, the normally mild-mannered former City Councilman rarely was heard to utter a critical syllable about a remote topic, let alone a germane one.
Let there be no doubt that Mr. Armenta not only believes, but waves a flag loudly and proudly to proclaim in stentorian tones. that the single reason 26-year-old Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is in a commanding if not dominant position and has raised a half million dollars “in special interest money” for the Dec. 3 special election, is because he is the son of the powerful County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
In the avalanche of criticism that has thundered down and washed over Mr. Armenta during the past week’s uproar, an almost throwaway scene late last evening at the monthly meeting of the Democratic Club should not be overlooked.
While Club President Bill Wynn was taking candidate-support comments from the crowd, a relatively unknown young man, Democratic Party activist Loren Scott stepped to the microphone for a single reason.
He virtually accused Mr. Armenta of lying, though he did not use that term, about why he left the race.
‘Armenta Did Not Tell Truth’
In the blatantly acerbic Armenta mailer, that features an unflattering Ridley-Thomas photo and accuses the County Supervisor of “orchestrating” his son’s election by orchestrating fundraising from special interests, orchestrating the election date in the middle of Chanukah, and forcing “qualified” candidates out of the race, Mr. Scott finally said whoa.
He charged Mr. Armenta with spreading “a falsehood.”
Mr. Scott said he left the race because he was getting married.
Working in Sacramento, 400 miles from home, was no place for a newly minted groom to be spending his days, he said.
Neither the crowd nor Mr. Armenta flinched.
Even the presumably evenhanded Los Angeles County Democratic Party found the Armenta mailer so offensive that Chair Eric Bauman told Mr. Armenta (see his nearby letter):
“There are too many falsehoods in your attack to refute one-by-one.”
[img]1987|left|Sebastian Ridley-Thomas||no_popup[/img]For his part, Mr. Ridley-Thomas took the gentlemen’s route. Except for once accusing his opponent of “gutter politics,” and carefully, firmly, in a low-key way, refuting each of Mr. Armenta’s charges, he shrugged off the bomb-throwing.
Instead, Mr. Ridley-Thomas became the first state Legislature contender in recent memory to emphasize, repeatedly, the centrality of Culver City and its specific interests to his campaign and to his campaign and to his proposed legislative agenda.
While Mr. Armenta constantly stamped himself with far greater seasoning than Mr. Ridley-Thomas – he is twice his younger opponent’s age – Mr. Ridley-Thomas has worked in Sacramento and Washington. Insiders say Mr. Ridley-Thomas possesses far more legislative contacts and influence than Mr. Armenta, whose service has been entirely in Culver City. Mr. Armenta contends this is to his advantage because, having lived here all of his life, he knows the needs and desires of residents better than anyone in the three-way race.
At times, the standing-room-only crowd of hometown Democrats seemed poised to hoist Mr. Armenta on their shoulders and shout “Hosannahs!”
The easiest call of the night was that Mr. Armenta, effusively lauded by admirers in the audience as an “experienced” politician – as opposed to the youthful Mr. Ridley-Thomas – would win a lopsided endorsement from his Culver City neighbors.
Although there were about a hundred people in the room, around the perimeter and practically out the door, only 58 were voting members of the Democratic Club. This meant 35 votes (60 percent) were needed for endorsement, and Mr. Armenta ran away, 45 votes to 11, with a single ballot cast for likely third-place finisher the impressive John Jake.
