My first impression of Gary Abrams last month was that he was a pleasantly sedate, low key, strongly likeable fellow. My second impression reminded me of my earlier marriages: How I could have been so wrong?
What to make of Mr. Abrams’ exceedingly bizarre message to voters in yesterday’s edition (“From the Heart of Gary Abrams”)?
What a remarkable lack of discipline and maturity he displayed, especially for a newly public figure standing before the community for the first time.
If Mr. Abrams had any chance in the Nov. 3 School Board race, and it never was much, this 1200-word extraordinarily indiscreet diatribe should have ended it.
Whining about the rules of the forums — a developing pattern by Mr. Abrams that bobbed up earlier in the race — is tiresome and stunningly unbecoming. Kvetching about the rules that all others live by is cute only in a child — and then just the first time.
Such a selfish attitude suggests a candidate definitely not ready for prime time.
His volatile, disappointingly uneven voice mostly was a marginally coherent ramble, lightly seasoned with several gossipily amusing takeouts. His riffs on his rivals — what committed candidate would want them disclosed? —may have evoked titters. But the surrounding language was so intemperate that it muffled the message’s remotely redeeming aspects.
It was the kind of embarrassing swing-back that an emotional person who is angry will pound out after a passionate confrontation. He will show the scorching For Your Eyes Only document to his wife, if he dares. Then he will destroy it so thoroughly that no one who ever has heard of him can find a smidgen of it.
Talk about a candidate committing self-immolation.
Why would a candidate for public office willfully damage himself in front of the community whose respect he is — supposedly — seeking to gain?
Ask a doctor.
Initially, he presented himself as a reluctant candidate who was drafted by admirers. A serious candidate would have chosen one of two courses — attend School Board meetings, plunge into scholarly research and meet with principal players or, alternatively, sit on the sidelines, blush and emulate a wallflower.
He was recruited 3 months ago. Based on pronouncements I have heard from him, he has made no attempt to acquaint himself with the subject matter. Last I heard, he still was pondering whether to support the Parcel Tax on the Nov. 3 ballot. The hour is late.
His performance at last week’s Culver City Democratic Club candidates’ forum was, to be charitable, inappropriate.
All candidates for public office, but especially first timers, shine their shoes a little brighter, stand in front of the mirror a little longer, triple-check their grooming to show respect for their audience — unless they are trying to sabotage their own campaigns.
Mr. Abrams turned up in a tee-shirt and baseball cap, a breach of etiquette obvious to the least sophisticated person in the crowded room.
When the Teachers Union unexpectedly voted its third-chair endorsement to the popular volunteer classroom aide last month, it was noted that while Mr. Abrams was the least sophisticated of the 6 contenders, his engaging authenticity transcended his perceived shortcomings.
Branding him unsophisticated has grated Mr. Abrams.
Overnight, he has grown rabbit ears the size of Swish Obama’s. Swish, unaccustomed to criticism, swears all who disagree with him are racists, liars or right-handers.
Just as Mr. Obama will have to overcome this immaturity to survive in politics, Mr. Abrams, too, must shed his rabbit ears or risk looking petulant.
If Mr. Abrams possesses discussable knowledge of any issues, even those peripheral to the School District, he adroitly managed to keep them concealed from the Dem Club audience.
“I am a man of the people, and the people will tell me what they want done,” is a silly formulation that only ever worked in bad movies.
Hiding an astonishing absence of even rudimentary information is like boarding a piper cub plane with a can of red paint and threatening to re-paint the sky a different hue.
Aw-shucks candidates act that way because they don’t know better. Their dreary poses went out of style with the end of silent films.
Candidates have rebounded from worse gaffes, and that is Mr. Abrams’ challenge with the election 7 weeks from today.
