Mansoor Pandering

Yesterday the agenda for the Costa Mesa City Council meeting for Tuesday, June 16, 2009 was made available online. As is my practice, I scrolled down through it to see what fun might be in store for us next week.
LOTS OF GOOD STUFF
I blew on past the re-authorization of a 2% tax for the Business Improvement Area; the two items about the proposed In-N-Out Burger joint on Harbor Blvd. and the 405 Freeway; the items dealing with the proposed budget and the item addressing the agreement on the operation of the Costa Mesa Public Golf Course and Country Club. Each of those will take some time Tuesday night and really deserve more than a passing mention.
THE HECK, YOU SAY!

What eventually caught my eye - and frosted my fanny - near the end of the agenda was New Business #1, which reads as follows:
"Request by Mayor Allan Mansoor to consider adoption of a resolution entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, RECOGNIZING THE FLAG OF THE FORMER REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AS THE OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE OVERSEAS."
PHEW!

Now, I know that our young jailer (is he still one?)/mayor is an awkward politician at best, but this absolutely REEKS! Talk about pandering to the electorate! What in the world does this item have to do with Costa Mesa? The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! This is pure political opportunism, using his position as Mayor of Costa Mesa to engage in political pandering to the large Vietnamese population who reside in California Assembly District 68! Oh, yes... did I mention that Mansoor has announced he's running for Van Tran's Assembly seat - the 68th Assembly seat?
HOW ABOUT MEXICO?
Hey, Mr. Mayor, how about a resolution naming the flag of Mexico as the official flag of the local Mexican expatriates? Oh, that's right... there may be a lot of them, but they don't vote.

HOW ABOUT IRELAND?
What about naming the flag of the Republic of Ireland the official flag of all those nice folks from Dublin and Killarney who live in our city? Well, there are not many of them around here, right?

WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
What about the Brits, French, Germans, Poles, Slavs, Nigerians, etc....?
THEY ARE NOT STUPID, MR. MAYOR!

Mr. Mayor, do you really think so little of those voters of Vietnamese ancestry living in the 68th Assembly District that you actually believe they will be fooled by this little shallow gesture? Don't you think at least a few of them might be angry at you for this deception? Don't you think your opponents will use this amateurish pandering against you? What a fool!
INEPT POLITICAL OPPORTUNIST

You, Mr. Mayor, are the worst example I can remember of a flagrant, inept politician. You should be ashamed of yourself and should apologize to the voters of Costa Mesa for your selfish self-promotion while on the dais. You should also apologize to the Vietnamese-American community for this offensive manipulation.
Labels: Allan Mansoor