“You can't believe people when they look you in the eyes. You gotta' look behind them. See what they're standing in front of. What they're hiding. Everyone's hiding, Wes. Everybody. Nobody looks like what they are.”― Sam Shepard, Curse of the Starving Class
There is a false narrative pursuant to the vacancy for Carlsbad's First District City Council seat. It is a myth begging to be debunked. That is the idea that each and every 2018 vote that went to Linda Hendrickson Breen (3rd Place) and David McGee (4th Place) were votes that would have gone to the unfortunate Babs Hamilton, and those combined represented some sweeping mandate for Cori-ism.
That is about as credible as their claim that the new candidate of Babs and her "mean girl" handlers singlehandedly multiplied voter turnout in the barrio. If one were inclined to gaze upon ROV records while looking at who registered the newest voters in 2018, their choice (Simon Angel) would have registered far fewer than any average Flip the 49th volunteer. Here's a note from a leading architect of the Hamilton debacle.
The ridiculous sense of entitlement that drove Hamilton's manic quest to appoint her own successor is predicated on fantasy, myth, and magical thinking. The fantasy is that one can predict voter second or third choices without polling or ranked-choice voting. Mr. McGee's comments last week substantiate our analysis, that he also had a cohort of strong supporters that were organic to his campaign and efforts. And lest we forget, here is a note from the "activist" who actually seeks to be seen as an inheritor of the Babs Hamilton Legacy. "The torch has been (apparently) passed....", to a new generation of Coricrats and NIMBYs.
One myth is that Barbara Hamilton lost significant Democratic votes to Linda Breen because of Ms. Breen's status as the only true Democrat in the race. It is certainly true that there were many voters appalled at the tactics involved in Hamilton's endorsement by DEMCCO, including her last-minute registration change and concealment of her odd failure to vote in elections.
That does not explain how a campaign that ran a vacuous and vicious underground strategy designed solely to ruin one candidate amongst Democrats in District One, would possibly have received votes from people turned off by their deceit. A cursory look at the campaign literature and media put out by both the McGee and Breen campaigns was devoid of any anti-incumbent "change" arguments, much less one that would substantiate this delusion. A review of the targeting and canvassing records of Ms. Breen's campaign makes it clear that she targeted voters of all political parties, and won support from a diverse group.
The term "Magical Thinking" comes to mind when we look at the arguments that Barbara Hamilton's votes were somehow unique from those of Ms. Schumacher. The dictionary definition of impossible to prove is a hypothesis is that all of the votes for Tracy Carmichael were for the "status quo" and all other votes were for "change" that would have gone to Hamilton.
Those assertions are about as credible as the combined Hamilton, Schumacher, and Boerner Horvath campaign's assertion that every utterance by Barbara's handlers was "Kind, Necessary, and True." And about Babs seemingly being endorsed by the estate of Fred Rogers...I hear that inimitable voice, "Can you say possible "copyright infringement?" I bet you can."
Unable to conceal their animus for Ms. Breen's defiance by running, the Hamilton team saw their publically unctuous and privately toxic campaign tactics fail to obscure Hamilton's deficiencies. Those not susceptible to a unique form of weaponized "whipping" better suited to Saddam's Baath Party, were left wondering why they had to vote for an unknown candidate with scanty knowledge or understanding of the issues in Carlsbad. Being publicly called out on their vicious campaign of destruction, their "kind, necessary, true" schtick fell flat, and their "Won't you be my neighbor?" campaign was rendered inoperative.
In the final analysis, Cori's supporters were brought on board with a clear "Cori needs your vote" appeal coupled with threats of lifelong social and political ostracism for their non-compliance. The number of voters canvassed by campaigns who split their ticket between the surfer savant and the non-Hamilton Council candidates was so few in number, they could have had a convention in a phone booth.
Only a highly biased observer or one deluded by hatred can adopt a delusional enough thought process that can arrive at the conclusion that Barbara Hamilton would have gained the votes of those gravely disaffected by her campaign's tactics, to have won a two-way race against Tracy Carmichael by picking up all the other candidate's votes.
We all know how the story ends, with a predictable public and private struggle of egos and wills with Cori Schumacher, culminating in the resignation of Barbara Hamilton. In a matter of months, Carlsbad may well face a special election in District One to replace a Councilwoman elected under a cloak of falsity and intimidation.
Supporters of Councilwoman Schumacher are planning a petition drive to force a special election in the district she rents an apartment in. Having made Barbara Hamilton, and having broken Barbara Hamilton, Carlsbad's Surfer Savant is ready to pick up all the marbles spilt by bullying her creation into quitting.
One does wonder what might happen when all the votes a candidate bullied by Cori in 2018 are added to those the Councilwoman bullied out of office in 2019 received. That just might be the "majority for change" many are looking for,...
