This race for Assembly District 43 has never really been a nice one. There was a brief peaceful period right after the primary, when Nayiri Nahabedian (the prime ethnic instigator) dropped out and the lone Republican Sunder Ramani went around making proclamations pledging to run a clean, positive campaign. But with Nayiri gone, somebody had to pick up her role. Ramani's people and other internet trolls have made that person out to be Mike Gatto, but with no proof only wild conspiracy theories.
However latest developments prove that Sunder Ramani has picked up where Nayiri left off, and is playing full blown ethnic politics, and this lucky Burbanker has the proof. I've heard for a week or so now about Ramani operatives targeting calls to Armenians and telling them that they shouldn't vote for Gatto because he supports "homosexual legislation". All my Armenian friends have been seriously irked that Ramani thinks he can divide their community with such a classless tact.
However latest developments prove that Sunder Ramani has picked up where Nayiri left off, and is playing full blown ethnic politics, and this lucky Burbanker has the proof. I've heard for a week or so now about Ramani operatives targeting calls to Armenians and telling them that they shouldn't vote for Gatto because he supports "homosexual legislation". All my Armenian friends have been seriously irked that Ramani thinks he can divide their community with such a classless tact.
Thanks to an alert Armenian friend of mine, we now have a recording of one of these calls, which I had a couple trustworthy friends verify. The callers identify themselves as calling from Sunder Ramani's campaign, so there's no question about where these calls are coming from. What's sad is that Ramani is this desperate that he's decided to resort to such lowlife tactics; and it's also disturbing and offensive that he thinks of the Armenian community so simplistically.
While I don't personally know Ramani, so I am reluctant to comment on him or his motive, I can say without fear of contradiction that Gatto is a decent man who deplores the parochialism that has marked this mad scramble to replace Krekorian who ran for the comfort of the LA City Council.
ReplyDeletePoor Paul. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
The Armenian "community" is deeply divided. They will have six years to patch up their differences and find a competent candidate to stand for this seat again.
Good luck to them.
Wow, he's really taking it there? The guy just moved into the district to run in this race and nows he running around breaking up fragile communities. Thanks a lot Ramani.
ReplyDeleteRamani has been a pillar in this community for decades. Compare that to Mike Gatto who has no name ID and lives in a corner of the district that will be in another district after redistricting happens in November.
ReplyDeleteThese lies are despicable.
Gatto just stepped in it. Even if this is a real campaign phone call, it's illegal to record phone conversations without alerting the participants.
ReplyDeleteCampaign violation #12948293
This is the crap that gives all people running for office a bad name.
ReplyDeleteThis is the type of ugliness that has ended many Republican careers.
ReplyDeleteAll of us tolerate Sunder Ramani. We assumed he knows he has no chance here in 2010, but that he was running for 2012.
In 2012, there will be different districts. Perhaps the 43rd will be more conservative. Perhaps Dreier will retire, and Ramani can run in that district (it's well-known he doesn't live in the 43rd, but lives in neighboring La Canada). The Dreier seat also has a huge Indo-American population.
But crap like this is amateurish and not much tolerated in Southern California. It's a stupid move by someone not fit to hold office. Did he not think people would find out about this?
I think it's sick that a campaign would USE another group just for a few votes.
ReplyDelete@5:36...If you read the entire article you'll notice that a private citizen recorded the call.
ReplyDelete@5:29...Calling Ramani a "pillar of the community" is ridiculous and even you must know it. Come on now, let's not get too carried away.
Sunder Ramani is a pillar of the community, all right. Unfortunately, that community is La Canada, which is not in the 43rd district.
ReplyDeleteHe might also perhaps be a pillar of the H8 community, after his other shenanigans surface.
ReplyDeleteWord on the street is that Paul Krekorian is going to rip into Sunder Ramani today for doing this. Paul K is holding a press conference in Burbank tomorrow to excoriate these type of tactics.
Go Paul! Good for you for doing the right thing.
Ramani is:
ReplyDelete(A) playing one group off another
(B) saying things in the ethnic community that he wouldn't say in the white community
(C) picking a wedge issue and using it to get votes;
(D) stereotyping Armenians as hateful and stupid enough to fall for this.
(E) All of the above.