Even by her own low standards, Betty Arenson’s attack on Christy Smith reeked of hypocrisy, much like the Capt. Renault character in “Casablanca” who was “shocked, shocked to find gambling is going on in here.”
The gist of Christy Smith’s remarks was that Mike Garcia’s sole basis for running in the election is that he is a former fighter pilot. Despite Arenson’s hysteria, no one was mocking Garcia’s military service. Democrats are not “swift-boaters.” We leave that particularly odious style of political attacks to Republicans. But any analysis of Garcia’s webpage, or his interviews, shows a man who is singularly unqualified to be a congressman. He has no health care plan, he has no ideas how to deal with the pandemic, he does not support Medicare. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but does not, or will not, say what he would replace it with. We are on the cusp of the greatest economic meltdown in our memory and his solution is to have private charities step in and do, what? The only thing he seems to support is the tax cut law that stripped many of our constituents of their state and local tax deductions, so that the wealthy could get a huge slice, at our expense.
No, Betty, we respect Garcia’s service, and I am sure he loves his family. He’s just not even remotely qualified to deal with the issues facing this district. I think it is laudable that you want to defend veterans against spurious attacks, but when Donald Trump said of John McCain, “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured,” I don’t recall your shock and indignation. Therefore I am unmoved by your crocodile tears.
Lynn Wright
Valencia
