It's the first debate in the City Attorney run-off election race, and already Jack Weiss has blotted his copybook with a lie that he was forced to retract.
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Jack Weiss was forced to remove the headline he inserted over the LA Times' report of the debate. Jack Weiss's headline read ’’Jack Weiss Wins First Debate,’’ however the Times article was entitled ''City attorney candidates trade some pointed jabs.''
It's hardy surprising that Jack Weiss tried to misrepresent himself as the 'winner' of the debate. After all, the debate did not go to plan, at least not the Weiss plan.
Even before the debate started, Weiss had placed a large inflatable rat outside the hall. The rat was named 'Tru' and a sign accused Carmen Trutanich of being anti-union. Regardless of the fact that the issue of unionization is irrelevant to the City Attorney race, the cheap shot was harbinger of the 'Weiss plan' for the day.
Weiss had recently courted the Los Angeles County Young Democrats and the Bruin Democrats as partisan supporters for his campaign. Judging by the otherwise inexplicable number of young people holding pro-Weiss signs, LACYD (and the rat) were there to cheer for Weiss without regard for whatever Weiss said.
Once the debate got underway, however, the pro-Weiss cheers appeared to fade as Carmen Trutanich deftly countered Weiss's "Vote for my opponent if you like guns" attacks.
Weiss made frequent reference to the recent acts of gun violence in Oakland and New York, to promote himself as the anti-gun candidate. However, Trutanich countered with the fact the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the LAPD Union, had endorsed Trutanich the day after the New York massacre and well past the slaying of four Oakland police officers. Clearly the 10,000 officers on the streets of Los Angeles feel more comfortable with Trutanich than Weiss.
Trutanich's responses were deft because they laid open Weiss's woeful record. There was a palpable hush in the crowded meeting room when Trutanich revealed Weiss's lack of experience; When Trutanich stated that Weiss had only conducted 2 jury trials in his entire career, Weiss did not dispute that fact even though Weiss previously claimed to have tried 'about 8' jury trials. The "Go Jack Weiss" signs remained still as their holders pondered the record of their hero; Weiss the self proclaimed 'experienced prosecutor.'
Yet more damning evidence of Weiss's inadequacies were visited on the LACYD when Weiss challenged Trutanich's claim that he (Weiss) had been absent from 33% of City Hall meetings.
Weiss said that Trutanich was wrong and should check his facts. Trutanich then produced a print-out of Weiss's attendance at City Hall meetings, including the Public Safety Committee that Weiss chairs. Trutanich offered Weiss a pair of reading glasses and suggested Weiss look at the figures. Oh, and Trutanich also apologized for being wrong on the figures; Weiss was absent 38% of the time, not 33%!
Weiss can hardly claim to have won the debate, unless he considers having his own supporters starting to have doubts a victory. Oh, and the rat? Most of the regular attendees at the LA Coalition of Neighborhood Councils thought the inflatable rodent more akin to Weiss - full of hot air.
The fact that Weiss now has to resort to 'Big Lie' tactics to try to convince the uninformed of the merits of his candidacy underlies the weakness of his candidacy. The real problem for Weiss is just as much his lack of experience as it is that Carmen Trutanich seems to have the facts at his fingertips to not only challenge but refute Weiss's claim to be 'the experienced prosecutor.' Indeed, Trutanich's claim that Weiss is a 'novice' went substantively unchallenged.
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