By Jerry Bernstein
Sometimes I think my Friend from Fruitcake, Florida has a crystal ball, which he looks at, and it tells him what is going on. A few days ago, for instance, he walked into the office and asked, “ What’s going on in Hawaiian Garden?”
I looked at him and said, “What do you hear?”
Not one to beat around the bush, he said, “Back in Fruitcake when a candidate runs for office and makes a commitment to his/her supporters, it’s kept.”
“That’s understood,” I replied, “but sometimes circumstances prevents a candidate from keeping his promises.”
“That’s true,” he said, “but back in Fruitcake, the candidate tries to explain why he can’t keep his commitment.” He paused for a moment, “but when he doesn’t even try to explain and just keeps silent, it begins to look like he only made the promises just to gain support.”
My Friend from Fruitcake had a point.
“You know what happens? He asked. “His supporters eventually turn against him and he suddenly finds himself marginalized.” He paused a moment. “His so called new friends are just using him under the guise of harmony. We had that happen a few years ago. A candidate running for the Fruitcake city council promised his supporters he would straighten things out in city hall.”
“What happen?” I asked.
“He took the easy way out and didn’t do a thing. Nothing changed.”
“What did his supporters do?
“They turned against him and pulled their support away from him. The next election three seats were open. His former supporters backed three reformed candidates. When the election was over and new majority took over a he was marginalized. When his term was ended he failed in his bid for re-election.
I sat back in my chair, silently going over in my mind what he had just said. “What doe that has to do with Hawaiian Gardens?” I asked.
“If you don’t know, I certainly don’t know,” he replied.
My Friend from Fruitcake, Florida got up to leave, then sat back down in his chair. “You know, “ he said, “Politics is the same no matter where you live. If you don’t keep your promises or at least try to keep them, you wind up alone. No one will trust your word again. It’s true in Fruitcake and here in California. I think Hawaiian Gardens voters know what is going on.
This time my Friend from Fruitcake, Florida got up from his chair and said, “Well, I have to go. I’m having lunch with our friend, “VAL LYNDER, DEFENDER OF ALL THAT IS TRUE.”