Cassie DeOpportunist

Steve Greenhut nails Cassie DeYoung's opportunism on the TriTunnel project over at Orange Punch Blog:

Cassie DeYoung voted to support tunnel in 2003

On Dec. 2, 2003, the Laguna Niguel City Council passed a resolution by a unanimous vote "requesting full consideration of the proposed Tri-Tunnel express project." Councilwoman Cassie DeYoung, who recently sent out a scare-mongering election flyer opposing the "terrible tunnel," voted yes on the resolution.

It stated, in part:

WHEREAS, Orange County's population continues to grow and the continued success of our economy is dependent upon its ability to move people, goods and services; and

WHEREAS, transportation officials in Orange and Riverside county have been discussing ways to alleviate traffic congestion between these two counties; and

WHEREAS, on November 18, 2003, the Laguna Niguel City Council heard a presentation by representatives from the Tri-Tunnel Express nonprofit, educational corporation; ...

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Laguna Niguel City Council does hereby request Orange and Riverside County Transportation agencies to give full consideration to the proposed Tri-Tunnel Express project when reviewing transportation alternatives to alleviate traffic congestion between Orange and Riverside counties" ...

What changed? Could it be that DeYoung thinks she found an issue to exploit for her run for supervisor?

Posted by Steven Greenhut -- [email protected] at 4:58 PM

"Independent Leadership", huh?  I'll have to shoot off an e-mail to the DeYoung comment asking for an explanation.

Comments

[Blog Watcher]

Is she not allowed to change her mind? A friend of mine told me Greenhut was a democrat in college.

Should we hold him accountable for all his actions back then as well?

[Laguna Niguel Republican]

Cassie went from voting for a pro-tunnel resolution less than two years ago to grandstanding against the "terrible tunnel" today. That exposes her as a hypocrite who can't be trusted on any issue, something those of us in LN have come to know on our own over the last few years.

[Blog Watcher]

She'll fit right in.

[Intensified!]

Blog watcher:

DeYoung is making the tunnel a centerpiece of her campaign.

She has taken two sides of what she considers a high profile issue while holding the same office - Laguna Niguel Council.

It's not as if her views have changed since childhood: She has taken two opposite opinions within two years and all while being politically involved enough to be an elected city council member.

[Blog Watcher]

Then what is a proper length of time before someone is allowed to change their mind and maintain credibility?

[gopher]

Oops! Looks like Cassie has been Kerryfied. I was for the tunnel before I was against it. I think we have found weapons of mass confusion in L.N.

[Jubal]

Then what is a proper length of time before someone is allowed to change their mind and maintain credibility?

The brief interval between taking starkly opposed positions is in itself suspicious, Blog Watcher.

Even more damning thing about DeYoung's flip-flop is there hasn't been some new revelation about the TriTunnel project during that interval.

If there is some new information that caused DeYoung to change her mind, maybe she could share it with the rest of the world.

[Intensified!]

Perhaps Cassie DeYoung can enlighten us as to why she "changed her mind."

Was she so ill-informed and hasty to get it wrong two years ago?

Is she flighty and easily subject to influence.

Is she an opportunist that will change her position on an issue just to get ink in the newspaper?

It doesn't look good for DeYoung. Either she's a poorly informed member of the council, she's wishy-washy, or an opportunist willing to trade her vote away for personal gain.

I'll concede that many go through a political maturation or have circumstances in their lives that impact their ideology. Sometime people learn something they didn't know before to come to a new conclusion on an issue. Sometimes there are major events, such as 9/11 that change people's outlook.

However, given the circumstances with DeYoung:

Was she politically immature two years ago as a councilmember?

Is there some sort of traffic incident in DeYoung's life that has changed her views about highways and tunnels in the last two years?

Has there been an event that has shaken the landscape of Orange County transportation?

[fact of the matter]

I think it has less to do with the "length of time" and more to do with the severity of the rhetoric.

she's coming out swinging with this as her primary stance.

instead of saying she's willing to think otherwise, or willing to look into various solutions etc.

it's reactionary and clearly pre-calcuated.

it's a blunder if she previously supported it.

that's the fact of the matter.

[Laguna Niguel Larry]

Hypocrite is being nice. Let me add a few more descriptions that may fit the Councilwomen:

Charlatan
Fraud
Imposter
Con Artist
Phony
Sham
Liar

Councilwomen DeYoung should not be a Supervisor, she should be supervised

[DR]

Since when is voting to request "full consideration" of an issue an endorsement? If someone asks me to support them and I agree to give their request "full consideration", does that mean I support the person? I hope not, for I have used the "full consideration" dodge many times to get pesky people out of my office or off my telephone.

From the flurry of comments about her tunnel press release, it appears that Ms. DeYoung has stunned the Bates camp and caught them napping. I think what we are seeing is called "catch up."

Go to it ladies. I'll hold your purses.

[Laguna Niguel Republican]

LN Larry - you are so right. You must of been watching Cassie with disgust for as long as I have.

And DR, if the Bates camp is "stunned" as you say, it is probably because they are stunned at what a blunder Cassie's team made.

[Irish Eyes]

In response to the "Laguna Niguel Larry" post, let me say this: I find it amazing that knuckleheads can't fathom a person changing their opinions - particularly in the light of new information. We abandoned the flat earth idea some time ago, in favor of something closer to reality. Cassie DeYoung has always had concerns over the environmental issues related to the 241 extension, and has told the TCA so.

We were all sold a bill of goods by the TCA on how the 241 extension would help relieve the congestion on the I-5. But the latest projection by the more independent OCTA shows that the 241 extension would do "nada" to change the I-5 traffic problem.

What to do? What to do? If Cassie demonstrates leadership and changes her position in the light of new and pertinent information, the knuckleheads will shout "flip flop". If she "stays the course" in the face of overwhelming TCA contradictions on the 241 issue, the knuckleheads will tell us she is too set in her ways.

The only consistent thread in all this in that the knuckleheads remain knuckleheads.