George Santos in Fullerton
Everybody knows the guy who embellishes everything thing he does, often to the extent of fabricating resumes. We encounter these people mostly in the workplace where their toadyism keeps them employed.
Politics seems to attract these types in droves. Why? First, because the only real ability required in politics is getting elected and the self-absorbed, even delusional narcissist’s only real ability is to lay a successful con on people too lazy or indifferent to do a little research. Second, because once you get in to office the slate is often (but not always) wiped quite clean by the investiture of authority.
Which brings me first to George Santos, the serially prevaricating, baby-faced congressman from New York who was elected last fall based on a litany of lies so disturbing and so manifold that you really have to wonder if this loser has any connection to reality at all. His mother didn’t die on 9/11; he wasn’t a Wall Street wolf; he didn’t play volleyball at Baruch College that required knee surgeries. And on and on. But he had branded – gay Republican and that seemed to throw everybody off the aroma emanating from this sad, greasy individual.
These days it’d pretty hard to hide your past if someone goes digging into it. From a chequered past as a Brazilian check kiter and transgender beauty queen, a Jew”ish” person of Ukrainian descent; the lies were so stupid and so plentiful that even the media and the electorate took notice.
I have noticed similar manifestations of the Santos Syndrome here in Orange County.
Exhibit 1 for the Prosecution Fullerton’s D5 Councilmember Ahmad Zahra.
Zahra popped up out of nowhere in 2018 to get himself elected the council. He, like Santos had a brand: first gay Muslim to run for office, etc. But nobody really knew anything about him except what he told them: Syrian refugee, a physician, a film maker. A real noble and honorable story right? There is no local media, the voters were stupid and Zahra’s only competition was Paulette Marshall who was caught committing crimes and had to quit. His 2022 campaign was a compendium of crap that gave him credit for doing things he actually opposed. It even included a fake hetero family.
To the narcissist success means getting other people to believe your bullshit and to love you; to recognize your brilliance without actually having to do anything but throw words they want to her at them. And so Zahra has managed to bamboozle the bamboozlable who have no interest in honesty so long as the their liberal shamanic proprieties have been observed. When the sacrifice has been made, nobody asks what happened to the ritual offering.
For the average Zahra adherent it would be bad form indeed for anybody to inquire if, in fact, that man was ever a doctor or even a real film maker. Or, if, in fact he has ever held a job at all. He could easily provide proof of the professional title he wants people to apply him. He could also have provided proof of the claim that he was exonerated of battery against a woman by the DA. But he never did.
For now Zahra’s little fife and drum corps marches on around the block, supported by the dishonest and the stupid. But for how much longer, I wonder. Like Santos, Zahra paints himself as the perpetual victim, unfairly attacked by his enemies because of this and that. When that little bell starts ringing you can be sure somebody is closing in on a truth about Zahra.
I do not see the title of mayor being conferred on councilman Zahra, anytime soon.
Good post because it captures both sides of the con man’s existence: his own vicious narcissism and the gullibility of the people who invest all of their emotional capital in the long con.
His production company website lists fifteen films, two of which appear on IMDB with him as a producer, and one as producer/director. I don’t know any particular reason to doubt his filmmaking credentials.
https://www.zahrapictures.com/
Haha. When was his last one?
I’m assuming that you’re assuming you can be a “film maker” without actually doing it as an ongoing vocation? If that’s true then anybody can be anything by giving it a go for the week-end.
BTW, I’m making videos this week-end with my beer buddies. Hopefully, a little stylin’ will get us past Youtube and on to IMDB.
The IMDb link from his website shows films made from 2003 to 2014—longer than a weekend. I thought there was a more recent one he screened locally around the time he first ran for election. Either way, getting a professional film made is not easy. Good luck with yours. Let me know if IMDb lists it.
I don’t know what he’s been doing professionally since his last listed credit. Sometimes people in the biz work on other people’s projects to pay the rent, etc. or maybe there’s a long term project in the works. I’m just speculating.
U so nice boy
A regular Orson Welles.
Mr Leslie, please provide me your thoughts on whether Fullertonians should doubt his medical degree.
I’ve heard Zahra claim he’s even performed brain surgery.
Definitely giving off Santos vibes.
It’s disappointing that our politicians are not better vetted by our local press.
My thoughts are that I have no info at all about his medical credentials, I suppose he could post images of his diplomas if he wanted to (?).
I didn’t really answer your question. Speaking for myself, I would say that I have no real reason to doubt that he earned a medical degree, He said he was a filmmaker, and there are websites that would seem to document that claim.
There are also websites that show who’s a doctor. Since he was educated in Britain there is surely some website telling us about his medical diplomas (if any).
Got mine when I was 10 years old. See no reason why anyone would doubt Doctor Zahra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doogie_Howser,_M.D.
Hey, you forgot Dr. Zahra the water expert as designated by Jan Flory because he wrote articles all about the H2O for the sharp Fullerton Observers.
Turned out he just plagiarized (verbatim) crap written by MWD PR stools. He never apologized and neither di any of the Yellowing Observers. So this piece is right on.
May not be a full blown case of Santos Syndrome, but the comparison is worth further investigation. Dude acts like he’s been there, done that. The film thing…okay whatever. He’s said other stuff that has been disproven after fact checking. What exactly has he said about being an MD…on the record?
If he lied or exaggerated any part, I don’t see how the good people would be willing to look the other way. That pesky Santos not going down without a fight, making for some classic theater of the absurd. Wonder if Zahra would do the same if caught fabricating his past.
Just looked at his website. Obtained his M.D. at 23. Are you kidding?
And…MD means something totally different in England. Just google it. He didn’t get an MD. Already looking fishy.
I wonder what it means in Syria. Supposedly he went to the same school as Bashar al-Assad. Maybe classmates?
In my best Larry King voice: So is a doctor that’s a filmmaker or a filmmaker that’s a doctor. What does he know know.
Fullerton gets the leaders it deserves and given it elected Zahra, Fullerton has been very, very naughty and irresponsible.
You left out one of his biggest lies. He told the Voice of OC that he was a “fan” of settling the lawsuit against FFFF and Ferguson/Curlee – a goddam outright lie. He and Quirk-Silva and Fitzgerald were on a personal vendetta and it cost the citizens of Fullerton a small fortune.
Isn’t that what citizen fortunes are for? They exist for bureaucrats to squander on junkets and punish dissent!
♀️
Selfies galore cause ;
I’m too sexy for my shirt
Too sexy for my shirt,
Too sexy. gross
Liar
Liar
Pants on fire
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