for BigTrial.net
In their last public debate of the campaign for D.A., Carlos Vega the challenger repeatedly blasted incumbent Larry Krasner as a "white, rich out-of-touch elitist."
"I have been very fortunate in my life," he said. "But when I grew up I did not go to private schools. I was born in St. Louis. I went to an inner city school in St. Louis, the Pershing Elementary School, until I was 8 or 9."
When his family moved to Pennsylvania, Krasner said, he attended "Philadelphia area public schools."
Then, Krasner went for the heartstrings.
His father, a veteran, Krasner said, "spent decades in a wheelchair."
"He had no hips," Krasner said, pausing for effect, while looking pained and licking his lips.
"He received Social Security benefits," Krasner said about his father. As he talked slowly, Krasner removed his glasses, while his voice was breaking.
"I ate on food stamps," Krasner said. About his father, "he came from an immigrant family," Krasner said. "I'm the first lawyer in that family."
"My opponent knows that," Krasner said. But, Krasner said, Vega will "try and deceive you to win an election."
[For all you amateur sleuths out there who want to go to the videotape to see whether Larry's crocodile tears are real, the show starts at 1:08:43 on the youtube video.]
It was the highlight of a combative debate that had Vega, as the underdog challenger, not only taking on incumbent Krasner, and his billionaire backers like George Soros.
But with journalism being as partisan and progressive as it is today, Vega also had to single-handedly debate the three obviously biased pro-Krasner moderators of the debate -- WURD radio host Charles Ellison; Joann Bell, founder of the Black Women's Leadership Conference; and Solomon Jones, WURD radio host, and official Philadelphia Inquirer columnist of color.
Throughout the debate, the hosts took turns grilling Vega on the support he's received from the FOP and a police PAC.
Every time that topic came up, Vega explained that he was the only candidate for D.A. who had held police accountable by successfully prosecuting a couple of police officers.
"I've put cops in jail," Vega said. Meanwhile, Vega said, his opponent, Progressive Larry Krasner, had indicted 51 cops for various crimes, but has never won a single conviction, and has never sent a single cop to jail.
Then, after he got through talking about how he had held cops accountable, Vega told the trio of pro-Krasner hosts, "Let's talk about holding the D.A.'s office accountable."
Vega then rattled off the names of five employees in Krasner's office who had gotten into ethical or legal trouble.
Vega's first target was Assistant District Attorney Anthony Voci, Krasner's onetime head of homicide who was transferred to the homicide unit after an alleged road rage incident involving a young black female motorist.
"He had her arrested, her car confiscated, she lost her job," Vega said. "Now, she's suing the city for millions."
Meanwhile, Vega said, Voci still has his $160,000 a year job at the D.A.'s office.
"Where's the accountability in that office," Vega asked. "He [Voci] abused his power" by bringing a police inspector with him to arrest the black female motorist at her house. He [Voci] brought "the full force of the police department" down on that one person, Vega charged.