Tom Tancredo and the 527
I'm not arguing that this exclusively happens to members of any one political party - candidates from both parties get smeared - but here's a refutation of claims against Tom Tancredo, published by the Denver Post:
Examples of excess abound, but surely one of the worst is a current radio ad attacking Tom Tancredo, the Republican congressman from Colorado's 6th Congressional District....
"Dear Congressman Tancredo: Our family teaches the values of acceptance and the evils of racism, which is why we are so disappointed in your conduct. You spend time in Congress trying to punish immigrant workers but turn a blind eye while cheap illegal labor was used on your home. You spend $25,000 of our tax money on a fear-mongering survey that The Denver Post said activated us against immigration. Then you attacked an honor roll student for pursuing the dream of a college education, just because his family wasn't born in America. And all the while you are living a broken promise, to not serve more than three terms in Congress. Seeing your behavior, we are one family that wished you kept your pledge. They said bigotry is learned, which is why we work to teach tolerance. Tell us, Mr. Tancredo: Where do you learn such intolerance? Please stop.
Sincerely, Nora Evans, Greenwood Village, Colorado. Paid for by Coloradans for Plain Talk."
As it turns out, this ad is both malicious and false. To begin with, Nora Evans doesn't exist...[E]ventually the ad agency responsible for the ad acknowledged the woman is fictitious.
So is almost everything else in the ad. The allegation about Tancredo's use of "illegal" labor on a home theater project is old and has previously been discredited....The contractor later disputed the claim that he had hired illegals and provided appropriate documentation.
The reference to the honor student is similarly willfully dishonest. The dispute involving the student had nothing to do with the fact that he "wasn't born in America." It had everything to do with the fact that he and his family had publicly boasted that they were here illegally and were nonetheless entitled to in-state college tuition rates. What Tancredo ultimately objected to was the campaign by some in the Mexican government and in this country to win benefits for people who broke immigration laws.
The reference to the broken term-limits pledge is also a selective cheap shot. Tancredo did break a pledge to limit himself to three terms, but significantly, he made that intent known in plenty of time for voters to take it into account before electing him to a third term.
The Nora Evans ad is funded by contributions from three multimillionaire Democrats - Jared Polis, Tim Gill and Pat Stryker. These three, and their 527 corporation, are proof that the recently "fixed" campaign finance system still badly needs fixing. There is no valid and sensible reason why the "idle rich" should have a megaphone while everyone else must speak in a whisper....
Here's some more on the plain talkers (hmm...sounds Amish to me).
The committee, called Coloradans for Plain Talk, used to operate under the name Colorado Families First.
It is led by three wealthy Democrats: Jared Polis, Tim Gilland and Pat Stryker.
Last month, the group began airing two controversial anti-[Marilyn] Musgrave television ads. The first showed a Musgrave look-alike stealing a watch from a corpse and referred to the Republican congresswoman's vote against barring nursing homes from charging fees after a patient has died.
The second ad featured a Musgrave look-alike picking the pocket of a soldier and referred to her vote to cut veterans' benefits in a preliminary vote in March. Full benefits and a significant funding increase were added in the final budget bill in July, which Musgrave supported.
Some politicos predicted that the Musgrave ads were so harsh they would hurt her Democratic opponent, Stan Matsunaka.
And still more:
The letter from the first-term Fourth District congresswoman cited television ads from a group calling itself Coloradans for Plain Talk, which receives financial support from a software entrepreneur, a state Board of Education member and a health care heiress.
One ad shows a Musgrave look-alike stealing a watch from a corpse while referring to her vote against barring nursing homes from charging fees after a patient dies....
Musgrave's Democratic opponent, Stan Matsunaka, said he disapproved of the television spots. "I certainly wouldn't do ads like that," he said.
Pro-Musgrave forces responded with their own attack ads, including one with Howard Dean's famous campaign-trail scream coupled with descriptions of Matsunaka's platform.
OK, so Musgrave's fighting fire with fire, but EVERYONE makes fun of Howard Dean's scream. Even Howard Dean is making fun of Howard Dean's scream (I heard him in a commercial for some travel-related something or another). It's not like stealing a watch from a corpse.
You know, a Howard Dean vs. Pat Buchanan election contest would have been REALLY fun...
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