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Friday, September 29, 2006
Heather Wilson Campaign Getting Desperate?
After raising a huge stink about one of the major issues of the campaign season -- Heather Wilson's position in the State Fair Parade -- the campaign has moved on to more deceptively odd spin to try and change the subject on the Bush-Heather team's failures. When you don't want to discuss the Iraq war or how the combined wisdom of 16 of our intelligence agencies has determined the war is making things worse on the terror front, you have to cast about for something.
The latest salvo is the Wilson campaign's bizarre take on the endorsement of Dem challenger Patricia Madrid by the local chapter of the IAFF firefighters union (IAFF Local 244). Despite the local union's official endorsement of Madrid according to their rules, the Wilson campaign is now saying they were "cheated." They even posed their campaign manager, Enrique Knell, in front of an IAFF for Heather banner in a local KRQE-TV news interview last night (see screenshot above). What a transparent attempt to fool viewers into thinking the local IAFF supports Wilson in this race when just the opposite is true. When you can't succeed, you must mislead?
Once again, Wilson and the Republicans are exhibiting their fear of facts. Hey, if you don't like reality, make something up! Bottom line, the local IAFF firefighters union has endorsed Patricia Madrid in her congressional run in NM-01. This, despite backing Wilson in the past. It's clear that more and more people from many walks of life and of varying political stripes have had enough of the Bush agenda and the Republicans, like Wilson, who rubber stamp it.
I can't wait until Karl Rove -- whose close connections with the filthy Jack Abramoff came to light in a new congressional report -- arrives in Albuquerque this Saturday. Besides gathering more cash from fatcats, Rove will no doubt hand off some more of the dirty campaign tactics he's known for. When you're losing on all the genuine issues of the day, as Wilson is, you have to try and deflect attention some way. Be forewarned!
Wilson apparently doesn't want to discuss the fatally flawed Medicare drug bill, the Iraq war and its consequences, how she voted for what is almost certainly a unconstitutional bill on torture and detainees or how she helped Bush tailor his warrantless wiretapping bill. No, her campaign wants to concentrate on pretending to get endorsements they haven't gotten ... and how Heather didn't get the spot she wanted in the State Fair parade!
September 29, 2006 at 12:14 PM in Candidates & Races | Permalink
Comments
And, don't forget Janet Jackson's nipple! That's certainly more important than the war!
Posted by: Janet's Nipple! | Sep 29, 2006 12:31:36 PM
Why let facts get in the way of a campaign distortion?
Posted by: Janet's other nipple | Sep 29, 2006 2:22:48 PM
Exactly why is she getting desperate - hasn't she gone from tied to ahead in the polls?
Posted by: | Sep 29, 2006 2:42:36 PM
All polls except one show the race as a dead heat, within the margin of error. The exception, which is a more unreliable poll (SUSA), is the only one that shows anything better for Wilson, by a couple points.
Also, the almost continuous personal negativity Wilson's campaign has been using in the ads hasn't made any dent. Wilson hasn't pulled ahead and it looks like turnout may well be the difference in the race. Repubs aren't very motivated to go to the polls this year, so that doesn't help them much. I think they're ready to try anything to give Wilson a bump up.
Posted by: barb | Sep 29, 2006 4:10:03 PM
Not only that but an incumbent should be a bunch of points over 50% at this stage of the game to win. Wilson isn't. Most of the pickups late in a race like this usually aren't for the incumbent, they're for the one they're running against.
Posted by: | Sep 29, 2006 5:57:09 PM
Kossian, I don't want to give you reason to redouble your efforts; however, it should be noted that Wilson has never been over 50% at this time. Last go around at this time, there was only a one point difference between Wilson and Romero, and she went on to handily win the race by 10 points.
Posted by: | Sep 30, 2006 9:32:56 AM
That was then. This is now. Madrid is way more popular with Dems than Romero was. And the Bush plague wasn't hanging over Repub candidates like it is now. People want a new direction not more of the same failed policies. When people see Bush and Rove coming in to campaign, they know the score.
Posted by: | Sep 30, 2006 9:38:35 AM
Oh and one other thing, the only way that Madrid was able to "win" a firefighter endorsement was by having the union's board member throw out the proxies by those firefighters who coulldn't be present because they were on duty at the time.
If their proxies had not been thrown out, Wilson would have had the endorsement. Considering all the past posts that have occurred on this site regarding election irregularities, you'd think you would all be a litttle more upset about votes being discounted.
I guess when it come to winning, hypocrisy trumps principles.
Posted by: | Sep 30, 2006 9:38:51 AM
Mario you know better. Elections have rules. Sometimes proxies are accepted and sometimes not. This is true of voting in political parties and unions as in other organizations. Another baseless whine from the right-wingers.
Why not talk about the real issues in this race, like the Iraq War, the give away of millions of dollars to drug companies instead of top notch prescription coverage for our seniors, protecting the right to habeas corpus.
Posted by: James | Sep 30, 2006 6:52:42 PM
