Tuesday, August 25th, 2009...7:05 am
News from One of the Other Guys Running for Congress
Jesse Kelly’s campaign has been attempting to make him out to be the main opponent to Gabrielle Giffords. Understandable as a stretegy, but it is worth noting that he’s got at least two opponents, one of them is Air Force vet Brian Miller.
Miller’s latest press release is bragging that he agrees with the town hall protesters and he’s got a Gallup Poll that backs up his assertion that most people do too. In particular, he’s pointing to a number that shows that town hall protests made 35% of independents more sympathetic to their side, while only 16% were less sympathetic.
Miller ignores when the poll was taken. The polling memo that Miller links doesn’t give the dates when the poll was taken, but the poll was released August 11. This means that these people were likely polled before many of the worst Nazi-invoking and gun-toting excesses of the protests.
Miller leaves unaddressed the sillier antics of the protesters. Does he believe that Barack Obama and Democratic members of congress are really Nazis? Does he think sloganeering advocating violence is a good thing? Since he states that he is “proud” (his word) to stand with them, I can only assume that agrees with this sort of rhetoric.
By the way, since Miller is bragging about his attendance at these protests, for his sake, I hope he wasn’t the congressional candidate that, as reported to me by two witnesses, was soliciting cash contributions at the rally at La Placita. I’m not sure how that guy was getting the contributor information required by the FEC.
20 Comments
August 25th, 2009 at 9:55 am
No, it was not Brian Miller, Jesse Kelly, or Andy Goss. It was an angry looking older guy with black hair. He looked and sounded like he could have been a Joe Sweeney disciple. But most of the people at those rallies do…
I know that the R’s want to go after Gabby, but they’re going to have to eventually differentiate themselves from one and other. I wonder what that will look like?
August 25th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Sweeney has disciples? -shiver-
August 25th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
At least they were not using the word swastika,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1pjH5_msR4
August 25th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I’ll just mention that both government employees and plain old Arizonans lawfully carry firearms.
99% or more of them don’t brandish them and would prefer to avoid shooting anybody with them.
What person or group is advocating violence?
August 25th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Hey Than, the video is almost as lame as the stuff on the Gop channel. Two of those videos start with the soviet style sickle and hammer:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11456004@N07/3856522811/
Of course, this image wasn’t manipulated to be repeated over and over again. It’s just Brett Mecum’s idea of good taste.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
A WW2 veteran at a town hall hosted by Sen. Grassley compared Pres. Obama to Hitler and said he wanted to “take a gun to Washington”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1AixcFAKU
Grassley ignored the assassination threat. Hope the Secret Service didn’t.
Oh but, it’s not like anyone’s advocating violence or anything.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Iowa is a long way from CD 8. Is Giffords capable of focusing on her district?
August 25th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
It happened in the United States, Than. That’s enough for me. You keep coddling the angry bigots. I won’t.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
someone posting a video showing someone threatening the president = giffords does not care for her district? I’m not following the, well, most times it’d be called logic but I guess the right word is douchebaggery.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Giffords is in Texas as we speak.
August 25th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I am not coddling anyone. My point is that Giffords over reacted to something that had nothing to do with her district.
Here is an “angry bigot” for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hPR5jnjtLo
August 25th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Hey Than, still waiting for your explanation of the soviet sickle & hammer, or are you bugging out on that? I mean, it’s just the Arizona Republican Party that’s behind it, that’s all.
Then again, that’s along way from CD8, right?
August 25th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I saw some pretty gnarly racist stuff on signs at the teabag party at the Capitol on April 15th. Then there was Tedski’s recent post where he put up a photo of a sign saying that Lincoln freed the slaves and now Obama is enslaving us. That was in Arizona.
Bonus question:
What was Rev. Wright’s sermon about, Than?
August 26th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Tedski, you wrote, “Since [Brian Miller] states that he is ‘proud’ (his word) to stand with [the protesters], I can only assume that (sic) agrees with this sort of rhetoric.”
Nazis brushed their teeth and so do you. Does that mean you’re a Nazi? Of course not. You’re assuming that Miller agrees with the minority of protesters who are using Nazi-comparisons. You assume this because he’s an R and you’re a D. That’s wrong. Stop being an idealogue and use sound reasoning.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:15 am
George, big giant difference with brushing one’s teeth and saying you stand with someone.
When a person says that they stand with another it means they support him/her. Now maybe in the alternative reality that is Conservative World it means something else but not here.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I just love how conservatives are getting all squeamish about guilt-by-association these days. Sure wasn’t an issue back when they were insisting that Obama’s membership on a board with a guy who was a violent radical back when Obama was 8 years old was relevant. I bet Obama and William Ayers both brush their teeth too.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Donna,
You’re right…what conservatives did to Obama was B.S. So let’s stop doing it here.
Appleblossom,
You are right that Miller said that he stood with the protesters. However, he never said that he stood with a specific protester. A rational person would assume that he stood with the majority, and the vast majority are not invoking the Nazis. This rhetoric only works when you’re talking to your fellow D’s, but it’s driving independents away.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:03 am
Sorry George, you (and Miller) don’t get off that easy. Obama had to denounce both Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers. Y’all who call yourselves the “majority” need to denounce the ones who invoke the Nazis and those who question Obama’s birth. Or else we’ll just assume you agree with them, since you pal around with them.
I’ve seen denials from you, George, but I’ve yet to see a denunciation. Get to denouncin’, or get to steppin’
August 27th, 2009 at 11:08 am
This is whole lot better than the boring State Legislature stuff Ted has been using to fill his blog.
Let us keep calling each other Nazis as this certainly helps define both the issue’s and candidates.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
“Let us keep calling each other Nazis as this certainly helps define both the issue’s and candidates.”
And the award for Projection and False Equivalence Concern Trolling goes to – Walt.