Today, I received his first attack ad G a slick 4-page brochure covered in pictures of chain link fences with big, gaping holes. The whole purpose of this mailing is to attack Andy Hurst for ridiculing the idea of building a humongous, expensive wall on our Southern border. Never mind that many people have questioned the wisdom of this $2 billion extravaganza G its feasibility, its effectiveness, and whether in our high-tech era, we may be able to come up with a, well, post-Medieval solution to policing our borders.
But this potshot from the Davis camp is not about having a rational debate about policy G no, this is about appealing to the fears and prejudices of white voters about immigrants in their midst.
How sad G and what an idiotic, perhaps suicidal, move by the Davis camp. They may not have noticed, but Northern Virginia is not Midland, Texas or Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We are a diverse, tolerant area in which just about everyone has a friend, neighbor, spouse or co-worker who is an immigrant. Here in NOVA, we understand what immigrants add to our economy and to our culture.
Yes, everyone wants to see our immigration laws enforced. But 11th District voters are sophisticated enough to see through blaring headlines about GǣAndrew HurstGs Very Weak and Very Dangerous Stance on Border Security and Illegal Alien Welfare Spending.Gǥ We know that America needs creative, thoughtful and bipartisan solutions to the problem of the 11 million illegal aliens in our country now, and the many more streaming in every day. Demagoguery and pandering to peopleGs basest instincts isnGt going to solve these problems G any more than it is solving the war in Iraq.
The odd thing about this brochure is how completely it overturns the image that Davis has so long cultivated of a GǣmoderateGǥ, GǣbipartisanGǥ, Gǣserious legislatorGǥ, blah, blah, blah. It is frankly shocking that he would throw away all that he invested in that image in order to recast himself as our local Jesse Helms. It may be a sign of desperation, but it is shows a very dangerous, very disturbing side of Davis that his cheerleaders at the Washington Post and elsewhere ought to scrutinize closely.
It is a complicated issue, and I don't follow either party line on it, but one thing is for sure. Tom Davis and his friends in the GOP have twiddled their collective thumbs for 6 years.
As Webb pointed out during the last debate, millions have crossed the Mexican border under the Bush Watch,
and here's where Andy can ridicule them. A GOP Congressional candidate in Philadelphia wanted to prove how lax border security was so he hired an elephant and rode it across the bprder, while being serenaded by a mariachi band. Of course no one showed up to stop him.
I am not making this up--here's the link: http://www.mysananto...
And here's the guy's campaign site: http://www.rajforcon...
So whose fault is all this?
I guess the GOP will try to blame Hillary.
Andrew Hurst - Extremely Liberal, Out of Touch, Just Plain Wrong for Northern Virgina.
Now - the piece was address to the previous owner of the home - which was over a year ago. So not to much clean up of their data base if they are mailing to someplace that has turn over 13 months ago. (the previous owners must have been Republican!)
Anyway - really really really really ugly piece.
Here is a little more of the lovely tidbit!
'Economics - Lieberal!
Hurst wants to waste your hard earned tax dolars by using them to publicly fund political campaigns like his own. (Oh No - do not tell me that Hurst actually wants the average citizen to be involved in elections? No do not tell me that Hurst want to take special interest and corporate contributions out our election process? Just say it isn't so!)
Hurst opposes earmarked funding for projects like the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Imrpoving Route 123, widening of I-66 inside the beltway (which has not occured?) and rail to Dulles -0 Again which has not occured? And didn't DAvis recently reneigh on his support of the rail to Dulles?
He is really running scared. Sends out this real cheesy smilly piece on himself. Then sends out a smear - yes smear about Andy.
If I am not mistaken didn't this kind of crap back fire on Kilgore? We need to send comments to the newspapers and blast this stuff all over the blogs.
But he can get away with it only as long as the local media, especially the WaPo, continue to allow him to label himself as a "moderate." It's time for them to report the news that he's casting away his "moderate" label in order to stir up the right wing -- it's time to call Davis's bluff.
The only reason Tom Davis wants a fence is because he has sold out to the same terribly incompetent contractors who "built" Iraq - like the critical police station that leaks bathroom plumbing on the occupants - and "built" the levees in New Orleans. They are eager to keep the gravy train coming and they want the boondoggle of building a meaningless fence. Since Davis has made the Reform Committee a meaningless shell, the contractors won't have to be accountable if their fence is poorly built, late, and over budget. According to OpenSecrets.org, Davis has collected $172,324 from construction industry PACs:
Year Donation
1997-98 Construction $29,120
1999-00 Construction $46,090
2001-02 Construction $32,040
2003-04 Construction $40,574
2006 Construction $24,500
as of June 30, 2006
Remember that Bechtel gave him the maximum donation just weeks before he told Gov. Kaine that he couldn’t have a tunnel through Tysons. No doubt Davis did that because a tunnel would jeopardize Bechtel’s contract. Davis is selling out again to Bechtel and those who stand to become millionaires from your tax dollars - and without building a real fence.
Read more here.
I completely agree that NOVA has become moderate - and this flyer is not. I don't know what they were thinking, but it sure doesn't work here.
Who is Tom Davis talking to with this flyer? Does he have information that the rather limited number of Republican extremists in the 11th are going to skip voting this year? The only possible explanation (and this is a stretch) I can think of, is that Davis is targeting immigrants who came here legally, feel like they've paid their dues, and are pissed by the misconceptions that other immigrants have not paid their dues.
And on the flyer itself, the use of single word quotes is really dirty. Any single word as a quote can be extremely misleading. This dirty tactic also re-enforces the desperation you point out.
I never voted for Davis or thought much of his politics, but previously had some respect for the man. But after seeing what he and his supporters have been doing and saying this election cycle, that small amount of respect I had for Davis has disappeared.
2ndly, while I believe the GOP is not going to do anything about this in reality (except feed their corrupt contractor pals), the fact is most of the Democrats in the Senate voted for S.2611 and that flipped out a lot of people who would vote Democratic, except for that one!
Don't troll rate me on this and before you think I'm nuts, look at Oregon. Oregon is a very blue state and a corporate sponsored, tree cutting, labor busting guy is about to take the Governor (Ron Saxton). The reason is he played some ads about illegal immigrants. Oregon is blue and liberal. But, even the liberals are very poed at giving social services to illegals over legal residents and became outraged when the unemployment rate was so high, yet illegal labor was preferred, supported by the state social services system in 2001-2005 time frame. During that time Oregon literally dumped off many legal residents from the Medicaid health plan who were desperate, food stamps, housing, yet increased benefits to illegals in the area.
Now the state is probably going to become a big mud pie, barren of it's trees by the clear cutting, soul sucking timber industry as a result.
The answer and the answer has been known from study after study for over 10 years, is to enforce employment law and punish employers who exploit illegal labor. Frankly, you don't see either party introducing legislation to that effect.
But, please, that La Raza rhetoric doesn't poll well and I think plain turns off moderate voters.