Month: October 2010

Angle Ad: If You’re White, Aliens are Coming to Get You

Trish

The newest ad from U.S. Senate candidate from Nevada, Sharron Angle, is the Willie Horton story of our day. Anyone who could watch this piece of work and not get the fear-mongering it employs should watch it again. But just in case you still don’t get it, Mi Blog es tu Blog‘s Laura Martinez breaks it down. Ads like Angle’s, she says:

…remind us that Latino immigrants are a scary bunch — crossing the border armed with knifes and torches, ready to strip you of your benefits and jobs and scare the hell out of your white family.

Angle’s spots go way beyond blatantly stereotyping Latino immigrants as a bandana-wearing crowd ready to corner you in some dark alley. More gravely, they send a message of “us” against “them.” It’s Brown vs. White. Watch closely: While the ad mentions immigrants going to college and collecting social security, every shot of the “illegal aliens” shows particularly swarthy Latino youth all dressed up for gang initiation. The family that is shown living in fear of them is white.

…I can only hope these “dangerous fellows” will take some time off their criminal activities to go to the polls this November.

Two New Polls Show Dems Pulling Away in California

Jon Ponder

Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire:

A new Suffolk University poll in California shows Jerry Brown (D) with an eight point lead over Meg Whitman (R) in the race for governor, 50 percent to 42 percent.

In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) leads by nine points over Carly Fiorina (R), 52 percent to 43 percent…

A new Public Policy Polling survey also finds Boxer leading by a 52 percent to 43 percent margin and finds Brown leading 53 percent to 42 percent.

Verbatim

Buck Banks

The day that we saw a spike in the polls was a day that some people had a prayer meeting for me that morning for this campaign so I believe that prayer plays a direct role in this campaign and I always ask please pray for the campaign; please pray for our staff; please pray specifically that the eyes of the voters be opened.

— Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell (R), in an interview with CBN’s David Brody.

More Tea Bagger Thuggery: Rand Paul Goon Stomps Head of Liberal Activst

Buck Banks

Less than a week after two incidents of tea bagger thuggery — a reporter in Alaska was arrested by private security goons hired by tea bagger U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller and, in Florida, a campaign tracker for Democratic Rep. Ron Klein was threatened and intimidated by volunteer leather-clad thugs working for tea bagger Allen West — a Rand Paul tea party supporter was caught on camera last night stomping on the head of Moveon.org activist outside the venue for a debate in the Kentucky U.S. Senate race between Paul and Democratic candidate Jack Conway:

[…]

FL22: Tea Party’s Allen West Once Said GOP Was Corrupt, Now Schmoozes with Boehner, Takes Bucks from Bailed-Out Corporations, Lobbyists

Jon Ponder

West
West
One of the oddest aspects of the 2010 midterms is how swing and right-leaning independent voters seem to be so willing to overlook troubling character flaws in fringe candidates, as long as the candidates repeat the tea party’s false narratives about bailouts, the Stimulus and the size of government.

There is no better example of this in the House races than in Florida’s 22nd District where voters appear set to replace Democratic Rep. Ron Klein with Allen West, a former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who was relieved of command in Iraq and forced to retire after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a policeman in his custody.

“Frustration and anger overcame his professional ethics and personal values, and he performed what he knew to be illegal and immoral acts,” according to a statement issued by the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division. In other words, he popped off under pressure and tortured a prisoner — just the personality type we need in Congress.

[…]

Before They Vote, Send Them a Postcard

Buck Banks

Do you have family and friends who are about to vote for the wrong candidates in the midterms because they are as informed about the issues as Christine O’Donnell is on the First Amendment? You can do your bit to make sure they are fully informed by sending them an informative postcard that details a candidate’s main sources of donations, etc., courtesy of the Sunlight Foundation’s Influence Explorer tool.

Here’s a sample:
influence_postcard

Palin Desecrates American Flag at Sharron Angle Tea Party Rally

Trish

At 1:36, Palin desecrates the American flag. As has been posited, imagine as you watch the video what would have happened if Pres. or Mrs. Obama or Speaker Pelosi had wielded that Sharpie. Gawker first noted the desecretion, quoting Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8 of the United States Code: “The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.”

FL22: Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Calls African-American Tea Bagger Allen West ‘Scary, Frightening’

Jon Ponder

This man [Allen West]. Scary. Frightening. We wouldn’t have a Civil Rights Act. I saw those signs that said, “White Man,” “Colored Man,” “White Woman,” “Colored Woman.” Now we have someone who happens to be African American saying that black people, people of color, African Americans, were better off before the Civil Rights Act. You have a man who represents our dark past. He wants to take us back but we’re not going back. Run, crawl, make it to that ballot box and vote for Ron.

– Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga, campaigning for Ron Klein.