Rabid Yellow Dog

Playground Politics In The Seventh

Written by admin on February 14, 2008 – 12:37 am -

The Indy right wing blog machine is on fire (examples: here, here, here, here and here) because Andre Carson, candidate for the 7th district, had a scheduling conflict and missed a community forum. The ensuing drama that unfolded is nothing short of 4th grade playground politics.

Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, the most blatant of shit stirrers, titled his post “CARSON SKIPS OUT ON EASTSIDE FORUM” and said:

Apparently someone in the Andre Carson camp isn’t too keen on sharing the stage tonight with Republican Jon Elrod and Libertarian Sean Shepard.

Showing an obvious bias, Shabazz uses an inflammatory title that isn’t even remotely factual. Shabazz might benefit from an explanation of the difference between “skipping out” (which implies intent, and no warning) and “scheduling conflict” (of which there is no intent, and notice is given). According to the Indy Star:

Brad Klopfenstein, a former executive director of the state Libertarian Party, coordinated the event at Arlington Heights Baptist Church on the Eastside. Klopfenstein said Carson’s campaign agreed to appear several weeks ago but called about noon Tuesday to cancel because of a scheduling conflict.

When one “skips out” on rent, they don’t call and say “I ain’t payin’ “, they just don’t pay. You can call it a screwup , or a scheduling conflict, but it’s complete spin (see also:falsehood) to call it a “skip out”.

Contrast that with the news from Taking Down Words pointing to a Indy Star article that said:

State Rep. Jon Elrod, the Republican nominee in the upcoming 7th Congressional District race, was caught on video by state Democrats writing campaign letters while on the floor of the House and handing them to a legislative employee to mail.

Even more troubling is the fact that he used a House employee to mail the letters.

Scheduling conflict verses ethics violation….

Hmmm… shall we hop on a train to Indy Right Wing Bloggerville (think Hooterville)? What do they say about the ethics violation?

Advance Indiana: Nothing
Hoosiers For Fair Taxation: Nothing
Hoosier Access: Zero
Frugal Hoosiers: zilch
Indiana Barrister: *crickets*

It’s much easier to bash Andre’s campaign staff than to look at the issues:

From the Indy Star (I’m adding in George Bush’s official positions for contrast):

Indy Star question: What’s your position on a withdrawal timetable for Iraq?

Andre Carson: I support a responsible redeployment plan to end the war in Iraq and bring our brave men and women home with honor. It is time for the Iraqis to take responsibility for their security, with benchmarks for Iraqi military and political success along with a responsible timeline to bring our troops home.

Jon Elrod: Like everyone in America, I want our troops home as soon as possible. I do not support an arbitrary timetable. I will listen to the generals on the ground.

George Bush: Setting a deadline for withdrawal is setting a date for failure, and that would be irresponsible. - International Herald Tribune

The best way to do that is let those generals on the ground, General Casey, who’s the main man in Baghdad, to make the decisions. - CBS News

Indy Star question: What should we do about illegal immigration?

Carson: America’s immigration system is broken and nothing has been done in Washington to fix it. In Congress, I will fight to secure our borders and make sure the laws on the books are enforced. Employers who break the law must be held accountable. I am against amnesty and believe that consideration of how undocumented immigrants can earn the opportunity to become citizens must include paying a fine, paying all back taxes, and not having an advantage over those who have entered this country legally.

Elrod: I support enforcing the laws on the books. If the nation needs more labor, the solution is to increase quotas; not amnesty or guest worker bills.

Bush: We must create a temporary worker program. The reality is that there are many people on the other side of our border who will do anything to come to America to work and build a better life. They walk across miles of desert in the summer heat, or hide in the back of 18-wheelers to reach our country. This creates enormous pressure on our border that walls and patrols alone will not stop. To secure the border effectively, we must reduce the numbers of people trying to sneak across. Therefore, I support a temporary worker program that would create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way, for a limited period of time. - White House Press Release

Indy Star question: What’s the best way to get the health care problem solved?

Carson: In Congress, I will take the lead to create and invest in solutions that would make sure every American has access to affordable, quality health care. This includes ensuring that all children have health care by expanding programs like the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, passing a prescription drug plan that truly works for our seniors, and working across the aisle, and with states, to invest in pilot programs to find out what works best to lower costs and increase coverage.

Elrod: Our third party-payer system has caused the ever-increasing health care costs. The long term solution is to create competition through health savings accounts, non-profit insurers, and public pricing.

Bush: Health savings accounts all aim at empowering people to make decisions for themselves, owning their own health care plan, and at the same time bringing some demand control into the cost of heath care - Washington Post

Indy Star question: What would your economic stimulus plan look like?

Carson: Between property taxes, gas prices and health care costs, the working families of Indianapolis are not able to keep their heads above water right now. We need to figure out ways to put cash back into the pockets of working Hoosiers. The first thing I will do is to create real tax relief for the middle class, rolling back the Bush tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and companies that send jobs overseas, and putting these savings into tax cuts and rebates for working families. I would also like to see an increased investment in job creation for our state and nation, including a focus on the new energy economy and national security, which would bring good jobs back here to Indianapolis and create long-term stability.

Elrod: I support a tax cut, paid for with spending cuts, that would lower the business and personal tax rates to below the average European tax rates.

Bush: It must be “big enough to make a difference in an economy as large and dynamic as ours,” it must be built on “broad-based tax relief,” it must take effect right away but be temporary, and it must not include any tax increases. Specifically, he called for tax incentives for businesses, including small companies, to make new and major investments this year. “Giving them an incentive to invest now will encourage business owners to expand their operations, create new jobs and inject new energy into our economy in the process. - MSNBC

What chaps my ass is the fact that no one is talking about these issues! But that’s totally understandable. Once you peel back the banana of Jon Elrod you actually have to look at the mushy stuff inside that looks oddly similar to George Bush.

Tags: 7th District, Andre Carson, Jon Elrod
Posted in 7th District, Indiana Democratic Party, Jon Elrod |