The race in the 73rd is a very good chance of boiling over. The reason for this is the fact that the Republicans believed that the seat in the House of Delegates would be relatively safe in this years election cycle. But that was nine months ago.
Incumbant, Dr. John O'bannon while certainly maintaining an edge in fundraising and community support is in a fight. How we respond to such adversity is a measure of who we are both as people and as leaders.
Dr. O'Bannon has an opportunity to call out his supporters, especially bloggers, who have been outright and blatant misrepresentation of ACORN's involvement in the 73rd race in an attempt to use the backlash (and rightfully so) to recent released videos to do nothing more than smear the Shields camp unjustly.
It is one thing for supporters of O'Bannon to call for Shields to denounce his former boss in Rep. Bobby Scott (D) support for the organization, but it is entirely different to link or disparage Mr. Shields or his campaign by saying they are in realtionship with ACORN.
In fact, ACORN has not been involved in any activities regarding the 73rd nor is it according to their office involved in any active canvass or voter registration drives in the area over the course of this race.
Certain over zealous and frankly factually challenged bloggers continue to attempt to link Shields and ACORN and thus it should be Dr. O'bannon's responsibility to call on those supporters to let the race stand on the issues and not on just inflammatory and falsehoods. His supporters will cry "this is politics", but is not this kind of stuff exactly what most of us have been voicing we detest anout the whole process?
Is not this kind of thing exactly why many ggod qualified people do not enter political life? It has nothing to do with the "heat" but who wants to deal with the kinda crap these folks have to deal with now given the new media.
Whose to blame? We are. We tolerate this kind of campaigning where bloggers shill for campaigns with falsehood and inuendo void of fact.
O'Bannon should put an end to this and allow the campaigns to get back to issues. O'Bannon will likely be victorious anyway, but how he wins may tell us more about the man himself and the kind of leader he truly is.
Pride cometh before the fall Sir. In winning in this manner, you very well may lose more than you will ever know.
Do the right thing.
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8 comments:
Good luck with that.
He will never renounce those jerks spreading lies. In fact he is just as guilty.
They will use the $500 SEIU donation provided last Spring as some how putting Acorn in bed with Shields.
Did you check out the Ukrops connection AoF? Evidently the family is split in this race if you look at vpap.org.
AoF, you would know all about bloggers spreading lies. You have spent your time reinforcing all of Tom Shields' vicious lies about Delegate O'Bannon.
On an issue like the conscience clause vote which shields twisted to suit his own agenda, you didn't stand up for thr truth, you simply peddled his farces for your viewers to read. You are in no position to claim any high ground here. And you calling out any other blogger for something like this is an extreme case of hypocrisy. Shameful.
While I am not really qualified to comment about a race in a district in which I do not live (I’ve done no homework on this one), and I usually have no issue with Anon posts, I could not resist the opportunity to mention to Alter how wonderful and reassuring it must be to be called a hypocrite by someone who posts under Anon.
Alter, you must be doing something “Right” (hehehe)
In all fairness to Anon, I took it upon myself to review each and every post made on this blog that had any thread or post/comments related to the 73rd and must say Anon that I have found zero, read that,zero posts made by Alter that are "lies".
I challenge Anon to set forth just what "lies" have come from Alter.
I then ask you to go over and visit Virginia Right which Alter has graciously linked to. Notice Virginia Right has not recipercated the link.
Why exactly?
Because thankfully Alter holds people like City/County officials on the Board, the Planning Commission, local government, and candidates ACCOUNTABLE. Virginia Right and the posters there are not interested in debate. Instead they simply seek merely to fan the flames. If you want "lies" Anon I suggest you start there.
Again it is rather comical given Alter does not live in the 73rd either and has never endorsed anyone in the race but merely posted concerning the developments in the race. He even took it upon himself to go to the UofR debate.
Alter has stated that Tom Shields is/was a compelling candidate. Virginia Right actually pretty much did the same before he and those over in the Henrico GOP began to feel threatened. Hence the negative slant in the last month and of course throw in the Acorn label to play negative and false association politics.
All Alter pointed out was make sure you know what you are getting and with John O'Bannon receiving virtually all of his large contributions from medical associations, insurance organizations, and assisted living and acute care organizations one must take that into account if one is interested in how the State Assembly will come down once or if an Obama medical bill tenents must be looked at by the States.
O'Bannon has refused to comment on the privatization of Virginia Lottery or divesting the VABC Board as suggested by Bob McDonnell to help with funding transportation nor has O'Bannon stated his view on the potential of reducing funds to primary education and eliminating pre-k funding endorsed by Gov. Kaine.
Why no comment? Is this not what the next Governor of the Commonwealth is proposing? Why has O'Bannon not come out and told voters in the 73rd where he stands?
Maybe its easier to hide behind the attack dogs and the "lies" like what has been expressed over at Virginia Right.
If you are voting in the 73rd, VPAP.ORG shows you in black and white what this race is all about.
Status Quo versus making some hard descisions. Afterall, what has O'Bannon proposed in the House during his tenure to impact transportation, infrastructure or education? He says he delivered more funds to Henrico County but even that is up to some debate.
As a voter in the 73rd, O'bannon has lost or is losing the moderate vote. On most of the issues O'Bannon and Shields seem to agree on in the previous debates. If you have children and you think that our schools are beginning to fall behind than I cannot see one voting any other way than for Shields. Education appears his strong suit in the debates.
On the other hand if you feel that its got to be all about low taxes regardless of what our roads look like, regardless of the status of our education and ending pre-k funding than O'Bannon seem to be getting the nod.
Could be a classic outcome. Taxes versus the quality of life we have in the 73rd and who will impact it the most and whether its good or bad.
Thank you for your input Joan.
My guess is Mr. White subscribes to the very "small tent" social conservatism wing of the GOP whereas I subscribe to the bigger, borader tent that brings in and keeps fiscal conservatives and moderates within the GOP.
People always ask me why it is in Virginia there are so many independents and moderates , especially Republican ones who supported the likes of Mark Warner, Jim Webb and to a lessor extent Obama. Joan, the reason is simply because of people like Mr. White. Look at his attacks at Virginia Right. That is the kind of stuff that very well may put a smile on the face of the die hard social conservative base of the GOP, but also is what turns most Virginians off.
Afterall, this is Virginia. It amazes me just how people forget our own very histor in areas like liberty and self-determination. Amazing.
Dr. O is coming out with a TV ad to run against Shields. Guess this race is closer than even the "experts" over in the Henrico GOP think. Any one know of any other Delegates running expensive TV ads? With the coffers Dr. O has from the medical and insurance industry its no wonder this ad is going up in the last month of the campaign.
You gotta love it when an incumbant is forced to run an ad this late in an area where he/she as a republican should be a lock to win.
AF your more zeroed in on the independents in the area, but do you think if they come out to the polls for McDonnell next month they will think twice about the voting simply down ballot for the GOP?
Well, if I may be allowed to speak for the challenged blogger, me, I would say that Tom Shields started this race with but a single factual error, on Qimonda, on which I corrected him. It's all on the blog.
As the race progressed, Shields went back to the Qimonda lie, blaming O'Bannon for their demise.
Then he began receiving $68K from the DPVA which sent out mailing after mailing without an ounce of truth in them.
And when Shields began calling for Virginia to allow marriage between Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgendered individuals, he revealed his true radical colors.
Bisexual marriage? I have the video on my blog. That's a minimum of 3 per marriage.
Tom Shields is a sick individual and a far left radical.
I think it only fair to call on Shields to repudiate his mentor, Bobby Scott's vote to fund Acorn and to give back the Acorn / SEIU donations and the Scott donations. After all, Shields called on O'Bannon to repudiate McDonnell's thesis. If he considers this fair, surely it is a valid request to ask the same of him from an organization that supports child prostitution, illegal immigration, tax cheats, and more.
And since I don't take marching orders from Dr. O'Bannon, and I don't speak for him, it is not likely that I will be silences for any reason.
However, I do appreciate your acknowledgment that my efforts are having a negative impact on Shields, and I support your call for Shields to return to issues. It was his turning away from issues and to lies that gave me reason for exposing his radicalism.
Every post I have written in opposition to Shields is a direct response to his lies and distortions.
Shields has always had the power to halt my posts by returning to the issues and stopping the lies and distortions. And he knows that.
But I don't expect his masters at DPVA to stop, nor do I expect to stop as a result of his actions.
And as an aside, I am not sure a loan to Shields constitutes a split in the Ukrop family. But it does indicate the DPVA may be pulling support from Tommy boy.
Virginia Right is even more absurd and divisive than The Contemporary Conservative. The both go to the extreme to make points that they could simply make by sticking to the facts. As a Republican they represent the worst of the insidership of the Party. They undermined Jeff Frederick from jumpstreet simply because their guy who was more of a social conservative did not win. They put their pety little fights above the Party and in the meantime people like Obama, Connolly, Perriello, and others won office.
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