I am very, very skeptical of reports which paint Jim Webb or his supporters in a negative light. The claim that Webb and his supporters are engaging in "negativity" by criticising Miller is the current case in point.
Harris Miller and his campaign team have proven time after time that they are adept at using proxies to slime Jim Webb and his campaign.
First, Miller hid behind Claudia Kennedy to allege some sort of sexism during his tenure as Navy Secretary about 20 years ago.
Next, Miller gathered together some African-American elected officials, who, offered up quotes out of context by the Miller campaign spoke of their concern re. Jim Webb's views on affirmative action.
Then, of course, Harris Miller has traversed Virginia claiming that Jim Webb is a Republican -- an outright LIE.
The entire thrust of the Miller campaign has been to obfuscate and evade direct questions re. Miller's recent and long-time activities as a pro-offshore outsourcing/anti-union business lobbyist. While these charges have often been made with considerable emotion and anger, the simple fact is that they have NOT been answered by Harris Miller or his campaign.
Now, as one of the originators of the "Harris Miller, Job Killer" slogan on my site, The Modern Patriot, I would like to hear Miller answer the charges and explain his more than 10 year career of helping corporations to offshore outsource American call-center, high tech and white collar backoffice jobs.
I would like to hear Miller respond to the charges that offshore outsourcing is based on lies that he helped perpetuate of some broad economic benefit of job outsouring to the American middle class.
I would like to hear Harris Miller respond to the charges that the "business visa" programs he has long championed are based on mythical/false "labor shortages" designed to allow in foreign replacement workers and to facilitate offshore outsourcing.
Of course, so long as the topic of blog discussion is fixated on allegations that Webb's supporters are engaging in "negativity", the Miller camp is not being grilled on the issues I've outlined.
It is clearly advantageous for the Miller campaign to encourage a campaign of disinformation that Jim Webb is "negative" because it takes attention away from the many misrepresentations made by Miller, his staff and his supporters.
Harris Miller can only win Democratic votes if the focus is shifted away from Miller's long-standing record of supporting anti-union and anti-American worker policies and legislation.
When Miller and his supporters successfully deflect honest criticism and evade tough questions with the charge of "negativity", they have succeeded in avoiding open and honest public debate. Those of us who desire real debate on substantive issues want to hear Miller defend his record.
Why is Harris Miller running away from his anti-worker/pro-offshore outsourcing record and attempting to recast himself as a "Technology Leader"?
Why won't Miller answer the charge that he is deeply involved in supporting corporate worker replacement efforts?
What does Harris Miller fear?
What is Harris Miller hiding?
Dodging these questions and hiding behind the claim that such questions are "negative" is a transparent attempt to evade and avoid critical substantive issues of importance to Democratic voters.