We were Warned

By: Teddy
Published On: 9/29/2006 3:31:35 PM

Just a short note to my fellow Virginia voters: we were warned, so we should stop complaining about the current negative (read GÇ£sludgeGÇ¥) campaign for the United States Senate, but take action accordingly on our own. Every political commentator and, more importantly, every Republican campaign chief from the Republican National Committee on down told us last summer that the Republicans, faced with an indefensible fiasco in Iraq, with BushGÇÖs declining GÇ£popularity,GÇ¥ and with Congressional corruption, would go Local, Personal, and Negative big time in order to divert the publicGÇÖs attention from Iraq, Bush, and corruption. 
Well, they surely have done so here in Virginia. The George Allen campaign released several trial balloons early on, beginning with an attack on Jim WebbGÇÖs stance on Affirmative Action, then tried calling Webb nothing more than a fiction writer, sneered at and misrepresented his service in ReaganGÇÖs Administration, demanded he stop using public footage of a public speech by former President Reagan at the Naval Academy in one short ad, whined about WebbGÇÖs GÇ£negativity,GÇ¥ when none existed, and so on, all without success.  Meanwhile, Mr. Allen kept making insensitive and questionable remarks that branded him a bigoted bully with what can charitably be called a tin ear, and, lo! and behold, people noticedGÇö Mr. Webb had nothing to do with any of this, Mr. Allen did it all to himself.

DON'T FALL FOR IT
Predictably, the Republicans responded with a full court press of personal slander against Mr. Webb which included glossy negative mailouts, a so-called push-poll (which amounts to a disguised form of negatively fueled proselytizing) and a relentless series of TV ads featuring personal attacks by disgruntled women Naval Academy graduates who were carefully researched, funded,  and coached by many of the same propagandists who brought us the Swift Boat ads.  Mr. Webb, unlike Mr. Allen (who continued to lie and deny saying or doing anything remotely bigoted), said he regretted any problems his 1970's articles might have caused in the 1970's, but that he has changed his opinion since then, and is very comfortable with women in the military today.

I well remember what went on during the 1970's.  In those days I myself was a Republican of long standing, with a military family background; my son was in West Point at that time when USMA, like the other Service Academies, was forced (yes, thatGÇÖs the word) to accept women into the cadet corps. As a mother, I worried about the heavy hazing of plebes, so traditional in ALL military schools, and heard plenty of wild anti-woman clamor from male cadets.

Frankly, thirty years ago many people resisted change in the military, because they were very concerned about combat effectiveness, besides which they did not want their daughters even less than they wanted their sons put in harmGÇÖs way (the Vietnam war was just over). Republicans were by far the most vociferous in opposing GÇ£women in combat boots.GÇ¥

But now it is 2006, not 1979, and how times have changed!  Mr. Webb himself helped to change things because, as Secretary of the Navy, he opened up more billets for women in the Navy than any other US Navy Secretary.  Both the military and Jim Webb have changed for the better.  Meanwhile, in the 1990's, Mr. Allen was still locked into the 1970's, and actively opposed admitting women to VMI, for example.  Who on earth is he to smear Mr. Webb with outdated AND outgrown attitudes of 30 years ago, especially considering that in the year 2006 he himself  still has all the worst instincts of a 1970's good olGÇÖ boy, with only good olGÇÖ boy surface charm to offset it? I suspect some of those women USNA grads complaining now about the 1970's actually filled some of the billets opened to women by Secretary Webb, and thus owe their success and promotions in part to the very man they now attack.  What an irony!

Jim Webb's campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, media spokesperson, event coordinator and head of fundraising are all women. The same cannot be said for George AllenGÇÖs campaign, which is almost entirely composed of  macho machismo.  DonGÇÖt be fooled and distracted by AllenGÇÖs noise machine.  Pay attention to the real issues. If you do, youGÇÖll vote for Jim Webb.

Comments



Vote Suppression (Teddy - 9/29/2006 4:28:39 PM)
Why are the Webb-is-anti-women ads showing mostly in Northern Virginia? Clearly, the intent is not to convert Webb's women to vote for Allen, it is to discourage them from voting at all. Republicans hope the women will stay home on election day, which, if it happens, will very possibly lower Webb's vote total going out of Northern Virginia, and hand the election to Mr. Allen by default.

I know the Allen noise machine, fueled by ample dollars, can overwhelm even the most centered and perspicacious of voters, BUT, I also believe it is too over the top, too much in quantity and sheer volume not to alert Virginia voters to its complete falseness. Too much, too soon, and our eyes and ears are benumbed and we no longer notice or believe. MAYBE all we have to do is remind folks "we were warned, and here it is, ignore it."

Allen is also showing a certain hidden contempt for not only Virginia women but for Virginia men.  Just how dumb does he think we are after suffering through Kathleen Harris, Swift Boat, WMDs, the Hitler ad, and recent flip flopping denials, apologies, I never dids, he's lying, she's lying, etc from George Allen?



Hi Teddy (Kathy Gerber - 9/29/2006 4:38:53 PM)
There's an ironic twist to this approach.  The link that ties the ad women together is someone who lost a job because of mistreating women...

Maybe I'll write that up soon.



Please do... (Loudoun County Dem - 9/29/2006 4:45:21 PM)
You have my attention...


This is a strange situation. (Kathy Gerber - 9/29/2006 10:00:32 PM)
From Lowell's post "Ponstenriender, a 1982 Naval Academy grad who was recruited to speak at a press conference..."  The sad truth is that these women were recruited by men who do not have their best interests at heart.  It is even reasonable to say that they were recruited by men who are committed to inequality for women, and as noted previously, these women were at the naval academy when Galanti was there.

As it has been told to me, Paul Galanti's dismissal was the result of his slapping a female colleague in the face quite literally with some papers in his hand when she did not agree with him about giving additional money to his fellow Navy man, Ed Schrock.  And I was also told that no formal charges were brought against him. 

I learned this several years ago, and many people are aware of the particulars.  In the wake of SB2004, I became concerned that he and his cronies would attempt another swift boating in this campaign.  Those concerns are playing out in an outrageous attack that is preposterous in its hypocrisy.  It would be nice to see the mainstream media do some research and ask appropriate questions of the parties involved. 

I am personally familiar with this man's track record of mistreating women, I know about this particular incident, and it is wrong for me to remain silent at this time regardless of what others choose to do. Two other employees were so fearful that they bought small tape recorders to work every day.  And yes, I heard this first hand, too. The whole environment was simply toxic to women, although two or three remained fiercely loyal to Galanti.



allen on wmal (pvogel - 9/29/2006 5:12:31 PM)
spewing forth lies, damn lies, and statisitics.....

tonight, om fox news hannity and colmbe......



More Irony (Teddy - 9/29/2006 6:43:48 PM)
The scuttlebutt now is that the President Himself is going to re-emphasize the Iraq War in order to re-brand Democrats as Cut and Run... thus re-nationalizing the elections. But I have every reason to believe that state and local contests will still run on with their personal attacks, sludge, and negativism for several reasons. Such as: they do work , the ads are already in the can, they have no other way to go, and so on. Hope Webb is prepared very very quickly to spend his newfound money.