nemski.com

Dee Durham

Earlier this week, I asked Dee Durham and Mike Katz to respond to a negative ad released by the Katz campaign. Katz did not respond.

As a Democrat, I was insulted by Katz’s negative ad. It is my strong belief that is contrary to how we want to present ourselves as a party and, most importantly, it shows a lot about the character of the individual slinging the mud. Come Sept. 9th, I will be voting for Durham.

Here is Durham’s response in its entirety:

Hi David,

Earlier this week my opponent made a startling and unexpected personal attack upon me. He portrayed me, in an expensive mass mailing to the district, as both a political opportunist changing skins, and a dishonest person.  While I have had myriad opportunities to attack my opponent’s values I choose not do play politics-as-usual - my goal it to get beyond such tactics.  I run on my record, my character, and my promise to make positive changes for the environment, land use, education and the state budget.     

I am accused of not being a lifelong Democrat, as if that is a crime.  I “inherited” my R from my parents in this R weighted district.  The Republican leadership in D.C. has certainly not represented my own values for quite some time.  My core values have long been aligned with Democratic thinking - preservation and community service.  I made the overdue decision earlier this year to change parties given my values.  Like my opponent, I
have not been deeply involved with any party.  My advocacy work has always been and will continue to be as a consensus builder across party lines.  

As for my opponent’s accusation of dishonesty, I was in a private meeting where my intent was simply to express my full support for Barack Obama.  I take full responsibility for making a misstatement.  I recognized my error immediately and should have corrected it, but the conversation quickly moved on.  Apparently there are those who think that all is fair in love, war and politics, but I choose not to attack the character of others who also live in glass houses.

This is not an issue about what party I belong to, or whether, being new to politics, I fumble a sentence or two; it is about what I can do for the district.  It is about my commitment to preserving our community character, environment and quality of life.  And, it is about my pledge to be fully and selflessly dedicated to serving the residents of the 4th district - a promise that certainly sets me apart from my opponent.  Unlike my opponent, I have a proven track record of legislative accomplishments working with elected and agency officials of all parties and selflessly geared toward enhancing our community and our state.  My community service has no self gain except to know I may have left the world a better place for my children and others.  I am a lifelong resident of the district and am fully dedicated to providing responsive constituent service, continuing the work I already do as Executive Director of a membership-based organization.  

For those who know me, you know that I run a forthright campaign, just as I strive to live my life.  For those of you who don’t yet know me, I invite you to learn more at my web site, www.deedurham.org or give me a call at 656-9109.

Dee

Continuing the remembrance of Bush’s failed presidency during the Republican convention. Click on Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine to get the full list. Today’s journey takes us to a little know prison in Baghadcalled Abu Ghraib.

The Baghdad Hilton?

Continuing the remembrance of Bush’s failed presidency during the Republican convention. Click on Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine to get the full list. Today’s episode is the treasonous outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. BTW, has Bush fired anyone for this yet?

Gov. Palin supporting the Bridge to Nowhere.

Updated at 1:35 PM.

Before I turn this post over to my Alaskan blogger friends, let me point out a few items about Palin’s speech last night.

1. She was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it.

2. Gov. Palin cut spending for a home for unwed mothers which is probably fine since her daughter will be married.

3. Gov. Palin cut spending for special needs education, but that was prior to her having a special needs child. So when she says she’ll be an advocate for special needs families in Washington, all I have to say is with advocates like that, special needs families don’t need enemies.

Progessive Alaska leads the Alaskan bloggers with a fact check of Gov. Palin’s speech. They cover Palin’s rationale that drilling will get us out of our current energy crisis, now, Palin leaving huge budget deficits in Wasilla, the pork barrell spending in Wasilla, and Palin’s abuse of power while Mayor and Governor.

Alaska Real has been blogging over the last few days about Palin’s lack of an Alaska Native policy.

THERE IS NOT ONE MENTION OF THE PHRASE “ALASKA NATIVE” IN PALIN’S OFFICIAL ISSUE STATEMENTS. Not one.

Why is this important?

I have found that most Alaska politicians have a section on Alaska Native issues, or, like Mark Begich’s site, instead mention the specific Alaska Native issues within others. Even Ted Stevens and Don Youn, whom I don’t support, have sections on Alaska Native issues.

With nearly 20% of the population in Alaska being Alaska Native - and more than a few communities being almost entirely Alaska Native - this attention to the issues is more than just a small section of people you should look at - it’s a large and neccessary section of people that are your constituents.

From Blue Oasis on Palin’s speech:

Wow, I don’t think I’ve heard so many lies told at one time. They roll so easily off her tongue.

I’m sure there’ll be more updates as Alaskans wake up, drink some coffee and start blogging.

First Update

From Mudflaps about the Hockey Mom / Pitbull joke:

Believe it or not, despite the unbelievable political news that’s been happening in Alaska lately (indictment of Senator Ted Stevens, investigation of Rep. Don Young, and all of the Palin antics) there’s really not that much else going on here. If you went throught the Anchorage Daily News wtih a pair of scissors, and removed the stories about politics, you’d end up with a quirky assortment of news that most people in the Lower 48 would consider not very newsworthy. The local news covers the high school basketball games.

Just so you get the idea, here are a few headline, front page news stories from the past few weeks:

Electronic scarecrows haze ravens from utility equipment

Orphaned Bear Cub Eludes Fish & Game Agents

Missing Hikers Found in Denali

In a small community, these are the kinds of things that really ARE news.

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Now let me share with you another of those headline stories from three weeks ago:

Child Taken Off Life Support After Pit Bull Attack.

This was the big news story in Alaska for several days that week. A child and her babysitter were viciously attacked by the family pet pit bull. The owner surrendered the dog, waited for the girls father to return from his deployment in Iraq, and watched as his six-year-old daughter was taken off life support after she went into an irreversably vegetative state.

I don’t know how other Alaska residents felt about the pit bull joke, and obviously her audience loved it, but most of us here in “small town America” probably didn’t find it particularly funny.

From the comments of the same article was the following tidbit from MH:

Or, you know, maybe someone needs to remind Sarah Palin that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor.

Photograph by http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpdehaan/

Below are two open letters I sent off to Dr. Mike Katz and Dee Durham who are battling it out in the State Senate 4th District Democratic Primary.

Dear Dr. Mike Katz:

I received a mailing from your campaign yesterday. Actually it was a post-card on steroids. You wrote, “Before you cast your vote for State Senate in the Democratic Primary on September 9th, there’s something you should now about Dee Durham.”

And dang it, you’re forcing me to turn over this enormous campaign mailing and what do my eyes see: a old, sickly elephant. The basic gist of the whole thing is that Dee Durham is a “new” Democrat and that she even said that she voted for Barack Obama which you say she couldn’t. So a couple of things:

1. Was it really that important to go negative?
2. More importantly, what issues make you stand apart from Dee and why should I vote for you?

For full disclosure I sent a similar note to your opponent and will be publishing both of your responses on my blog.

Thanks,

David
http://www.nemski.com

Dear Dee Durham:

I just got this mailing from Dr. Mike Katz accusing you of not really being a Democrat, a fake, a counterfeit, a sham, if you will.

Now, he has got to be outspending you 10 to 1, so I really don’t understand why he went negative, but he did. So I wanted to give you a chance to respond to his mailing.

1. How do you respond to the charges in this ad?
2. More importantly, what issues make you stand apart from Mike and why should I vote for you?

For full disclosure I sent a similar note to your opponent and will be publishing both of your responses on my blog.

Thanks,

David
http://www.nemski.com

Update: Received a brief email from Dee, promising something longer later.

Continuing the remembrance of Bush’s failed presidency during the Republican convention. Eight is enough. Click on Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine to get the full list. Today’s episode, Alberto Gonzales, one of the most corrupt Attorney Generals in US history. Now that’s saying something.

Continuing the remembrance of Bush’s failed presidency during the Republican convention. Eight is enough. Click on Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine to get the full list. Today’s entry, “War is over, War is over”. That was May 1st, 2003, let that sink in a moment . . . May 1st, 2003.