Democratic party raising money for Anti-Shmidt billboard

[Lannes]

An e-mail I just got.


Dear...

Ten days ago Governor Dean asked Democrats to stand up for decorated combat veteran and Democratic Congressman Jack Murtha, who was under attack for speaking up about Iraq. More than 115,000 of you sent Murtha notes of encouragement, letting him know you would not be silent as Republicans try to score political points by attacking veterans.

In your letters, many of you singled out freshman Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, who had the audacity to call Jack Murtha a coward on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. (That's the same Jack Murtha who served 37 years in the Marine Corps, who received the Bronze Star, two purple hearts, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.)

You asked what you could do to turn the heat up on Jean Schmidt and show Republicans that questioning the service of our veterans isn't fair game. One great idea that many of you suggested was placing billboards in their home districts. So, at your suggestion, here's the proposal.

From this day forward, the Democratic Party will commit to putting up a "Shame on You" billboard in the home district of any Republican who attacks a veteran's service in order to score political points.

The first billboard will go up near Jean Schmidt's district office in Portsmouth, Ohio. The message: "Shame on You, Jean Schmidt: Stop Attacking Veterans. Keep Your Eye on the Ball -- We Need a Real Plan for Iraq".

If you contribute now the billboard can be up next week. Your donation right now will take the fight right into Schmidt's backyard -- and the backyard of any Republican who values political posture over a veteran's service:

http://www.democrats.org/billboard

We have seen this pattern from Republican leaders before. Every time a veteran -- Democrat or Republican -- challenges their authority, people who never served in combat (George Bush, Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and the rest) feel that they have the right to attack the courage and patriotism of those who have.

It happened to Vietnam veterans John McCain, Max Cleland, and John Kerry, and now to a man who served in Korea and Vietnam, Jack Murtha. We cannot let this continue -- we need to send a strong message that this kind of attack will not be tolerated.

Even after being forced to retract her words on the House floor, Jean Schmidt wouldn't back down or admit that attacking veterans' service is out of bounds. Last week, appearing on a local radio show in Southern Ohio, Schmidt said the biggest lesson she had learned from the incident was: "Not to wear the red dress."

Obviously these billboards need to get up as soon as possible. In order to get them up before the holidays, we need to place the order by 7 AM Thursday. A $50 contribution right now will send a very powerful message to Jean Schmidt -- and make other Republican leaders think twice before attacking the courage of those who challenge them:

http://www.democrats.org/billboard

The time has come to stop this kind of dirty political smearing once and for all. America's veterans deserve better treatment, and the American people deserve a more honest debate about our national security.

You can make it happen.

Thank you,

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

[skiddlybop]

1. I already contributed.

http://www.democrats.org/billboard

[blm]

2. Excellent - MacAuliffe should have thought of this in 2002 and 2004.

Guess Clinton wouldn't let him.

[liam_laddie]

3. Why Portsmouth????

This seems an incredibly wrong-headed location! It's in the
far-eastern, sparsely-populated end of the district, Scioto County. Bob McEwen, one of eight repuke challengers in the June primary, may have won Scioto in the Aug 2 special election; with 50% precincts reporting, he had 392 votes; Hackett had 315. (I cannot locate the final figures for Scioto.) BTW, on Aug 2, McEwen won five of the seven counties; Hamilton and Clermont gave the witch the margin. Totals on Aug 2 for the District (not final certified, but as reported in The Cincinnati Enquirer: schmidt (1st R) - 11,524; McEwen (2nd R) - 10, 819;
Hackett (1st D - 7277)

It makes much more sense to do the first billboard somewhere
in Clermont, southern Warren or eastern Hamilton to get the
maximum number of eyeballs. Plenty of high-traffic count spots.
Is this the quality of the local political "acumen" of the DC Dems? Can someone tell me the rationale about this location?

Worried and confused...

[theHandpuppet]

4. Yes, rather odd

Since Scioto carried Hackett over Schmidt by a large margin -- some 65% for Hackett, the largest Dem margin in the district. So the choice does seem rather odd on the face of it.

On the other hand, the Dem's strong showing in the eastern, poorer rural counties almost snatched District 2 from the iron grip of the neo-fascists to the west (Clermont, Warren and Hamilton). Perhaps the Ohio Dem Party has finally figured out that if they can regain and maintain a strong foothold in the Appalachian counties it could make all the difference in swinging some of the statewide and/or national elections? This theory is discussed in more detail at http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=127&subid=177&contentid=253583

Most recently, Diebold was publicly attacked by the Scioto County Board of Elections (the state just installed new Diebolds in Scioto County, which had previously used the punchcard ballot).

Sooooo... I can only assume that the DC Dems have decided that Scioto County will be their best chance to establish a foothold into District Two. This is also one of the reasons I read and send LTTEs to the online version of the Portsmouth Daily Times ( http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/ ) As I was born and raised in Scioto County, I would love nothing more than for the long-ignored and abused Appalachian counties in the District to fight back against the GOP jackboots to the west.

I can only hope that should this area of Ohio help the Dems regain political power that they will not be forgotten and discarded by our party as they have been in the past.

[keta11]

5. I think I am gonna send them some change. I was really

infuriated by that clown's speech with her crooked, ugly face saying "Staaayyy the course"

[theHandpuppet]

6. Some of you might want to read the following

That "stay the course" mantra, as well as the 9/11=Iraq bullshit, was published in a LTTE to the Portsmouth Daily Times http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/articles/2005/11/29/news/letters_to_the_editor/1letters_milsteadbloomfield.txt

Check out the second letter on the page. I guess some folks think if you just keep repeating lies and b.s. long enough, folks will believe it. Some responses to that letter are in order.

[keta11]

7. That is some pathetic letter appealing to emotions

How someone can lump this ridiculous "I wanna be a War president like my dad" mis-adventure in with the Civil war, WW2 and other wars justs beats me.

Notice now how they have begun to qualify by saying ..."he/ she didnt agree with all the reasons why we went to Iraq BUT BLAH BLAH...

Grow some brains Morans