Too much despair over Busby's "papers" comment in CA-50 - CHEER UP!

[mountebank]

I've been reading a lot of despair from some DU'ers and posters on Daily Kos over the Francine Busby non-scandal "papers" comment. For those that missed it, she gave a speech to a largely Latino crowd and, as the story goes, one man asked, "I don't have papers but I want to help." To which Busby, according to legend, said, "You don't need papers to vote and you don't need to be a registered voter to help." The comments were recorded by a Minuteman and given to right-wing radio causing a few "news stories" (from wingnutville) to be written and appear on Google news when you type in Francine Busby. That is the extent of the story and DU'ers and practically throwing themselves under a train. This is of course the entire point for writing "Busby in Trouble" in a headline from Powerline, to demoralize Dems, and after so much defeat, it appears we are ready to self-immolate at the slightest sign of trouble.

Forget the fact that we didn't get the whole story of course because it is pure propaganda black ops (e.g. what was the original question in Spanish and what was the translation). Forget that in CA you DON'T need "papers" (i.e. proof of registration) to vote at the polls if you are a registered voter and you don't need to be a registered voter to help a campaign (many miss the cut-off to register but can't be barred from helping).

This story does not have legs, so cheer up DU. The latest stories in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Reuters, and Washington Post make NO MENTION of the incident. Just read the Union-Tribune piece if you want to be reassured:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20060604-9999-1mi4duke.html

Some choice quotes:

At a heavily traveled Encinitas intersection Friday, Bilbray and sign-toting supporters waved at passing cars. Trucks honked. One man pulled up and said jovially: “Hey, I recognize you. You're the carpetbagger, right?” – a reference to the fact that he moved to his mother's house in the district last year.

snip

“I'm on the right, but I'm going to vote for you anyway,” Art Jensen, a fan of conservative talk radio, told her. “At this point, it's character that counts.”

snip

Before a debate Friday night in Carlsbad, Busby swept into the room of 275 like a rock star; people rose to their feet, shouting and clapping and trying to shake her hand as she made her way from the back of the room to the stage, where Bilbray sat scowling. The debate had the atmosphere of a high school pep rally as Busby's supporters cheered her every word and drowned out Bilbray with derisive laughter. Bilbray also had fans in the crowd, and they tried to make up for their lesser numbers with volume. Carlsbad police officers were stationed outside. Across the street, a man chanted, “Impeach Bush, Impeach Bush.”

********************

Why is this time to throw in the towel for so many on DU? Are you afraid of a few headlines from Wingnutville?

on edit: The latest Union-Tribune piece, quoted above, is even written by the journalist who wrote the original "Busby on Defense, says she misspoke" piece yesterday (the story's only real entry into legitimate news). The story is going nowhere. Today and tomorrow will be all confetti and rallies as we head to the election. A few nuts who would have voted for Griffith (the Minuteman endorsed candidate who takes votes away from Bilbray) will be further galvanized to vote for him. So what?

[cascadiance]

1. There are so many skeletons that Bilbray has in his closet now!

We need to make sure our echo chamber works as well as the right when they try to milk this one for all they can, which is pretty meaningless and unsubstantive by comparison. Consider the following:

1) Brian Bilbray and his wife took a trip to the Marianas Island on Jack Abramoff's dime! Check this out!

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kpbs/news/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=921445

2) Bilbray as congressman earlier flip flopped on a campaign finance reform bill that McCain was trying to get through congress. Ask voters while phone banking if, given this info, whether they should trust him to keep his word and not follow his lobbyist instincts to fight campaign finance reform once again! He's shown that he's lied in favor of it in the past. Why won't he do it again!

http://www.netconnection.com/campfin.html

3) Is he a resident of California? He's making a big issue of his kids having to pay non-resident tuition here (because they are actually registered as Virginia residents, whcih he also shows up as a resident for his house that he owns there). So if people are concerned about people having legitimate jobs here as residents of California, why don't they ask him why he should be given an illegitimate job as a non-California resident too.

Ex-GOP legislator Steve Baldwin just publicly slammed Bilbray for this in this conservative web site.

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/blog-detail.php?id=15327

4) Bilbray claims he doesn't know Brent Wilkes of Hookergate and Duke Cunningham infamy... But earlier he received $7000 campaign donations from both Cunningham and Wilkes. He's since given these donations to charity after holding out a while on them, but anyone want to bet that there aren't more than just campaign donations linking these guys together?

5) The San Diego Minutemen are endorsing independent Griffith instead of Bilbray for Griffith's immigration stances. Could it be that they might trust that Griffith is more honest about his heavy stance against immigrants than Bilbray is purported to be?

6) Bill Hauf is running against Bilbray and claims Bilbray's not conservative enough for 50th district voters.

Does this sound like a guy that San Diego voters should trust? Make sure and ask them about these issues!

[mountebank]

2. Excellent compilation of resources! Sounds like San Diego residents

are catching on to Bilbray. Even compared to the average despicable GOP candidate, he is terrible! I hope Busby can pull it out. Partisanship aside, it would be nice to have a public servant in office in CA-50 instead of an insider corporate tool.

[cascadiance]

3. Just got phone calls from both Francine AND Laura Bush since this post...

Francine was calling to clarify this B.S. attack on her, and Laura trying to convince me to vote for Bilbray. I'd earlier already gotten calls from Dubya and McCain trying to talk me into voting for Bilbray. Hope they recorded my FU response!

[Cha]

7. pickles should be cited

for making obscene phone calls.

Edit~ I'd want to wash my anwering machine out with soap!

[cascadiance]

5. Here's an updated list...

1) Brian Bilbray and his wife took a trip to the Marianas Island on Jack Abramoff's dime! Check this out!

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kpbs/news/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=921445

and another from TPM Muckraker on the same subject, where he denies knowing Abramoff in much the same fashion he denies knowing Brent Wilkes...

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000355.php

2) Bilbray as congressman earlier flip flopped on a campaign finance reform bill that McCain was trying to get through congress. Ask voters while phone banking if, given this info, whether they should trust him to keep his word and not follow his lobbyist instincts to fight campaign finance reform once again! He's shown that he's lied in favor of it in the past. Why won't he do it again!

http://www.netconnection.com/campfin.html

3) Is he a resident of California? He's making a big issue of his kids having to pay non-resident tuition here (because they are actually registered as Virginia residents, whcih he also shows up as a resident for his house that he owns there). So if people are concerned about people having legitimate jobs here as residents of California, why don't they ask him why he should be given an illegitimate job as a non-California resident too.

Ex-GOP legislator Steve Baldwin just publicly slammed Bilbray for this in this conservative web site.

\http://www.humaneventsonline.com/blog-detail.php?id=15327.

4) Bilbray claims he doesn't know Brent Wilkes of Hookergate and Duke Cunningham infamy... But earlier he received $13,000 campaign donations from both Cunningham and Wilkes. He's since given these donations to charity after holding out a while on them, but anyone want to bet that there aren't more than just campaign donations linking these guys together?

http://www.dccc.org/news/duke_04192006/


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13006800/site/newsweek/page/2

5) The San Diego Minutemen are endorsing independent Griffith instead of Bilbray for Griffith's immigration stances. Could it be that they might trust that Griffith is more honest about his heavy stance against immigrants than Bilbray is purported to be?

6) Bill Hauf is running against Bilbray and claims Bilbray's not conservative enough for 50th district voters.

Does this sound like a guy that San Diego voters should trust? Make sure and ask them about these issues!

[mountebank]

10. The Minutemen Griffith endorsement is huge because immigration is the

hot-button wedge issue that could have turned this election into a rout for a unity right-wing, anti-immigration candidate. Busby endorsing the McCain solution and McCain's cancellation of his rally with Bilbray all had a limiting effect on the issue's chance to decide the race. Unfortunately for Bilbray, he had to go back to running on the issues. Such a shame when they have to do that....

[mountebank]

11. And I can't believe the Abramoff link didn't get more play. n/t

[kentuck]

4. I agree....

I don't understand this wimpiness.. :)

[Cha]

6. Hey, Hey, Hey..I used to live

in Encinitas..this brings back memories of Swami's Beach and Boogie Boarding!

Busby didn't "stumble" at all..it's much ado from a desperate raton about nada!

[cascadiance]

8. I think that we, the "choir", understands that this is total BS...

But many of the other voters out there that aren't decided yet need to get more balanced info. We need to help them get it so that they aren't brainwashed by this BS...

[Cha]

9. Right, but I read

from some on DU that are all worried about this.

[MH1]

12. Thanks for this post.

It's nice to put things in perspective!

[cascadiance]

13. Speaking of weird quotes, this one of Cheney endorsing Busby is funny!

Check out this London Times article that just came across the wire:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2211268,00.html#

...

Republicans have become so alarmed over the possibility of losing the seat that last week Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, flew across the country to campaign for Mr Busby. “Right now the eyes of the nation are on the 50th district of California,” Mr Cheney declared.

...

Cheney campaigning for Francine's husband? That's a riot! :)

[mountebank]

14. Likely a Rovian strategy to draw votes away from his wife! nt

[mountebank]

15. UPDATE: Daily Kos WHINE FEST over Busby comment

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/5/17159/10792

God, I really hate us sometimes. This is exactly what I was talking about. 50% of the posters are blaming the victim and throwing in the towel. 30% are conceding defeat on Tuesday, declaring moral victory, and looking forward to November. 10% are holding strong. And 10% just have their heads up their asses. What in the fuck is wrong with these people? There is an election tomorrow. This is exactly what the right-wing talking heads and spin machine is looking to do: demoralize and get Dems looking toward November and not tomorrow. Why in the hell did Kos put this article up from the journal of a professed libertarian (look downthread)??? I hope no one from the Busby campaign is reading Daily Kos.....

[cascadiance]

16. Here's a good page with some ammo in it...

I get the feeling those publishing it aren't exactly of "progressive" values, but all the same, there's a lot of useful material here, including some slams of quotes from him on illegal immigration too...

Nice pic at the top that reemphasizes his Marianas Islands "payoffs"...



http://bilbraytheliberallobbyist.com/

Taxpayer Funded Education for Illegal Aliens

While Brian Bilbray has always talked about his opposition to illegal immigration, he at least twice has supported expanded rights for illegal aliens.

EXAMPLE: Taxpayer funded Education for Illegal Aliens.

As a Congressman, Brian Bilbray introduced compromise legislation that would have stuck American taxpayers with:

"...the cost of educating undocumented immigrant children."
(Sept 16, 1996 SDUT)

EXAMPLE: Expanded rights for illegal workers.

In 1999, when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission pushed to extend broad-reaching anti-discrimination rights to illegal aliens, Bilbray backed the plan.

Bilbray's support was vocalized by his Chief of Staff, John Woodward.

"...his chief of staff said Bilbray believes all workers in the United States should be protected against abuses regardless of immigration status.

... if they're here and if they're working, they should be afforded rights and protections."
(Oct 28, 1999 SDUT)