As Olddoc related today, an extremely scurrilous letter came in the mail to voters today.
Plaintalker has previously related the tendency of the Regular Democratic Party to add imaginary baggage to political opponents, but the current attempt beats all.
This type of attack reminds me of those cattle shutes where innocent animals are herded into a death machine.
Just by setting foot on the path to Election Day, the upstart opponent is assured of an onslaught of misleading and inaccurate attacks. All sorts of social ills are laid at the feet of the demonized opponent. No wonder that in a city of many talented and capable people, few come forward to run for office for fear of being in the cross-hairs of this kind of attack.
My hope is that people contemplating elective office will study the methods of winning elections and will act accordingly. The challenge is to side-step the tactics of paid strategists.
Voters, take time to think about what you are doing. Use your best instincts to exercise your very hard-won franchise.
--Bernice Paglia
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yes, i got one in the mail.and jerrie green should be ashamed of himself.after i read all of the nonsens,i would NEVER vote for the fellow he is endorsing.
ReplyDeleteToday's mailing was pretty low-key compared to the garbage Ms. Williams has been putting out. Calling Mr. Burney "ineffective...irresponsible...incompetent" and accusing him of giving away our tax dollars was not only nasty, it was also a bunch of lies. I don't care who Green is endorsing, but I will vote for Burney.
ReplyDeleteNone of us should be surprised by Green's tactics. I am, however, surprised at the new lows to which Burney has stooped. If I was ever on the fence, Burney has pushed me over...right on to Rebecca Williams's side. She has run a clean campaign, focusing on the issues. She has my vote tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI concur, I ask what is wrong with running a clean campaign, especially if you said you've done so much for the city. I say if we want to clean-up this city everytime an election comes up vote out the emcumbrant and put in someone who has the interest of the citizens in.
ReplyDeleteI guess you missed the two pieces Rebecca & Corey sent out attacking Rashid. Both arrived in my mailbox last week.
ReplyDeleteThey were full of lies. They were terrrible, Shame on Corey for allowing this.
In them she attacked Jerry. What did she expect? Of course Jerry was going to attack back. Don't get me wrong, I am not a Jerry supporter. But after seeing Rebecca's mailers, I don't blame Jerry for fighting back. For the first time I agree with Jerry, who knew!
NOT ONE NEGATIVE MAILER FROM RASHID. NOT ONE.
Be sure to give him credit for that. One of the few Gentlemen left in Plainfield. (that's my Mom's line when she refers to
Mr. Burney)
I got a similar one from Rebecca - could fit the exact description you mentioned. Word for word.
ReplyDeleteThe again, maybe I am wrong. Maybe it is OK when Rebecca and the New Dems do it.
Bernice,
ReplyDeleteI have gotten several calls and emails about this--the mailer didn't make it to my home as yet, but someone brought over a copy of it.
I have been responding, but you probably have many more readers than I do. Here are a couple of points that I have been making:
In addition to the outrageous slanders, Rashid and Jerry have decided to try to "out" me (someone who is already out!) by using the sleaziest means possible--coding their message: "although she is openly gay" so as to inflame the homophobia that I have been fighting against my entire adult life.
For Rashid and Jerry to use this hateful eleventh-hour mailer to lie about me and spread the seeds of homophobia clearly demonstrate that they will do or say anything to win this election.
I have been an outspoken advocate for our community as the Co-Chair of the Bayard Rustin Progressive Democrats (our opening event was the screening of the life of openly gay civil right activist Bayard Rustin), as a liaison to various Gay/Straight Alliances, as a member of the Plainfield Pride Film Festival, donating films to the LGBT collection of the Diversity Studies collection of the Plainfield Public Library, as the organizer of the first (and ONLY!) World AIDS Day observance held in Plainfield, and as the campaign manager for the late Ray Blanco, the first openly gay elected official in Plainfield!
As I have said all along: Rashid lacks character. His spineless acquiescence and nonexistent sense of ethics in this instance, as well as in his nearly six years on the city council pushing Jerry Green's negative agenda have stagnated Plainfield. Now people can see clearly that Rashid lacks honesty, honor, and courage.
In addition to the ridiculous lies they tell in screaming letters ("Ask Rebecca: Why she refused to endorse Obama in the primary!") WTF??? Jerry and Rashid have finally gone off the deep end--they claim they don't want to be embarrassed--well, this mailer is offensive, and an embarrassment to our community.
1) Regarding the so-called "patronage job": I can't believe they are still trying to paint my former employment at the public access station as evil--that must be why Rashid and Jerry did an investigation into my background and filed an OPRA request on me try to dig up "dirt."
2) Regarding the Senior Center--the seniors know me, as I taught American literature there, and I don't think I would have the support of esteemed members of the senior community (Donald Van Blake, Dorothy Henry, Dr. Inez P. Durham, Herb Green, and other pillars of our community) if I wasn't supportive of seniors.
3) Regarding Dr. Gallon--I met him once, back in January of this year. I don't know of any "cronies" I had or have.
4) Regarding Muhlenberg, I guess Rashid and Jerry (who were BOTH in attendance--sitting together) forgot that I spoke FOR THE RECORD at one of the Muhlenberg hearings--just "google" my name with Muhlenberg and you will see that I was one of those who delivered testimony at one of the public hearings on the hospital--it was videotaped as well!
I hope that I have earned the support of Plainfield to bring openness, honesty, and character to the 2nd & 3rd Ward At-Large Council seat.
All best,
Rebecca
Bernice:
ReplyDeleteIn the interest of fairness, I hope that now and in the future you also relate the tendency of the New Democrat Organization which is in itself a party machine of a sort (though unconnected to a larger organization) to also "add imaginary baggage to political opponents."
You say "the current attempt beats all." A fair observer might say that it doesn't even beat the attempts of that organization in this very race.
Ms. Williams is no innocent, and the machine she finds herself in is of her own design.
Ms. Williams is no "upstart opponent" and she has laid all she could at her opponent's feet and demonized him where she could. You say "the challenge is to side-step the tactics of paid strategists." Ms. Williams is a perfect example of what you write about, and herself a paid strategist. She has made thousands of dollars doing just that for Councilman Storch, Councilman Mapp, and Councilman Blanco, among others.
I share your fear that people don't come forward to run because of the tone of our politics. I too hope that people contemplating elective office will study the methods of winning elections and will act accordingly. Unfortunately, in this City, all sides have shown that this is what the voters here are after. And what is generally rewarded here on election day.
I agree that voters should take time to think about what they are doing. I share your sentiment that the tone should be raised.
However...you were a reporter. I am disappointed that you aren't displaying more even-handedness in this instance. I respect you and expect better from you. I don't want to argue about who's run a dirtier campaign. I simply wish you would acknowledge that neither side has clean hands.
The tone of this primary stinks of exaggerations and often-debatable accusations, but as distasteful as they are I still give Ms. Williams and Mr. Burney a pass as they try to one-up each other. I think in most instances the two would share common ground.
ReplyDeleteBut the same cannot be said for Assemblyman Green, who, as Chairman of the Democratic Party here in Plainfield, should rise above it all by promoting fair, honest, and hard-fought primary campaigning. He's a manipulator though, and in my view he has abused his Chairman's power by endorsing individuals before the primary, not holding a committee vote on which of the contenders gets the so-called "Party Line", and getting deep into the gutter with his third-party mailings paid for by campaign funds (not to mention using the same source to bankroll a slate of school board candidates). However his most egregious abuse is that, regardless of laws that preclude many political contributions to city officials or city party committees from those who have contracts with the municipality, as party chairman he is neither a city official or the committee (although he acts like both), and he sits back and collects from a slew of them.
There is no excuse for this. Jerry may be Jerry, but the fault really lies with 22nd District voters and City Democratic Committee members who ultimately bestow the power on someone who seems so ready to abuse it.
Rebeccs's mailings have been slander and slime, pure and simple. I don't blame Jerry Green for hitting back when Rebecca has been attacking him constantly. As yesterday's mailing said, he is not the candidate, Rashid Burney is. To attack Rashid for getting Green's okay is ironic given that Rebecca pled for that okay herself. The new dems have reached a new low.
ReplyDeleteThe slimy flyer came from Jerry. What do you expect? The New Dems put an unflattering picture of him on their flyer (giving Jerry more power since he was not running - thank you New Dems), and they expect Jerry to sit by? I think not. I believe the New Dems know how to push Jerry's buttons and they did.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who knows Rashid will know that he would never condone nor does he believe in the trash that Jerry wrote.
Let's not confuse the facts, folks. Go back and look at your flyers.
- Postivie flyers from Rashid Burney
- Negative flyers from Rebecca and Jerry Green
Go look! Then vote for Rashid Burney
I find this primary very distasteful, especially because I know both Rashid and Rebecca quite well. And Jerry will always be Jerry, unfortunately for Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteI will be glad when the results of today's vote are in - no matter who wins.
Anyone who aligns themselves with Jerry Green is not to be trusted. I'm sorry, but I've looked at Mr. Green's shady political dealings and our mayor is a part of that. I cannot back Sharon or Jerry and this ad is typical Jerry and Sharon. Shame on them. I was seriously considering Burney, but not now, my vote goes for Ms. Williams.
ReplyDeleteIt is one thing to attack an incumbent's record, pointing out things that they DID, as opposed to using an oponent's sexual orientation, which is something they ARE - in an attempt to somehow disparage them. An endorsement from Mr. Green brings along all its own baggage but something like this mailer should have never been sent - and Mr. Burney should refute it - if as he says he didn't endorse it. Not to mention all the obvious and ridiculous lies. I for one will be quite happy when this election is over, and I can't wait to vote!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bernice.
Julie Jerome
"Anyone who aligns themselves with Jerry Green is not to be trusted." How about those who WANT the Democratic party line--can they be trusted? Rebecca begged for the line and didn't get it. If she had, would you be voting against her because she was "aligned" with Green? Let's get real, people! Green is not the candidate--Burney is. Look at HIS record and decide!
ReplyDeleteNobody has attacked Rebecca's sexual orientation, she is who she is. She is also a liar, her campaign literature proves it, and that's a legitimate subject to attack.
ReplyDeleteBernice, I'm surprised that you apparently don't think Rebecca's mailings have been "scurrilous." You used to be an honest reporter--what happened?
ReplyDeleteBernice, I'm surprised at you--you used to recognize dirty politics no matter where they came from, but now you are only focused on Jerry Green. What about the nasty lies Rebecca has sent out? Don't they count? You used to be a good reporter, but now it seems your personal biases are getting in the way of honest reporting. Jerry's letter is nowhere near as bad as the stuff Rebecca, Dan etc have been putting out. Shame on them--and shame on you!
ReplyDeleteBring Back The Chief of Police.
ReplyDeleteGet McGreevey to run
This city is a cesspool. I cannot wait until the real estate market goes up a bit so I get my money and get out. I will make a food donation to the Mayor.
ReplyDeleteVote them all out. It is time for new blood not simply that which has been run through a dialysis machine.
thats the problem too many bloods ,crips, latin kings 18th street, ms 13 lib side ekmwood 3rd st clinton ave etc
ReplyDelete