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Friday, April 11, 2008

Republican Public Officials Just Can't Handle a Tape Recorder

They've been wheedling us for days, but we've successfully ignored TheKansasRepublican and their days of off-the-wall accusations that Congresswoman Nancy Boyda is sneaking around with a camcorder going all paparazzi on Lynn Jenkins.

We kid, of course, but not as much as we'd hope. Here's the gist of their actual complaint:

  • Nancy Boyda, who voted against FISA, is now paying for a "stalker" to follow Lynn Jenkins around and tape her every word. They'd like you to think he's taping her at the grocery store, probably.
  • This is very, very bad, and also hypocritical.
Oh, how to respond without being disrespectful...

OK, we'll start with the easy ones: Congresswoman Nancy Boyda isn't paying anyone to film anything at this point of the campaign (check the FEC reports yourselves). The tracker (yes, that's what the "stalker" is really called by people not trying to be incendiary) is paid for by the Kansas Democratic Party, and is a standard part of federal-level campaigning this day and age.

The fella from the KDP isn't following Lynn to the bathroom or getting in anyone's face...he's attending public events...the PUBLIC events of an ELECTED official running for a federal OFFICE. No elected official has any right- ever- to complain about being recorded at a public event.

The idea our State Treasurer is so secretive she doesn't want her potential constituents to know what she's saying, and that the Kansas Republican Party wants to keep it from us all, too, is one of the scariest things we've seen thus far in this race.

We can't really expect Republicans to be advocates for open government, though, can we?

Next, the Republicans, in their crazy rush to push out silly analysis, also left out the fact the KDP is also recording Jim Ryun at his events, too...they're ignoring that, but we aren't sure why. Too busy, probably.

Speaking of things the Republicans are ignoring: You can also ask Ryun or Jenkins or any staffer thereof...from what we've been told, they all know the "stalker" doesn't work for Boyda...but facts get in the way of quality spin.

In the end, the bit that's drawn a post out of us is that the Republican bloggers have the audacity to compare the recording of public events hosted by people wanting to be our representative in Congress to the federal government spying on American citizens. That's why they're calling Boyda a hypocrite, by the way- because she voted to prevent warrantless wiretaps of American citizens without oversight, but then recorders her opponents (which she isn't doing...oh, whatever...you get the picture).

That Republicans in Kansas are callous enough to compare taping public events to a federal government attempting to spy on Americans without a warrant is grossly inappropriate, but no one needs us to point that out- it's obvious to anyone other than Republican partisan hacks.

We will come back, in the end, to the fact this is just another occasion of Republicans lying when it can be proven that they are...and another example of exactly how desperate Republicans are to keep as much information as they can from the American people- and exactly how desperate they are to take down Congresswoman Boyda with baseless drivel.

Luckily, no one is listening to them.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Exactly. This whole "But this isn't the big time, this is Kansas." This the #1 congressional race in the country. Welcome to the big time. If you can't take the heat, get the FUCK up out da kitchen.

AllyKlimkoski said...

these people clearly don't understand how things in politics work. I think they're trying to, which is good, but they are still so far removed from senior staff or ... even staff that they can't quite grasp the way things really are - they only make conclusions based on the little information they have.... which clearly... is little...

So - they make stuff up. There are blogs out there that are reporting on real things. Investigative journalism that is meaningful and well researched. The Kansas Republican is not one of them. Its a site run by fringe people who discovered "the tubes"

Anonymous said...

the R's are just sad they can't manage to have enough money to pay staff to track Democrats.

it must suck to be from such a loser-fest of a state party.

Anonymous said...

I hope that Republicans never reach the point that they go out and stalk Democratic candidate. I hope their own candidate has enough of a vision and ideas for the future of our state and country that they don't have to do this kind of stuff.

This kind of tactics is the reason many people who would be great candidates in both parties want nothing to do with running for office.

Anonymous said...

this is why i hate republicans...they're public people at public events...anyone and everyone has the right to tape, video, or crave into stone anything they do when they're in public.

secretive conservative bastards is all the republican party has become. we used to be the ones that railed on the democrats for hiding from the public.

i didn't think jenkins was like the rest of them, but i was wrong.

Anonymous said...

She actually loves that he is there. She could ask him to leave like Boyda did last election, but she doesn't because when she introduces him to the crowd it always gets a good laugh. I think now she would be disappointed if he didn't show up. But frankly it's a waste of time and money, but by the looks of him, he doesn't have anything better to do. an allyk I wouldn't mistake this blog for real journalism either. Save that for the Osage city paper.

Anonymous said...

I chuckle every time AllyK pretends to be a political operative. This time was especially hilarious, as she tried to enlighten us on how politics work. Please Ally, tell us more. Teach us how these confusing things work!

Anonymous said...

has anyone ever looked at the public link on this site to the hit count and where the hits come from? it's obvious that whoever writes this blog lives in either Baldwin City, Junction City, or Yukon, Oklahoma.

Anonymous said...

someone needs to teach you idiots how the system works...because you obviously just don't get it.

Anonymous said...

yeah - she loves that he's there just like George Allen did... and introduces him too... next thing you know macaca is going to pop out

This blog is not affiliated in any way with the Kansas Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, or the campaign to re-elected Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. All commentary herein not directly attributed must be considered the opinion of the authors of this blog and not of any other individual, including Congresswoman Nancy Boyda.