Guest Post From John Kowalko
There is a widespread and insidious voter fraud being perpetrated in Delaware this election. The national and local media attention may be directed at purging of legitimate voters from the rolls or alleged ACORN registration fraud but it has failed to scrutinize fraud that is practiced at the expense of the individual voter here in our state. It is fraud cloaked in the guise of “push-polls” and false, misleading and out-of-context lit pieces mailed to voters. These manipulations of reality are intended to disrupt and distract the average voter’s ability to make an objective selection or decision that is in their best interest.
Negative campaigning has arrived in force to Delaware. I used to reflect on how fortunate I felt that I wasn’t involved in the negativity and bitterness of New Jersey politics. I am proud to campaign on the issues in Delaware but I fear that some would prefer that we join the mass hysteria of negativity. The most worrisome aspect is that it has become an acceptable alternative to those who have no ideas about or solutions to the critical issues that face Delawareans.
In addition to two recently conducted negative phone push-polls, a mailing to the voters of my 25th District filled with out of context misrepresentations of my record was proudly advertised as “paid for by the House Republican Campaign Committee”. I find this particularly offensive since this committee is the Republican House Caucus that engaged in and witnessed the actual debates and proposals in Dover yet chooses to deliberately misrepresent and falsify the reality of my record. When they can reference an honorable man whose integrity is beyond reproach such as John Flaherty and couch it in the terms of an unnamed “lobbyist” they have stooped to new lows.
This practice is not isolated to my race but in fact has become the norm for the Delaware Republican party in a number of races across the state. It is not about me as much as it is about a betrayal of the public trust. This unconscionable and aberrant behavior is abusive to the voters and attempts to abridge the rights of the voters to be able to make an unbiased, unfiltered and untainted decision as to whom they wish to represent them. This is voter fraud at its worst, subtle hints and hidden context mapping a direction that is opposite of the truth.
Meeting the voters individually and face-to-face is certainly an arduous and time-consuming task but well worth the effort when the reward is a smile of appreciation and a sincere thank you. To suggest to those very same people that the opposition is less than concerned with their problems or misrepresenting the opposition record insults the peoples’ intelligence and is inexcusable behavior. It is time for Delaware voters to take a stand and demand that there be no more negative campaigning. They can accomplish this at the polls on November 4th by dealing a decisive defeat to those that would employ such tactics.
Excellent points John. It has been sickening to hear the bullshit being played on WDEL every ten minutes.
The DE GOP has chosen a kind of scorched earth policy that spits in the face of decency.
I might just have to vote the straight ticket in the end. The only person it hurts is Brady, but I can’t get over how utterly revolting the DE Republican party has been this cycle.
When I see something that even begins to approach what your party did to Mike Ramone in 2006, then I’ll listen more intently to this.
Agreed FSP.
This may be the first time I have ever heard this referred to as ‘voter fraud.’ I don’t like the approach, but voter fraud?
I might just have to vote the straight ticket in the end. The only person it hurts is Brady, but I can’t get over how utterly revolting the DE Republican party has been this cycle.
There you are! I missed you. Even though you can’t imagine voting for KWS for so many reasons, toss it aside because of a label. Woo! Missed you, honey!
So, nothing about the Earl Jaques push poll?
“If you found out Vince Lofink used his influence to get a state job, where he later stole 1.2 million dollars in public funds, would that change your opinion of him?”
Now THAT, my friends, is a push poll.
Voter fraud is when they changed my brother’s registration from R to D so he couldn’t vote in the presidential primary.
They yelled voter fraud years ago and said the Dem’s voted Ivory Snow then ended up with egg all over their face because ivory Snow was a real person and to add insult to injury i knew Ivory for years a great guy
John Kowalko
“It is not about me as much as it is about a betrayal of the public trust.”
http://www.johnkowalko.com/
“As your State Representative, I will put aside partisan politics and, no matter what the issue, ask only one question: “what’s right for the people I serve?””
With all due repects Mr. Kowalko I am not a Republican , Democrat or Independent so this come from “me” ! I was actually starting to like you but you just show your true colors!
“what’s right for the people I serve?””
You serve your party not the people!
This may be the first time I have ever heard this referred to as ‘voter fraud.’
No one, apparently, is using this term with any precision this cycle, but I think that John would be talking about fraudulent misrepresentations to potential voters, which I think is reasonably clear when you read the post.
This from the man who dragged Mike Ramone through the mud?
Negative campaigning has been around as long as the republic. I’ve gotten negative mail from dems and Republicans, the only push-poll calls I’ve gotten have been from dems. This is politics. Its rough. Get a helmet.
I wonder if there is a selection bias here; Republican faithful aren’t going to receive dirty push-polls from Republican campaigns, and vice versa for Dems. So everybody thinks their own party is clean.
Kilroy, you say about Mr.Kowalko
“You serve your party not the people!”
You are dead wrong, I am not in Mr, Kowalko’s district, but I met him on several occasions when he was fighting hard for what was good for Delaware, inspite of having to go against some Democrats. Kilroy, you need to get out more.
John Kowalko has never run against Mike Ramone. You are thinking of Dave Sokola.
Al is right
Mike Ramone ran for the Senate against Dave Sokola in 06 and is now running in the 21st Representative district for Pam Mayers seat who is leaving
Kilroy: John Kowalko has served the people of his district and the people of Delaware. He has gone against the Party on issues he knows the citizens support. John Kowalko is one of the most honest elected representatives we have in the Legislature. You republicans are going down in Delaware and across the county. Fear mongering, nasty robo calls and your push polls are nothing but attempts to vote suppress.
I hate the republican party for all it has done to the country. I want them destroyed as an effective political party.
That said, free speech is NOT voter fraud. We have laws against libel – if you think is is libelous, then sue.
Calling negative campaigning “voter fraud” is dangerous and un-American. There are no “rights of the voters to be able to make an unbiased, unfiltered and untainted decision as to whom they wish to represent them” and Kowalko is embarrassing himself by that statement.
If we want to defeat the repub message machine, we must do it by continuously crushing each one in the elections at the local and national level – even the so-called “good republicans” – until they are un-funded, demoralized, and defeated. Forever.
I have seen three literature pieces put out by the House Republican Campaign Committee and what I find distressing is they imply John Kowalko personally benefits from the votes he casts.
One had a picture of John’s face and a pair of hand’s grasping at bags with “$” imprinted on the bags.
Another had the slogan “Kowalko’ing away with your money”
The third had a wagon full of cash.
The implication was the cash involved ( the policy issues mentioned are tax increases on alcohol & tobacco and a change in the income tax rate on people who earned above the $250,000-300,000 range which I have heard would increase their tax bill about $200-$300 a year) went directly to John Kowalko. This is decpetive.
If you want to attack him over policy decisions I think that is fine. For example, Rick Jenson has stated on WDEL that he thinks Kowalko is wrong on full-day kindergarten as a policy issue. While he disagrees with John on the issue ,he has never accused him of personal gain. Challenging a legislator on the issues is one thing. Taking someone’s record out of context and implying they personally gain from legislation you don’t support, without anything concrete to back it up is nothing more than character assasination.
FSP,
I remembered the Ramone-Sokola race in 2006 became more contentious than most and I think you may have point.
Sokola brought up a several year-old court case involving some business problems Ramone had in 1992. According to Ramone , as posted in Delaware Grapevine at the time, at least some of his business problems were related to lightning striking his business in 1992 and burning it down. Having one’s business burn down seems a reasonable reason to have a business problem.
http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/10-06campaignnotes.asp
John –
To further your point (#19) and FSP’s point, and having myself been very involved in campaigns for a while, the only times it appears negative campaigning is wrong or offensive is when it’s against your candidate or the candidate him/herself.
Supporters of the targeted campaign get highly offended, but supporters of the one who authorized the piece brush it off as politics. It happens every cycle and it happens on both sides. No one is innocent when you look over multiple cycles.
I personally hate negative politics and have advised some to not use it, but let’s face something here, too. While John K is offended (I don’t doubt that for one moment), going to every available radio show and blog to make these points multiple times over and over again, he too is making politics out of it and using it for his own game…as he should. He is a politician, afterall.
When the GOP keeps control of the House, they can thank Mike Lukach-the new boy genius.
Frieda Berryhill //
You are dead wrong, I am not in Mr, Kowalko’s district, but I met him on several occasions when he was fighting hard for what was good for Delaware,
Frieda,
the attached is from his own website! However, I was going to spank him on my blog but decided not to because I think is just the heat of the moment and I have been warming up to him. I not with the GOP anymore! My support for Copeland in only to push real change in Dover and try to bust the political deadlock is hurting us all!
http://www.johnkowalko.com/
“As your State Representative, I will put aside partisan politics and, no matter what the issue, ask only one question: “what’s right for the people I serve?””
anon3
“Fear mongering, nasty robo calls and your push polls are nothing but attempts to vote suppress.”
There is nothing to fear if ones candidate is worthy. Denn lied about about taking money from the insurance industry! Copeland didn’t make that up! Denn came back and said, O I didn’t mean money from their laywers. Doesn’t matter where Copeland gets his fund becasue Denn was the on that lied!
John Tobin //
“Rick Jenson has stated on WDEL that he thinks Kowalko is wrong on full-day kindergarten as a policy issue. ”
Bull crap Kowalko was right! We need full day K and still need Pre-K.
As I said above, I’ll take Kowalko falling of the wagon on integerty as just the heat of the moment!
We received 12 different pieces of campaign literature in the mail today, 6 from Dems, 6 from Repubs. One of the Dem mailings, paid for by The Delaware Issues Fund (?) supporting Matt Denn, was negative, attacking Charlie Copeland by name and blasting him for “misleading attacks.” The other 5 Dem pieces were what I consider positive, confining themselves to touting the candidate’s credentials and accomplishments with no mention whatsoever of their opponents.
As for the 6 Repub mailings… well. Only two of them are positive; the other four are negative attack ads sent out solely to malign the Democratic opponent. Three of the four negative pieces — the three paid for by The Republican State Committee of Delaware — don’t even mention the name of the Republican candidate running for the seat.
Those three State Committee mailings are really interesting. The point of one is to say that Brian Bushweller is a teacher’s-union-organizing spendthrift do-nothing Minner clone who prefers secrecy to open government. (Gasp! Betcha he’s a SOCIALIST!) The other two are about the lowest things I’ve ever seen– they both claim that Brad Bennett is a racist misogynist with “a history of legal trouble” who was “sued for racial discrimination and violations of civil rights.” Both urge me to “contact Brad Bennett and tell him discrimination is unacceptable.” I did some research on the web and found “Nichols v. Bennett,” the court case this refers to — yes, Brad Benett’s security company was sued by a former employee for racial discrimination. What these pieces fail to mention is that BENNETT WON THE CASE.
I really don’t want to hear Republicans saying “everybody does it,” as if the Dems routinely stoop to their level. For sheer volume, vehemence and depth of slime, the Republican party has absolutely cornered the market on bottom-of-the-barrel sleaze tactics.