[TN-Sen: Harold Ford, Jr. (D) vs. Bob Corker (R)]
Grrrr!!! I'm getting so frustrated with Bob Corker. He's crashing and burning so fast I can't keep up.
One diary a day just isn't enough to keep up with all of Bob Corker's latest disasters, so today we have a special two-in-one diary. [In fact, I may have to do this for the next several days just to catch up with all of Corker's idiocy.]
Diary #1: Corker's meltdown on live talk radio.
Diary #2: Corker lies to his own mother!
Man, I love the smell of Republican candidates going up in flames. Read on... and enjoy.
#1
I hate hard-working Americans, and so do you! At least, that's what US Senate candidate Bob Corker (R) says about you.
Check out Bob's pathetic meltdown on local talk radio station 102.3 FM in Chattanooga. When faced with a handful of questions about missing emails and hidden tax forms, Corker stuttered and stammered for a while before lashing out with a bizarre personal attack on the talk show host.
Here's a quick transcript of the best part:
CORKER: I guess people like you, people like you that are aligned with Harold Ford...
HOST: I'm not aligned with Harold Ford.
CORKER: Yes, you are.
HOST: No, I am not.
CORKER: And you're sure offended by people who started working at 13-years-old...
HOST: Sir, I got my first job sacking groceries at Willy's when I was 13 and a half.
CORKER: ...and [you think] there's something wrong with a guy who goes out in a pick-up truck with $8,000 and builds a business.
HOST: Mr. Corker, I do not begrudge you your success, and it's offensive to me that you would, that you would essentially speak for me when you do so little speaking for yourself. The question here is you, Mr. Corker. I'm not running for the US Senate. You are.
You know what, Bob? If you're this overwhelmed by Chattanooga talk radio, maybe you're not quite ready for the US Senate. It's stupid enough that you'd resort to such pitiful, ridiculous claims about your opponent--but to accuse the interviewer of hating hard-working people? It makes you look like a desperate, whiny child.
(Of course, if the shoe fits...)
#2
Corker's latest ad features Crash-and-Burn Bob lying to his own mother. Check out the lameness.
First off... If your candidate is barely 5 feet tall and has the voice of an pre-adolescent cartoon character, maybe showing him snuggling up on the porch with his mommy isn't your best option. Especially right after his opponent just made headlines statewide by him a "wimp." This ad screams "momma's boy."
Plus... The script makes no sense. Mom says, "Is there any politician who thinks we need to be weak on crime?" And Bob says, "50%."
These are Corker's first words in the commercial I guess I'm supposed to be intrigued by this non sequitor so I'll pay attention to what he says next. Instead I'm busy wondering:
1) Why Mom is defending Harold Ford, Jr., by demanding her own son acknowledge that every politician thinks we need to be tough on crime?
2) Why, right after we hear the words "weak on crime," is our attention immediately directed to Corker?
3) How viciously is factcheck.org is going smack Corker's ass for this totally bogus lie? And are the local newspaper/TV stations going to smack him around as well?
Here's the thing: "50%" is how much Corker claims he slashed violent crime while mayor of Chattanooga. There is nothing to back this up. He pulled this number out of his ass. Here are the facts:
1. The FBI, the TBI, and the Chattanooga Police Department all keep statistics on violent crime. None of them indicate a 50% drop in violent crime during Corker's term, so where do Corker's numbers come from? Only his proctologist knows for sure.
2. Violent crime in Chattanooga was 2.11 times the national average during Corker's term. In other words, the people of Chattanooga were twice as likely to be victims of violent crime as the average American.
3. In 2004 (Corker's last full year in office), the U.S. Justice Department called Chattanooga "one of the hottest zones of criminal activity" in the country. ATF agents compiled a list of the "worst of the worst" violent offenders in Chattanooga, but the city failed to arrest even half of them.
4. Rapes, sex crimes, and drug crimes all rose more than 20 percent during Mayor Corker's tenure, according to the TBI.
5. Bob Corker froze the pay of Chattanooga police and firefighters, even while he took three pay raises himself.
6. Although there was a significant (but not anywhere near 50%) drop in violent crime in Chattanooga under Bob Corker, the numbers were climbing back up again by 2004, his last full year in office.
BONUS MATERIAL: I mentioned the "wimp" story, but I haven't had time to blog about it yet. Ford is calling Corker a wimp for dodging debate after debate, and it's making news all the way from Memphis to Nashville to Knoxville.
Corker's response? "We may have to talk about that [adding more debates]." Wow, way to show some backbone, Bob! Way to stand your ground. Wimp.
The Corker campaign had just as lame of a response. According to WKRN-TV (Nashville), "A Corker spokesperson said language like `wimp' doesn't seem very senatorial."
What a zinger. Hey, Mr. Spokesperson-guy, wanna hear something that doesn't seem very senatorial?
CORKER: And you're sure offended by people who started working at 13-years-old ...and [you think] there's something wrong with a guy who goes out in a pick-up truck with $8,000 and builds a business.
See - I told you there's way too much to cram into one diary per day!!