In a mass mailing Ric Keller, Alan Grayson’s Republican opponent for Florida’s 8th district, recently sent to only the people who matter to him - the people who give him money - a single dollar bill, clipped to a letter. In the letter, Keller asked for $100 in return. After all, if you can buy his vote, then why can't he buy yours?
If that isn’t a sign of desperation, then Keller's new negative ad is.
WESH 2 Truth Test Puts Political Ads To Test (Emphasis mine.)
This new ad has tried to portray Grayson as someone who would jeopardize the safety of American troops. "Grayson said he would cut off funding for American troops in harm's way. Even from vehicles that would protect them from roadside bombs," said the ad.
WESH 2's Truth Meter put the statements to the test.
Is it true that Grayson "said" he supports cutting troop funding? The truth meter held in "hover" mode on this, because the source that Keller is using does not fully support the claim.
The claim came from a "blog" on democrats.org that was posted Sept. 18 ,2007, the day after Grayson announced his run for Congress. The blogger is Jim Callahan, a member of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee. "He (Grayson) supported ending the Iraq war and would vote to cut off funding," wrote Callahan. However, Keller attributed the same article when he "claimed" that Grayson would "cut funding for vehicles that protect (troops) from roadside bombs."
There is no mention of that in the article, therefore the WESH 2 Truth Meter rang false on that claim. Callahan spoke with WESH 2's Greg Fox and told him "Grayson did not say he would cut funding in a manner that would put troops in danger" but would cut wasteful spending.
Keller criticizes Grayson for posing for a picture with a member of Code Pink. (Emphasis mine.)
Grayson protests with Codepink, the radical anti-war group that calls U.S. Marines war criminals. There is a photo of Grayson standing next to the Florida coordinator, Deidra Lynch, of the anti-war group. So is it true that Grayson protests with Codepink? This is true, however Keller's ad used some tricky editing. The photo was cropped. Grayson's sign doesn't just say "stop the war" it also says"sweep Ric Keller out of the house."
We at DKos have taken more than a few potshots at Code Pink for their methods, but few of us would apologize for supporting their cause. Ending the war is a priority here. Like many of us, members of Code Pink are desperate to be heard and when conventional tactics do not work, they will not be silenced. For all their chichi, gaudy, loud, ostentacious, undisciplined and quite frankly, silly and annoying antics, (such as causing a disturbance at Netroots while Al Gore was speaking), their hearts are in the right place. They want the war to end and are not content to sit idly by while the Bushies squander our loved ones, our fortunes, and our goodwill. Code Pink vividly reminds us that we are so fed up, and so desperate to be heard that we, too, might protest outrageously if we thought it might make a difference.
Responding to Keller's ad Grayson says:
Regarding the Keller comment, I think that it goes right to most people's disenchantment with electoral politics. Obviously, I don't support anything that puts American troops in greater danger, nor does anyone else I know. For goodness sake, I've spent the last five years of my life protecting those troops, and the taxpayers. What Keller is trying to do is to create a cartoon version of me, which has nothing to do with reality. People see that Tricky Ric is trying to cheat on them once again. People are sick of Keller, his lies, and his broken promises. This is one reason why we are ahead in the polls. Another reason is that we are proposing things that actually would improve ordinary people's lives, something that Keller neither knows nor cares about.
Below is the Grayson ad that Keller mocks.
Watching Alan Grayson in Congress with supoena power is a sight my eyes can’t wait to see. To support Alan Grayson for Congress, put his ads on the air, and keep him ahead in the polls, visit Act Blue. If you have family and/or friends in Florida's 8th -- the Orlando area -- please forward this information to them and encourage them to GOTV for Alan Grayson . . . and Barack Obama.