Yesterday I shared a diary about a Caught Red-Handed event, wherein citizens of Louisville held Rep. Anne Northup accountable for selling out to special interests while leaving her constituents behind.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
The event received fair and balanced media coverage, which sent the Northup campaign into a tizzy. They apparently called in some chits with a right-leaning editor of the Courier Journal, who promptly fired both barrels at the citizens of Louisville who dared to talk about politics so "early" in the election cycle.
Please follow me below the fold for my friendly response...
Unfortunately, Rep. Northup's campaign seems to have influenced CJ editor Hawpe. He seems to lean toward the right-wing on many issues, and he has launched an attack on Louisville citizens who are MoveOn members, questioning the usefulness and timing of our Caught Red-Handed project.
You can read his article here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
(You may have noticed that there is a comments link beneath the online version of these articles. Feel free to add your comments there.)
Hawpe did not call me to ask for comments, or to discuss these issues. He simply blasted forth his hot air, perhaps hoping to sweep us under the rug for the Northup campaign. (It is widely believed in Louisville that Hawpe has it in for Yarmuth. After all, Yarmuth's alternative LEO has taken shots at the CJ for years, often displaying better journalism and more intelligent editorials. Now Hawpe has a change to get even with Yarmuth by writing unflattering comments about Yarmuth. Hawpe apparently thinks he can tie Yarmuth to the Louisville citizens who are MoveOn volunteers.)
The fact is that Yarmuth is not coordinated with MoveOn in any way. That would be illegal due to campaign finance laws.
The fact is that Hawpe is pulling a Bush/Cheney in this editorial: By mentioning Yarmuth and MoveOn in the same breath, he seems to try to link us when there is no connection. (In the same way that Bush/Cheney always tries to link Iraq and Al-Qaeda.)
Our goal is to hold Rep. Northup accountable for selling out to the special interests. This is a fight between those who represent special interests and believe the government role is to "liberate the marketplace" (code for allow the looting of the Commonwealth) and those who believe our elected officials should be representing the masses of individual workers and taxpayers.
As to Hawpe's casual remarks about "plenty of time" to air these issues: American soldiers continue to die overseas, American debt continues to skyrocket, and American citizens continue to be left behind as our economy sputters. So-called market experts claim the markets are fine, while estimates of inflation ignore the increased costs of energy, food, and housing. Real pay is flat or declining, and has been for some time. The time to address the issues of government is now.
Many citizens have the opportunity to meet with their representatives during a congressional recess. Regrettably, due to the tragic passing of Rep. Northup's son, the citizens of KY-03 will not have that chance. That does not mean that legitimate ethical concerns about big money influence on votes cannot be addressed. More than a month has gone by since Mr. Northup passed away, and while our sadness remains, the people's business will not wait any longer.
Mike Bailey
P.S. Check out this link to Bluegrassreport.org for more discussion on this topic:
http://www.bluegrassreport.org/...