Sunday, March 30, 2008

Revelling in the Mud

Since we were all grade school age, we've all heard that old saying about how you should never wrestle with a pig, because all that happens is that you get dirty, and the pig enjoys it.

Not that Pat Lykos exactly ran a clean campaign prior to March 4th, but she is really proving herself to be the proverbial "pig" during the run off against Kelly Siegler.

I understand that Lykos needs something tangible to give to the voters that will somehow bridge the gap that Kelly holds over her. I mean, something has got to make up for the fact that Lykos has never tried a case as a lawyer, and she's running against the most skilled Prosecutor in the Country.

But, there are some things that just don't make sense to me.

Kelly Siegler's campaign signs are being vandalized and stolen all over the county. Half the time they are found cut up in pieces to assure that they can't be used or fixed. This doesn't just happen in one portion of the county, either. It also doesn't seem to be happening to any of the signs belonging to other candidates (including Lykos). I fail to see what type of message the Lykos campaign is trying to send with committing the offense of Criminal Mischief, but I guess her brand of politics is different than mine.

Lykos also aligned herself (by purchasing advertising) with neo-conservative aspiring radio talk show host, Terry Lowry who publishes a tabloid-style "voting guide". I got a copy of it in the mail, and I really wonder what target audience could take this guy seriously.

Lowry's website has him promoting himself as a "man of God", yet the things that he writes in his LinkLetter is stuff that would be more fitting on a bathroom wall.

I'm not going to give the Lowry-Lykos machine the free press of listing the absolute crap listed in their cheap little mailer, but suffice it to say that it was typical Lykos material. None of it touted any qualifications or talents that Lykos had that would convince a voter she was right for the job. It just listed a series of personal attacks on Kelly Siegler that had absolutely no bearing on her professional attributes.

Oh, and by the way Mr. Lowry, at least two out of the three things you accused Kelly of in your handout actually apply more aptly to Pat Lykos.

Now, I know that Pat Lykos paid a lot of good money for her advertising with Lowry's LinkLetter, so let's indulge her for a moment.

Everyone close your eyes for a minute and pretend for a second that every last bit of the mudslinging that Lowry-Lykos have done is true.

Just pretend with me for a second.

Okay, now open your eyes.

Yep, Kelly is still the most qualified candidate for D.A. by a mile.

And Lykos is still just revelling in the mud . . .

15 comments:

hcresident said...

I was extremely angry when I read the Link yesterday. Let me get this straight. A "man of God" trashes multiple candidates/candidate's wives for rumors and/or irrelevant things about the job qualifications. What if I heard Lowry likes little boys and published it in a mailer? How would he feel about that? Did he support Bush knowing that it was rumored he did drugs in college? Did he support Perry after he cussed (remember "Adios mo fo?"). I guess Holmes was a terrible DA b/c he cussed like a sailor (or is it just that a woman can't say a four letter word?). Would he support a candidate who called a judge a f*ck face (Oh yeah, Lykos did that?). Oh I get it, Lykos is losing so she has nothing to lose!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, and the Judge that Lykos called that name was Mary Bacon, who is one of the sweetest people in the judiciary. She reminds me of my grandmother. I think that moment pretty much showed the two opposite sides of the spectrum on "Class" versus "No Class".

Anonymous said...

JAGJO writes:

A candidate trashing another candidate's signs does not indicate confidence!

Please know that there are defense political statedgies out there and sometimes they are not what they appear or what is most obvious. Just making comment that they do exist and they do take place. Whether it be candidates within the same party or party vs party sabatoge. Bradford would much rather go against Lykos than Seigler in Nov.

Ok, I have not gotten the LinkLetter in the mail but my curiosity that was on the low side has now escalated after reading this topic... Is it now being published online as well??? I know who the endorsed are but I wasn't aware of the 'trashing' of candidates wives , etc.

Anonymous said...

Lykos and some of her well paid supporters have tried their best to make it seem as though she was a Reagan Republican on some level. I wonder if they remember the axiom; "Thou shall not attack a fellow Republican" or if it only applies to other people?

As far as the Link Letter is concerned, it just goes to show the guy struggling nearly as desperately as Lykos to remain relevant to a growing electorate that finds him a POS of trailer trash. Lowry, on the other hand, is just another wannabe that will say anything to gain an audience; preaching to the disaffected whatever it is he thinks they want to hear.

Mark Bennett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mark Bennett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mark Bennett said...

So now both candidates have their paid theocratic endorsers. (The link is for those who will be shouting for evidence that Lykos paid for the Lowry endorsement. AHCL sent me the link when I questioned her on that point; notice who it describes as as another "slate-card call girl[] with more discerning tastes.")

What's to distinguish them? Kelly is unquestionably more qualified to lead trial lawyers, by virtue of her experience and talent. I don't see trial lawyers following Pat. Neither has the sort of administrative experience that would be helpful to a DA.

Kelly's got some ethical warts; there aren't many of us who are above reproach. I suspect that if Pat ever tried a criminal case as a lawyer she made some mistakes.

Some describe Kelly as "mean," but some describe Pat as "cruel." I'll take mean over cruel any day.

Judge Bacon married Jennifer and me. She's not always sweet and grandmotherly, but calling her names is downright trashy.

So bow down to Pat if you want, bow to her. Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence.

I've got to sit this one out, since I signed a Democratic judge's petition (how would it look if I hadn't?) and voted in the Democratic primary (go Obama! Woohoo!). So I don't have to decide whether to vote for Kelly.

But even if I got a vote, I damn sure wouldn't vote for Pat. Boooo.

Anonymous said...

The very idea of a political prostitute like Terry Lowry calling anyone else's morals into question is a sad pathetic joke bought and paid for by a sad pathetic politician.

Siegler was a pretty solid candidate to begin with, but at this point Lykos is just doing Kelly favors by showing the world the difference between the two. Even in 2008, character and integrity count for something.

And now, I'm on my way to voter early for Kelly.

anonymous c said...

Just voted for Kelly and Bill (Hugs, JagJo!) at West Gray.

My hope is that Kelly not only wins, but absolutely annihilates Lykos. Cleans her clock. Wipes the floor with her. Drop kicks her into next week. All of that good stuff!

And “go Obama! Woohoo!”???

Oh, Lord! Why am I not surprised? Hehe!

Plus five for your revising and editing efforts, MB.

Ron in Houston said...

Horrors! A Christian who acts like a hypocrite? Tell me it ain't so.

I have to agree with Mark on this one, they both pimped themselves to conservative Christian whores.

I like Half-way Normal's phrase, "political prostitute." I just wonder, is there any politician that isn't a prostitute?

Anonymous said...

JAGJO writes:

Lowry crossed a line.... it's called libel and I hope those affected take the necessary measures. It is demeaning to not only the true religious conservatives but also to the Republican party as well as those that formerly and currently appear on the endorsement that had no knowledge that such antics were going to be used. I know that they too, feel violated over this appalling act.

Advertisement can be bought but class and personal integrity can not be purchased on any level.

Life is much to short for this...

Anonymous said...

JAGJO writes:

Annon c - thanks,you sweet thang you!
You won't regret your vote.

Mr. Keating would make an excellant appellant judge or in my opinion an excellant legislator but not so much on a trial bench.

No worries, Kelly will win the nomination. And that confidence has nothing to do with the magic 8 ball sitting on my desk. But, I think from what I have seen of late that Lykos is using that as her only sane means for political consulting. :/

Mark Bennett said...

jagjo, two possible problems with libel, if I am correctly dredging up the little law that I actually learned for the bar exam. First, truth is a defense (I don't know if that applies in this case). Second, if the defamee is a public figure she must prove malice -- that is, that the defamer knew that the libel was untrue.

It's too bad that Pat Lykos never had a chance to show her stripes at a prosecutor before now. I'd've bet on her doing things that would make Kelly Siegler blanch.

(On the other hand, Kelly might be no great shakes as a judge, but as far as I know she never sought that position.)

Anonymous said...

JAGJO writes:

Bennett- I know what your saying.
However, candidates family members are not public figures. Candidates are not per se` public figures in the respect that they have not yet been elected to which title they are running for and in which the libel is being committed in the name of? Defamation of character , etc... Doesn't the defamaing of character have to occur with/to or in the presence of the person who makes the defamation statements? I'd have to research it. Lowry's mailout is done by a purported not for profit agency via the What's Up Program. I am sure there are many avenues to pursue from many angles. None the less, it is sickening and like I said before, life is much to short. We can all chalk it up as an election year and all that implies but that still doesn't make it acceptable or warranted.

The "upside" to such low down tactics is that it backfires on the libel slingshot holder. People with half a brain and no political background can see the transparency of the attacks.

Mark Bennett said...

Jo, I didn't see the letter; I missed the part about attacks on candidates' spouses.

You know what they say: you can't say "Lykos" without "lie" and you can't spell "Lowry" without "low."

Episode Seven: The Voters Awaken - A One Act -Sci-Fi Play

SCENE:  The Death Star orbits over Downtown Houston. [INTERIOR] The Imperial Council Chambers. EMPRESS OGG sits at the head of a long table ...