June 1, 2006
Cowardice or Shadiness?
Either way, when a Congressman ditches two debates in one night, getting caught blatantly being dishonest about it, that’s not a good thing. And when it’s MY Congressman? Well, that’s about enough to piss a guy off.
From the Political Vine:
The agenda for the ECCA event was as follows: 6:30 PM-7:00 PM was a reception for all candidates, and then the forum began at 7:00 PM. The “reception†was for any candidate in any/all parties running for any position that affected Cobb County. State Rep races, State Senate races, School Board races, Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General race, PSC races, Congressional races (both District 6 and District 11), etc., etc.
The agenda for the ECCA forum between the 6th District candidates was scheduled to run from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
So, when the League of Women Voters’ forum started at around 6-6:30 PM, Sinton and Konop were there, but Tom Price was a no-show. However, Debbie DeLong, Price’s Campaign Director, was there as a surrogate for Price.
And what did Debbie tell the gathered throng of about 150 people as to why Price couldn’t attend (after confirming he would attend)? DeLong read a letter from Tom Price. What did the letter say?
The letter referred to Price apologizing for his absence due to the fact that he was attending an event at a veterans’ group across the county [I wasn’t there to know the exact name, but the MDJ or AJC should have the name of the veterans’ group Price used as his excuse]…and he expressed his deepest apologies to the League for his absence.
BUT, WHERE WAS TOM REALLY? Oh…he was over at the East Cobb Civic Association event, glad-handing anyone who was there, and doing all he can to pray that no one asked him a question about his votes that went against Republican principles.
AND, he was at the East Cobb Association’s event right-up until about 8:30 PM when he ducked-out and left, so as to avoid his 2nd scheduled forum opportunity to face Republican John Konop.
I had gone over to the second event in an effort to see that debate, although by the time I arrived, it was all done. I had a long (15-20 minute) conversation with John Konop, which I’ll get to in a minute. I had heard from Konop at the time about this whole mess, but wanted to make sure I was getting my facts from someone without a vested interest in the matter before I posted about it.
Now, for full disclosure, that Political Vine piece was written by Bill Simon, who is apparently connected to the Konop campaign. But I checked with a reporter from the Marietta Daily Journal covering the second event of the evening, and he confirmed to me that Price was there at 7 PM, and left before Konop & Sinton showed up. I can’t verify that Price used the excuse claimed, but I believe based on other accounts that this accusation is accurate.
I can understand why Price didn’t want to debate. Even if you assume it’s not cowardice, it’s giving your opponents a chance to challenge you. There’s no way to go but down. UNLESS, of course, you get caught lying about it, in which case it looks even worse than if you get beaten in the debate. I’m reminded of the event last year when Democrats staged a “mock hearing” in the bowels of the Capitol, because they were upset the Republicans were shutting them down. It ended up making them laughingstocks, even worse than if they’d fought the Republicans in the media circus and lost. Tom Price dropped the ball last night, and some might wonder if Konop can run with it.
As for my night, as I had mentioned, I didn’t get to see the debate. But I got to have a long chat with John Konop, Price’s challenger in the July primary; a man who speaks highly of the fact that libertarians have offered him endorsements. On his web site, though, you see little reason for that. Most of what’s on his web site is his attempt to blame every problem in the nation on either free trade agreements, illegal immigration, or Tom Price.
I asked him pointedly why someone who was against our free trade agreements, and was buddy-buddy with the Minutemen, would get support from the libertarians. Throughout our chat, I began to see why. Very early in the chat, he brought out one of the big guns, Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations. John easily understands the difference between capitalism and corporatism, and it’s quite easy to see which one he favors. He points to immigration and NAFTA/CAFTA, as well as the energy bill, Sarbannes-Oxley, etc, basically as protections and giveaways to monopoly and big business power. These are all things I can agree with, and I’m starting to understand why the libertarians are supporting him. I don’t know him well enough to take his word that he’s the “Ron Paul” of Georgia, but he did say that if he gets elected, he plans to join the Republican Liberty Caucus, which is a very good start.
As for me, I’m not sure whether I’d endorse John Konop yet, but I know last night’s events have made me very leery of voting for Tom Price. I did finally start to understand where John’s libertarian support is coming from, after having spoken to him, but when it comes to someone who might be gaining support by pandering to the anti-immigration and anti-free trade lobbies, I’m not sure whether I can make that leap. He’s creating a false impression for someone, whether it’s libertarians like me, or the anti-free trade and anti-immigration folks, and I’m too used to being lied to by politicians to tell which. But speaking to him personally has given me a heck of a lot of pause as to my previous support for Price, and my previous lack of support for Konop. So I’d say he’s done his job— for now.
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