Kevin Mannix vs. Mike Erickson
Between a big work project and a nasty cold, I haven't had the time to think much about the Mike Erickson-Kevin Mannix kerfuffle. But in light of today's developments, I forced myself to carve out a few moments on Blogger.
My first reaction on reading that Mannix had released accusations that Erickson had fathered a child and then paid for his girlfriend to abort the baby?
Ewwwwwww. I clearly don't have the stomach for this level of politics, and the whole thing made me squirm in my seat.
Ewwww for Erickson, who has a nasty problem that has been exacerbated by his insistence on denying everything, calling the charges "smear tactics" and refusing to answer questions about it.
Ewwww for Mannix, who (I agree with a commenter at NWR about this) should have found someone else to release the information but instead made me squirm at what he's willing to do to win this seat, including throwing labels like "political sociopath" at Erickson.
And Ewwww for Hairy Reed over at Northwest Republican, who has been so obviously in-the-tank for Mannix that I squirmed a bit with his choice of photos on this post, which included over-the-top repudiations of commenters ("Erickson Campaign Staffers -- Is that the best your campaign can come up with in response?") who expressed discomfort over the release.
I read somewhere (though I can't find where now) that Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) had this information but declined to release it, so Mannix made the choice to do so himself. Right now, ORTL looks like the only grown-ups in the room.
Maybe it's because it's a federal seat and the stakes are higher, but I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of Mannix or ORTL's Gayle Atteberry as they made the calls on what's fair game and what isn't.
All that being said, however, I noted that ORTL called on Erickson to drop out of the race because he is now denying even those things he admitted to them just two years ago (taking his girlfriend to the "doctor's office" and giving her money).
And then, lo and behold, he changes his story -- oops, I guess I did give her money, and I did drive her to a doctor's office. But I didn't pay for an abortion! I didn't know what kind of doctor it was! I didn't pay attention to the sign on the building! I didn't know she was pregnant! I don't even remember her last name! And I broke up with her just after that! Really!
The words of a desperate man.
You may be considering a vote for Erickson because you fall into my camp -- you have some discomfort with Mannix's tactics in releasing this information. But if that's the case, consider what Jack Bogdanski wrote last night:
My first reaction on reading that Mannix had released accusations that Erickson had fathered a child and then paid for his girlfriend to abort the baby?
Ewwwwwww. I clearly don't have the stomach for this level of politics, and the whole thing made me squirm in my seat.
Ewwww for Erickson, who has a nasty problem that has been exacerbated by his insistence on denying everything, calling the charges "smear tactics" and refusing to answer questions about it.
Ewwww for Mannix, who (I agree with a commenter at NWR about this) should have found someone else to release the information but instead made me squirm at what he's willing to do to win this seat, including throwing labels like "political sociopath" at Erickson.
And Ewwww for Hairy Reed over at Northwest Republican, who has been so obviously in-the-tank for Mannix that I squirmed a bit with his choice of photos on this post, which included over-the-top repudiations of commenters ("Erickson Campaign Staffers -- Is that the best your campaign can come up with in response?") who expressed discomfort over the release.
I read somewhere (though I can't find where now) that Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) had this information but declined to release it, so Mannix made the choice to do so himself. Right now, ORTL looks like the only grown-ups in the room.
Maybe it's because it's a federal seat and the stakes are higher, but I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of Mannix or ORTL's Gayle Atteberry as they made the calls on what's fair game and what isn't.
All that being said, however, I noted that ORTL called on Erickson to drop out of the race because he is now denying even those things he admitted to them just two years ago (taking his girlfriend to the "doctor's office" and giving her money).
And then, lo and behold, he changes his story -- oops, I guess I did give her money, and I did drive her to a doctor's office. But I didn't pay for an abortion! I didn't know what kind of doctor it was! I didn't pay attention to the sign on the building! I didn't know she was pregnant! I don't even remember her last name! And I broke up with her just after that! Really!
The words of a desperate man.
You may be considering a vote for Erickson because you fall into my camp -- you have some discomfort with Mannix's tactics in releasing this information. But if that's the case, consider what Jack Bogdanski wrote last night:
What's that smell?If you don't think the Democratic Party will find a way to bring "Tawnya" in front of the cameras before November to pour out her sob story about Mike Erickson, think again. And when they do, Jack is right -- Erickson is toast.
Is it pants on fire?
I hope this guy wins the primary, because he'll be cream chipped beef on toast by Fourth of July.
Labels: Kevin Mannix, Mike Erickson
posted by Ken @ 7:31 PM
1 Comments:
At 5/21/2008 7:24 PM,
OregonGuy said…
I didn't comment before the election. I had commented on Max's place. To the effect that I had met Mr. Erickson at Dorchester, and found him quite a creditable candidate.
I work in his district, although I live north of his district. Perhaps I will be talking with him in the next couple of weeks. Living at the coast, the number of voters that I can help him with is small, compared to the center of population in his distric.
So, maybe, I won't be talking with him. We'll see.
But I've met most gubernatorial candidates for Oregon in the last 20 years. And while Mr. Mannix is more personable in person, his entourage and the general odour of his campaigns have left something to be desired.
And yes, I've noticed a certain nastiness at NWRepublican. There are issues there, but perhaps that is part of having a team effort.
We have the candidates we have for the fall. Let's see what we can do to help get them elected.
.
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