Pompeo plays bigot card

In August, Republican candidate Mike Pompeo was embroiled in a controversy when his official campaign tweet recommended "a good read" that attacked Democratic candidate Raj Goyle as a "turban topper." Pompeo apologized, sort of. Pompeo claimed that a staffer had inadvertently linked to the wrong story." Goyle, a second term state representative, is the son of Indian immigrants. While a some experts pointed out that the Pompeo denial lacked creditability, it was generally accepted.

Now, just days before the election, the Pompeo campaign has a new electronic billboard which proclaims "True Americans Vote for Pompeo."

Not only does the billboard uses bigotry, it is apparently illegal.



The Kansas Democratic Party is reportedly preparing to file a formal complaint with the Federal Elections Commission because the billboard does not have a disclaimer as required by election law.

The Goyle campaign has launched an on-line petition demanding that Pompeo take down the billboard.
Here is the letter the Goyle Campaign sent to Rodger Woods, Campaign Manager for Mike Pompeo for Congress.

Dear Rodger,

I am writing to request that the Mike Pompeo for Congress Campaign put an end to all bigoted and fear mongering attacks and tactics. The political process deserves better, as do Kansans.
I have been informed that the Kansas Democratic Party will be filing a FEC complaint for illegal and offensive billboards located at 540 S Broadway Wichita, KS.

The statement "Vote American Vote Pompeo" is unfortunately another example of offensive material linked to your campaign. We hoped that your apology over the posting of the infamous "turban topped" blog post in August was the last time we would deal with bigotry in this campaign.
We have known about this billboard for at least 24 hours. It is simply hard to believe you and your campaign are not aware of its existence.

I hope you agree that illegal, offensive and bigoted material has no place in this campaign.

Sincerely,


Kiel Brunner
Campaign Manager for Raj Goyle For Congress

I remember

How elite am I?

There's a new quiz making the rounds and rapidly becoming a meme.  It's all based on a  column  by Charles Murray, the neo-racist author of the Bell Curve and now a scholar (sic) at the American Enterprise Institute.

1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?" Yes
2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?" A little.
3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?" Yes, Drew Cary, and it it the New Price is Right
4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end? Yes.
5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga?  No.
5. How about pilates? No.
5. How about skiing? No.
6. Mountain biking?   No
7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is?  Yes, I know three. (a) Race car driver, (b) ex-football coach, (c) modern blues musician.  The desired, right answer is (a)
8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you?  Mixed martial arts.
9. Can you talk about books endlessly? Sure.
10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel? No.
11. How about a Harlequin romance? Yes.
12. Do you take interesting vacations? Interesting to me.
13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada? No. I don't even own a backpack.
14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor?  I don't even have an idea where that is.
15. Would you be caught dead in an RV? Yes
16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship?  Maybe
17. Have you ever heard of of Branson, Mo? Yes, but I've been there twice.
18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club? No.
19. How about the Rotary Club? No.
20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town? I grew up in a town of 12,000 and lived in smaller towns for a year or more.
21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees? Yes.
22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line?  Yes.
23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian? Yes.
24. Have you ever visited a factory floor? Yes.
25. Have you worked on one? Yes 


I scored six out of twenty-five for an elitist score of 24%, which is better (worse) than Russell's 30 percent --eight out of twenty-seven.

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime

Deficit spending got us out of the Great Depression. Slashing government spending risks turning the Great Recession into another Great Depression.

Solomon Burke passes

The great Solomon Burke died today. He was one of the great soul vocalists of the 1960s and did some great CDs in recent years. Burke had a taste for country music, so his version of a Don Gibson classic is a fitting tribute.