GOP Senate Candidate Tom Kean Turns Back on Mother of Iraq Soldier: DISGRACEFUL!!!

[snapcat]

This is just disgusting.

[maltese]

This is just disgusting.

I'm not sure that 'disgusting' is merited. Sure, if she's posing for the cameras and using her son's volunteer status as a political weapon, it makes me a bit uncomfortable for her. But surely you wouldn't consider that any more 'disgusting' than if she was following Senator Durbin around and asking why those her son is fighting on the battlefield are quoting his words about the troops against him on Al-Jezeera, is it? And I can't imagine that she'd come after and ask the same questions she'd already asked just to help a political opponent get camera footage - and you really shouldn't just jump to that conclusion and call her disgusting.

[Toriko]

Actually, if he is a senate candidate then that means he is not running for re-election, right? What does she expect from him?

[General_Alfie]

You know, these Republican Porky Pig Patriots, they sure love having their photos taken when they sneak into Iraq for a campaign photo-op with the troops -- that gives these non-serving gung-ho types a chance to call their Democratic opponents as being in favor of "cut and run." However, when a family member wants to ask these pols why they support the disaster that is Iraq, My Oh My, they retreat like scared little girlie-men.

Kean himself is a specific coward because he dodged meeting with this group in the first place.

Look, it's real simple: since these GOP cowards support the war, since they think it's necessary that young men and women die over there (excluding, of course, their stay-at-home family members), they should have confidence in their beliefs and have the balls to speak to those who do not agree. It is a measure of their own personal cowardice that they run away like frightened ladies, and that is why it is entirely fair to call these people out as cowards -- rather than beating their coward lips, they should be fighting in Iraq and beating al-Queda.

[JDsmagik]

Re: Maltese post

Surely you're not suggesting that because soldiers volunteer they should be viewed any differently. I hope that isn't what you meant.

I think that anytime an elected official refuses to answer a question it just proves they are trying to avoid an embarrassing situation for him/herself, not the other way around.

I'm really tired of this "support the troops/war propaganda" because "the enemy will use it against us if we don't."

It's called freedom. Freedom of the press. Freedom of speech. It serves the most important role in a democracy, to get out the truth and stop cover-ups.

Yes, some of it will be counterproductive, but you cannot censor speech and still call it "free."


This "turn your back" and ignore them approach seems to be extremely popular with the GOP.

I find that disgusting.

[Toriko]

Yes, some of it will be counterproductive, but you cannot censor speech and still call it "free."

You have a good point, but just so you know it isn't censorship ---she can still speak --- he has just chosen to ignore her. The only problem one could have with this is that he IS in office and was caught on camera ignoring a constituent concern. At that point snapcat has a point with this thread and the man shouldn't even bother wasting time and money running for an office for which he should not be elected again.

[Sausy]

Actually, if he is a senate candidate then that means he is not running for re-election, right? What does she expect from him?

Is she a truly independent voter just concerned about her son,or politically backing Menendez and doing a hit job...making it look like he callously won't talk to the poor,totally apolitical,totally agenda-less constituent with pure motivations...political advocacy pieces show what the advocate wants to show.I sympathize with anyone who has children in Iraq currently serving,or in the services who could be called to serve.This war has been horribly run and looks like the light will never emerge from the tunnel,i wouldn't blame a deeply concerned parent from voicing frustrations and demanding honest answers.but is she acting to the cameras here,as it appears?Hit pieces ,from Republicans or Democrats,are really what's disgusting about politics today.

In truth,the worst thing about Kean,which has raised doubts in me about his intentions,is his organization's attempts,mostly from laughably incredible sources,to directly tie Menendez to corruption and cronyism.New Jersey has seen lots of stinking corruption from its Democrats for many political generations,but Menendez is pretty clean in terms of personal taint...it's a shame Kean has chosen to enter the muck and throw mud so shamelessly.

[snapcat]

From my point of view, Kean did the equivilent of political suicide.

If the woman had an agenda remains unclear. What is clear is that her son is serving in Iraq. If she wants to rant and rave to a politician in favor of that war then that politician ought to suck it up and permit her that right.

The last thing you would ever want to do is turn your back on a woman whose son is serving your country. She obviously instilled certain values in him to inspire him to volunteer for service. If she is worried for his well-being then she should have an opportunity to vent that frustration.

If politicians continue to support this war then they damn well need to be prepared to defend that position, and that includes permitting mothers the right to vent.

Now, what if he had met with her and he took whatever tongue-lashing she might have given him. Had he empathized with her and treated her with dignity then he would have been the bigger person, and she would have looked like the mad one.

But to so coldly turn your back on her as he did is just reprehensible. Makes me wonder just how responsive he will be to his constituents.

[snapcat]

From Blue Jersey, a liberal New Jersey political blog ...

...


Tom Kean Jr Still Can't Stand Up to Veteran's Families

by: Xpatriated Texan

Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 09:00:00 AM EDT

(Dunno how this one slipped out. - promoted by Xpatriated Texan)

Amazingly, Tom Kean Junior's ability to disrespect our military literally knows no bounds. First, he refused to answer questions from Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) but said he'd give them written answers. Then he said he wasn't going to answer because that group was never going to vote for him anyway. Now, we have this clip of Junior doing what he does best.

Yes, that's NJGOP Senatorial hope-ful Thomas Kean, Junior running away like a little girl whose Barbie doll just got eaten by a pit bull. But it isn't his opponent that strikes such fear in Baby Kean - it's a mom who doesn't like being ignored or lied to.

[Sausy]

You're absolutely right on that one,Snapcat..perhaps it is best for the Dems to hold this seat.I still don't know what the context was driven by,but it doesn't really matter here.Tom Kean,Jr. is so far from his father in demeanor,it's dismaying.He should have stayed and attempted to make a honest effort to speak to the mother's concerns and not let a flak shoo her away.no portrait in courage here,I hope the tide turns quickly against him.Between these instances and his laughable attempts to have his operatives get all kinds of corruption dirt on Menendez,without checking on the credibility of their sources who were so far off the mark or self-serving political rivals trying to puff themselves up ,Kean doesn't have the honor and character to serve,I must regrettably conclude.My vote will go to Menendez for the Senate.

[CharLee]

If I lived in NJ, I would vote for Kean. NJ has become the world's joke under Democrat rule.

[maltese]

Now, what if he had met with her and he took whatever tongue-lashing she might have given him. Had he empathized with her and treated her with dignity then he would have been the bigger person, and she would have looked like the mad one.

Snaps, since the gentlemen in the video says he's already met with her, do you have a number of times that he should talk to her? If the camera is there because it's a set-up to gather exactly the kind of video that you see clipped in here, does it make any difference? If so, do you think that the information that you've presented here is likely to represent the complete story?

[maltese]

http://www.menendez2006.com/news/hea...60921_refuses/

Here's the backstory on this, Snaps, from the Menendez site, even. While you may agree with his declining the answers, the woman in the video is part of an active political effort against Kean, not some random concerned mother who is unaware of his positions. You might note that Kean disagrees with the Bush administration on a number of issues related to Iraq, and has called for Rumsfeld's resignation.

Just to make sure that you get a feel for the nature of the approach of the group in question, here's a few links from the group:

http://www.mfsobergencounty.org/

http://www.mfso.org/article.php?id=756

http://www.mfso.org/article.php?id=741

[Sausy]

If I lived in NJ, I would vote for Kean. NJ has become the world's joke under Democrat rule.

I would have,too...but he has really disappointed me lately,and set up or not(and I believe it was)he played right into the Dem left's hands and looked real bad and shifty in this incident.I don't like it,but his overall conduct in the race has soured me on him,and I think the Republicans need a little humility.But I know full well that corruption in New jersey =Democrat by far!

[MadeUpName27]

If I lived in NJ, I would vote for Kean. NJ has become the world's joke under Democrat rule.

Spoken like a true Republican, CharLee...

And, no, I don't mean that as a compliment...

Luckily, here in the Garden State, we know better than to fall for the Party line.

We don't want and won't accept the next generation of the Kean Family or any other dysfunctional Republican Dynasty-wanna-be.

We expect our elected officials to have actual qualifications.

We don't just ask "Who's Your Daddy" and "What's Your Frat?"


P.S. How is that JEB!2008 campaign coming???
Or is it LAURA!2012???

[maltese]

We expect our elected officials to have actual qualifications.

We don't just ask "Who's Your Daddy" and "What's Your Frat?"

Why, with those kinds of questions as your criteria - if you were a Tennessean, you'd end up with Harold Ford, Jr. as your Senator. (Current seat held by an immediate family member for 32 years...now the little brother is running.)

[Homoaffectional]

If I lived in NJ, I would vote for Kean. NJ has become the world's joke under Democrat rule.

Yeah... that makes sense. Because even if we were to go by your premise that NJ has indeed become 'the world's joke' , since Kean is running for a *federal office*, voting for him to undo the 'Democrat rule' would make sense since it would have no impact on the 'Democrat [Democratic, thanks much] rule' that it has allegedly become 'the world's joke' under. Besides, we *ALL* know that america hasn't become *literally* the world's joke under Republican rule... NOSIREEE!!!


It's amusing to see people make such declarations about NJ... a few years back I was visiting a hostel very near NJ, and someone from Oz was actually under the impression that NJ was actually the fifth boro of NY, in lieu of Staten Island (and this was when it *wasn't* under Dem rule and hadn't been for some time, so don't try to go anywhere with that cheap opportunistic bullshit). I don't think people even know NJ well enough to declear it 'the world's joke'.


LOL, it's amusing to see just where out of the woodwork all these partisans declaring NJ becoming a 'joke' come from!

[Homoaffectional]

Spoken like a true Republican, CharLee...

And, no, I don't mean that as a compliment...

Luckily, here in the Garden State, we know better than to fall for the Party line.

We don't want and won't accept the next generation of the Kean Family or any other dysfunctional Republican Dynasty-wanna-be.

We expect our elected officials to have actual qualifications.

We don't just ask "Who's Your Daddy" and "What's Your Frat?"


P.S. How is that JEB!2008 campaign coming???
Or is it LAURA!2012???

Hear, hear! As a fellow NJian, let me second. New Jersey is proudly the MOST DEMOCRATIC STATE IN THE NATION, and every year the pundits try to declare the race 'competitive', and people have to go along with it, so that the conservatives won't declare their 'victimhood' against the establishment and get the other conservatives joining and fooling the independents. But we all know that, in the end, Dems will win in NJ's statewide races, and will for some time to come, thanks to our friend Mr. Bush who is *EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR* in this state.

It was amusing seeing pathetic 'Corzine can't buy my vote', when the Republicans have been buying votes for Congress for the past 16 years. This time around, they had to pay nearly $8 million FOR ONE DAY'S WORTH OF EXPENSES ALONE. Hypocrisy is no stranger to the GOP, of course...

And as for the thing brought up above, that is why we knew that even though Republican pollster Rasmussen, which sadly originates here in NJ, tried to make it seem like Kean ever had a shot, that come election day, he would LOSE!

[MadeUpName27]

Why, with those kinds of questions as your criteria - if you were a Tennessean, you'd end up with Harold Ford, Jr. as your Senator. (Current seat held by an immediate family member for 32 years...now the little brother is running.)

Maltese - I'm just a Jersey boy.
I know nothing about Tennessee, Harold Ford, his qualifications or lack of - so I will abstain...

However - please don't think that I only loathe those old money Republican Families who would like to become the new American Royalty.
I'm not a fan of Democratic Family Dynasties, either.
The last Kennedy I liked was Bobby.
I like Bill Clinton, I like Senator (NOT Presidential Candidate) Hillary, but I wouldn't vote for Chelsea if she were running for town dogcatcher - just on general principles...
Amy Carter for President??? I think not...

[snapcat]

Maltese, we still don't know that Kean answered any of her questions in any other meeting. She says he didn't answer her questions. He could have put that issue to rest by not dodging her when the cameras were rolling.

I think it's important to consider one other thing. Many of these anti-war mothers of soldiers haven't always been that way. In all likelihood they probably supported the war initially, and may have modified their opinion as they have followed everything. And most likely they are following certain points far closer than you or I because they have a son or daughter serving.

I still say that if a politician believes in the war then they need to be able to defend that point.

[CharLee]

New Jersey is the most corrupt state in the country, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot. Look at how Sen. Frank Lautenberg came back in office: Bob Torcelli was the most corrupt senator of all time and was heading toward an election lost so the NJ supreme court allowed Lautenberg to take Tor's place on the ballott 3 weeks before the election!

State Senator Wayne Bryant is facing criminal charges for have many "no show/high paying" jobs for himself and his relatives. Former State Senator John Lynch is going to jail for major corruption. Former Gov. McGreevey had dozens of his buddies on the state payroll and created a corrupt administration then left under the guise of being "a gay American," and left the state with millions of dollars of bills for his personal expenses.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. NJ voters are stupid. That could also be why property taxes are so high there. People complain about their taxes but keep voting the monster machine back in office. Go figure!

[Homoaffectional]

New Jersey is the most corrupt state in the country, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

CharLee is an operative for the RNC, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

[T24bone]

CharLee is an operative for the RNC, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

I was enjoying throughly reading through this discussion until I came to this " I know ya are but what am I ?!?! " comeback from the intellectual quiver of available responses. Now its starting to read like a parody of an argry Kos entry, and my stomach hurts too much from laughing.....

can't..(pant)......go......(pant,pant).......on... ..........

[snapcat]

New Jersey is the most corrupt state in the country, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

CharLee;

While this may not rise to the level of points, I do find your statement above to cross the boundary of what is expected of everyone that posts in this forum.

People are free to either agree or disagree with you, but you have no right to call those people who may disagree with you an "idiot." That is too close to a personal attack to go unanswered.

I trust that you will exercise better use of your wording in future posts.

[maltese]

New Jersey is the most corrupt state in the country, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

Well, maybe not an idiot. Maybe they're just familiar with the condition of government in the Great State of Louisiana.

[Homoaffectional]

I was enjoying throughly reading through this discussion until

Well, by now you've read that Snapcat has said that what 'CharLie' said is considered a violation of the JUB Terms of Service. Having said that, far be it from me to stop your hurting stomach from preventing you from following along this thread, in future.

Having said that, it usually takes a Republican operative to go and cross that line, violating terms of service... or violating the law...

[Homoaffectional]

Well, maybe not an idiot. Maybe they're just familiar with the condition of government in the Great State of Louisiana.

or Sugar Land, TX... or Ohio... or Kentucky. Montana, maybe...?

All currently controlled by... ::: drum roll, please... :::


REPUBLICANS!

[snapcat]

The point in question is calling anyone who may disagree an idiot. There is no excuse for that in a civilized discussion.

[Homoaffectional]

Right up top of the right-leaning PoliticsNJ.com:

MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY/ GANNETT NEW JERSEY POLL

Bob
Menendez
48%

Tom
Kean Jr.
39%

Also, in the typical section they create to highlight who gets which endorsements from newspapers soon before an election --

NEWSPAPER ENDORSEMENT TALLY

MENENDEZ
>Philadelphia Inquirer
>Montclair Times


KEAN

>New York Post


So far, it seems, the only endorsement, Tom "Too Junior For Jersey" Kean can count on is a notoriously reich wing out-of-state tabloid.

Stick a fork in Junior... he's done.

[crlcxll]

This is beyond disgusting! Tom Kean is an idiot!

[General_Alfie]

^ It's not enough to carp and whine and complain -- WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?????