1. I have heard from several people wondering why I skipped mentioning Paul Bardack, another candidate for D19 delegate, who is not on either slate and was endorsed by Progressive Neighbors. It was an oversight.
I have heard nice things about Bardack, except that he is a wee bit too centrist on fiscal policy. Anyway, here is LHV reader David Fishback’s comment on my post (I am reposting it here, because I know that many readers miss others’ comments on the blog):
Thank you for making public the disgusting story about bigotry in District 19. I am a strong supporter of Bonnie Cullison’s, and am appalled at the absurd charges of anti-Semitism leveled against her. But in articulating the race to replace the unrepentant Sam Arora as a contest between a flawed Marice’ Morales vs a flawed Charlotte Crutchfield, you omitted the candidate many, many of us prefer, Paul Bardack. Paul, for years, has been a marriage equality and transgender rights activist well respected county-wide for his work; he is endorsed by Progressive Neighbors; he is the only challenger endorsed both by The Washington Post and The Gazette; and not only has he opposed the despicable effort to smear Bonnie as being anti-Semitic, for exactly the reasons you do in your article, but in his campaign literature and candidate debates Paul has consistently gone out of his way to mention Bonnie, and to do so positively. Unlike Morales, he cannot be accused of being a carpetbagger — Paul has lived in the district for thirty years. And unlike Crutchfield, his campaign is not being advanced by hate-filled whispering campaigns. I think D19 would be well served to vote for both Cullison and Bardack, two outstanding candidates for delegate.
2. Here’s more on Ben Kramer’s love for Sam Arora. He has circulated a blast email in support of Charlotte Crutchfield that begins:
– As you know, our good friend and my fellow Delegate from District 19, Sam Arora, is leaving the legislature at the end of the year, and the Democratic primary election to select his successor is underway. . . Our community needs another fighter, and Sam and I agree that there is one candidate with the commitment to serving our community and the experience to be ready to get to work for us on day one: Charlotte Crutchfield [emphasis mine].
I dunno, but it seems to me that a bigot and liar like Sam Arora ought not be called “a good friend” nor should his agreement be sought on the best replacement for him. C’mon, Kramer — is this really the right person to tie yourself to?
3. I also have word this morning that Kramer is out campaigning for Jon Cardin for attorney general. As I have written, Cardin is a scofflaw and absent public official, while Brian Frosh is the obvious choice for the position. Again, you just have to wonder why Kramer is making these kinds of choices.
4. Kramer wrote to me this morning denying that Alec Stone is his “campaign manager.” I had information that Stone is his campaign chair (a different position than manager) and also for the Kramer/Crutchfield slate. In his email to me, Kramer conveniently avoided the topic of Stone’s libel against Bonnie Cullison. I wrote back and said, regardless of Stone’s position in the campaign, I still expected Kramer to denounce the smears. We’ll see if that happens.
5. I have heard from others that Stone trots out accusations of anti-Semitism on a regular basis when he disagrees with others on politics or policies. For shame!
©2014 Keith Berner
