| Facing a second defeat from Carol Shea-Porter, Bush League Bradley really has shed all of his dignity. Having failed to get the endorsement of the VFW, and having lost the "the dog ate my VFW endorsement" argument, he's trying a new approach.
Now he's got a radio ad out claiming that Gold Star Mother Natalie Healy never got a response to her communication from Carol Shea-Porter.
There's only one problem with that - it's a lie. From a Congressional email release: Ms. Natalie Healy, a constituent, has publicly stated that the Office of Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter did not respond to her after she contacted the office. Mike Brown, Chief of Staff, states, "With regard to Ms. Natalie Healy's claim that the office did not respond to her contact, our confidential congressional constituent records indicate that Ms. Natalie Healy was sent responses to letter she sent Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter on May 19, 2008 and August 23, 2007. Now, some of you Hamsters with really elephantine memories might recall that name.
And you'd be right. Natalie Healy was one of a group of military families that met with Paul Hodes in April of 2007 to yell at him in front of the Union Leader and Concord Monitor and YouTube it. Here's what we learned back then that wasn't included in the context of the news reports: Another person present at the meeting was Natalie Healy, whose son Dan was killed in Afghanistan. A now archived UL article preserved by Freepers sums up her mission well:Natalie Healy made a decision this summer after losing her son in war-torn Afghanistan.
"I can't go to those mountains and climb them and I can't shoot a gun," she said. "But I can do everything I can to make sure we stay the course, and if that means speaking out, then that's what I want to do." The article makes a strong case that Healy was positioning herself to be an anti-Cindy Sheehan. As she herself says of Sheehan's son:Healy said she doubted Sheehan's son, Casey, would support his mother's mission.
In fact, she planned on going to Crawford with Gerry Duncan (also at Hodes' meeting last Friday) to protest Cindy Sheehan back in 2005, but later decided against it. However, they both planned a rally at the statehouse in September of that year. That's on top of rallies in Exeter and Portsmouth and Maine, and an appearance on CNBC. And here she is being praised by the NY Sun for her efforts to counter Sheehan.
In addition to her organized pro-war activism, Ms. Healy was also the Republican candidate for State Senate in District 23, losing to Democrat Maggie Hassan. You may view her speaking on her candidacy at this YouTube, where she says the following (transcription mine): Shortly after his [Dan's] death, it became apparent that the left was using the grief of another Gold Star mother to undermine our war effort.
Every citizen in this country has a first amendment right to their opinion, especially a Gold Star Mother, and the same right to use it to help a candidate. But under the circumstances of Ms. Healy's history as outlined above, as well as the Congressional response, the credibility of Jeb's ad is in serious question. And to put out a false ad featuring a Gold Star Mother is, well, I don't really have the words for how dishonorable Jeb Bradley is under those circumstances.
Less than two weeks before voting day, this is the sound and fury of Jeb Bradley losing.
Update: make sure to read Ray's first hand account in the comments of how Team Jeb and Patrick Griffin are trying to use Gold Star Mothers to cause scenes and get press. |
