Hannah-Beth Jackson,  Republican Party of Ventura County,  Ventura County Star

Receiving Campaign Contributions from Tobacco Companies a Campaign Issue? Part 2

Barack Obama smoking

Senator and presumptive Democrat nominee for President Barack Obama enjoying a cigarette

Is receiving contributions from a Tobacco company a campaign issue?

Flap reported the “HIT PIECE” from Ventura County Star political reporter and Sacramento Bureau Chief Timm Herdt and progressive left-wing VC Star blogger Brian Dennert.

What is the Flap?

You would think from the Ventura County Star that the Ventura County Republican Party was accepting money from drug lords or crack dealers.

The last time Flap checked smoking was NOT illegal and the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes and other tobacco products was NOT illegal. Moreover, there are many Americans employed by the tobacco industry who pay their taxes, vote and enjoy their pursuit of happiness like everyone else.

Also, the state of California and the federal government gladly tax the purchase of these products.

What is REALLY the Flap?

The political agenda of the Ventura County Star, Timm Herdt and Brian Dennert is to paint Ventura County Republicans as immoral,unhealthy and irresponsible pols who take the money to the detriment of Ventura County citizens and voters. Flap invites the readers to look at Dennert’s and Herdt’s blogs and see if they can refute Flap’s opinion of their BIASED agenda.

Does Flap think smoking is unhealthy? You bet. But, I do not believe it is criminal to smoke in a responsible way and according to California law. Nor is it a campaign issue if members of the California legislature lawfully accept campaign money from companies that make tobacco products.

A question back to Timm Herdt: If Tony Strickland’s opponent Democrat Hanna-Beth Jackson accepts ANY campaign contributions from the Democrat Party, California State employee groups and/or Union PACS who have received money from the tobacco industry will she return the money?

Flap thinks it is doubtful because that “distasteful” tobacco cash is heavily laundered in Jackson’s campaign reports. Check them out here.

Now, readers of the Ventura county Star have written exposing the BIAS of the newspaper and HYPOCRISY of the Hanna-Beth Jackson campaign.

  • Samantah Harrison, Moorpark:

…How completely predictable that in an article that points out that both parties accept contributions from Altria, we get a headline singling out Tony Strickland and the GOP. The fact that Democrats accept money from the same source is buried in the article and almost excused. Not only that, but some of the contributions made directly to Hannah-Beth Jackson’s campaign were from Democratic candidates who received money from Altria. How hypocritical of her to criticize Strickland for accepting help when she has done the same from indirect sources…

  • Josh Guthrie, Ventura

…What a stellar example of The Star’s political bias! In an article in which Timm Herdt freely admits both parties and their candidates have received money from Altria, both the headline and subhead mention only the GOP and Tony Strickland. The readers of this paper need to realize that between now and November, The Star’s mission will be to help get Hannah-Beth Jackson elected while pretending to be unbiased…

  • Mark J. Masterson, Ventura

…If Bill Gallaher, chairman of the county Democratic Central Committee, is correct that we’re judged by who our friends are, then perhaps people should be aware that most of Hannah-Beth Jackson’s campaign contributions have come from extreme labor unions, trial lawyers and controversial organizations like Planned Parenthood.

I also haven’t seen her ask the Democratic Party to return contributions from the same source she criticizes the Ventura County Republican Party for…

  • Tressa Golden, Ventura

…It didn’t take me long to discover that some of Hannah-Beth Jackson’s campaign contributors were recipients of funding from Altria.

These contributors are either current or past Democratic candidates for office in California.

To be consistent with the statements she made in this article, she should return the money she received from these sources.

Will she?

Tressa has a good question and Flap repeats his question to Timm Herdt of the Ventura County Star:

  • If Tony Strickland’s opponent Democrat Hanna-Beth Jackson accepts ANY campaign contributions from the Democrat Party, California State employee groups and/or Union PACS who have received money from the tobacco industry will she return the money?

The people can be fooled some of the time but the repeated BIAS of the Ventura County Star newspaper is OVER THE TOP.

Over to Herdt, Dennert and the Jackson campaign to explain themselves.

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Receiving Campaign Contributions from Tobacco Companies a Campaign Issue?


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