links for 2010-03-09

When a given issue is causing trouble for a political candidate, that trouble tends to get compounded if: a) it turns out that the one problem is part of a broader pattern and/or b) if the candidate can’t get his or her story straight. Along these lines, U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell of California will continue to be dogged by his past relationships with Islamic radicals because those relationships are numerous, and because he’s now been caught in several lies while trying to explain those associations.

Most of the reporting on Campbell’s ties to radicals has focused on Sami Al-Arian, the former University of South Florida professor who donated to the Campbell campaign and later pled guilty to conspiring to help associates of the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
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Tom Campbell has dug himself a hole

Commuters heading south this morning on Metrolink learned about proposed rate hikes and the possible elimination or curtailment of half the train routes serving Ventura County.

A flier left on seats listed eight routes that could be discontinued and another six that might see significant changes in services.

“It’s a major change,” said Phil Ballard, who commutes from Camarillo each morning to his job in Burbank. “There was a lot of rumbling and outrage on the train this morning. Honestly, I’ll pay 5 to 6 percent more if I have to, but I don’t have another option if they eliminate the route.”

Attorney Keith Millhouse, chairman of the Metrolink board and a Moorpark City Councilman, said though the changes look bad they are not all likely to be approved.

When you go into Obama-campaign style "Fight the Smears" mode, it's generally a pretty good idea to be sure the charges against you are, in fact, not provably true.
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This is a MAJOR gaffe.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters say the health care reform plan now working its way through Congress will hurt the U.S. economy.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 25% think the plan will help the economy. But only seven percent (7%) say it will have no impact. Twelve percent (12%) aren’t sure.
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Bad for patients too….

This is rather pathetic. He said in the interview that he wasn’t aware of Al-Arian’s inflammatory rhetoric. The letter says he was, in fact, aware of it. But now he says he really didn’t know, although he wrote that he did. This is the meticulous, smart guy his proponents defend? His campaign now states that Campbell’s memory is “foggy.” Perhaps it’s foggy on many counts, and the best thing for Campbell would be to review his own record, come up with a definitive defense for his votes to cut aid to Israel and his association with Islamic terrorists, and then hold a press conference and get it all out in the open.
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Rather pathetic and not naive like the LA Times editorial said a few weeks ago. Maybe the editors are re-evaluating their stance?

Campbell had previously conceded that he wrote a letter on Al-Arian's behalf, but had said during a candidates' debate Friday that he did so before Al-Arian's interview with O'Reilly. His campaign's website also said the letter was written before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The text of the letter showed otherwise. Dated Jan. 21, 2002, it said, " . . . I respectfully wish to convey my sincere alarm that Professor Al-Arian may be treated harshly because of the substance of his views."
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Tom Campbell has flat out LIED.