Kerry Nevada State Co-Chairs Respond to RNC Chair Ed Gillespie's Speech
In Nevada Bush Attack Dog's False Attacks Can't Hide 3M Lost Jobs or Shipments of Waste to Yucca Mt.
February 12, 2004
For Immediate Release
Reno, NV -
In response to another of Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie's inaccurate, negative attacks on John Kerry, Kerry Nevada state co-chairs James A. Bilbray, former U.S. Representative from Nevada and State Senator Terry Care of Las Vegas issued the following statement:
"When the Bush White House sends out his favorite attack dog with a mouthful of false, nasty personal charges, it's proof that Americans are uniting around John Kerry's character, courageous leadership and positive vision to bring back jobs and prosperity, provide affordable health care for all, and make America safer and stronger in the world. After all, this is the same Bush operation that attacked John McCain's character when his success in the 2000 Republican primaries threatened George W. Bush's political ambitions.
"Nevadans want a debate over real issues like the Bush Administration's belief that shipping American jobs overseas is good for our economy, the 3 million jobs lost under George W. Bush, and why he broke his promise and is shipping millions of tons of nuclear waste to our state.
"But this is the dirtiest, most ruthlessly political White House since Richard Nixon, and they're desperate to hide the worst jobs record since Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. So they've been working overtime to smear decorated war veterans John Kerry and Max Cleland - and have even sunk so low that they're attacking John Kerry's wife for making charitable contributions to conservation groups. That's despicable, and it's time for George W. Bush to call off his right-wing slime machine."
Fact Checking the Bush Slime Machine's False Right Wing Attacks: Factually wrong attack on Teresa Heinz Kerry: Gillespie's assertions of contributions "just before" helping Kerry are patently untrue. The Heinz Family Foundation, which often gives to environmental causes, has contributed to the League of Conservation Voters in the past, but has not contributed to LCV in the past three years. Teresa Heinz Kerry contributed just $2,000 four years ago. LCV endorsed John Kerry because of his more than 30 years of work on behalf of the environment and his legislative rating of 96% was the highest among all presidential candidates.
Failing the truth test on Torricelli attacks: John Kerry strongly condemned the attack ad against Howard Dean -- which was made and paid for by an independent group without the knowledge of the Kerry campaign - and publicly called for it to be pulled off the air. Kerry said at the time, "I don't know who has done this ad. And I can tell you unequivocally that I have nothing to do with it." The independent group also received a contribution from one of Howard Dean's contributors, and Torricelli has contributed to at least two different presidential campaigns.
A flat-out lie about "Kerry campaign operatives" going into pro-life chat
rooms: Gillespie's reference to the musician Moby as a Kerry campaign operative is utterly ridiculous. Moby is a musician and does not work for the Kerry campaign nor does he speak on the campaign's behalf. At a recent concert, the musician stated how easy it was for people who oppose Bush to go in to Internet chat rooms to spread rumors, just as is done against Democrats.
Bush team's nasty, negative attack strategy on John McCain: After losing the 2000 New Hampshire primary to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Bush and his advisors convened a strategy meeting to plan the South Carolina campaign and settled on a negative theme. According to a Newsweek account of the meeting, "Bush went for a jog and, still dressed in running shorts, stuck his head into the meeting. 'We getting everything straightened out?' he asked with a grin. 'Y'all have done this before. Let's do it again.' The room filled with knowing laughs. Bush knew the drill: in 1988, after his father had lost in Iowa and barely survived in New Hampshire, his campaign had been rescued by going negative and driving hard right in South Carolina." During a campaign event in South Carolina, Bush was caught on overhead boom microphones discussing negative attacks on McCain with GOP State Senator Mike Fairs. Fairs said Bush "hasn't even hit
soft spots." Bush replied, "I'm going to ... But I'm not going to do it on TV."