UPDATED: September 5, 2011 at 5:22 PM
The perfect fit: Congressman Jim Renacci's staff and the Wadsworth 912 group.
Renacci's staff is overzealous in protecting 16th district (which presently includes Stark County) congressman from - perhaps - having a George Allen "macaca" moment videotaped episode.
The politically astute readers of the SCPR will recall the August 11, 2006 incident wherein Republican U.S. Senator George Allen of Virginia during a campaign appearance for re-election pointed out the presence of a videotapping Democratic opponent Jim Webb's aide S.R. Sidarth (an Indian-American) and referred to him as a "macaca" which is generally regarded to have been a racial slur although Allen denied that was his intent. The incident appears to have swayed enough votes to have cost Allen the election by less than 10,000 votes. Allen is seeking to reclaim the Senate seat (being vacated by Webb) in the 2012 elections.
One of the things that Renacci did to former Democratic Congressman John Boccieri (whom he defeated in 2010) during the campaign was to accuse Boccieri of being in lockstep with Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
And he was pretty much on the mark. Stats show that Boccieri voted with Pelosi about 94% of the time.
But what has Renacci turned around and done as Boccieri's successor?
You've got it!
He is pretty much in lockstep, too. He is on record as voting with Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner 92% of the time.
What the 16th district and American needs; a political hypocrite?
As if that were not enough, get this.
Last Thursday, according to a Cleveland Plain Dealer report, (Video cameras barred from Rep. Jim Renacci's Sept. 1 town hall meeting, September 02, 2011, by Sabrina Eaton), Renacci's aides teamed up with a Wadsworth 912 spokesman to deny American Bridge 21st Century Super PAC (a Democratic Party aligned group) videotape access to a Renacci Wadsworth area public appearance.
While a Rencci videographer was permitted to remain, the Democratic Party aligned American Bridge was shut down. While the 912 Group organizer of the event self-identifies (in the YouTube video inserted at the end of this blog) that he was the person who actually shut down the American Bridge effort to videotape, the SCPR refuses to believe that it was done over the protest of the Renacci entourage.
All of which leads to the questions: What is Renacci afraid of? What does have to hide? Does he trust himself not to go to political excess (a la Allen's macaca slip) in front of a "home-cooked audience?"
Take a look at the following YouTube video of the exchange between the Renacci/912 representatives and the American Bridge videographer. Interesting, no? Democracy in action?
The gentleman who barred the camera man was not a "Renacci representative " but clearly stated, was with the 912 group that was conducting the meetng. I do hope you will retract or correct your statement.
ReplyDeleteA "Renacci represenatative" did interview the photographer, however it was a member of the local 912 group that barred the videotaping from their meeting.
ReplyDelete