Malik Rahim for Congress
I called in to the Jeff Crouere show on AM 990 this morning and was the first to ask Joseph Cao a question about being endorsed by the Family Research Council. The FRC is an organization was founded by James Dobson and is currently run by Tony Perkins. They support banning gay marriage and restricting abortions (even to the point of restricting access to the Morning After Pill (not an abortion pill, btw)).
So this is why I balked at the idea of voting for Cao. So when I had the opportunity to ask him three questions I asked him:
A) Did you actively seek the endorsement of the FRC?
B) Do you accept the endorsement of the FRC?
C) Do you agree with the ideals of the FRC?
He answered the first answer truthfully. However, on the other two questions, he danced around the answer by saying how he does support the family and many people in this area support families. Well, that argument is like saying “I am a patriot so of course I support the Patriot Act”. And because he answered like a typical politician, and did not reject the extremist conservative ideals of the FRC I am happy that when it came to early voting that I cast my vote for Malik Rahim.
Malik is someone who had problems with the law previously. However, he picked himself up and used his previous life experiences to better himself and help others. He supports coastal restoration, access to healthcare, and moving to support policies to make America Greener. I am confident that he will be more likely than Cao to work with the majority party on issues that are vital for Louisiana while being another voice for equal rights.
Update: On the Jeff Crouere show, Joseph Cao had stated that he is not running a negative campaign. Well, I got two mailers in the mail that said otherwise. Of course, they did not come from Joseph Cao’s campaign account. They came from the Louisiana Republican Party and the NRCC. So technically they are not “approved” by him.
The fliers go further than just a simple statement of fact. They go as far as to start name calling. That is the difference between a campaign that states facts about an opponent and a negative campaign.
And I believe one of the fliers has a serious flaw on it. The flier from the NRCC has a statement on it stating who it was paid for and that it was not endorsed by any candidate or committee. The Louisiana Republican Party flier states who it was paid for by, but lacks a statement about not being endorsed by the candidate. And according to FEC guidelines, it seems that such a statement is required.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I heard your call and appreciated your question DZ, but my interpretation of Cao’s response was that he hadn’t the slightest idea what the FRC was. He was trying to wing it, pure and simple.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:35 am
OOPS! I did forget to mention that he did mention not exactly knowing who the Family Research Council (or what they stood for). But this FRC issue isn’t something that occured to him today. Shouldn’t he have researched who they are and the platform they support once he knew that they endorsed him? That is problematic in and of itself.
Cao’s failure to know about the FRC is also a problem. Even when I was a political novice trying to represent the citizens of LA01 in Congress, I knew who the Family Research Council was. James Dobson and Tony Perkins should be well known to people who want to serve in Government at the national level.
December 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Oyster, you’re in the tank for a GOPer that’s spinning you. I’m surprised. If he’s an educated man, he knows who the FRC is. Hell, he’s a GOPer. He knows EXACTLY who the FRC is. You don’t get anywhere in Republican politics, particularly Louisiana GOP politics without being aware of just who and what the FRC is. Wake up, dude.
I applaud Malik’s apparent changing of his life to fight for his fellow citizens. But I don’t either man will win. I think Jefferson will get enough of his people out to vote so he can win.
December 5th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Ryan: I am under no illusions that Rahim or Cao will be able to beat Jefferson’s turnout machine. I will be shocked if William Jefferson loses (especially now that Louisiana law rewards incumbents by removing the requirement to get a simple majority).
On the issue of “does Cao know who the FRC is”… well, there are educated people that are politically ignorant. So it is plausible that he really did not know. However, both scenarios do not make Cao look good.
Either he knows who they are and is lying about it (which makes him look bad) OR he doesn’t know why they are (which makes him look bad). Either way it makes him look bad.