Farm Team Blasts Wittman Campaign Over Sexist Remark
I’d say that the Wittman campaign is feeling quite threatened these days by Krystal Ball’s (D-VA-1st CD) candidacy that they felt that they needed to dismiss her as a candidate through an extremely sexist comment.
Great job by the Farm Team on calling them out!
Wittman for Congress makes sexist remarks about
female opponent, Krystal BallRecently, a spokesperson for Congressman Rob Wittman of the 1st District of Virginia made a controversial statement about his opponent, Krystal Ball. In referring to Mrs. Ball, the Wittman campaign described her as “cute” stating, “As cute as our opponent may think she is…”
Today, Susan Platt, a founding member of The Farm Team said, “It is regrettable that Rob Wittman’s campaign feels it is acceptable to degrade the Democratic Nominee for Congress for the First Congressional, who happens to be a woman, in such a manner.”
Platt continued, “Krystal is running a smart, issue-oriented campaign and should be treated with respect. Not only is it disrespectful to Mrs. Ball, but to the many other women across Virginia who expect more from their elected officials. We hold our leaders to a higher standard. That’s why we’re supporting Krystal Ball for Congress.”
The comments were in response to a recent online video, www.ontheroadwithrob.com, where Congressman Rob Wittman is challenged on his voting record and his lack of accessibility to his constituents in the 1st district of VA.
The Farm Team is a grassroots organization established in 2008 to recruit, develop, and elect women to public office. More information about the organization can be found at www.farmteam.org.
I think it is time for Wittman to send his folks to sensitivity training, since he obviously doesn’t intend to send them to work (see aforementioned video in press release).
Where’s Wittman?
That’s what constituents in the 1st District of Virginia are wondering. It’s no wonder that his constituents have no idea who or where he is, since he has no legislative accomplishments to speak of and instead spends his time hobnobbing at GOP fundraisers and hanging out with his pal Eric Cantor (see Lap Dog article).
It’s no wonder that Rob Wittman (R-VA) doesn’t want to face his constituents when he has consistently voted against their interests. You can check out his record here. Here are a few of his highlights lowlights:
With healthcare costs continuing to rise and with seniors taking a big hit in this economy, Congressman Rob Wittman undermined Medicare so that private corporations could make more money.
Congressman Wittman voted for a plan that would have gutted Medicare, forcing seniors to buy higher cost insurance directly from big insurance companies and pay thousands of dollars in additional out of pocket costs each year for health care (HJR85, 2009).
[…]
Those who are sent overseas to defend our nation deserve a Representative in Congress that will stand with them when they return home. But when given the chance, Congressman Rob Wittman repeatedly voted against our veterans and men and women in uniform (HR1105, 2009; HCR85, 2009; HR2642, 2008; HCR312, 2008).
He voted to cut education and job assistance programs for our soldiers returning home from overseas (HR2642, 2008).
[…]
Congressman Rob Wittman has taken tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from big banking interests (www.fec.gov). But when it came time to protect Virginia families facing foreclosure, Congressmen Wittman sided with those same companies by voting against a plan to provide assistance to those at risk of losing their home (HR1106, 2009).
Wittman claims that he is an effective leader and I tend to agree. He is effectively BAD!
According to Roll Call Magazine, Wittman was ranked last in effectiveness of ALL Congressmen in Virginia. And out of the 435 members of Congress was ranked 432nd in his ability to pass legislation that benefited his constituents.
What about this session of Congress? Has he improved? Wittman was rated a follower by Govtrack.us. Less than 1% of the bills Wittman has Co-Sponsored have become law. This puts him in the bottom 10% of all members.
Could you imagine if he actually performed this well in private industry? Something tells me he would have been sent packing a long time ago. I say we send Wittman a pink slip and hire Krystal Ball (D-VA) come November!
Krystal Ball to Convention Delegates: “Democratic values are American values”
Democrats helped Krystal Ball (D-Fredericksburg) shed the presumptive nominee label by selecting her to be the official democratic nominee from Virginia’s 1st Congressional District at a convention this past Saturday.
Ball wasted little time in drawing a sharp contrast between her and Congressman Rob Wittman (R-Montross).
When we passed Social Security they threatened to repeal it, when we passed Medicare they threatened to repeal it and now, now that we have passed health care reform they are threatening to repeal it. Well I have one message for Eric Cantor and John Boehner and to Rob Wittman. Let me say this clearly. I don’t care what your buddies in the health insurance lobby want we are not going backwards!
So what are Wittman’s legislative priorities? You’ll have to ask Eric Cantor (R-VA-7th).
As long as we have politicians like Rob Wittman, nothing is going to change. You know Rob Wittman. He has been our Congressman for three years now. And in that three years he’s basically learned one thing, which is how to vote the way Eric Cantor tells him to.
You see Wittman is nothing more than a lap dog for Cantor. As I’ve previously written, Wittman has done Cantor’s bidding 1657 times or 93 percent of time. Folks in Virginia’s 1st district deserve some real representation and not a lap dog!
Ball also notes that while folks in the 1st district are being left behind, Wittman is taking good care of his friends on Wall Street. While Wittman votes against extending unemployment insurance, he fights to preserve Wall Street executive bonuses. It’s called “No Banker Left Behind!”
Worse yet, while Wittman fights for Wall Street over Main Street, he also continues to pay lip service to our veterans and the environment. Priorities Rob, priorities!
Rob Wittman is the worst kind of politician. He is the kind of politician who talks about veterans and then votes against Sen. Webb’s 21st century GI bill. He is the type of politician, who talks about the [Chesapeake] Bay, and how important it is and how we have to clean it up, and then he turns around and votes against the Clean Estuaries Act. Rob Wittman takes his orders from credit cards companies, health insurance companies and banks. But you know what, those guys already have enough members of congress fighting for them. We need a fighter for the 1st district of Virginia!
Ball concluded things best by saying that voters have a clear choice come November.
They can choose between tax cuts for the few and balancing the budget for everyone, between preserving the middle class and preserving Wall Street executive bonuses, between leaders who are willing to stand up for what’s right and those who only stand for their own re-election.
It’s time to fire wrong way Rob and hire a full-time representative who stands up for Main Street over Wall Street, who does more than provide lip service to our veterans and environment and who doesn’t take orders from credit card companies, health insurance companies or banks, but the American people. That person is clearly Krystal Ball!
Krystal Ball Officially Secures Democratic Nomination
Congratulations to Krystal Ball who secured the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s First Congressional District this evening by reaching the magic number of 101 delegates! Her nomination is now all but certain at a May 8, 2010 Convention to be held in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Via a press release this evening from the Ball Campaign:
Krystal Ball to win nomination for Congress
Ball wins the 101 needed to secure the Democratic nomination
SPOTSYLVANIA, VA. – With contests this evening in Spotsylvania, Westmoreland, and Williamsburg, Democratic candidate for Congress Krystal Ball has secured the 101 Delegates needed for the First Ballot at the Nominating Convention on May 8, 2010 in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
“I am extremely grateful to voters all over the First District of Virginia for giving me the opportunity to fight for them. We surprised a lot of people with this victory and we are going to bring that same energy and focus to take on the Republican nominee in the fall,” said Ball.
“Our veterans and military families in Virginia deserve more from their Representative in Washington DC, said Capt. Chris Rey a former Army Officer “Krystal will focus on helping our working families and our small businesses,” said Teresa Barton owner of a small business, Barton and Williams School of Dance, in Stafford County.
Due to the strong show of support for Ball, her primary opponent for the nomination Scott Robinson suspended his campaign last week. Ball will go into the convention unopposed and with the requisite number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.
Virginia native Krystal Ball grew up in King George County. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia. She is a small business owner running an educational software company with her husband Jonathan. They live in Fredericksburg and are the proud parents of a daughter Ella, aged 2.
Robinson Drops Bid for Virginia’s 1st CD Democratic Nomination, Krystal Ball Now De Facto Nominee
Late this afternoon Scott Robinson, issued the following press release:
When we started this campaign seven months ago, I had just retired from a 25-year career in the United States Army and was attempting to catch up to my would be opponents by building a political operation from scratch. The factors surrounding that short amount of time proved to be a daunting task. That is why I will be changing directions and am putting aside my aspirations to serve in Congress for now.
I wanted to send you this note so that you would be the first to know of my decision and also be the very first to know how much you meant to me during this campaign. Your support, your financial contributions and most of all, your friendship have made this transition from the military to the political arena much more meaningful.
For now, I am going to take some time off and spend it with my wife, Sandy. Through all of this she has been an amazing advisor and friend. There really is something to be said about having a partner in marriage for over 25 years and I am so thankful she is my wife.
As I move into this new phase in my life, I look forward to your continued friendship and the experiences we will share.
Again, thank you for all that you have done.
Sincerely,
Scott
I understand that this decision had to be tough for Scott and I applaud him for making the right one. The math was just too insurmountable for him at this point. I’d like to thank Scott for his incredible sacrifice and look forward to working with him moving forward to elect Krystal come November.
UPDATE: Krystal Ball just issued a statement on the withdrawal of Scott Robinson from the race.
Friends,
We did it! I am happy to announce that I am the presumptive Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District! With the concession of our primary opponent this afternoon, we are now moving swiftly into the general election.
But our work is just beginning! We are now fighting against incumbent Republican and rubber stamp for Eric Cantor, Rob Wittman, and Tea Partier Catherine Crabill, who in 2008 campaigned against, “the socialist power-grab of B. Hussein Obama.”
[…]
On behalf of my family and my entire staff, thank you. I am overwhelmed by your hard work, generosity and dedication and I look forward to continuing this fight with you by my side. Thank you also to our primary opponent Scott Robinson for his service to our country, and a race well fought.
[…]
Again, thank you. I am honored to have your support.
Most sincerely,
Krystal Ball, VA-1
Ball Shuts Out Robinson Again, Democratic Nomination Now Within Grasp
With the way Krystal Ball has thoroughly dominated caucuses around Virginia’s First Congressional District, you would be surprised to learn that she actually has an opponent. She has swept one contest after another and the results should speak for themselves. So it should come as not surprise that Krystal dominated today at the York Poquoson Caucus, completely shutting out Scott Robinson (yet again!).
With today’s result, Krystal is now poised to secure the nomination in little more then a week. The only question that remains is how Scott plans on losing: with dignity and class or as a sore-loser. I hoping for the former, but I’m expecting the latter. I’d really like to be proven wrong on this one.
As has been the case with just about every caucus that has happened to date, the Robinson campaign resorted to their usual shenanigans. I’ve learned that Scott was actually inside the polling place harassing folks who were in line to vote. It got so bad that the chair of the committee had to ask Scott to stay 20 feet back. All of this could have something to do with why he lost by a 2 to 1 margin. I expect that Scott will throw out some wild claims that the vote was rigged and that the committee failed to do x, y and z. He may even threaten to sue, if his campaign money hasn’t already dried up. You see any other candidate would be gracious and would have exited the race when the results became clear a week ago, but not Scott.
At this point you have to also start questioning the advice Scott is getting from his staff, especially from his Campaign Manager Gregory Richardson. I’m thinking that this gig isn’t going to get him any gold stars on his resume. The field operation for this campaign has been atrocious. And in the perhaps the strangest allocation of resources I’ve ever seen, the Robinson campaign had folks canvassing Stafford and Fredericksburg on Thursday. So instead of focusing resources on York Poquoson, they chose to canvass an area that already conducted a caucus. Huh?! If that doesn’t boggle your mind, this will. These same canvassers, in making a case for Scott to a friend of mine, had the following to say (and I’m quoting):
I need to give you a little briefing of why Scott Robinson is running. Krystal Ball is not an adequate candidate for Virginia. For one thing, she’s not old enough to lead yet. She doesn’t know the true values of Virginians like yourself. Scott Robinson was born and raised in Virginia and he knows what Virginians need. They need health care, to reform our schools, and fix our traffic problem. Scott Robinson was a crab farmer on the Chesapeake on a boat called the ‘Betty May.’
Scott and his folks are shameless. I’ve spoken to several folks within the district and have heard much worse things that Scott and his people have said about Krystal. Some of it being so bad that I wouldn’t even dignify it with a post. Just as an FYI, Krystal was born in King George, VA and now lives in Fredericksburg; Scott has NO plan for health care, our schools or relieving our traffic problem. His whole platform has been one of avoidance on virtually all of the major issues (see my original analysis of this race).
If that wasn’t bad enough, they sent an expensive, poorly written mailer to folks within Stafford and Fredericksburg. Do they not understand how caucuses work? They essentially flush money down the toilet on a mailer that was just awful, when they should instead be focusing on committing resources to the various caucuses that have yet to be conducted. Scott should fire his entire staff and then himself!
The math for Scott at this point is simply insurmountable. He has only managed to secure 13 percent of the 123 delegates so far. Only 78 remain up for grabs. Even if he were able to win every single remaining delegate, he could not clinch the nomination. Heck, uncommitted has captured more delegates than Scott – 29 to be exact. The reality is that all Krystal needs to do is capture 30 percent of the remaining delegates and she is the nominee. She is 24 delegates away. Anybody with a basic understating of math realizes that this race is over. Scott is not going to win.
Regardless of whether Scott stubbornly decides to push forward, this will be over in the next week or so. Scott needs to really think about how he wants to be remembered? With honor and class or does he want to continue the deplorable behavior we’ve all witnessed first hand. I’m rooting for Scott to choose the former.
Virginia’s First Congressional District Needs Representation, Not a Lap Dog
It’s past time that Virginia’s First Congressional District had some real representation that is accountable to district constituents and not party bosses such as Eric Cantor (R-VA). Since December 13, 2007, Rob Wittman (R-VA) has made sure that the 7th Congressional District gets two representatives and the 1st gets none.
Wittman has pretty much done Cantor’s bidding, resembling more of a lap dog and not an elected representative from Virginia’s First Congressional District.
A lap dog is defined as “one eager to do another’s bidding, especially in order to maintain a position of privilege or favor.” Sounds like Wittman to me.
Let’s compare Wittman and Cantor’s voting records:
Rob Wittman and Eric Cantor have voted together 1657 times on roll call votes since January, 2007 in votes where neither abstained, representing a voting similarity of 93%.
So, Wittman has done Cantor’s bidding 1657 times or 93% of the time. One thing should be clear: Wittman is working for Cantor and not his constituents. We need and deserve our own congressman!
I, for one, am sick and tired of having no representation. If you’re sick and tired too, Krystal Ball (D-Fredericksburg) is ready and more then able to serve! We don’t need a lap dog, but a congressman!
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