Photoshop
By ddepledge
Democrats are delighted that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce apparently has used an image of former Gov. Linda Lingle speaking in favor of Sarah Palin at the Republican National Convention in 2008 in the business federation’s new ad backing Lingle for U.S. Senate.
Check out the You Tube video comparisons circulated by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee here
and here:
From the DSCC:
You can’t make this up. The Linda Lingle photo in the US Chamber of Commerce’s commercial that launched this morning? It’s from the 2008 Republican National Convention, where Lingle gave the official speech nominate Sarah Palin as Vice President of the United States. Lingle’s decision to campaign against Barack Obama, Hawaii’s native son, and nominate Sarah Palin for the Vice Presidency has come to define her partisan record and commitment to national Republicans.
“Thanks to the US Chamber of Commerce for helping spread the word about Linda Lingle’s strong support for Sarah Palin. This is a very important image for Hawaii voters to see,” said Matt Canter, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “It’s a perfect reminder that when Linda Lingle was forced to choose between her party and Hawaii, Lingle picked partisanship and Palin.”
Chuck Freedman, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Hawaii, also came out swinging against the U.S. Chamber’s ad blitz:
The national chamber has turned a blind eye to the fact that the Lingle administration was under severe criticism from the independent Hawai`i State Auditor for the conduct of its tourism program. The Auditor found that Lingle’s tourism chief (Director of DBEDT) Ted Liu withheld relevant information and provided false information to state and federal officials.
According to a November 24, 2009 story by the Honolulu Advertiser, The state auditor, citing “numerous and egregious acts,” has recommended that Gov. Linda Lingle remove Ted Liu as director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2009/Nov/24/ln/hawaii911240345.html
The Democratic Party also noted that the Chamber TV ad states that Lingle supports “President Obama’s plan.” But on October 14, 2008, when campaigning for Sarah Palin, she told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that Barack Obama “would devastate our economy.”
“This is typical Linda Lingle, she did not support Obama when it didn’t fit into her own personal campaign, but now she’s a supporter because it looks good for her,” said Chuck Freedman, Communications Director for the Democratic Party of Hawai`i.
“These Republican special interests from Washington DC are just wrong about Linda Lingle’s record,” said Freedman. “The fact is that Lingle criticized President Obama’s economic plan, and the State Auditor noted huge failures in her administration, stating that Lingle’s key tourism head mismanaged money, violated State procurement laws and set the wrong tone at the top for his department. Despite the call for him to step down, Governor Lingle took no disciplinary action with Mr. Liu at all and touts this fiasco as an achievement.”
*Update: Retired Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, Lingle’s campaign manager, said Democrats are resorting to personal attacks to mask the lack of achievement of U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, one of the Democratic contenders.
It’s clear that both local and national Democrat Party leaders have concluded that Mazie Hirono’s lack of achievements or vision for Hawaii’s future have left them only one choice–Washington DC-style personal attacks against Governor Linda Lingle.
Fortunately for our campaign, Governor Lingle’s record of success is well-known and her vision for the future is well-articulated. They will not be able to fool the people of Hawaii.
After nine months as an official candidate, Mazie’s official website is nearly empty, without a word about what she would do if she gets elected. This lack of substance speaks for itself. Enough said.
Political Radar
February 9th, 2012 at 6:29 pm
It must irritate the DSCC and other national Democrats to no end that the Hawaii Senatorial race features a Republican candidate who can point to a long, proven, successful record of BIPARTISAN cooperation with Democrats, and who is running a campaign focused on ISSUES. Do these national folks have a problem with improving tourism to boost our economy? Do they have a problem with trying to streamline tourist VISA process to capture more travelers who can come here to spend money and help Hawaii? Do they have a problem with ensuring government lives within its means? Do they have a problem with electing leaders who will support ideas/proposals based on merit rather than which political party authored it? Do they have a problem with solving our DEBT challenge by GROWING the economy, not just trying to ONLY cut our way out of it, or TAX our way out of it?
These are ISSUES, and for once, I’d like to see parties focus on that instead of trying to stir up PARTISAN divisiveness that GETS US NOWHERE.
February 9th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
LIngle is a great chameleon!
February 9th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
The Mainland Democrats are famous in Hawaii for making locals look bad and for treating Hawaii voters as mindless Democrat robots who vote just Democrat because Bush and Palin are bad.
They will be sadly mistaken by placing all their chips on Bush and Palin, neither of them are even running for office.
Democrats have no substance or vision for improving Hawaii. They only play off of the negative partisan demonization of republicans as their reason to vote for Lazie Hirono..
Keep it up DSCC and DNC. Hawaii is not that stupid.
February 10th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
As lingle was known to be a RHino.
I guess my past comments are sinking in someone’s mind when someone says Mainland Democrats versus Island Democrats. Island thinking versus Mainland thinking.
February 10th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Where to begin? Comment 1 pretends Lingle’s election would lead to “bi-partisanship” emerging in Washington. Balderdash! The election of Lingle would increase the odds the Republicans will take control of the US Senate. No one can look at how the Senate Republicans have behaved and pretend they have any interest in “bi-partisanship.” If they are in control, they will have even more power to block any and all of President Obama’s proposals.
As Manoa says, Lingle is a chameleon. When Bush was president, she proclaimed him one of the BEST presidents ever and praised Sarah Palin as well-prepared to be president (!) should the need arise. With Hawaii voters strongly opposed to the national Republican clown show (look at the GOP debates to judge the accuracy of that characterization), Lingle now shape-shifts into an advocate for moderation and “bi-partisanship.” She hopes that disguise will allow her entry into Washington, where she will roll up her sleeves to help Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP obstruct Obama.
Follow the $ says Hawaii Democrats treat Hawaii voters as “mindless drones.” Odd, that is EXACTLY the tone he is taking in this comment towards those who vote Democratic. Is his view, people would only vote for Democrats if they are mindless. Keep displaying that attitude, accusing Hawaii voters of being dumb for not voting Republican. It has worked so well for you folks in the past.
We Dems don’t have to “place all out chips on Bush and Palin.” Those aren’t the only embarrassing high-profile Republicans. Look at the Republican candidates for President. In my view, Gingrich is the perfect embodiment of a GOP presidential candidate. A complete hypocrital scoundrel in both his personal life and his political/business opportunism, sneering with contempt at anyone too “stupid” (or “mindless”?) to not vote for him. Mitt Romney is a semi-tragic figure. A once reasonable man who has flip-flopped so many times to appease the extremist fringe of his party that NO ONE believes he stands for anything. Except looking out for his fellow multi-millionaires. Is he pro-choice this week, I forget? Does he support civil unions today or was that only during his run for the Senate? Does he believe in the individual mandate for health insurance? Or was that only for Massachusetts? Romneycare, YAYYY! Obamacare? A devil’s brew of creeping socialism.
One thing we agree upon. “Hawaii is not that stupid.”
February 10th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
LOL! Bipartisan, I think NOT! The first thing Lingle will do if she gets elected is to confirm Mitch McConnel for Majority Leader….you folks do realize this Senate seat will most likely determine whether or not the Senate goes Republican.
If Lingle were the most bipartisan person in the world, electing her would still result in the GOP agenda being pushed through since then the GOP would control both houses.
Let’s look at what the GOP has been concentration on:
1) Banning contraception via laws that define life to begin at fertilization (so much for the pill and iud)
2) Banning unions
3) Banning equal rights for gays
4) Dismantle the EPA (remember burning rivers and people dieing of smog in the 60s?)
5) Give even more taxcuts to the rich (piling the entire load on the middle class)
6) Outsourcing more jobs
But Lingle is NOT bipartisan. She is ambitious and will go along with anything (including endorsing the uneducated cretin, Palin, to get in good favor with the GOP bosses and advance her hopes of running for VP)
February 10th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
What would one know of “Hawaii not being stupid”? One coming from the mainland I would say, Mainland thinking on an Island is stupid.
February 10th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Manoa fisherman, Goober, Kolea, and PaiaGirl
I want to see any of you argue against the main point which is that Lazie does jack for the state.
She is all about power and clout for her own political agendas and progressive worldview.
Let’s look at what GREAT THINGS THE GOP has been concentrating on:
1) Banning contraception via laws that define life to begin at fertilization (so much for the BREAST CANCER CAUSING pill and WOMAN KILLING iud)(My own Mother almost died from using an iud)
2) Banning unions – WHO STEAL AND STRONG ARM EVERYDAY MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS MONEY AND GIVES THEM TO UNION BOSSES MAKING 6 FIGURES WHO THEN LAVISH THEIR HARD EARNED DOLLARS FOR THEIR OWN POLITICAL AGENDAS
3) Banning equal rights for gays – SEXUAL ORIENTATION – MEN HAVING SEX WITH BOYS IS NOT A CIVIL RIGHT – A CIVIL RIGHT IS FOR SOMETHING YOU ARE BORN WITH CHILDREN CAN’T HAVE SEX SO SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS NOT A RIGHT UNLESS YOU BELIEVE CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE SEX
4) Dismantle the EPA (remember burning rivers and people dYing of smog in the 60s?) – THAT OVERREACH ITS BOUNDS KILLING JOBS AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS..DEMOCRATS WANT TO BECOME LIKE COMMUNIST SOCIALIST WHO ARE THE WORST DESTROYERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
5) Give even more taxcuts to the rich (piling the entire load on the middle class) TAXCUTS SHOULD BE EQUAL FOR EVERYONE, THE RICH COULD GIVE EVERY DOLLAR THEY HAVE TO THE GOVERNMENT AND IT WOULD NOT EVEN DENT THE DEFICIT BUT IT WOULD KILL EVERY SINGLE JOB IN AMERICA
6) Outsourcing more jobs -DEMOCRATS KILLED THE JOBS BY INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE AND INCREASING TAXES THAT CAUSED OUTSOURCING TO EXPLODE
February 11th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Don’t you just love how Lee doesn’t even mention much less try to refute the substance of the “charges” regarding Liu and LL’s support of Palin/Bush but rather first condemns them charges as “personal attacks” before launching into a personal attack? This is why it’s called “silly season.”
February 11th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Gen. Lee, Follow the $ and the rest of the Lingle campaign effort are trying to dodge the reality of what is happening with the Chamber of Commerce ad.
If we leave the state, others are allowed to see, and talk about what is happening, with clarity. Here is the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
The November election is still nine months off, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching its first $10 million advertising blitz, aimed mainly at boosting Republicans’ chances to retake the U.S. Senate.
The Washington, D.C.-based chamber has singled out 8 Senate races and 12 House races for its early season blitz. As usual, it is trying local faces and local themes.
“Linda Lingle — Working for Hawaii”, says a spot boosting Hawaii’s former Republican governor, who is running for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Danny Akaka.
The Chamber is the number one political lobbying voice for large American corporations. They do not care if Lingle is “a moderate RINO” or a hardcore Tea Partier. They will market her according to the needs of the local political climate, as their goal is to take control of the US Senate. And, ultimately, that is how Hawaii voters will see it.
Do you want to strengthen the national Republican Team or the Democratic Team. Most Hawaii voters believe the national Republicans have lost their moorings and have drifted into crazyland. If a vote for Lingle is seen in that context, she will lose.
February 13th, 2012 at 1:34 am
Females have chips on their shoulders when they comment. So says the mynah bird who has to back up the other feathered bird.
February 16th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Follow the $ sounds like a lemming.