I received the following post card in the mail yesterday. The front included no identification of who produced or paid for it - it is a classic political hit piece put out by a coward who cannot get his or her facts straight.
Stuff like this makes me wonder what the people who worked on it and paid for it are thinking. Do you really think something like this will have an effect? I agree that the public is gullible, but this is too visually ugly and too factually wrong to be convincing. Dumb voters will be put off by the lousy production values, and smart voters will know that Kansas City has a dedicated tax to fund indigent health care. Even if Mark wanted to deny people health care (and anyone who knows him knows that is utterly ridiculous), it's not his choice.
But, really, does the producer of junk like this have no conscience at all? S/he knows that s/he is lying, and also knows that s/he is violating the law by sending out something like this without identification. Is it worth it? Do you feel like you're doing a good thing? Do you feel like you're helping Kansas City?
Of course, the obvious suspect is Jeff Roe, who is well-known to resort to lies and innuendo in sliming opponents. He's also known for being ineffective, so the fact that this was so poorly done seems to show Jeff's reverse midas touch.
But the funny thing is, having an amoral creep like Jeff Roe involved in the race gives cover for anyone else to act just like him. If you're with another candidate's camp, you're pretty safe to get as slimey as you like, because everyone will assume that the slime comes from the Nace campaign. Having someone like Jeff Roe involved in local politics lowers the ethical standards not just of Nace, but of everyone who is willing to engage in his tactics.
Labels: funkhouser, jeff roe, kansas city, mayor, nace
