Walberg tells an untruth

Walberg has just handed an issue to the Democratic nominee on a silver platter

Actually, two of them, lying about his votes and voting against women.  As the press release from Progress Michigan pointed out, he has a history of lying about his votes.

In an even bigger fail than the radio station not fact-checking Walberg, I googled 'Haskell Walberg lies.'  The only result in which Haskell said anything about Walberg lying was in response to a reader question during an online interview about Walberg lying about Haskell.

Comment From CatsMeow
What is the biggest lie about you that Tim Walberg has tried to muddy the waters with?
3:07

Comment From Kurt Haskell
LOL. How much time do we have? I would say that him saying that I want to spend tax dollars to stop asteroids, tornadoes, dogs, etc. The part about dogs really irritates me as I have 3 dogs and am the biggest animal lover that you will ever meet.

Weak.  Chris Savage at Eclectablog has done a better job than that documenting Walberg's history of lying.

As for Walberg, I already have a label for him--Liar for Jesus.

Greetings from Detroit, Ground Zero of the post-industrial future!

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by: Neon Vincent @ Fri Mar 01, 2013 at 20:22:48 PM UTC

Yeah

A competent challenger and the DCCC should be able to turn this into an ad that runs every fifteen minutes on every local news broadcast in October of 2014.

I don't think this is anywhere close to the worst of the Walberg record, but voting no and then lying about it on the VAWA is a good way to look like a lunatic extremist and a poster child for all of the reasons why people hate politicians.

The issue is finding that competent challenger. Even after redistricting, the district isn't all that terribly Republican (Romney over Obama by just 3 points, Walberg over Kurt "Who?" Haskell by just 10). But I don't think we have any active members of the state legislature in the district anymore, do we?

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by: Fitzy @ Fri Mar 01, 2013 at 20:42:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Answering my own question...

I'm not at all used to the post-2010 legislative maps. Also, I don't live in Michigan anymore. Excuses, excuses...

In the House, Rep. Gretchen Driskell is from Saline, Rep. Bill Lavoy is from Monroe, and Rep. Theresa Abed is from Grand Ledge, all of which should be in the 7th, but also from the edges of a Jackson-centered district. They're all first-termers, too, so I'd be surprised if any of them are eager to jump to the federal level at this point.

(And that's without even considering whether any of them would play well at all in Lenawee/Hillsdale/etc. Can't win if you let Walberg rack up absurd margins in the more conservative areas.)

In the Senate, first, I want to point out that the Michigan Senate has possibly the worst website I've seen in a long time. Second, we've got nobody.

There are some ex-Reps who might be leaned on (the Spade brothers, Martin Griffin?) but I'd be surprised if any of them were interested. (And it's not like Griffin's Senate run against Mike Nofs was anything to be proud of...)

Any compelling candidates out there? Or is it back to Sharon Renier for us?

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by: Fitzy @ Fri Mar 01, 2013 at 21:02:37 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It won't be "back to Sharon Renier for us"

In the 2010 election, she ran as a Republican for another office and lost, badly, in the primary.  I'd be more worried about Haskell trying again.  That would be pretty much the same thing as the Munith Turkey Lady.

Greetings from Detroit, Ground Zero of the post-industrial future!

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by: Neon Vincent @ Sun Mar 03, 2013 at 01:46:29 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I knew Timmy was dumb.

But dumb enough to lie about a vote? Too cowardly to stand behind his own actions? There's no wiggle room in a lie about a yes/no, up/down thing like a voted on a bill. Walberg is the poster boy for the horrible effects of the Republican gerrymander in this state.

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by: happy camper @ Sat Mar 02, 2013 at 14:35:22 PM UTC

Eclectablog found a weaselly "out" for Walberg

In an update to his post on the subject, he found that Walberg voted yes on the losing version of the bill.

As @Sullyanne1 pointed out to me on Twitter, Walberg will now release a statement claiming he was referring to his "yes" vote on the water-down version of the Violence Against Women Act that Republicans tried and failed to pass yesterday. That legislation didn't offer the extended protections to Native American or members of the LGBT community, groups whose women aren't worthy of protection from violence according to many Republicans, apparently.

Chris also noted that the article that both he and Eric B. linked to has now been removed.  Fact checking finally worked just a bit too late.

Greetings from Detroit, Ground Zero of the post-industrial future!

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by: Neon Vincent @ Sun Mar 03, 2013 at 01:43:36 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

He voted for it

before he voted against it? How original... Isn't that excuse proven to not work?

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by: happy camper @ Mon Mar 04, 2013 at 14:02:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

"Isn't that excuse proven not to work?"

IOKIYAR

That written, the Liar for Jesus's offense against the Ninth Commandment will not go down the memory hole.  Progress Michigan has preserved it on YouTube.

They've also called on him to apologize for the lie.  I predict he won't, adding a third issue to the list he's already given his next opponent.

Greetings from Detroit, Ground Zero of the post-industrial future!

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by: Neon Vincent @ Tue Mar 05, 2013 at 00:01:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]