CD03: Pestka campaign launches opening volley at Lil' Fella

How so?

How is it misleading to say that if you get your message out to people, you would be leading? That's exactly what Pestka did vis-a-vis Amash. If the results of a poll suggest that you lead if you get your message out, you promote that! You don't get much financial support (much less win elections) by hiding your light under a bushel basket.

That poll, incidentally, was conducted by one of the most respected pollsters in the country (Mark Mellman), yet as soon as people saw that Trevor could win big, they decided to smear Trevor, accusing him of lying, despite no actual evidence to the contrary (and despite the fact that, like I said, the Pestka folks used the same polling tactics earlier this year).

But who's really lying? And more to the point, why are they doing Amash's work for him?

Not long after Trevor got in the race, people started defaming him in a way that would make Lee Atwater blush.

They accused him of not being from here (despite going to Kenowa Hills Schools, working at WOOD TV8, and attending Grand Valley State).

They questioned his loyalty to the Democratic Party, saying he hasn't donated to Democratic candidates - never mind that (1) Trevor was under contract not to donate to candidates while working for certain employers, (2) not everyone has money to donate (we're Democrats, not the Koch Brothers), and (3) by helping repeal DADT, Trevor has done more for progressive values in a few years than some of his critics have done in ten.

They claim he can't beat Amash, despite how competitive the new 3rd District is and despite Amash's lower-than-the-bottom-of-Lake-Michigan approval rating (lower than most members of Congress, who famously enjoy much higher popularity as individuals than does Congress as a whole).

They insinuated that he has no right to run for Congress - even though not only does the Constitution say he's eligible, but he's also worked with members of Congress to help pass one of President Obama's key accomplishments. How many candidates for Congress can say that they've achieved so much before even being elected?

And to reiterate, they continue to accuse him of lying. Pot, meet kettle.

In fact, that's how I decided to go from tacitly favoring Pestka (I even went to his announcement in March) to actively supporting Trevor, to getting a job with Trevor (and as some of you know, it's hard to get a campaign job unless it's clear that you really, really support the candidate - which I wasn't expecting to do until they started smearing Trevor). I figured that if the worst they can do to you is lie about where you're from, then you must be pretty good. I have yet to be proven wrong.

I will say that I take it as a compliment to Trevor's staff that we're working hard enough that people are scared. But if you support a candidate who believes (as Pestka has often said he does) that attacking fellow Democrats is bad for the party, then don't attack fellow Democrats. (To their credit, most Pestka supporters I know are pro-Pestka as opposed to being anti-Trevor, which is not the same. But it's those few who are making an already toxic political environment even more so.)

This elitist, "it's-okay-if-you're-the-establishment" mentality should have no place in the Democratic Party. And it does nothing to defeat the otherwise vulnerable Amash.

And in light of Trevor's work with Granholm (along with that of a colleague of mine in his campaign), I see this:

and, by the way, what the hells is it with the Granholm people that one of them is running a write-in campaign that will pull votes away from Winnie Brinks?

I'll tell you what it is: It's a broad-brush generalization of all former Granholm staffers - the people whose blood, sweat, and tears beat the DeVos Money Machine in a lousy economy - based on a supposed link between said candidate and Granholm (of which I have seen no evidence beyond the anecdotal). The person who is running the indy campaign claims he used to work for Granholm, but words alone mean little. Neither Trevor (and the aforementioned colleague) seems to have any idea who this indy candidate is. Not saying he didn't work for Granholm, but I'm not seeing the puzzle pieces come together.

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott

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by: ScottyUrb @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 04:52:24 AM UTC

Spoken from the heart

But you know your campaign is up the creek when your deputy political director goes way off message on a lefty blog. Not to mention making oneself look like a fool in the 72nd State House race.

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by: pbratt @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 13:46:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Well...

1. While some might consider Trevor's campaign doomed, people's actions say they're worried that Trevor might win. Let's just say I've seen things I never saw in the Miles-Mayhue race (or any other race around here, for that matter).

2. I wish I could share your optimism that it might matter vis-a-vis the 72nd, but let's be honest here: Yonker's one of the safest Republicans in the Legislature. The Lions have a better chance of going undefeated this year.

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott

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by: ScottyUrb @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 18:34:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

First off, what role do you have in this campaign?

I've been told that you're affiliated with the Thomas campaign, either as a staffer or a volunteer. If that's true, past or present, it's something you need to disclose.

The only bit that gets an answer is this...

How is it misleading to say that if you get your message out to people, you would be leading?

The subject line in his e-mail was that Trevor Thomas lead in a poll (and Mellman isn't really all that respected, by the way) by 22 points.  When you got into the actual details of the press release, it says that his lead was dependent on him getting lots of money to get his message out.

BTW, Pestka's press release about his lead over Amash a) said it was based on biographical information up front, and b) wasn't tie to a fund raising campaign.

Among the Trees

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by: Eric B. @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 13:48:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Already disclosed above that I work for him

although these were my words.

My point was that Pestka did the same thing that Trevor did: Ask people who they supported, then supply positives and negatives, then ask people again who they'd support.

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott

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by: ScottyUrb @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 18:22:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's not a full disclosure

You need to outline your full role with the campaign. That way, when you post online novels in support of your employer, people are aware of why you're writing it.

Also, again, Pestka didn't do the same thing Trever Thomas did.  Pestka released a poll in the early days of the campaign intended to generate interest in his candidacy.  Trevor Thomas released an even worse poll (and the questions were terrible) in the middle of a campaign in a misleading press release intended to solicit campaign donations.  If you can't figure the difference, it explains why the Thomas people don't understand why people don't like them.

Among the Trees

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by: Eric B. @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 19:32:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Scared

I don't know anyone who is scared of Trevor.  He is going to lose by 30 points next week. It's more about how he has conducted himself more than anything else.   There has been an unnecessary edge to Trevor's campaign from the start.

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by: Fez Marie Whatley @ Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 23:37:53 PM UTC