Rishell’s Lobbyist Letter
By Greg L | 5 September 2007 | Jeanette Rishell | 16 Comments
Jeanette Rishell has been circulating a bizarre fundraising letter to lobbyists in Virginia which is littered with some of the goofiest claims a candidate can possibly make. In campaign materials to voters, this is somewhat understandable, since few voters actually take time to verify the information a candidate provides them with, but lobbyists tend to be a savvy crowd, and can and often do check the information they’re provided with — especially when that involves the doling out the money of their clients. Lying to these folks is a bad idea.
The first goofy statement is Rishell’s contention that the Weems and Baldwin precincts (both are in Manassas City) are “solidly Democratic”. This simply isn’t true. Weems was an Allen/Marriage Amendment/Wolf/Miller precinct by pretty wide margins in 2006. Baldwin was a Webb/Marriage Amendment/Wolf/Miller precinct. To claim that these are “solidly Democratic” when they’re not, something that lobbyists can easily verify themselves, is just dumb. If Rishell is counting on Weems to break her way, she’s delusional as well.
Rishell claims that all precincts in the 50th District are trending Democrat. If you only look at what happened last election cycle, which was one of the toughest election cycles for Republicans in recent memory, something like this might be defensible. But despite these difficulties, the 50th District voted Allen/Wolf/Yes on Marriage at a higher rate than most other house districts in the area, only lagging slightly behind the 31st District and the 13th District. If someone is looking for low-hanging fruit in Prince William, the 50th isn’t it.
This same letter says “Due to the voting trend in the 2006 elections, we believe there is a significant number of independents who are likely to crossover and vote Democratic because of Jackson Miller’s extreme views and inability to pass legislation.” Normally, one doesn’t try to go negative with lobbyists, as it just turns them off. The other problem here is that Rishell is going strongly negative in a campaign that is only just starting. And when strong majorities supported the legislative agenda that Jackson Miller got passed through the House of Delegates, such claims just look silly. As for the early negative spin from her campaign, it might not play very well with the electorate this cycle.
Of course the impact of Help Save Manassas in the dynamic isn’t considered in Rishell’s analysis, as a significant number of members are within the 50th District, and as they become more informed about the illegal alien issue and Jackson Miller’s early leadership on this subject, the dynamics of this race are changing. Although Help Save Manassas is non-partisan and doesn’t endorse candidates, members are pretty well aware of who supported the agenda of Mexicans Without Borders with material support in the past, and who championed a strong agenda of combating the illegal alien problem in the last session and gained strong support within the House of Delegates.
In late June of 2006, Rishell told the Gainesville Times that “the Republican-led House is the most incompetent, politicized, arrogant and ineffective House that Virginia has ever had.” Some of the electorate might apply this characterization with the Virginia Senate more accurately, while it killed most of the bills that passed the House of Delegates with large majorities on the illegal alien issue. This is hardly the only example, as earlier negative campaign comments appeared in the Potomac News on June 13th, 2007 2006.
When Rishell is willing to distort reality in order to get lobbyist money like this, I imagine that as the campaign season really starts to heat up, I’ll have plenty to talk about. This is pretty goofy. One might call it Moon-fruity.
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16 Comments
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This woman has no business being in politics. What an idiot.
What Rishell is counting on is that the voters are basically uninformed idiots, and now she’s extending this to lobbyists. With the voters she is counting on their apathy to not research her background, where they would see she is clearly an ultra-liberal who is not only soft on illegal aliens, but actually raised money for them. She is counting on the voter not knowing who Unity in the Community is. Now she’s counting on lobbyiests not knowing her real agenda.
This woman has no shame, and worse, she is a liar. Furthermore, she knows deep down inside that the average voter rejects her real positions, so she is running/hiding from them. Jackson Miller needs to hit her, and hit her hard. Those who support Miller need to make sure that they tell their friends and neighbors who Jennette Rishell really is. Write those Letters to the Editor. Send Miller a check. $5, $10, $25…whatever you can send.
When she came to my door she said “illegal immigration is one of my top issues.”
When I asked her to elaborate, she said something about going after the employers. I then asked her “What about going after illegal aliens themselves?”
She simply wouldnt give me an aswer. After she left I looked at the piece of literature she handed me and it didnt even mention illegal immigration as one of her issues. I do believe that she is trying her best to play both sides on this issue.
The other day we got one of her flyers in the mail and my wife wrote on the envelope and placed back in the mail box ‘Return to sender…NO WAY!’ I believe she pays the return postage?
Greg:
Did she really say “the Republican-led House is the most incompetent, politicized, arrogant and ineffective House that Virginia has ever had” in June ‘07 or are you recollecting her kick-off speech from ‘06? We used that line in ‘06 and I was just curious.
Thanks.
That was published in the Gainesville Times on June 29th, 2006, and you’re right, that wasn’t a 2007 statement. Thanks for the catch.
2006 or 2007…doesn’t really matter. You can’t un-ring the bell. Every statement that she made in 2006…and before, as a member of Unity in the Community, is fair game.
I am thinkink maybe I should hit the dollar store and buy out their stock of flip-flops. I can stamp them “Rishell on Illegal Immigration”…and hand them out.
Matt, you know Rishell. You know that she’s pro-illegal. You know she’s running from her past positions on this issue, and trying to snow the voters. You know that “going after employers” is against Federal Law. You know that a “Livability Court” will never make it out of the legislature, and if it did, it would get challenged as “unconstitutional”. You know what her real psotion is: No 287g. No overcrowding ordinances. Maintain the status-quo. It’s a Federal issue. yada-yada-yada.
Rishell is a class act, who has demonstrated by her actions for years that she cares about her community, unlike the Johnny-come-latelys and publicity hounds on this blog. Disagree with her on the issues if you want, but drop the personal name calling Greg and Batson — you’re both so manly.
I guess the definition of “class act” got debased somewhat in order to be applied to Ms. “June With A Cleaver”. Here’s someone who is out there lying to voters saying Jackson Miller did nothing about immigration last session when he got five immigration bills through the General Assembly during his first session, one of which Rishell is on record as opposing. I got a call from a neighbor who was livid about this tripe only yesterday.
Rishell is a Moonfruit.
Being called a moonfruit by BVBL is like being called ugly by a frog.
Anonymous 5:23,
I dont disagree with you about Jeanette being a class act. She just has not given the voters a reason to throw Jackson Miller out of office.
As I have said on this blog before, Jackson has integrity and is a class act himself. I disagreed with him often when he was on the city council. However, he was always honest with me and never tried to beat around the bush. He is a straight shooter.
Too much of what is said about local politics transcends down from the “business as usual” partisan politics of the big league Republican and Democratic parties. Everyone doesn’t look at the entire candidate, because they are locked into the advice and tradition of only one party. Jeanette Rishell is someone I have met and found her sincere about her feelings on protecting the rights of the citizens of Manassas and an advocate of the common working class. She said that she is against Illegal Immigration and seems to have some good ideas that could help to bridge the divide. She did this at a “Latin Festival” which actually took alot of guts on her part and most other candidates would fear being labeled a sympathizer to be even seen there…
Fairness in Media,
1. Partisan politics/business as usual - Rishell is as partisan as you could possibly find. She puts “democrat for delegate” all over her literature, she contributed money to the opponent of Harry Parrish. Then starts using Harry’s name when she campaigned. Then, as I read in this post she slams the republicans in Richmond with some pretty nasty words. She then has the nerve to go on and say that she is the one who can work across the isle to get things done? PLEASE, she is a liar, pure and simple.
2. “Look at the entire candidate. ” Sure Rishell is a lot older than Miller, but just look at the experience of each candidate and what each has done for thier community. Miller has been far more involved in the main stream of our community. I had never even heard of her name before she decided to run for delegate.
“She did this at a “Latin Festival” which actually took alot of guts on her part and most other candidates would fear being labeled a sympathizer to be even seen there…”
I would classify someone who raised funds for Mexicans Without Borders and the Woodbridge Workers Committee an illegal alien sympathizer. I would classify someone who spoke before Manassas City Council in opposition to their efforts to combat the residential overcrowding that is a result of illegal immigration, an illegal alien sympathizer. I would classify someone who opposes participation in the 287g program, which deals with those who commit rapes, murders and other felonies an illegal alien sympathizer
You say she has “good ideas” about how to combat illegal immigration. First, her idea about going after employers would be immediately challenged and deemed “unconstitutional”. Her idea about a “livability court” would be challenged and found “unconstitutional”. She knows this. She’s counting on the fact that you do not.
Batson:
I’m not defending, promoting, or speaking for Jeanette on anything; I’m not involved in the campaign this year, and frankly I have disagreed with her about illegal immigration from the get go. Unfortunately, not living in the 50th or being involved in her or any other Democrat’s campaign this year, I cannot speak about what she is doing.
She and I did speak about 2 weeks ago and it seemed as if she has had an epihany on this issue; I hope so. I think she realizes that everything I told her last year, in terms of this being the dominant issue and to ignore it was at her own peril, was correct. I think she listened to Richmond way too much; DPVA wants to ignore this completely because they are either too weak or too stupid to stand up for what is right.
I honestly believe that if Jeanette had been much stronger on this issue she likely would have won last year.
When we spoke, she seemed much more willing to go farther that she did last year. That would only benefit her. I don’t know for sure if she is indeed attacking Miller as a do-nothing on illegal immigration; that would be a big mistake. I have publicly applauded Jackson on the bills he introduced last session. He has been very gutsy on this issue and has led many other Delegates on the path that they were not willing to travel.
I certainly don’t know what was said in the letter to the lobbyists; I can’t believe her campaign would make such a collosal error in fudging the numbers/trends in the Manassas precincts. I would love to see the letter if someone has a copy.
Matt,
While we have disagreed in the past, it has always been about issues. I must say that if there were more intellectually honest Dems out there, such as yourself, Republicans would be having a much tougher time than they are already having.
I have to wonder if Rishell’s “epiphany” is a genuine acknowledgment that illegal immigration must be dealth with, for the best interest of the 50th, or if she has simply admitted that she must “hold her nose” and say what the voters want to hear. Considering her past efforts on behalf of MSF and WWC, I am more inclined to believe the latter.
Thanks for your insight.