Political Ads stink

December 1, 2006

The attack ads are out. I figured now would be a good time to put up the positions that each candidate has taken on important issues. Sadly, I can only give you Ciro Rodriguez’s positions because it seems Henry Bonilla has decided not to answer.

Ciro Rodriguez

This is the statement you will find about Henry Bonilla

REPRESENTATIVE HENRY BONILLA REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY
RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006
NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY

Key national leaders of both major parties including:
John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President

Over 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test.

You can find Rep. Bonilla’s recorded votes here.

The problem with that is it doesn’t show his positions per se. There could be many reasons why either or both voted one way or another on a bill that have very little to do with their choices on that particular subject. Bills are amended dozens of times before they are actually voted on and any member of the house can add things to them that don’t have anything to do with the bill at hand. If the republicans want the democrats to vote no on a bill about lowering taxes they simply add an amendment that says that if it becomes law banks can charge up to $1000 for a bounced check. Certainly that is not something any of us want but you now have all the democrats voting no (hopefully the republicans to but if they are doing it for show then they don’t care because they just won’t publicize the amendment.) I really wish this wasn’t the way it worked but, sadly, it does and so voting history without reading the entire text of the bill tells us very little.

I know you are all seeing the attack ads that have a smiling and sweet faced Rep. Bonilla next to a dour Ciro Rodriguez saying Ciro voted for the death tax. First, let’s remember “death tax” is a emotionally manipulative slogan it is called the estate tax and it doesn’t affect any but the ulta rich and yes Ciro Rodriguez voted against repealing it. Let’s remember that repealing the estate tax only affects the top 2% of the people in the United States and last time I checked Ciro Rodriguez has always spoken for the middle class and the working man, not the person whose biggest problem is where they will vacation this month.

The other ad that has bothered me to no end, again, has the happy faced Rep. Bonilla next to a dour faced Ciro Rodriguez saying that Ciro Rodriguez voted against creating the department of Homeland Security. First, let me just say that the pictures they use of one looking good and the other looking distracted and a bit angry are just the most base form of manipulation they can come up with. It really goes to what the writers of those commercials think about us. They think that by seeing an unattractive picture we will in our deepest core be revolted by the image and vote for Rep. Bonilla. That is just sad and if you have a brain in your head you will see it for what it is, manipulation of the lowest level. Second, yes, he voted against it but not for the reasons the commercials tell you he did. His vote doesn’t mean Ciro Rodriguez doesn’t want to keep americans safe (oh man, I have to check my gag reflex every time I hear that). He voted yes on creating a new Director of National Intellegence which is what the 9/11 commision recommended. That would have made a liason between all the different organizations that were working to protect us then and cut through the red tape that has caused our intellegence community problems in the past. Creating the Department of Homeland Security did the exact opposite, it just made more red tape. No one is against keeping americans safe, they are saying it to make you afraid and we need to say no to the politics of fear.
Don’t pay attention to attack ads, no matter where they are coming from. They are made to cater to our baser instincts and we are more than our baser instincts. We have higher thought and the ability to reason and should use it. Here are a few more bits of homework for you to peruse at your leisure. These are voting histories so remember if you see a vote that seems out of character take the time to read the whole bill and find out why that candidate voted that way.

Rep. Henry Bonilla

Former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez

Remember, that Ciro Rodriguez lost his seat in 2004 because of Tom DeLay’s gerrymandering so his record is incomplete.