This mail piece dropped in the primary in Congressional District 19 where State Senator Jeff Denham, former Congressman Richard Pombo and former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson are duking it out to be the GOP standard bearer in this "safe" Republican Central Valley House seat, where incumbent George Radanovich is retiring… (click on the graphic to enlarge)
Below is the response that was sent broadly around the community from supporters of Patterson (note that one of the signatories is FR’s own Michael Der Manouel, Jr.)…
State Senator Jeff Denham, who does NOT LIVE in the 19th Congressional District, is not only repeatedly attacking Jim Patterson with false radio and direct mail, but has been caught on KMJ lying about his votes in the California Senate. Just two weeks ago, he told the KMJ listeners he voted "against" the two huge California budgets that have caused major deficits and hardship on the citizens of California. After being confronted on the air about this just a few days later, he changed his story. He now belatedly admits he lied and that he did vote for the massive budgets, against the will of the other Republican Party Senators he was serving with at the time.
In addition to voting for budgets that have in fact brought California to the brink of bankruptcy, Senator Denham was the deciding vote in the State Senate to put Proposition 14 on the June ballot. This initiative, if it passes, will allow Democrats to select Republican nominees in primary elections. In order to mask the truth of his destructive action, he has now donated $50,000 to the No on 14 Campaign. Apparently, he was for it before he was against it.
On Tuesday of this week, Mr. Denham and his campaign advisors sent out a mailing attacking Jim Patterson. This attack and others that Denham has made against Patterson state that: "Patterson hired over 300 bureaucrats while he was mayor of Fresno.” Surprise, Mr. Patterson agrees with Denham on this claim, except the "bureaucrats" Denham refers to are actually sworn Fresno police officers. Some might call this a distortion of the truth for Mr. Denham’s gain. Others might see this as a breathtaking falsehood. Either way, Senator Denham is running a sleazy and false attack campaign against the very Mayor who led Fresno back from the brink to All America City status by the end of his second term.
In his dishonest radio and direct mail campaign, Mr. Denham has repeatedly lied about the Patterson record. When Jim was asked to respond to Jeff Denham’s claims this is what he said:
“During my 4 year term as the Strong Mayor, under budgets that I proposed, the General Fund expenditures grew less than 6%, IN TOTAL, over the 4 years. That’s not 6% per year. That is 6% over 4 years (average less than 1.5% per year); from $149.8M to $158.4M.
In 2005-2006, Denham supported with the Democrats a State Budget that raised State General Fund spending by over 10% in a single year. He followed that up by then supporting in 2006-2007 a State budget that then raised State General Fund spending an additional 9.5% on top of the 10% of the prior year. The compounding effect of those increases meant Jeff Denham supported and voted for over a 24% increase in 2 years in state General Fund spending. During a comparable period, my general fund budgets increased 3%. He voted to grow general fund spending 8 times faster than the growth in my General Fund Budgets.
Sure, the total City budget increased over the years. In addition to the General Fund, each year a city invests in infrastructure, to build water plants, or sewer plants, a new airport terminal, and new roads, or a new convention center. We achieved such improvements without increases in taxes and kept rates and charges for utility services lean and tight. We also extended bus routes, times of service, bought fire engines, and rehabilitated neighborhoods.
But, my budgets didn’t include a baseball stadium taxpayer giveaway. And they didn’t include loan guarantees for private projects.
Did we get federal grants? You bet we did. We went and got our fair share of transportation funding and police funding. But, it wasn’t pork barrel, it wasn’t earmarked. It was earned by making competitive applications through a non-politicized, non-corrupt process."
In talking to Jim Patterson before we wrote this, he told us he doesn’t want to go down this path. He had hoped to have a spirited but clean campaign. He told us he would not allow lies, use of half truths or distortions from his campaign. But, he added, he would respond with the truth if his challengers choose to lie. Let’s hope the Denham campaign for the 19th Congressional District returns to a higher set of values. There are serious issues at stake in this campaign. Serious issues for America. We need to send a positive, trusted and proven conservative representative to Congress. Sadly, Senator Denham has surrendered his integrity in the hopes of political victory.
Denham’s false charges are nothing more than a rank political stunt which cherry-picked the public record, then lied about and distorted the information to fit his attack.
This kind of low politics should not be rewarded with our seat in the US Congress.
Sincerely,
John Anderson, Sheriff, Madera County
Michael Der Manouel, Jr., Chairman, Fresno County Lincoln Club
Mike Reynolds, Author, Three Strikes
Ray Appleton, KMJ News/Talk 580
Jeff Reid, VP Valley Taxpayers Coalition, City Manager, Fresno, CA, 1996-2000
Kole Upton, Madera County Family Farmer, Director, Chowchilla Water District
Nat DiBuduo, Past President, The Big Fresno Fair
Doug Vagim, President, San Joaquin Valley Taxpayers Association
Larry Powell, Fresno County Superintendent of Education
Chester Andrew, Past-President, Madera County Farm Bureau
Bill Dietzel, Editor, Veterans Magazine
Melissa Courtney, Co-Founder, Central Valley Tea Party