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The authors admitted they didn’t have proof of the claim, but insist political literature is a matter of opinion, which they have a right to share. “Where there’s smoke there is fire. It’s too obvious. I don’t have proof, but everything on fliers is opinion. That’s the nature of politics. We express our opinion, they express theirs” — Jeff Ward, Kootenai County Reagan Republicans president, in Coeur d’Alene Press re: the accusation in organization campaign literature that Councilman Mike Kennedy got Jim Brannon fired from his Habitat for Humanity job. More here.
Question: Does this mean that everything you want to believe about an opposing political candidate is true simply because you want to believe it so?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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SideNote on October 27 at 4:19 p.m.
In other words, K County Reagan Republican Jeff Ward believes the nature of politics is to lie.
Sisyphus on October 27 at 4:22 p.m.
I hadn’t realized the Kage mentality on cause and effect was so pervasive. Perhaps Mr. Brannon could enlighten us on the cause for his dismissal so we don’t have to speculate. Mr. Ward’s cross examination is coming more closely into focus. I think it would be fun.
Charles_Dixon on October 27 at 4:26 p.m.
It’s libel, plain and simple. The only question is who could file a lawsuit as plaintiff, where the flier only seems to point to the city as an entity and not to any one individual.
To say this is a matter of opinion is asinine. That’s like a victim who positively identifies her assailant in a line-up claiming it was only her opinion that the suspect harmed her. Either the city did or did not cause Brannon’s termination, and by admitting they have no proof of the allegations the authors of the flyer are simply admitting they have committed defamation.
Phaedrus on October 27 at 4:29 p.m.
wow, ward is mind-boggling in his arrogance and ignorance; exactly the shrill, dirty political dirty tricks that has turned off so many people. who wrote this larryspencer? or are there actually two people who have this type of twisted thinking?
Liz on October 27 at 5:00 p.m.
If anybody really thinks politicians don’t lie about their opponents (or advertisers lie about the competition) they must be living on another planet. And I have some ocean front property they can buy from me in Vegas.
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 5:11 p.m.
“and by admitting they have no proof of the allegations the authors of the flyer are simply admitting they have committed defamation.”
Let’s try this.
The city of CdA hurts poor people.
Did I “defame” the city? I can’t prove that statement, so it would stand to reason that I have commited defamation. Right?
Wrong.
If I said “Mike Kennedy hurts poor people” (he does) is that defamation?
No.
Nobody said “the city got Brannon fired” ergo, the city has no standing.
bpoole on October 27 at 5:18 p.m.
No ,it says Mike Kennedy got Jim Brannon fired which is absurd.
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 5:20 p.m.
What language said that, bp? I didn’t see Mike’s name anywhere in it.
bpoole on October 27 at 5:23 p.m.
Let me rephrase that, in the flier it says they got him fired. so if they is not Mike Kennedy or the City of CDA? who is they?
moscow_minidoka on October 27 at 5:25 p.m.
Larry Spencer got Brannon fired. Pass it on!
chatterbox on October 27 at 5:35 p.m.
“Spencer mis-states the facts.” - Idaho Supreme Court.
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 5:38 p.m.
Chatterbox, sweetheart, if you look at the posts above, you will see that those on your side of the line are the ones who can’t even figure out what got said and who it was said about, but they keep stating different “facts” don’t they?
OrangeTV on October 27 at 5:39 p.m.
It’s so irritating that this sad collection of dime-store provocateurs would rather argue the petty semantics of an intentionally defamatory statement instead of just owning their mistake and being “open and transparent” about it.
Sure, the words are open to interpretation but anyone presented with that paragraph would read it and think “clearly, this statement is being presented as a fact.” The way it reads, one would automatically think “that’s a pretty strong accusation. They must have proof to be so confident about this assertion”. It does not resemble an opinion at all. And there is no proof.
They could have (and should have) said: ,
“…in what appears to be a shocking act of dirty politics, they got him fired…”
or
“…in what we perceive to be to be a shocking act of dirty politics, they got him fired…”
or
“…in what was rumored to be to be a shocking act of dirty politics, they got him fired…”
But they didn’t. Now, instead of admitting they were just being facetious and moving on with their business, they deny involvement, recycle tired rhetoric and accusations, spout playground-style taunts, and compose crazed, venomous letters.
And all for naught, because the city probably doesn’t actually have intentions to go ahead with any legal actions against this group and likely won’t because the whole thing is so petty and convoluted and it will fade into distant memory once the incumbents are re-elected in 6 days.
I think I’m going to just sit back now and ride out the rest of this daytime drama in silence.
Aliasjax on October 27 at 5:39 p.m.
Everybody knows that you can’t yell Brannon in a crowded theater…
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 5:40 p.m.
“in the flier it says they got him fired. so if they is not Mike Kennedy or the City of CDA? who is they?”
The liberals in city hall! You know, Thom, Mary Lou, etc.
;-)
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 5:46 p.m.
OTV, thanks for that bit of comic relief. That was great, really.
In each of your “acceptable” versions, you still had them directly stating that “they got him fired”
The only thing you “qualified” was the motive!
You never said “they appear to have got him fired”
read it again, and thanks for playing!
OrangeTV on October 27 at 5:51 p.m.
You know what I meant, Mr. Cleverpants.
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 7:04 p.m.
:-)
Phaedrus on October 27 at 7:05 p.m.
wow, larryspencer is so defensive of this piece it might appear to some people that he wrote it, perhaps with his partner tina jacobsen.maybe over a latte, or two at calspsyo’s?
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 7:15 p.m.
It wasn’t Tina….
It was… a……………….. reporter!!!
Fasten the seatbelts, and get ready to attack me tomorow with more passion than you ever have….
or even dreamed you might…..
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 7:16 p.m.
XOXXOOOXX
;-)
chatterbox on October 27 at 8:08 p.m.
Attacks. Larry wants attacks. Shall we go personal or professional?
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 8:14 p.m.
How about just hit me with something brand spankin new tomorrow? It won’t be hard to find, trust me.
MamaJD on October 27 at 8:35 p.m.
So are you promising a game changer tomorrow, Larry?
Arpie on October 27 at 8:38 p.m.
Spensah! Spensah!
Thanks for giving us something to look forward to. A reason to wake up in the morning.
I can smell the napalm from here.
Sam on October 27 at 9:19 p.m.
Cd’A, honestly, has some darn nasty elections. It’s so interesting that a town of this size is so mean-spirited in its elections to me. but it also seems that residents of areas this size also frequently reject the mud-slinging politics. Happened in the judges race in Cd’A a few years ago. It happened the last City Council election cycle. Why do people think it’s productive?
Local elections are simply not the same as a national election, where tactics are quite different for a win.
Sam on October 27 at 9:27 p.m.
Will your statements be factually-accurate, Larry, or the usual misinformation?
Phaedrus on October 27 at 9:42 p.m.
How about just hit me with something brand spankin new tomorrow?
anything to do with nic? or the foundation? or bill mccrory? hmmmm?! ;-)
LarrySpencer on October 27 at 10:06 p.m.
Something like that, mama
No “statements” Sam.
Don’t ya just love the smell of napalm in the morning, Arpie? I know I do!
Sweet dreams, Phaed! see you on the flip side.
Phaedrus on October 27 at 10:17 p.m.
mama, no game changer; just seems that larryspencer and his partner in crazy conspiracy theories and interpreting the law the way we see it, bill ‘don’t be shootin’ those firweorks’ mccrory, have scraped together the $150 bucks or so that it takes to file a lawsuit. larryspencer, maybe if you used that money to make a car payment or loan payment you’d still own your mercedes and some of the dirt you lost. tell bill “BANG!” for me. ;-)
spokelooneh on October 27 at 10:34 p.m.
I have no proof, but In my opinion, the CdA “Reagan Republicans” are all child molesters and tax cheats. Many have “known” (in the Biblical sense), equine, swine, and sheep. Baaaaaaa.
hmoffsuite on October 28 at 6:06 a.m.
As taken from the Cda Press.
http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/10/28/news/news01.txt
MamaJD on October 28 at 6:57 a.m.
Larry - woke up, read the paper, no napalm. Another lawsuit filed under your name is no longer news but another day in the ordinary course of business in the world of Larry.
Who’s representing you guys?
Bent on October 28 at 7:15 a.m.
MamaJD — I thought the same thing…what a let down, unless the napalm was actually Spencer’s attempt to out Thom George in the comment section of that story!
Sparky on October 28 at 7:22 a.m.
really??? I was hoping for a big announcement and we get a lawsuit from fringers???I have to say I am disappointed and little sad. You sure that was it? Nothing else? Ahhhh, okay.
Bent on October 28 at 7:34 a.m.
The mayor and council letter was better:
http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2009/10/28/editorials/letters/letter01.txt
Bent on October 28 at 7:36 a.m.
“while, Mr. Brannon has kept a cool head and remained calm under_______ …” – Kage Cd’A Press Letters
You meant to say under “his desk” right, Kage?
Phaedrus on October 28 at 8:04 a.m.
why does the CDA Press allow letters under anonymous names?
MamaJD on October 28 at 8:13 a.m.
On another blog, Larry states: “The case law is clear and Supreme Court rulings are clear. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, calling it a horse doesnt pass muster with the court.”
I just love Larry Law.
I also see they are pro se in this case. I’m *shocked* to discover they couldn’t find an attorney licensed in Larry Law to represent them. /sarcasm off.
Sisyphus on October 28 at 8:40 a.m.
As I recall, one of my classmates tried that analogy in first year civil procedure. He was shredded to ribbons. Pass the popcorn.
Digger on October 28 at 9:39 a.m.
I would like to point out that I, at one point, was a raving anti-government lunatic like the KCRR/OpenCDA crowd. It was during my time at UI and I was rallying against the Associated Students of the University of Idaho.
But then I grew up and moved on.
I wish these folks could do the same thing.