Greg Ballard, Republican: 67%
Bart Peterson, Democrat: 33%
Total Votes: 5258
The results of the unscientific poll also reflect the poor response the Mayor is receiving to his budget address last night from media pundits today. Making matters worse, a Democratic effort to link Ballard to a controversial cartoon depicting Mayor Peterson, Sheriff Anderson and City-County Councilor Monroe Gray in monkey suits appears to have backfired. The cartoon was prepared by a group which operates totally separate from Ballard's campaign. Ballard, whose wife and children are people of color, shot back today with this :
I was very disturbed by the recent graphic depiction of Mayor Peterson, Sheriff Anderson, and Council President Gray that was produced and circulated by a group not affiliated with my campaign. Considering my wife and children are people of color, I am discouraged and offended that such racially insensitive materials were brought into the political arena. While I understand the concerns of many that their leaders have failed them on issues of crime, taxes, fiscal management, and civility, human dignity must never be sacrificed to make a point. I call on those who posted this 'cartoon' to immediately remove it from use, and to use better judgment when expressing their frustration in the future.
Looks like that Wilson Allen-like attempt to smear Ballard didn't work.
18 comments:
About the micro-vote at the Star: about 200,000 folk voted last year in the election...
btw, did you notice Greg Ballard too denounced the racist image and requested supporters not to use it? It's called "repudiation"...
jen wagner appears to be taking her tactics of smear her opposition straight from the playbook of karl rove. how intriguing.
surely the director of communications for the democratic party knew that the ballard family was blended racially when she attempted this smear, or did she? in any case, shame on her.
it has done nothing but raise ballards profile and give him the opportunity to look very eloquent and dignified.
the new ballard yard signs are fantastic and timely "had enough? vote ballard." their quick proliferation around the northside is truly amazing.
i wonder how one gets one? or if there are any left to be had since they appear to be such hot property.
ballard needed a theme. boy does he have one now.
The point is not the content of the cartoon, Wilson. It's the foolish attempt to attribute it to his campaign. It's the old trick Democrats drag out every election cycle to polarize black voters against Republicans. It really is getting old. And judging by Abdul Hakim-Shabazz' response who, unlike you Wilson, is African-American, not all people of color viewed the cartoon through the same lenses you viewed it.
In case you havent figured it out Wilson, Greg Ballard didnt have anything to do with the creation of the racist image, he was REPULSED by what those nutterballs at TDW tried to do.
About 10% of African-Americans would vote for Eric Miller or George W Bush too. I stand with the 90% who wouldn't...
It wasn't nutterballs at TDW that posted and/or created the image but 2 anti-Bart websites. Ballard properly repudiated that offensive image on those 2 anti-Bart websites...
"It wasn't nutterballs at TDW that posted and/or created the image but 2 anti-Bart websites."
Again, you miss the point. Why link the images to Ballard in the first place?
Actually, ask Amos: he raised the issue broadly yesterday on his widely-listened-to radio program in the Black community...
well then amos needs to clarify the origin of it and discuss ballard's denouncement of it. it really won't matter. those listeners are smart and know that peterson is not leading well right now. their taxes -- property and income -- went up as well.
it will be about crime, schools, and taxes, not bart lies.
Wilson which 2 websites have / had the image ?
www.bartlies.com
Funny how this latest dirty smear attack was much like the one Wilson Allen created and organized against Eric Dickerson and his family back in 2006, though of course Julia's campaign had nothing to do with that one.
What an embarrassment the Defeatocrat Party has become.
I'd say something stronger, but I fear Wilson will just send out whining emails to bloggers like Abdul and Ruth Holladay.
And the second one ?
I read Ruth Holladay's blog and for the life of me I cannot understand how she's so gullible taking Wilson as credible.
When the Dems like TDW have to resort to race baiting of any type then you really have to wonder if Bart's polls say the same thing the Star's poll says.
Finally, they have pissed off Ballard with a smear and he's going after them for it. Maybe we WILL have a contest now.
If Amos and Wilson are the best the Dems have in their trenches this things over.
ummm ... read what he wrote: Ballard repudiated those extreme anti-Bart folk that had set him up with such an outrageous image.
Ruth as a reporter knew me from around events -- she probably doesn't know those anonymous nobodies that walk around muttering to themselves while wearing a brown paper bag over their face...
Wilson - "created the image but 2 anti-Bart websites"
What was the other site ?
Based on Wilson's number, 5200 is about 2 1/2 percent. Seems a reasonable sample for polling though this one is highly unscientific.
If it were 10 points difference then I'd say it's just a poll. But this wide margin tells me people out there are supremely honked off.
Now if this anger will turn into contributions for Greg Ballard.
Two things here:
*the Ballard campaign rightfully distanced themselves from racist images. Good for him. He did so promptly, professionally and, obviously, from a very personal standpoint. I applaud him.
I will not vote for him, because I don't agree with many of his views. But I respect his action in this matter.
*these kinds of snap polls are notoriously non-reliable. The same poll had the Republicans sweeping county offices last year.
However, the number of voters is large. It is impossible to know if someone ginned up the numbers, voted multiple times, etc.
I think the Mayor has paid attention, and I think you'll see a change in campaign tactics very soon.
This has been a very enjoyable and informative post, albeit the Wilson nonsense.
And get offa Ruth...she's a great reporter. But news travels slowly out to her rural retreat...she gets it right more than wrong, and she always makes me think.
"Actually, ask Amos: he raised the issue broadly yesterday on his widely-listened-to radio program in the Black community..."
Is Wilson now taking lessons from Peterson?
Blaming everyone but himself.
www.ballardformayor.com
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