Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Thompson Is Sorry All Right!

Last Thursday, just hours before US Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin appeared on stage at the Democratic National Convention, Tommy Thompson's campaign spokesman, Brian Nemoir, sent out a tweet saying "Clearly, there’s no one better positioned to talk ‘heartland values’ than Tammy" and attaching a two-year-old video of Baldwin appearing and dancing at a gay pride event.

A full five days later, and only after getting deluged with demands that he apologize for this, Thompson finally addressed the issue:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson said Tuesday that it was a mistake for one of his aides to send a disparaging email and Twitter messages about Democratic opponent Tammy Baldwin dancing at a gay pride event.

The email and tweets were sent in advance of Baldwin's speech at the Democratic National Convention last week.

"I thought it was a mistake, I'm sorry, and he's apologized, I believe," Thompson told reporters after a luncheon of the Milwaukee Rotary Club. "He shouldn't have done it."

The emails were sent by aide Brian Nemoir from his campaign account. It also included his title and the campaign's web address.
The article goes on to say that Nemoir was demoted as spokesman, but remained as part of the campaign.

But then, not wanting Scott Walker to be the only one I say this about, Thompson shows that there's more. There's always more:
Even though Nemoir sent the email from his campaign account , another Thompson aide, Darrin Schmitz, said that Nemoir "acted on his own" and called his actions "unauthorized."

"He was not representing the Thompson campaign in this matter," Schmitz said.
The significance of this section is Darrin Schmitz.

Who is Darrin Schmitz?

Well, with a hat tip to blue cheddar for pointing this out, Schmitz has a history of bigotry himself, as pointed out in this Wisconsin State Journal article, describing him as the "Wisconsin Karl Rove":
And there have been controversies. He steered Gableman's race to replace Louis Butler, the state's first black state Supreme Court Justice. It was a bitter campaign that angered many by airing a commercial critics said contained racial overtones. The ad showed Butler's face next to that of a black rapist and falsely suggested Butler helped free the man, allowing him to rape again.

It led 52 Wisconsin judges to band together to issue a statement, decrying it as "falsely misleading." Democrats in the state still seethe when asked about it.

"Those who remember Mike Gableman's campaign that included a roundly-criticized, race-baiting television ad will have to see about the tone the Thompson campaign may take in the final months," said Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, a Madison-based liberal organization.

The controversy didn't bother only Democrats. Some Republican operatives contacted by the State Journal criticized Schmitz, specifically regarding the Gableman incident, but none of them would go on the record.

Of the controversy, Schmitz would only say that rape is a serious crime and the issue raised by the commercial was valid.
Nice, eh?*

In sum, Thompson's spokesman sends out a bigoted tweet about Baldwin's sexual orientation. It takes Thompson five full days to address the issue, and then he still doesn't offer a direct apology to Baldwin or to the LGBT community, nor does he even fire the perpetrator. To top it off, he has the guy behind the Gableman racist ad defending the campaign trying to claim that "There's no bigotry to see here!"

Thompson said he was "sorry." Damn right he is. He's one of the sorriest candidates I've seen, along with Scott Walker and Paul Ryan.

Ironically enough, I did find the perfect thing for Tommy's campaign.  He could have this running on the screens at all of his appearance as well as on his website:



*These are the things that make me miss Illusory Tenant the most. He'd have had a field day with this one if he was still around.

5 comments:

  1. Did Thompson's hearing aid crap out again? or did he have to pee?

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    Replies
    1. It took them five days to sober him up enough that he could speak remotely close to coherently.

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  2. WTF. First the Nazi prison guard in The Reader had my last name, now this dipshit.

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  3. Even though Nemoir sent the email from his campaign account , another Thompson aide, Darrin Schmitz, said that Nemoir "acted on his own" and called his actions "unauthorized."

    It has always been my contention that while you are a face of a campaign, you don't have a private voice until that campaign is over. Even if Mr. Nemoir had used a personal email account his actions should be construed as part of the campaign.

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  4. The only good thing that can be said about Darrin Schmitz is that he stopped dyeing his hair.

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