Ocotillo
05-10-2007, 04:13 PM
Don't hold your breath (http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2007/05/rudy_snubs_farm.php)
Likely Brian Williams, Chuck Gibson and Cutie Couric will overlook this story. Need to keep those resources tracking down how much a guys spends on a haircut or if he wears earthtone suits or something important like that........
Rudy Snubs Farmer For Not Being Rich; Will Media Cover It?
May 10, 2007 -- 04:47 PM EST
Did Rudy Giuliani's campaign snub an Iowa farmer's family because he isn't a millionaire and hence wouldn't be a suitable prop for Rudy's anti-"death tax" campaigning? And will the haircut-obsessed political media cover it?
Check out this unbelievable story from the Anamosa Journal-Eureka in Jones County, Iowa, the accuracy of which I've just confirmed by phone with one of the people in it:
OLIN–Last weekend Deb and Jerry VonSprecken of Olin received a call from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign office asking them if they would be interested in holding a campaign rally on May 4, after she had donated to his campaign.
“We thought it would be an honor and agreed,” said Jerry.
After agreeing to host Rudy's rally, Deb and Jerry Von Sprecken then set about doing a bunch of work to organize the event. They underwent a security check and called a bunch of local friends and acquaintances -- and even the local sheriff and fire department -- and proudly put the pieces in place for their rally.
But then...
On Tuesday Deb received a call from Giuliani’s Des Moines office and was asked to call New York.
“They wanted to know our assets,” she revealed, and added that she and Jerry have a modest 80 acre farm and raise cattle.
Later she received a call from Tony Delgado at the Des Monies location.
“Tony said, ‘I’m sorry, you aren’t worth a million dollars and he is campaigning on the Death Tax right now.’ then he said they weren’t going to be able to come,” Deb continued.
The Death Tax is a federal version of the Iowa Inheritance Tax.
The VonSpreckens then called Delgado back and told him how upset they were that the event had been cancelled, how much work they had done and that they had been expecting 75-100 people at their farm.
“I invited him into my home,” Deb said of Giuliani, fighting back tears.
And it doesn't even end there, by the way. Turns out the campaign called them back after all that, according to the paper, and offered them a consolation prize: The opportunity to get their picture taken with Rudy. The couple dismissed this as an effort to "cover their butts" -- presumably meaning that the campaign was hoping they wouldn't go to the media, or something.
A Giuliani campaign spokesperson declined to comment to the paper on the canceled event. In other words, no denial. The Rudy campaign just confirmed to me that its non-denial to the paper is real.
I just got in touch with Deb VonSprecken, who told me the story's accurate "word for word." To top this all off, she also told me that she's disabled, too -- with Fibromyalgia.
Here's what she told me:
"I told [Rudy's aide] from day one that we were poor folks, just trying to scrape by...When they [asked us to host the event], I was just ecstatic. We were honored. It was an honor and a privilege. We worked so hard...Why would Rudy Giuliani not come speak to the average Americans that live in eastern Iowa, instead of qualifying you as a millionaire before he will show up to your place?"
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that the Rudy campaign badly shafted a disabled woman and her farmer husband because they weren't millionaires and hence wouldn't be adequate political props for Rudy's "death tax" campaign.
Oh, incidentally, Deb also told me that she'd be willing to speak to the media about this, too.
So will anyone from the media contact Deb? Does anyone doubt that if John Edwards or any other Dem did this it would be covered by all the major networks and chewed over endlessly by cable chat-show hosts for days and days and days?
Likely Brian Williams, Chuck Gibson and Cutie Couric will overlook this story. Need to keep those resources tracking down how much a guys spends on a haircut or if he wears earthtone suits or something important like that........
Rudy Snubs Farmer For Not Being Rich; Will Media Cover It?
May 10, 2007 -- 04:47 PM EST
Did Rudy Giuliani's campaign snub an Iowa farmer's family because he isn't a millionaire and hence wouldn't be a suitable prop for Rudy's anti-"death tax" campaigning? And will the haircut-obsessed political media cover it?
Check out this unbelievable story from the Anamosa Journal-Eureka in Jones County, Iowa, the accuracy of which I've just confirmed by phone with one of the people in it:
OLIN–Last weekend Deb and Jerry VonSprecken of Olin received a call from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign office asking them if they would be interested in holding a campaign rally on May 4, after she had donated to his campaign.
“We thought it would be an honor and agreed,” said Jerry.
After agreeing to host Rudy's rally, Deb and Jerry Von Sprecken then set about doing a bunch of work to organize the event. They underwent a security check and called a bunch of local friends and acquaintances -- and even the local sheriff and fire department -- and proudly put the pieces in place for their rally.
But then...
On Tuesday Deb received a call from Giuliani’s Des Moines office and was asked to call New York.
“They wanted to know our assets,” she revealed, and added that she and Jerry have a modest 80 acre farm and raise cattle.
Later she received a call from Tony Delgado at the Des Monies location.
“Tony said, ‘I’m sorry, you aren’t worth a million dollars and he is campaigning on the Death Tax right now.’ then he said they weren’t going to be able to come,” Deb continued.
The Death Tax is a federal version of the Iowa Inheritance Tax.
The VonSpreckens then called Delgado back and told him how upset they were that the event had been cancelled, how much work they had done and that they had been expecting 75-100 people at their farm.
“I invited him into my home,” Deb said of Giuliani, fighting back tears.
And it doesn't even end there, by the way. Turns out the campaign called them back after all that, according to the paper, and offered them a consolation prize: The opportunity to get their picture taken with Rudy. The couple dismissed this as an effort to "cover their butts" -- presumably meaning that the campaign was hoping they wouldn't go to the media, or something.
A Giuliani campaign spokesperson declined to comment to the paper on the canceled event. In other words, no denial. The Rudy campaign just confirmed to me that its non-denial to the paper is real.
I just got in touch with Deb VonSprecken, who told me the story's accurate "word for word." To top this all off, she also told me that she's disabled, too -- with Fibromyalgia.
Here's what she told me:
"I told [Rudy's aide] from day one that we were poor folks, just trying to scrape by...When they [asked us to host the event], I was just ecstatic. We were honored. It was an honor and a privilege. We worked so hard...Why would Rudy Giuliani not come speak to the average Americans that live in eastern Iowa, instead of qualifying you as a millionaire before he will show up to your place?"
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that the Rudy campaign badly shafted a disabled woman and her farmer husband because they weren't millionaires and hence wouldn't be adequate political props for Rudy's "death tax" campaign.
Oh, incidentally, Deb also told me that she'd be willing to speak to the media about this, too.
So will anyone from the media contact Deb? Does anyone doubt that if John Edwards or any other Dem did this it would be covered by all the major networks and chewed over endlessly by cable chat-show hosts for days and days and days?