The dumbing down of the GOP

Report: McCain Volunteer Who Claimed "Carved B" Attack Confesses To Making Up Story
By Greg Sargent - October 24, 2008, 1:32PM
Wow. By now you've all heard about Ashley Todd, the 20-year-old McCain volunteer who claimed that she was assaulted in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night by an attacker who scratched a "B" in her cheek after learning that she was for McCain.

The story was flacked madly last night by Drudge, even though few if any details had been established or independently confirmed.

Well, take a look at this banner headline, from Pittsburgh's KDKA:

A Pittsburgh police commander says a volunteer for the McCain campaign who reported being robbed and attacked near a bank ATM in Bloomfield has confessed to making up the story. Police say charges will be filed. More details to follow.
More soon.

Late Update: KDKA's full story has now been posted. It's based on anonymous sources. So it's still unclear what the story is. Stay tuned.

Late Late Update: It's worth keeping in mind what Fox News executive vice president John Moody had to say about what this would mean if this story proved a hoax:

"If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting."
Worth keeping an eye on Fox's coverage of the latest turn in the story.

Late Late Late Update: Police are set to hold a press conference to discuss the news, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Latest Update: There are now conflicting reports on whether Todd confessed or police simply concluded the mugging story was a hoax.

Later Than Latest Update: Some extraordinary new details about her confession from the AP:

Ashley Todd, 20-year-old college student from College Station, Texas, admitted Friday that the story was false and was being charged with making a false report to police, said Maurita Bryant, the assistant chief of the police department's investigations division. Police doubted her story from the start, Bryant said.
Todd, who is white, told police she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man Wednesday night.

She now can't explain why she invented the story, Bryant said. Todd also told police she believes she cut the backward "B" onto her own cheek, but did not provide an explanation of how or why, Bryant said.

It's getting ugly out there

A McCain staffer was assaulted last night in Pittsburgh.

Via Drudge:

Pittsburgh Police are investigating a report by a campaign staffer for John McCain that she was mugged and the letter B was cut into her face following a robbery in Bloomfield last night.

Police say the 20-year-old woman, who is from Texas, reported that the attack occurred after she withdrew money from an ATM at Liberty Avenue and Pearl Street.

She said a man armed with a knife demanded her money. She gave it to him and began walking toward her car, which has McCain stickers.

Although the robber had moved away from her, he became agitated when he saw her car, punched her in the back of the head, pushed her to the ground and carved a B into her face, she reported.

Police said the woman declined medical treatment at the scene.
UPDATE: A McCain aide says that both the McCain and Palin have called the family of the victim.

By Jonathan Martin 05:00 PM

'Joe the Plumber' Mulling Run for Congress
@ 1:29 pm by Hill Staff
Joe Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. "Joe the Plumber," said Friday he may consider running for Congress in 2010, challenging longtime Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) in the Toledo-area district.

"I'll tell you what, we'd definitely be in one heck of a fight," Wurzelbacher said during an appearance on the Laura Ingraham show Friday, "but, you know, I'd be up for it."

"There is a movement afoot to draft you to run for Congress," Ingraham said. "Joe, let me tell you something: you decide to run for Congress, and I'll help you with your PR, I'll help you do your ads, I mean, I'll volunteer to help you."

A John McCain campaign volunteer made up a story of being robbed, pinned to the ground and having the letter "B" scratched on her face in a politically inspired attack, police said Friday.

Ashley Todd, 20-year-old college student from College Station, Texas, admitted Friday that the story was false, police said.

Maurita Bryant, the assistant chief of the police department's investigations division, said Todd is being charged with making a false police report.

Police doubted her story from the start, Bryant said.

"She just opened up and said she wanted to tell the truth," Bryant said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "She was upset with the media for blowing this into a political firestorm."

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. The stupid.

Quote:

You may have seen that the head of a New Mexico GOP women’s group sent a letter to a local newspaper this week calling Obama a “Muslim socialist” and saying that “Muslims are our enemies.” When the letter generated an outcry among Democrats and Muslims, the letter's author, Marcia Stirman, told the AP: “I don't trust them at all. They've sworn across the world that they are our enemies. Why we're trying to elect one is beside me."

As a member of the Republican Women of Otero County I want to thank Marsha Stirman for speaking for me.

Liberals can say whatever they please and a conservative speaks her mind and all hell breaks loose. What a double standard! How any sane person can vote for Obama is baffling. He refuses to wear a flag pin and salute the flag.

That should be enough for any American to vote for McCain/Palin. Americans have already forgotten 9/11 and it is heatbreaking. I was a flight attendant on 9/11 and will never FORGET!

Lisa Taisey, High Rolls

Harkin opponent calls him 'Tokyo Rose'

October 24, 2008
Politico

Michele Bachmann may have called Barack Obama anti-American, but her comments don't come close to the rhetoric of Republican Christopher Reed, running against Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Reed called Harkin a traitor to his face at a televised debate today.

From the Des Moines Register:

Quote:

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Christopher Reed today accused Sen. Tom Harkin of "giving aid and comfort to the enemy," likening the four-term incumbent Democrat to Tokyo Rose.

"We're taking advice from somebody who has an eight-year history of becoming the Tokyo Rose of al Qaida and Middle East terrorism," Reed said today during the taping of a televised forum with Harkin.

"The white flag of surrender, accusing our Marines of torture, voting to defund our troops while they are in harm's way, those are all records of having an anti-American policy," Reed added during the program.