[Updated] Sandlin shutout and homeless?
By JR Hoeft | Friday, May 28th, 2010 | PoliticsPoor Jessica Sandlin. Early this week the Rigell campaign left her results out when reporting an internal poll they conducted; then, later in the week, she’s going to spend the night homeless.
Is running for Congress really that bad?!
With respect to the poll, Sandlin was one of the choices that the 300 respondents could have selected. Sandlin claims at least three of the people who responded said they chose her. That would mean she’s polling at least 1%. Given that everyone besides Rigell was polling at 10% or below, that’s better than nothing!
“A good polling company at least includes the names of all the candidates on the release, even if a candidate polled 0%!” exclaimed Sandlin.
But seriously, why would the Rigell campaign diss Sandlin like this?
Their new talking point is that they won’t participate in any debates with any other candidate in the race head-to-head because they want to “be fair” to all the other candidates. How is not reporting the results of one of their other opponent’s fair?
Regarding spending the night homeless, that’s actually a choice by Sandlin.
This Saturday, Sandlin will spend the night homeless in Norfolk in an effort to help highlight the plight of homeless families in our area through the “Home. Less” program as part of Art Everywhere.
“Traveling throughout the Second District over the past several months, I’ve been exposed to just about every corner of Hampton Roads. I have been struck by the numbers of people who are living on the streets, with no place to call home. And while there are several very dedicated shelters in the community, there are certainly not enough of them to cater to the present demand, especially for families- a fast-growing percentage of the homeless population,” Sandlin stated. “Unless folks in positions of leadership and influence are willing to identify with Americans who are living in the margins, the public at-large is not going to know how extensive the problem truly has become. That’s why I think it’s fair of me to ask my opponents—all of them; rich, or not so rich—will you join me in my effort to raise awareness of this issue?”
Good question.
****
I had a good email exchange with Jason Miyares, Rigell’s campaign manager, who tells me that Sandlin did poll 1% and that her being left off the Public Opinion Strategies memorandum was largely in part because Sandlin was not part of the benchmark poll the company took earlier in the race.
“This was not in any way a slight towards her, it was an oversight by POS, and was largely due to the fact that she was not in our poll in March,” wrote Miyares.
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About the author
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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29 Responses to "[Updated] Sandlin shutout and homeless?"
Ah Ha! Skewing the poll. Who hired the pollsters? And how do you skew results? Omit someone who has about 50 percent (probably better) in common with the electorate that no one else has; gender. Sandlin is a “sleeper” that can possibly upset a predicted result. Sounds like someone funded a faulty statistical snapshot in time!
What else was left out of the poll that was released?? You can never rely on those things…
Jessica, you are one class act!
JR,
we all know you are endorsing The General (res) next week and that you are a drilling reservist. So why do you feign neutrality?
Please.
V/r
Unfortunately,
for whatever reason. A real newspaper (the Washington Post) only mentions Bert, Scotty T, Ben and Scott R in reference to Tea Party Endorsement. I don’t know why but it shows who’s on the RADAR.
No offense to Ms. Sandlin who I applaud for taking the stands she has. I don’t know if it’s a @Catch 22 or just limited local influence in the Post.
That Jessica’s name was “overlooked” in the poll summary comes as no surprise to many of us. There has been a widespread policy of not-so-benign neglect by the apparatchik toward most of the candidates in this primary. It’s really a disgrace. I disagreed with Kenny Golden breaking ranks and filing as an Independent, but it goes right to the heart of the issue. Is Scott Rigell really worth alienating our electorate and dissing this GREAT slate of candidates? This is like a drunken lovefest and we will surely wake up with a bad hangover and a coyote-ugly moment if we don’t get smart.
Having had several opportunities to meet Jessica and discuss issues of importance, I join Jay D in applauding her commitment and her candidacy. Clearly, she has defied the odds and gone against the grain while running a kitchen campaign like noe other. She’s done alot with very little and is an inspiration. I can only imagine what she would have done with 10% of the money that the Rigell campaign has hemorrhaged on this primary. Her passion for the issues and the vitality of her campaign is contagious. There is no doubt in my mind that she will be carve out a permanent presence in the district’s political scene and hopefully will inspire others to get up and get involved. Well done, Jessica. You are a rising star.
Noble in every sense of the word.
My absentee ballot went in the mail yesterday (I will be on the road and miles away on election day) and Jessica got my vote.
What exactly is the role of a Congress person in dealing with people that are homeless? Is the Federal government required to provide homes for every American? I just don’t recall reading that enumerated power being granted to the Congress – or the Executive Branch – or the Courts.
If we follow Reid Greenum’s lead the government does not have the power to do anything. How does government get anything done in Reid’s world?
@LittleDavid,
In Reid’s world the Federal Government would do very little. However, state governments could do very much – if the people allowed them. Hmmmm…the concept sounds familiar for some reason…
kingsmoothie,
Reid is against just about every plan to improve transportation in our region. I do not think any of these plans came from the feds, all attempts have sprung forth due to local efforts. Yes, we may have to deal with other citizens from other parts of the state while we decide how get the improvements we need. It is not going to be easy and we will need leadership to get improvements. However the burdens our leaders face are just that much heavier with the likes of Reid saying no to everything.
Just say no to everything doesn’t cut it with me.
Little David is upset because I oppose wasteful government spending and he attacks me for THAT, instead of discussing the point I made related to the TOPIC of this discussion.
The point of the TOPIC of this discussion being – what does a member of CONGRESS have to do with a matter of homelessness in Tidewater?
Our Federal government has limited authority based on its enumerated powers in the U.S. Constitution. I can’t find any authority for the Federal Government, let alone an requirement, to provide a home for everyone.
This TOPIC isn’t about billions of Federal, state, and local tax funds being squandered on redevelopment schemes being marketed as “light rail”/transportation, it is about a candidate for CONGRESS who appears to be under the misconception that if elected she should spend her time in Congress (and perhaps spend our money too?) to “raise awareness” homelessness and of “Americans who are living in the margins”?!
What does that have to do with CONGRESS?
“Poor Jessica Sandlin”, as BD called her in this discussion, goes on to state that “Traveling throughout the Second District over the past several months, I’ve been exposed to just about every corner of Hampton Roads. I have been struck by the numbers of people who are living on the streets, with no place to call home. And while there are several very dedicated shelters in the community, there are certainly not enough of them to cater to the present demand, especially for families- a fast-growing percentage of the homeless population,”
The logical question follows; that being – okaaaay, so does this imply that if elected, Congressperson Sandlin believes that the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT needs to do something to add more capacity for shelters in Tidewater?
If the answer is “No”, then why is this a campaign issue for Congressional candidate Sandlin?
I volunteer to help the homeless in our region be supporting PIN (People In Need) ministries. I encourage others to give Dallas Stamper a call and learn about the good works God is performing thorough Mr. Stamper – and the many volunteers working to help provide homes to the homeless.
But – I will not support a candidate for CONGRESS that is under the wrong impression that CONGRESS has the authority and requirement to provide homes for the homeless. The problem is NOT any business of the U.S. Congress.
@Reid, please do not put words in my mouth. I never implied that Congress has the authority or requirement to provide homes for the homeless, nor is this a “logical” conclusion based on this post.
This was a personal choice to use my current position (Congressional candidate) to help bring awareness locally to a pervasive problem, one I thought more than worth my time and energy. If you would not support a candidate who works to bring attention to the growing issue of homeless families, that is your choice.
Have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day.
Go Jessica!
I applaud you Jessica for opposing the deeply flawed undercurrent from a betraying out of touch establishment and the king makers pompom wavers who disregard core grassroots conservatives as if they were kooks and railroad them off a cliff. Is it any wonder why Obama had bus convoys full of the poorest souls voting for him? Maybe the blind establishment loyalists are convinced that blind opposition to far left establishment democrats is too boring for them in spite of their wavering, dare I say independent, voter base?
Up until this primary got underway, our local party had quite a good run of putting up fundamentally sound candidates without too much if any glaringly obvious baggage.. Hopefully we can turn out the vote and elect articulate conservatives who are not doomed to fear liberal dominated media because inevitably our next congressman will have to “do it live” on air.. with live opposition who may bring up past deeds.. Live debates and forums must not be a weakness of our next candidate and the last minute excuses such as having to cancel, preferring to attend an urban league banquet instead, won’t cut it during prime time. Fox won’t go limp either folks.
Hopefully, complacency will not again cause compassionate conservatives to sit out the 2010 election. And Jessica, your compassion deserves positive recognition.
Jessica, thank you for joining the discussion. Your comments here however leave me with the need to ask you the following question:
Ms. Sandlin, if you are elected to CONGRESS do you intend to use your position as a member of CONGRESS to continue to champion the cause of increasing funding for homeless shelters for our region, and if so, what sources of funding would you advocate?
I believe this is a fair question to ask you, given what this topic is discussing about your campaign for CONGRESS.
And since you brought it up, you chastised me for putting words in your mouth and then you wrote:
“If you would not support a candidate who works to bring attention to the growing issue of homeless families, that is your choice.”
Please don’t attempt to put words in my mouth either.
I never stated that I would not support a candidate who “works to bring bring attention to the growing issue of homeless families.”
What I did do (and we can all read it right here), is point out that doing so does not appear to me to be the job of CONGRESS.
If a candidate FOR CONGRESS states that they will work using the powers of their office in CONGRESS to deal with a matter that is not within the scope of the authority of CONGRESS, then I cannot support such a candidate.
Our nation is suffering from a massive Federal tax burden due to far too much of our tax dollars being funded by CONGRESS for funding social programs that are outside Congress’s responsibility.
Like I said, my family and I contribute to help PIN ministries (and other efforts through our church) to try to provide homes and support for the homeless. If I did not feel helping provide homes to the homeless was a worthy thing to do, I would volunteer my time and money to support such work.
What I understand is that CONGRESS has lost its way and is far too involved in matters that are outside the scope of the authority that CONGRESS has been empowered to accept as its responsibilities.
As best I can tell, there is no authority or requirement for CONGRESS to provide homes for all Americans. I am pleased to learn that you “never implied that Congress has the authority or requirement to provide homes for the homeless…”.
But I disagree with your assertion that drawing such a conclusion is not logical.
Of course it is was a logic conclusion.
Since you brought it up, what is your plan for increasing funding for shelters in our region?
You were quoted as having said, “…while there are several very dedicated shelters in the community, there are certainly not enough of them to cater to the present demand, especially for families- a fast-growing percentage of the homeless population,”
Any reasonable person would draw the conclusion that you feel we need greater capacity for our shelters, based on this comment. Is that what you believe, or not?
The issues that concern Jessica, such as homelessness, are issues that should be dealt with on a state and local level. She would be an excellent advocate for the people at this level. The fact that she is running for federal office underscores the real problem. Power that should be left to the states has been usurped by the federal government. We need candidates with a national and world view in Congress, conservative leaders like Ed Maulbeck.
Independent,
Did you not read Jessica’s response before putting up that drivel?
“@Reid, please do not put words in my mouth. I never implied that Congress has the authority or requirement to provide homes for the homeless, nor is this a “logical” conclusion based on this post.”
Kudos to her for using a high-profile position to bring attention to an issue that’s dear to her.
It’s not always about politics.
And our candidates have to focused first and foremost on their districts, not national and world views. I know Ed feels that way, not sure why you’d advocate on his behalf differently.
Daniel,
Jessica is running for CONGRESS – so why is she making local homelessness an issue in her campaign?
Reid, Nye is making local homelessness an issue in his campaign.. mark my words. It’s all about turning out voters bud.
Thanks James, but it still is not a responsibility for CONGRESS.
You are correct Ried, it’s not a responsibility for Congress..
Um.. You workin for Nye? They will be bussing homeless to the polls guaranteed to vote for Nye.
Me? I am supporting and voting for Ben Loyola.
Go, Mom! =D
Jessica Sandlin is an amazing woman with wonderful ideas who will do an excellent job in our nation’s House of Representatives. She’s something new, something different, a welcomed change.
To clarify the “Home.Less” issue, she was, as others before have commented, simply using her new-found publicity to bring attention to an issue which is important to her. She would have dont this anyway, even if she had not been running, but the publicity of her current position is helpful, so why not use it?? It was a eye-opening experience (I went with her) that she plans on doing again in the future, as do I.
Jess will be a unique addition to Congress WHEN she is elected!
Reid, I know you know from your own experience with PIN that homelessness is a complex problem. In a perfect world, it’s not a federal problem, but right now Congress does dole out the funds for some support. This isn’t the best- I support doing as much as we can at the state and local level.
Family and friends should be the first line of support for homeless (along with churches), then private social programs and charities, lastly local and state government.
It’s not something I’m running on, but it’s something I care about.
I regularly donate goods to judeo christian outreach which assists homeless people. It never ceases to amaze me that many homeless people are retired military. I used to volunteer with the rescue squad and occasionally we would pick some homeless person up they would have mil creds, typically vietnam era, on their person. These people were forgotten and most of you would shoo them away if they approached you. It is a crime to disregard homelessness, some of them are there due to mental illness after returning from traumatic conditions they could not reckon with.. it happens. Our next congressman should not forget those homeless veterans.
Thanks Jessica and Rebecca, okay – I appreciate your taking the time to clarify this for me (us that read BD as well).
Yes, homeless is a huge problem – and one that but for the Grace of God do we all go. I was once homeless. It was very hard to overcome. The deck is staked against you.
I appreciate your efforts to encourage others to get involved. I also appreciate your willingness to run for Congress. I have learned what a horrible process our political process has become, and it takes a great deal of guts and stamina. It is good to have you in the race and offer true alternatives for voters. I wish you the best and I hope that you and your family are not too badly beaten up by the process. Thank you for have the courage to put yourself out there.
Rebecca, you are right to be proud of your mom!
Reid, I didn’t notice the comment before mine was my daughter- funny (thank you, baby- it was great being in a window with you overnight)!
My heart skipped a beat to read of your personal experience with homelessness. Today is the third anniversary of my uncle’s death- he was a Vietnam vet and died homeless, despite every attempt at intervention on his family’s behalf. I thank God that we now know more about PTSD and are more helpful to those coming home.
If our paths cross in the real world, please introduce yourself, Reid. (You, too, Little David and Jay D!) Wally, LE, Turbo- great affection for you men over the last few months. D.J., you continue to surprise me!
No matter Tuesday’s outcome, I’m here to stay.
Jessica, you have provided a unique perspective to this campaign which has been dominated by some bravado and a lively back and forth between candidates and their supporters who measure worthiness by the amount of money they have contributed, military accomplishments, times they have volunteered for another campaign, whether they were the very first to spout off a good idea, previous experience within the DC Beltway, or whether they are the “Real Conservative”.
Your campaign has demonstrated that the GOP really has a big tent and there is room for all people who have, and can stick to their fundamental beliefs and core values which are compatible with the Party. You are an example of the “citizen legislator” as discussed by James Madison as one who should be elected as a Representative of the people.
Good luck on Tuesday and I wouldn’t be surprised if you took the prize because you would be the best candidate likely to get the most crossover votes, and you would absolutely give the Democrats fits in trying to posture Glenn Nye against you in the Fall campaign.
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