This is horrific. Posted in its entirety:
As we remember those fallen Americans from 11 years ago, please encourage everyone to participate in our great Democracy.
I would appreciate it if you would take a minute to go to www.jeannemarie4LG.com and give me your feedback on a survey as I begin my tour of the Commonwealth. Please provide information on any ways that the Obama Administration has hurt you or your community, so that I can better tell the story of why it is so important that Virginians replace President Obama and his Democratic Senate. Also, please email back to let me know if you would like to be invited to events in your area, or if you would like me to attend any events.
Jeannemarie Davis
(540) 491-XXXX
[email protected]
www.jeannemarie4LG.com
Translation: “Happy 9/11! While you’re remembering fallen friends and heroes, please sign up for my e-mail list and let me know when you’re available to participate in — or even host — a rubber chicken fundraiser!”
Classless, tasteless, and absolutely outrageous.
Let’s hope an apology is forthcoming.
UPDATED: No apology yet from the JMDD campaign… but the reaction from the Virginia blogosphere has been swift and severe.
Mason Conservative [1]:
Why?
If sending out a bizarre email announcing your campaign on September 11th wasn’t bad enough, we just got a robo-call from her campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Today must be the day for all the LG candidates to show us why they don’t deserve our support. What’s next, is Steve Martin going to send out another email today taking credit for the Healthcare Freedom Act?
I don’t think using 911 as an excuse to send out a mass email to appeal to voters is in good taste.
Virginia Virtucon [4]:
To add insult to injury, we are now getting multiple reports of Jeannemarie’s campaign making robocalls today asking “Do you plan to vote for Mitt Romney?” followed by questions about her candidacy for Lt. Gov. She may very well be having the worst campaign roll out in the history of politics.
…and that’s just so far.
Ouch.
UPDATE x2: …a little bird chose to record this and hand it over to Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon:
Tasteless.
UPDATE x3: NBC 12 in Richmond has picked up on the story… [5]
The call started with the question “Do you plan to vote for Mitt Romney for president?” It than it continued like a “choose your own adventure” novel.
While the phone call appeared to be looking for information from the delegate, it amounted to nothing more than informing the person being called of a long list of accomplishments from Davis’ time as a legislator and staffer for Gov. Bob McDonnell.
More to come.
UPDATE x4: …and now we’ve gone viral, folks. Huffington Post with the story [6]:
A Republican candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor, Jeannemarie Davis, is invoking the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to boost her campaign, using the grim anniversary as a peg to get people to tell her how President Barack Obama is hurting them.
“As we remember those fallen Americans from 11 years ago, please encourage everyone to participate in our great Democracy,” wrote Davis, director of the Virginia Liaison Office in Washington and wife of former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), in a campaign email that was forwarded to The Huffington Post.
She went on to suggest people could remember 9/11 and participate in democracy by helping her.
No response or explanation yet from the JJMD campaign.
UPDATE x5: More Virginia bloggers chime in”
Red NOVA [7]:
I will say this though, if you think conservatives have been harsh on her, wait until the liberal blogs decide to cover this story.
Julian Walker over at the Virginia Pilot has more to add [8]:
Davis said the timing of its release is a reminder of the need for public engagement in democracy.
“By not participating, often times we find ourselves caught off guard and these horrible events can be repeated,” she said when reached by phone.
Davis is a former state senator from Northern Virginia and the wife of former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis and one of several announced Republican candidates for lieutenant governor in 2013.
You gotta be kidding me…
UPDATE x6: The inestimable Jordan Labiosa throws in his two cents. [9]
I will never understand why this would seem like a good idea, and I can only hope that JMDD is not dumb enough to have done this on such a solemn day. She either needs to apologize immediately or fire the campaign staff responsible for this tragic shortcoming in judgment.
Not sure I’d blame the campaign staff on this one… this was a leadership decision — no question.