This Mark Jacobs fund raising e-mail came to us today. It is also available here. The Jacobs campaign letter neglects to provide a link to the Washington Times article it depends on for its authority. That might seem at first blush a little strange since The Washington Times does not have an axe to grind against conservatives, and if the article was a grand defense of Jacobs, one would think they would link to it and quote it extensively.
Reading the article as regards Jacobs one discovers that Democrats are fishing where they think the lunkers are. It is a fairly lengthy article but it is by no means a defense of Jacobs. Read the excerpts from the WT article we have supplied after reading the Jacobs “save us from the dirt diggers” plea for funds . . . and consider the implications:
(Addressee)
Democrats and their allies will do anything they can to try to stop Mark Jacobs. That’s because they know he can beat their beloved Bruce Braley in November.
We’ve all heard about the IRS targeting conservative groups, and now it looks like the EPA may be playing political favorites as well. And, it appears that Mark may be squarely in their cross hairs.
The Washington Times is reporting that the EPA is arming Democrats with information for mid-term elections through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests – but ‘snubbing’ Republicans.
The Times reports that while 28 requests from Democrats have been completed, none of the mere four requests from Republican groups have been filled – including one “that has languished for more than two years.”
Send a message with your checkbook that we won’t stand for the continued abuse of powers at the expense of conservatives. Your contribution of $5, $15 or $35 will allow Mark to fight back.
We just discovered Harry Reid’s “dirt diggers” requested and received a “full grant” of 58 documents, containing hundreds of pages, on Mark’s time in the private sector. They also requested “any correspondence” from Mark starting in 1989. That’s almost 25 years of materials!
The DC liberal special interests know that Mark can beat Bruce Braley in November and they are willing to do whatever it takes.
We need your help. Let’s send a message to the Administration, Harry Reid and Bruce Braley that even though they want to stack the deck against Mark, we won’t back down.
Please click here and consider the most generous contribution of $5, $15 or $35 you can make immediately.Sincerely,
Brian Dumas
Campaign ManagerP.S. – Mark is running to END this kind of DC cronyism, that lets bureaucrats play political games on your dime. . . .
Now read these relevant excerpts from the Washington Times article that the Jacobs’ campaign maybe isn’t so interested in driving home. Why they choose to raise the Specter specter of dirt digging, seems strange and just provides fertile grounds for speculation. From what is already on the record about Jacobs and his support for cap and trade, maybe they are trying to admit that some juicy additional comments might be found . . . so send money quick before you won’t want to? Bold typeface is our emphasis.
Democrats have filed more than 50 FOIA requests, including lots seeking correspondence between Republicans and EPA officials — letters that operatives will scour for any hint that politicians’ rhetoric doesn’t square with how they conduct themselves outside of public view. Their findings help supply a steady flow of material for damaging news stories and campaign ads.
In recent weeks, Democratic researchers have obtained hundreds of pages of EPA documents on GenOn Energy, which is where Senate candidate Mark Jacobs, Iowa Republican, worked as president and chief financial officer . . .
The lack of EPA records on the Republican side doesn’t mean Republicans are less aggressive than Democrats. Campaigns sometimes file requests through intermediaries — “regular citizens” — so as not to attract undue attention inside agencies, said Jeffrey Berkowitz, a research consultant who advises campaigns on open-records requests.
Mr. Berkowitz said clients sometimes don’t want anyone to know what documents they are trying to track down, so they use intermediaries with no outward political affiliation to file requests.
Seriously Mr. Jacobs, ‘ DC liberals . . . willing to do whatever it takes.’ like getting some FOI documents about you and the EPA? Decrying a request for correspondence with a public agency about public matters during “Mark’s time in the private sector” . . . as if the communications were private and irrelevant? The document request to the EPA (their performance bias notwithstanding) is not a burden on Mark Jacobs per se, . . . only the possibility of what they reveal. R Mall
