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Showing posts with label Jenna Haggar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jenna Haggar. Show all posts

Friday, November 5, 2010

Haggar Anti-Abortion Ally Lies with Last-Minute Negative Flyer

Congresswoman-Elect Kristi Noem wasn't the only South Dakota Republican lying her way to victory with deceptive mailings. District 15 Representative-Elect Jenna Haggar, a Republican masquerading as an Independent, enjoyed a bump Tuesday from a last-minute lie from her friends in the Unruh-abstinence camp.

As documented by Mr. Powers on Monday, the "District 15 PAC" sent out a flyer "endorsing" incumbent Democratic Representative Martha Vanderlinde. I've been tuning out Mr. Powers's propaganda too often lately. Had I paid attention, I'd have noticed the following statements on this flyer:
  1. "We are proud that Martha is among the most liberal-left politicians in Pierre."
  2. "Celebrated the passage of Obamacare"
  3. "Proudly assisted a 3rd-trimester abortion"
  4. "Supports gay marriage and endorsed by gay/lesbian/transgendered lobbists" [sic]
I also would have noticed the statement of organization for the District 15 PAC, filed four days before the election. PAC chair Christina Espenscheid declared the purpose of the PAC to be "Support Distric [sic] 15 candidates."

Christina Espenscheid, 2004Christina Espenscheid (left), pictured at International Leadership Conference, Nashville 2004
Espenscheid, Espenscheid... where have I heard that name before?

Two new studies released Tuesday provided evidence that abstinence for youth is “healthy and effective.” The reports for both of these studies were released at the Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to Christina Espenscheid, the education program director of the Abstinence Clearinghouse [press release, 2005.06.17].

Ah, Christina Dena Espenscheid, veteran of Leslee Unruh's Abstinence Clearinghouse, an organization well-accustomed to denying reality. Espenscheid, event and volunteer coordinator for the failed abortion ban campaign in 2006. Espenscheid, paid lobbyist in Pierre for the Abstinence Clearinghouse in 2006, the year before Jenna Haggar did the same job for SD Right to Life. Espenscheid, who went on to coordinate for another failed ballot measure in 2008, Initiated Measure 10, on behalf of the shady "South Dakotans for Clean and Open Government." (Dang, Pat: I wish your server hadn't deleted all your great posts on why Espenscheid's IM 10 was bogus.)

I guess it's nice that political operative Espenscheid could finally coordinate a campaign that succeeded. It's too bad that, to help her colleague in abstinence-crusading Jenna Haggar win, Espenscheid stooped to deceit, pretending to be an organization supporting Vanderlinde and mailing out this lie on the eve of the election.

I've been told by a mostly reasonable Christian neighbor that Muslim fundamentalists are authorized by the Qu'ran itself to lie to advance their religious and political beliefs. Espenscheid appears to demonstrate that taqiyya works for South Dakota Christians as well.


Bogus attack flyer distributed by Christina Espenscheid and "District 15 PAC"
on behalf of the Haggar for House campaign.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Jenna Haggar: Why the Secrecy? Admit You're Republican

Funny that DWC is trying to manufacture a kerfuffle over a candidate's "secrecy" about past jobs and political affiliation. An eager reader expresses analogous concerns about truth in advertising on Jenna Haggar's website. Haggar is the "Independent" running for District 15 State House and a darling of the big Republican blog. But on a number of points, Haggar seems to be operating independently from the complete truth about her political affiliation.

Haggar says she served in the Legislature in 2007 "as an advocate for the rights of unborn babies and end of life issues." Now "served in the Legislature" is usually reserved to describe folks who've been elected to that august institution. I suppose we might generously extend the term to pages, which Haggar appears to have done in 2004. But in 2007, Haggar was not a public servant. She was a registered private lobbyist for Right to Life SD. Not that there's anything wrong with being a lobbyist... but "served in the Legislature" seems an overly flattering description. The plain fact is that Haggar lobbied for a private and mostly Republican organization.

And that chiropractic clinic you work for... well, the connection is just too tempting not to ask: it wouldn't happen to be Dr. Allen Unruh's operation, would it? There is a really pretty brunette pictured on Dr. Unruh's site... oops! not quite Jenna.

Haggar says she also worked on a 2008 Senate campaign. Really? For which Independent Senate candidate was she working, Bernie Sanders? Ha. Haggar stumped for Republican Joel Dykstra, a candidate Haggar perhaps realizes she shouldn't mention among a Sioux Falls electorate somewhat less right-wing than herself.

And if Haggar is a true independent, why was she drumming up support at the Republican convention in Huron and not the Democratic convention in her current home city of Sioux Falls?

Let's be honest. I will make clear to everyone in my district that Clark Schmidtke is listed on the ballot as an Independent but is truly a Democrat. I will harp on Scott Heidepriem and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin for emphasizing their use of Independent at the expense of not emphasizing Democrat and not leading the charge in making the case for our party's alignment with South Dakota values. I would ask Jenna Haggar to do the same: stand by your party affiliation. Tell the good people of District 15 you really are a Republican.