In a report broadcast by KEYC-TV, Republican candidate Brian Davis slammed the "A+" the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of American (IAVA) assigned to Congressman Walz on the group's Congressional Report Card. Davis attacked the group as partisan and tied to Democrats.
Here's the transcript of the part of the KEYC-TV clip where Davis makes his claim:
Davis countered saying . . .that Walz received the A plus rating from a partisan organization.Dr. Brian Davis says, "They gave Senator Harry Reid an A rating. Senator Reid is the same Senator who on the floor of the U.S. Senate, stated that the Iraq War is lost. This organization really has strong Democratic ties. . . ."
We emailed IAVA with questions about the group's involvement in partisan politics. Chrissy Stevens, a spokester for the group, replied [emphasis added):
In the last few years IAVA has become a non-partisan, non-profit force for new veterans in Washington and around the country. On Capitol Hill, we have pushed relentlessly to achieve bipartisan progress on the issues facing our troops, and to ensure today’s veterans get the support they have earned.
I’m proud to say that with very limited resources, we have achieved great results. IAVA was instrumental in the passage of the new GI Bill that makes college affordable for every veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and we were strong supporters of new funding for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which received its largest budget increase in 77 years. Above all, our report card shows the tremendous progress we’ve seen on Capitol Hill. The Report Card also serves as a crucial tool for holding those in Congress accountable when they fail to vote in support of our troops and veterans.
It is important to emphasize that both IAVA and IAVA Action, IAVA’s 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that releases the Congressional Report Card, are strictly nonpartisan. We do not engage in political giving or endorse candidates. The organization is about improving the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. Day in and day out, we are all over America, and on Capitol Hill, working hard to make positive change and fulfill this mission.
There's local evidence to support that claim. In an earlier post, The Zombie Jamboree: Davis campaign to haunt GOP tour, we noted that the IAVA had bestowed an "A" on Senator Coleman:
On his official senate site, Coleman said of the group:
". . .I appreciate IAVA’s recognition and I look forward to working with them in the future as I continue to fight for our nation’s veterans.”
It's pretty clear IAVA is nonpartisan. But we're also think it's worth taking another look in passing at what Davis said about the IAVA's "A" grade for Reid. At its core, the Davis comment implies that only those who strongly support the war can be considered friends of veterans. We think that many Southern Minnesotans would challenge that kind of thinking. The IAVA's agenda for veterans issues is clear, while Davis is muddying the waters.
Davis's crack about the IAVA is cut from the same cloth as his recent ad, dissected in a Winona Daily News article:
Davis’ new television ad, which slams Walz for his tax record, drew the most attention on Friday. Vote Smart, a nonpartisan voter-information group that’s cited in the ad, chided Davis for violating its ban on the use of its survey responses in partisan advertising. And the Walz campaign accused Davis of issuing “the biggest whopper of the campaign” in the new ad, which says Walz co-authored a bill to increase taxes on oil companies by $1 trillion.
That bill, a bipartisan energy proposal that Congress hasn’t approved, would have opened up new offshore areas to oil drilling. To access new offshore drilling land under that proposal, oil companies would have paid the same royalties they pay to drill on other sites — with the revenues going to alternative-fuel research and development.
Davis objects to the new drilling royalties being dedicated to alternative-fuel development; he said at least some of the funds should go to the Treasury’s general fund, as they do now.
Walz spokesman Chris Schmitter noted most cosponsors of the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act were Republicans, including Minnesota Reps. John Kline and Michelle Bachmann.
“Does Dr. Davis honestly think that 178 Republicans in the House voted for ‘a trillion-dollar tax hike?’” Schmitter said.
How toxic is the Davis campaign these days? Our earlier post noted that Davis had bragged to a local television station about how he'd be campaigning with Coleman and Giuliani yesterday.
However, as we look at print and electronic media coverage of the Coleman campaign swing at the Post Bulletin (includes video), KTTC-TV, KEYC-TV, the Mankato Free Press, the Owatonna People's Press, and the New Ulm Journal, we noticed that the rallies only featured Coleman signage, and Dr. Davis himself was nowhere in sight. There may be what appears to be a Davis sticker on one man in a brief group shot at the Happy Chef in Mankato, though we're not certain. Go check out all the links and see what you see.
From the looks of things--repeatedly--we're guessing that the Coleman event handlers weren't keen on helping Davis grab any share of the earned media. The candidate we support, Al Franken, did score a number of rebuttal points in most of the coverage, along with the DFL.
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