Dropping the Dukulur Bomb


Last night I saw for the first time the Paul Sawyer ad about Woody Jenkins and his business dealing with one David Duke:

GOP congressional candidate Paul Sawyer on Thursday said he would ignore the state Republican Party’s demand to pull a controversial advertisement from the airwaves.

Sawyer said he is sticking by his claim that a fellow Republican candidate for the 6th U.S. Congressional District gave money to a former Ku Klux Klan leader.

"I am merely stating the facts," Sawyer said.

But Republican candidate Woody Jenkins, the target of the ads, said Sawyer doesn’t have his facts straight.

Jenkins said he was fined $3,000 for not properly disclosing a 1996 purchase of an automated call machine, linked to former Klan leader David Duke.

Sawyer argues in radio and television commercials that Jenkins improperly tried to hide the money he paid to Duke.

Sawyer and Jenkins, both of Baton Rouge, and two other Republican candidates are about a week away from the party’s March 8 primary election for the congressional seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, in February.

Sawyer, Baker’s former chief of staff, released his ads Wednesday. Jenkins aired rebuttal ads Thursday.

Jenkins, a former state representative, said he used the machine, operated by a company called Impact Mail Ltd., during his 1996 U.S. Senate race.

When he found out that Duke once owned the machines, Jenkins said he tried to stop payment to the company. But Jenkins’ campaign manager had already signed an $82,500 contract, he said.

Jenkins then claimes that he did NOT have business relations with that man, Mr. Duke:

"I’ve never been an associate of Duke’s. I was an opponent for Duke," Jenkins said. "He didn’t support me. I didn’t want his support."

To be honest, I don't know anything about Sawyer, but I'm familiar enough with Wingnut Woody (and his partner in 'nuttery, Bob Courtney of Courtney Communications--husband of Beth Courtney of LPB, by the way)...neither do I know much about Laurinda Calongne, although her tv spot is pretty much what you'd expect.

Geez, what a past few days--I actually found myself agreeing with Bill Donohue re: the Hagee-McCain endorsement, now I find myself paraphrasing Henry Kissinger when I say it's too bad they ALL can't lose in the upcoming Rethug primary.

On the positive side, I could easily support at least two Democratic candidates, although my inner pessimist thinks the district will remain GOP.