FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2007
Phillips campaign falsely attributes statement to Equality Loudoun
Equality Loudoun today issued a statement concerning a campaign piece produced by the Patricia Phillips for Senate campaign.
The mailer, also disseminated during the Republican primary on May 19, included the claim that Phillip’s opponent John Andrews was “praised by Equality Virginia” for his role in crafting the controversial policy on student theatrical presentations adopted by the Loudoun County School Board in 2005. The Phillips campaign has continued to make this false statement, claiming that a post on the Equality Loudoun blog praised Andrews “for finely crafting a policy on school play presentations.”
This quote is taken from a Loudoun Times-Mirror editorial, entitled “Good and Ugly” and dated June 22, 2005. The editorial is classified under “Editorials and Letters to the Editor” in an archive of the history of the play policy controversy maintained by Equality Loudoun.
The entire archive can be accessed at http://archive.equalityloudoun.org/advocacy/public-school-drama-policy/
The policy adopted by the School Board in July 2005 was opposed by Equality Loudoun. President David Weintraub warned the board of the possibility of a costly lawsuit should the policy be implemented in a way that unlawfully prohibits the expression of controversial viewpoints.
Patricia Phillips, at the time representing the Virginia chapter of Concerned Women for America, praised the policy, telling the Washington Post “I was very pleased with how it turned out,” and stating that the policy addressed her main concern, which was for “the normalization of homosexuality to be prevented.”
“For the Phillips campaign to falsely attribute this position to Equality Loudoun indicates a willingness to violate the most basic ethical standards,” Weintraub said of the campaign mailer. “We are disappointed that any candidate would still use our community as a political punching bag in this way, and even more disappointed that it would be done in such a blatantly dishonest manner.”
Weintraub added that Equality Loudoun is an independent, nonpartisan community organization not affiliated with Equality Virginia, and does not endorse or oppose candidates for public office.
Update: Others blogging and reporting
Washington Post
Leesburg Today
Too Conservative
Bearing Drift
NoVA Townhall
Novamiddleman
Not Larry Sabato
Mason Conservative
Living in LoCo
I agree. This mailing was a breach of “the most basic ethical standards”. Patricia Phillips must not think that she’s done anything wrong. Repentance is in order.
The comments by Phillips supporters on political blogs are downright hilarious. In what way has the LCPS drama production policy – the policy that kept Normal from being advertised in the schools – “ignored community standards, [and] limited parental control”? See end of supporter’s comment below.
Yes, Laurel, please do check the facts. They are the gift that keeps on giving.
I suppose you could say that the policy ignores community standards since it resulted in the highly acclaimed play “Normal” not being promoted through the public schools. But I don’t think that’s what she meant.
Note this comment on Too Conservative:
Ethics, like sexual orientation, is not a partisan issue.
Phillips still has an article up entitled “Equality Loudoun article in praise of Andrews” with a link to this site. She really must think she did nothing wrong.
Reporters are telling me that they immediately noticed it was a post of an old Loudoun Times-Mirror editorial, and thought it was odd.
Yep, they’re actually trying to spin this, and it took them more than a day to come up with something.
Phillips spokesperson (?) Laurel Muller has been dispatched for damage control, claiming that there was no lie, not even exaggeration, because the editorial was on our website, was not posted in our Hall of Shame section, and was not unfavorably commented on.
Nice try, Laurel, but no. The LTM editorial in question was the editor’s response to the ugly hate speech contained in letters to the editor that are posted in our Hall of Shame, in particular this one, as well as in speeches before the School Board. What the editor may have thought about the proposed policy or of Mr. Andrews really wasn’t the point.
The central fact of this dirty trick that can’t be spun away is this: The Phillips campaign reversed the positions of Equality Loudoun and Patricia Phillips in order to create a false distinction and smear her opponent. Fact: Patricia Phillips said that she was very pleased with the policy. Fact: Equality Loudoun opposed the policy and warned the School Board that they were headed for a lawsuit (an action that, as I recall, rather angered Mr. Andrews).
There is just no way of interpreting what the Phillips campaign did here as anything other than a flat out lie. Laurel, Patricia, whoever else came up with this brilliant plan: Grown-ups admit when they’re wrong. I suggest you suck it up and do just that.
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Least anyone forget, Mrs. Phillips is aligned with Dick Black and wants the country run from biblical standards, not constitutional ones.
Additionally, if you do your research of all the newspaper articles in which Pat has provided comments in, the lack of consistency is blindingly apparent. This lack of consistency may be related to seemingly insignificant items such as voter turnout (http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=18374073&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=564235&rfi=6), but just imagine if she were elected and the lack of consistency really matters. This kind of character deterioration then leads to campaign mailings with inaccurate and distorted facts.
What lack of consistency and due diligence will we see next from Mrs. Phillips in her campaign against Mr. Herring? I will not be surprised if it is justified with inerrant righteousness.