Democrat Cancer Mailing Offends NJ GOP
By Wyatt Earp | October 29, 2010
(ABOVE THE POST UPDATE: The team of Simmons/Zimmerman lost their race against to Wallace/Nestore. One has to wonder if this story contributed to that.)
And rightfully so.
Remember that article yesterday when I said that people will do anything to get elected? Well, the hits keep on coming.
The gentleman on the left is Larry Wallace, a Republican running for Freeholder in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Mr. Wallace lost his 9-year old son and his mother to cancer, and his running mate – Vince Nestore – lost his fiancee to the terrible disease. So naturally the pair would be outraged by this despicable ad:
A cancer-stricken woman with no hair appears on the cover of the latest political advertisement mailed to homes in Gloucester County.
“Every 69 seconds a woman dies of breast cancer,” states the ad, which arrived at homes the last few days. Then comes the zinger: “So why would Larry Wallace and Vince Nestore’s Republican cronies in Trenton cut lifesaving cancer screening programs?”
Wallace calls the ad “despicable.” Does anyone want to disagree?
In the campaign for two seats on the Gloucester County freeholder board, Wallace said that his opponents, Heather Simmons and Robert Zimmerman, are saying that he and Nestore don’t “care about cancer and people who get affected by cancer.”
Besides, freeholders have no control over state funding issues.
But hey, why should facts get in the way of a good attack ad? Riddle me this: How can Wallace and Nestore have “Republican cronies in Trenton” if neither of them have ever held public office?
“In my humble opinion, this is an issue that’s very personal and the type of garbage people don’t want to hear about in a campaign,” said Wallace, 48, of Woolwich, owner of a dental management practice. “To imply we are somehow cold or uncaring to people who have cancer, knowing I had a 9-year-old son I had to bury, is crossing the line.”
Regular readers here know where I stand on the cancer issue. I underwent surgery to remove basal cell cancer from my forehead in November, and lost a good friend to lung cancer in January. Every time I look at this blog, I think about the disease that destroyed so many lives.
Nestore, 48, a physical education teacher from Deptford, was equally upset.
“You shouldn’t make someone’s sickness a political issue,” he said, noting that his 19-year-old fiancee died of leukemia soon after they graduated from high school. “It’s still very, very painful to this day.”
There it is. In my opinion, using cancer as a political tool is a disgusting move.
Simmons, a public relations consultant from Glassboro, and Zimmerman, a police captain from Mantua, did not return calls for comment on the mailer.
Of course they didn’t. What could they possibly say to justify such a distasteful attack?
If you follow the blog at all, the name Heather Simmons may be a familiar one. She is one of my oldest friends, and the first person I met at Saint Joseph’s university. I actually endorsed her candidacy in March. I wanted full disclosure for two reasons. First, if I think someone is wrong, I am going to call them on it, whether is be jackass celebrities, rogue cops, or close friends. Second, I wanted to express my complete and utter disgust at Simmons and Zimmerman’s flier. I would not be able to live with myself if I sat by said nothing about this story, and I cannot in good conscience endorse the Simmons/Zimmerman ticket any longer.
If that costs me a friend, so be it.
Topics: Cancer, Politics | 8 Comments »
October 29th, 2010 at 7:50 am
Thanks for doing the right thing. God Bless you.
I was reading an article the other day about how in some cses todays political climate, tone and rhetoric is tearing up families leading to divorces etc. even domestic violence. Tis sad. Simmons and Zimmerman have joined the democratic
…minions…in the true sense of that word.
October 29th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Mudslinging has been going on in this country as far back as The Coffin Handbills. It doesn’t make it right, and there is no excuse for Simmons and Zimmerman’s actions. What the hell were they thinking?
As a voter, I want to know how candidates differ on issues, and the differences presented in a civilized manner. I don’t want to be hit over the head by TV ads and mailers that portray the competition as purposefully deceptive or crooked. Enough already.
October 29th, 2010 at 9:20 am
As Dumbledore said in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.” My hat is off to you, Wyatt, for having the stones to call BS on a fiend when she’s wrong. You and I are in complete agreement on that ad, despicable and inexcusable.
October 29th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
What a low life.My youngest sister is a breast cancer survivor.This outrages me beyond words.
October 29th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Jon – It’s not just despicable, it is factually incorrect. They have no “cronies” if they never held office before.
Mrs. Crankipants – The only ones looking deceptive are Simmons and Zimmerman.
John D – Thanks. And again, it is also factually incorrect. You cannot assume what someone’s policies may be if they never held political office before. Similarly, freeholders have no control over state funding. Someone running for freeholder should probably know that.
Rick – To imply that Wallace and Nestore don’t care about cancer issues is ignorant. But hey, whatever works to win an election, right?
October 29th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
I’d say what a moron, but what’s the point. Who was it that said “You can’t fix stupid?”
October 29th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Kim – Whomever it was, he was absolutely correct.
October 30th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
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