Of cigarettes and prayers and surveys
Israel, sometime between 1930-35 | Wikimedia Commons
Your daily Letter to the Columnist — Feb. 6, 2007
Dan,
The day I received Morgan Griffith’s survey, I was totally shocked by the questions. (This was prior to your cogent article about same.) I immediately emailed Congressman Griffith to express my concerns and to tell him my views on the complex issues that he simplistically addressed with loaded questions.
It reminded me of an example given in a graduate research class I took about developing surveys. How a question is worded can totally direct the outcome. The example given in class follows:
1. Is it okay to smoke while praying? (Most people respond with a resounding “NO!”)
2. Is it okay to pray while smoking? (Most respondents quickly agree.)
Morgan Griffith is a total embarrassment to us all. He is Grover’s boy and coal’s lapdog. Instead of showing leadership or any conscience, Griffith cares naught for his constituents and is only in it to further his ambitions.
We have real problems in this country that need good solutions, but we can’t count on Griffith to develop any or to even vote for ones with great promise. Frankly, he is what is wrong with the House of Representatives. Worse, because of blind allegiance by uninformed crackpots, he probably will be reelected.
I realize this is harsh and I do not want to become the target of nut jobs, particularly those with guns. So, if you choose to quote from this email, please do not use my name.
(name withheld)
BLACKSBURG
PS And isn’t it sad to live in a country where one has to fear nut jobs?
February 6, 2013 - 1:30 PM
Dan
This lady is a liberal so she understandably doesn’t like Morgan. But do you go along with her assessment that Morgan’s 60% landslide is due to “blind allegience of uninformed crackpots.”
I think we’ve established that liberals don’t like conservatives and conservatives don’t like liberals. So can we move on from that.
“Do you go along with her assessment that Morgan’s 60% landslide is due to “blind allegience of uninformed crackpots.”
–Terps
Not necessarily. That’s the writer’s point of view. But I gotta tell you, the volume of email, phone calls and blog comments that have come in on that survey column has been fairly astounding. If I were a politician, I’d take some notice.
Shorter Terps; don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
I’m not sure there’s any country where we’d be free of nutjobs.
“not necessarily. That’s the writer’s point of view. But I gotta tell you, the volume of email, phone calls and blog comments that have come in on that survey column has been fairly astounding. If I were a politician, I’d take some notice”
Do you seriously think that Morgan is going to become a liberal because of the contents of your mailbag? Their beef with Morgan is that he takes conservative positions on issues. Well, it’s been established that 60% of the voters in his district support that philosophy.Boucher was defeated as a 20 year incumbent because he was too liberal. What are you smokin over there in the press room?
terps – 1. That’s a bit harsh. I happen to like Morgan. In fact been on a courrt case with him and been invited to his cocktail parties. He and I differ on some politics, but I don’t dislike anyone over that. In fact, Bob Goodlette and I are friends. He was my attorney long before he ran for politics. We ddon’t agree too much politically and I must say I do not agree with the way he voted lock step with the GOP, but I’m not part of Congress and I do not have to get along up there. So do not be so harsh on us liberals. Too much is made over personalities rather than the topic.
terps, tell us the evidence you used in concluding that the writer is female. Something Dan told you offline? Or just that (in your simplistic division of the world) “conservatives” are all manly men and “liberals” are either women or effete men?
How about a stereotype that people with your political views are all just materialistic moneygrubbers with no sense of responsibility for those they don’t know…is that any less presumptious than your assumption about the writer of this letter?
“And isn’t it sad to live in a country where one has to fear nut jobs?”
It’s even more sad when you allow your paranoia to make you see imaginary threats everywhere and then use that as evidence to show your political opponents are dangerous.
It’s even more dangerous when the local newspaper makes its living by trying to destroy opposition to the White House. Even the Washington Post has gone from Tiger to Tiger Beat when it comes to the White House.
“Boucher was defeated as a 20 year incumbent because he was too liberal. What are you smokin over there in the press room?”
–Terps
Do you realize what you’re suggesting? You’re A) defending voters in the 9th District and at the same time B) suggesting they’re so dumb that it took them 20 years to realize that the guy they’d elected for 10 terms was too liberal.
I call bull. Boucher was defeated in 2010 because 1) People were unhappy with the economy; which 2) they wrongly blamed on Obama; who 3) was enthusiastically endorsed by Boucher and 4) Because Eric Cantor offered Morgan Griffith millions of dollars of direct and indirect campaign support.
So it boils down to timing and money. #4 was very key there, terps. Tell you what: Call up Morgan, ask him if he EVER would have challenged Boucher without that pile-o-money promise from Cantor, and then get back to us with that answer.
Dan
Actually, Morgan won because he had more votes than Boucher.
hey dano,
Yes, money talks. duh. soooo, after 20 years of lib-representation, why couldn’t boucher build up his pile from libs? it’s because the dem-leaders realized that they’d be throwing away money if given to boucher, ’cause he was toast.
Speaking of “talking”, so does 20 years of representation by a lib, of a district which isn’t.
And, to think that Morgan didn’t even have the “benefit” of the largest newspaper serving the district, and it’s cadre of lib-reporters, lib-opinion writers, and lib-editorial writers, all banging on his case every day. Sheesh, dano, you’ve been pounding on his case non-stop for what seems like weeks now….and the election was over 3 months ago!
Let it go, man, for your family’s sake, if not for your own. Write something about guns, or religion, or something.
Some days I do not believe terps has any political savvy at all.
If Morgan Griffith does, he will learn why it was that his district kept Boucher for all those years and act accordingly. My money however, is not on that prospect.
“It’s even more sad when you allow your paranoia to make you see imaginary threats everywhere…”
You mean like our gun luggers?
Yeah Henry, can you even imagine if that “paranoia” causes you to carry a gun everywhere and “make you see imaginary threats everywhere” and then have that evidence used to show you are dangerous?
I do not know what “local newspaper makes its living by trying to destroy opposition to the White House”. That they won’t carry your water, does not mean they are carrying his. Do you not see the paper or do you too ignore the conservative voices in it?
“PS And isn’t it sad to live in a country where one has to fear nut jobs?”
I think this expresses the lunacy of Dems. To think that there is such a place where you don’t have to fear crazy people. Does he think other places ban people from being crazy? Or maybe that nut jobs just don’t exist in other places.
A nut job is a nut job is a nut job and they’re everywhere. And they all have guns!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
”So It boils down to timing and money. #4 was very key there, terps. Tell you what: Call up Morgan, ask him if he EVER would have challenged Boucher without that pile-o-money promise from Cantor, and then get back to us with that answer.”
Dan
Now I know your smokin something. Of course Morgan needed money to knock off a 10 term congressman. Cantor thought Morgan was a strong challenger as the majority leader in the VA House of Delegates so they backed him with a ton of money to knock off a Dem. It’s not adavanced calculus.
Please tell me that you are aware that Democrats do the same thing. Right or wrong it’s how our political system functions.
“How about a stereotype that people with your political views are all just materialistic moneygrubbers with no sense of responsibility for those they don’t know”
Warren
What’s wrong with a world where “people I don’t know” take responsibility for themselves.(except, of course, the sick and disabled)
It’s hilarious to read the comments calling Boucher a liberal, because he isn’t — and wasn’t — one.
gdad and Sandi @13 and 14
+2!
Boucher was defeated because Griffith used Koch money to promote the Tea Party hysteria and to paint Boucher as an opponent of Big Coal. Since his election, Griffith has done nothing except lick the boots of Big Coal, at the expense of his district. He’s gotten his pockets filled, while the district fades into the background. Meanwhile, the lemmings will continue to vote him in for two more decades.
Richard Beason at 3:02 p.m., very well said. I have many conservative friends, and we don’t let our political differences poison a good relationship. Conversations, when we have them, are spirited but civil. Thanks for a nice helping of perspective amid all the bickering we do here!
terps, why did you address the writer as female (#1: “This lady is a liberal”)?
And if the sick and disabled interfere with your money chase, why would you care about them at all?
“Yeah Henry, can you even imagine if that “paranoia” causes you to carry a gun everywhere and “make you see imaginary threats everywhere” and then have that evidence used to show you are dangerous?”
Don’t police carry guns everywhere, Sandi? Why is that?
From Letter:
“I immediately emailed Congressman Griffith to express my concerns and to tell him my views on the complex issues that he simplistically addressed with loaded questions.”
Isn’t that the point of the survey? The survey was sent out to solicit the opinions of those in the 9th and obviously the survey prompted the writer to provide his or her opinions. Congratulations to the writer for participating in the process.
Surveys often simplify complex issues to a yes/no-agree/disagree response. Sadly most surveys get tossed if much effort/thought is required to complete.
At least Mr. Griffith is getting those whom he represents thinking,involved and contributing. That is more than most can say for those elected to represent them.
I am proud to be part of the 9th, and for those outside of the 9th, how about contacting your own representative and let your feelings on important issues be known instead of simply complaining.
hi dan,
did rick boucher vote for cap and tax/trade? if he did, please explain how that vote of his was so helpful to his constitueants.
perhaps the accuracy of your response might explain why boucher got run out of office after 20 years.
hey crooked road,
are those lemmings you speak of the same lemmings which voted boucher in for two decades?
Warren
Your right. I should give up my “money chase”, fire all of my employees and join you in Elmwood Park, begging for someone else to support me.
Henry, why do you constantly equate Law Enforcement with people who carry guns? Do you not understand the difference or think we don’t?
“did rick boucher vote for cap and tax/trade? if he did, please explain how that vote of his was so helpful to his constitueants.
perhaps the accuracy of your response might explain why boucher got run out of office after 20 years.”
–Frank
Yep, Frank, he voted for it.
But just in case you might entertain a factual explanation of what occurred, rather than the simplistic notion of a yes or no vote (which the way Morgan Griffith likes to conduct “surveys,)” below is the fuller story. Basically, Boucher’s vote for cap and trade came ONLY after he insisted rewriting much of the bill to ease most of the sting that was heading for Southwest Virginia, had it not been rewritten.
Here’s a stretch from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Frank, a newspaper you have praised quite recently on this blog.
“Boucher explained that the alternative to cap-and-trade was to leave regulation to the Environmental Protection Agency, which he said would be devastating for companies that rely on coal and their employees.
“That would be the worst possible outcome for the coal industry, coal jobs, for electric utilities that burn coal and electric consumers,” Boucher told PolitiFact Virginia.
As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Boucher said he amended the legislation at the request of the coal and electric power industries in an effort to minimize the impact on coal jobs.
Boucher’s changes included emissions credits that ensured that power plants could continue to use coal so long as they find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s certainly accurate to say that I was deeply involved in the process, but the ad is extraordinarily misleading because it suggests that I was doing this because it was something that the President of the Speaker of the House wanted,” Boucher said. “In fact, I took them on to get the deal that I got for coal.”
Boucher’s intentions were defended by Phil Smith, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America, who said the congressman went to bat for coal.
“The truth of the matter is that when that bill was originally introduced, there wasn’t one single dime in there in support of the coal industry,” he said. “What Rick Boucher did was to get involved in the negotiations and put $180 billion into it for coal.”
Smith added: “Without him getting involved, the handwriting would be on the wall for the coal industry at this point.”
Melissa McHenry with American Electric Power said that the company was supportive of those changes that Boucher had made to cap-and-trade.
“It supports continued use of coal,” she said. “The alternative is EPA regulation and he recognized that that would have a significant impact to the detriment of the coal industry.”
http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2010/oct/28/morgan-griffith/morgan-griffith-says-rick-boucher-helped-write-cap/
Did you catch that, Frank? The mine worker and AEP both said Boucher went to bat for them to the tune of $180 million.
Yeah, Warren, terps is the only guy on Earth who can keep those 30 employees of his from having to use Elmwood as a bathroom. Without him, they’d be taking handouts.
Still waiting on Frankie to let us know whether or not his calling his sister dumb and clueless was tantamount to trashing at least one member of his family.
Doctors carry stethoscopes. I don’t feel the need to carry one too. Tools of the trade.
“Yeah Henry, can you even imagine if that “paranoia” causes you to carry a gun everywhere and “make you see imaginary threats everywhere” and then have that evidence used to show you are dangerous?”
Don’t police carry guns everywhere, Sandi? Why is that?
Henry is a master. Every post you know is going to be a great one. Always brief. Always hits the target.
terps, do you expect your church to take responsibility for itself, or do you “help” it? When did you stop helping your children? If you want to live in a country where people “take responsibility for themselves”, Pakistan will welcome you and you will get used to those beggars who are expected to “take responsibility for themselves” and servants who “take responsibility for themselves” will be very affordable too. It is a virtual paradise for folks like you.
A nation that does not have enough jobs and enough wages for people to “take responsibility for themselves” gets what it pays for.
more ignorant postings from low info voters…lol
“Henry is a master.”
suzie, I know you think Henry is some kind of genius or something, but I’m going to have to break the news to you that his line about the police carrying guns isn’t exactly original. I’ve seen it or a variation of it before on this very blog. Shocker, I know, but there it is.
Now Kristen’s reply, that seemed to be pretty original.
“lol”
Speaking of low intelligence.
It’s a simple question that you’re conspiciously avoiding, terps:
On what basis did you refer to the letter writer as female?
pammala, don’t be so hard on yourself. You work hard and do not have time to keep up with all this newfangled information. We get it and we do not hold it against you. Honest.