In a telephone news conference late yesterday afternoon, LV Congressman Charlie Dent condemned challenger Siobhan "Sam" Bennett for statements "designed to cause panic and fear" in the midst of a national financial and economic crisis. Bennett had claimed, falsely, that two local banks had recently folded, and claimed that was somehow Dent's fault. Her campaign manager was later forced to request that her comments be edited because she had misspoke.It wouldn't be the first time.
Charlie Dent has long maintained that "if the truth and Sam Bennett ever came into contact, there would be a mighty collision."
Dent is right to be upset. Her cavalier remarks concerning two respected financial institutions were "beyond reckless" and actually undermines the bailout recently adopted by Congress. Her campaign manager is now claiming, just as irresponsibly, that these banks had "nearly failed." That remark flies in the face of his own statement, in which he admits these banks are "financially sound."
We all need to remember that this is Shiobhan in order for us to understand in context how she could have "misspoken". Siobhan may be irresponsible with the facts, but I do not think she is an deliberate liar. By that I mean she does not intentionally make things up. But she does repeat what she hears and accepts partisan dogma as truth. If you say it enough, it must be true.
ReplyDeleteSince she is not particularly knowledgeable about matters of business, finance or economics, it only stands to reason that she will struggle with being able to interpret sophisticated or complicated circumstances and the underlying facts associated with them. The result becomes an equation that can be stated as follows: talking points (or dogma) plus lack of knowledge plus unvetted factoids equals "misspoke".
You may or may not agree with all of Congressmen Dent's positions, but they are usually reasoned and based on a decent level of knowledge and understanding. It is hard to figure out if you agree with Siobhan because how can you tell what she is talking about if she herself doesn't know and might not even be capable of knowing?
If you want to be represented in Washington by a sheet of paper with partisan talking points, vote for "Sam". If you want a knowledgeable, thinking person representing you, then she is likely to disappoint you.
P.S. - relating to a prior post on this issue, I think the station and Congressman Dent did the responsible thing by agreeing to delete the names of the "unfailed" banks. Bennett's error should not penalize depositors or the institution. She can be held accountable without inflicting collateral damage.
What about her claims regarding NJ funding and light rail service? In the debate, Rep. Dent said that she had the light rail study confused with another study on a different commuter rail line (or was the term "passenger rail") system all together. I can't recall all the details, but I believe the confusion was in regards to a rail line proposed to NY and a completely different one proposed to Quakertown/Landsdale. Did she have it right or was she mixing up the facts about two entirely different rail service lines?
ReplyDeleteWith all the attention to her false bank statements, perhaps that issue has been overlooked.
Just checked the video quickly. To clarify:
ReplyDeleteThe light rail is from Allentown to Easton. The commuter from Highbridge to Phillipsburg, and another might be Landsdale to the Quakertown area. According to Rep. Dent, NJ Transit has not committed to extending lines to the Lehigh Valley, and that their big push is for a tunnel under the Hudson River. Additionally, he stated that the study isn't just looking for federal funds, it first needs about 1/2 the cash to come from local governments.
This was a quick listen to a very fast-paced discussion, on a subject I am not too familiar with at present. If anyone has corrections or additional facts, please comment. It would be nice to see where the candidates stand on this issue as well. Thanks.
So you are saying Bennett truly did not know the difference between light rail and commuter rail yet she criticized charlie as if she knew what she was talking about? Terrible.
ReplyDeleteWill Dent be charge with war crimes?
ReplyDeleteIf their is a god!
Oct. 14, 2008 - Massachusetts law school Dean Lawrence Velvel will chair a Steering Committee to pursue the prosecution for war crimes of President Bush and culpable high-ranking aides after they leave office Jan. 20th.
Anon 9:45,
ReplyDeleteFor that to happen, wouldn't Rep. Dent have to be a "high-ranking aide" in that scenario?
Or just being a republican enough for you?
Anon 9:45
ReplyDeleteHillary and Biden are more culpable than Dent. Even Barry Hussein Obama has voted to fund the guns and bombs and missiles of both wars.
Pete's Sake, Bennett was saying "light rail" when she was talking about "commuter rail."
ReplyDeleteThink of light rail as a glorified trolley system. The rails are embedded in roadways and often roads are shared w/ light rail trains. It's used in inner city applications and btw/ cities in very close proximity.
Commuter rail is what you see running now for example from Lansdale to Philly - "real" trains on "real" tracks for lack of a better term.
Bennett said she supported light rail, but was using it in the context of commuter rail. She then clarified that she supports commuter rail. I'm not sure where she stands on light rail within the Valley, I don't remember her going back to the topic. I believe Dent supports commuter rail as well, and has said that he has no position on light rail within the Valley as of yet.
Hope that makes sense.
The Banker
Thank you, Banker. That was most helpful. I see I need to do some homework on this issue.
ReplyDeleteBanker, Thank you. Light rail, as The Banker notes, applies to small operations that might link two cities. It is a closed system, connecting to nothing. According to many who promote other forms of rail, it is prohibitively expensive. In Paul Marin's presentation, he envisions about 5 or 6 different commuter rail systems, and his goal is to have them all link to each other. He has not sold me completely, but he makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDelete