In October, when Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan began sending out mailers including photographs of one soldier with blood dripping down his face and another holding up a prosthetic, an upset Congressman Charlie Dent reacted by calling a rare Saturday news conference, attended by a platoon of about twenty veterans. Ranking House Armed Services Committee member Buck McKeon (R-Ca) was there, too, and noted that "when people get behind, they do this sort of thing." Dent also read a statement from Congressman Sam Johnson (R-Tx): "The baseless attacks against Congressman Dent are an outrage. As a seven-year Prisoner of War in Vietnam, I find his opponent’s attacks offensive and untrue. In fact, I voted the same way Congressman Dent did."Today, Congressman Dent called another news conference to respond to a Callahan TV commercial blasting Dent's veterans' record (you can see it here).
"I call on him to do the right thing and pull his ads from the air," declared Dent, who decried these "cookie cutter ads that have been called out all over our country." He also warned there will be "more acts of desperation between now and Tuesday."
"He's losing and he's lying. He's saying all kinds of wild things," claimed Dent, who pointed out that Callahan is playing games by focusing on procedural votes to recommit as opposed to substantive votes.
Dent has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Political Action Committee (VFW PAC). According to the nonpartisan Project Vote Smart, Dent has sided with veterans on eight of nine key pieces of legislation, including a major expansion of the GI Bill. The only measure he opposed was a nonbinding budget resolution that increased spending from $14 trillion to $15.95 trillion.
According to a Morning Call analysis, "Dent doesn't have the 'failing record' on veterans issues that Callahan's mailer showing a bleeding soldier and a veteran with a prosthetic leg would have voters believe. The TV ad leaves the impression there is a link between Dent's votes on veterans, the bank bailout and his salary. Those bills were considered separately and, in some cases, separated by a couple of years."
Dent added that Callahan himself has never shown any interest in City workers who are veterans. "I've stood by our veterans," declared Dent, adding that two of his staffers are former servicemen.
Nicole Radzievich, at Pennsylvania Avenue, has posted a similar TV campaign being waged against Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick.
According to Dent, Callahan has "outsourced his campaign to his Washington handlers."
21 comments:
All true and votes cited....can't run from the record
The MC has labeled the ads untrue. You can't run from that.
The MC did not say it was untrue...post the link.
Dent lies about Callahan. Callahan did not raise his own pay like Dent did. Callahan can't give himself a pay raise...only City Council can.
All the Republican veterans in the world can't shield Charlie Dent form his voting record.
LOL....yes the great Mcall who doesn't endorse anyone but does Dent fluff pieces almost daily. Dent "chairman" of the concrete caucus raises the red flag of an import terminal well after anything could be done about it. His job was to know about such things and keep them from happening. He is all for free markets and his wall street cronies, then fakes concern for the middle class. That is what makes me sick. The veterans votes are his...live with it
Hopefully Dent will have plenty of time to sit home and think about his record real soon....
When Dent was presented with an idea to expand Treatment Trends effort to provide services to Veterans, such that Allentown could become a national leader, he showed no interest at all. The opportunity was there, and he ignored it.
Ummmmm
"The MC did not say it was untrue...post the link. "
Not only did I post the link, I quoted from the analysis as well. Perhaps you need to take a few reading lessons.
The Callahan campaign has twisted the truth just as much as the Dent Campaign.
As a veteran who follows Vets issues closely, I can tell you what really happened.
Congressman Dent has voted to increase Vets Spending from $29 Billion to over $45 Billion in the last 6 years.
He voted against legislation in procedural votes because of legislation that was attached to Vets spending bills that had no business being there.
When Vets funding bills were cleaned up and streamlined of the attached garbage, Dent voted for them.
It's all about the context. Dent's people are doing the same thing to Callahan on Bethlehem Debt service.
I am a Democrat Committee person, but I am also a vet, and I was disturbed by the way the Callahan campaign perverted veteran's issues for their own good. It disgusted me, and knowing that the VFW PAC endorsed Congressman Dent for looking out for Vets speaks volumes about the truth.
The VFW is not a bunch of rich White Guys, it is a cross section of America that has a greater percentage of minorities as members (and in leadership positions) than the American population.
The rank and file run of the mill enlisted man knows who is looking out for him.
"When Dent was presented with an idea to expand Treatment Trends effort to provide services to Veterans, such that Allentown could become a national leader, he showed no interest at all. The opportunity was there, and he ignored it"
Not only is Treatment Trends involved in the treatment of veterans, but is expanding. This was discussed in detail by both Dent and the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee at that Saturday news conference. Dent is very involved as he is on all veteran issues here in the LV.
You are either completely misinformed or a blatant liar.
"Not only did I post the link, I quoted from the analysis as well. Perhaps you need to take a few reading lessons."
It says Dent doesn't have the failing record the ad portrays...but the article doesn't say he has a passing record. Not exactly saying what you interpret it as saying. Maybe you should take a few reading lessons.
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-callahan-electric-20101029,0,2544462.story
Dent screwed us when he was a state senator, too.
Then so did Lisa Boscola and T.J. Rooney and nearly every member of the state legislature.
Even if the ad is partially true, meaning if you include the procedural votes as was previously mentioned. This ad is still part of the larger Democrat playbook for the last week of the election cycle. Spatter as much BS as possible and hope something sticks, forget whether it is true or not, it is too late to do anything about it anyway.
they are both at the least twisters of the truth if not just blatant liars. people are sick of this crap. vote for JAKE TOWNE!!!!!
"When Dent was presented with an idea to expand Treatment Trends effort to provide services to Veterans, such that Allentown could become a national leader, he showed no interest at all."
This is a BLATANT lie and all the people involved in the process know it. Anon 8:17 is clearly with the Callahan smear campaign. For the truth about it check out this Morning Call article from March 2009 which says that Dent supported Treatment Trends Veterans sanctuary: http://articles.mcall.com/2009-03-03/news/4321955_1_arts-center-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-residential-treatment.
Desperate men do desperate things hopefully once Johnny boy loses he can then start to do what he is paid to do which is run the city of bethlehem.
Chris, I really appreciate your comments because so often the comments posted seem so one-sided with clear agendas, rather than seeking out the truth on both sides.
Bernie, I'm reposting my comment below from your earlier Kool-Aid post, because I just realized that this article on this race is more recent and therefore the debate is more current. I will watch both posts for a reply:
"if Callahan says he hasn't raised taxes in four years, and
Dent says Callahan raised tax each of four years, then
someone is lying.
regardless of what party any one of us might usually vote for, we owe it to our own personal sense of integrity to figure out who is lying.
the only other option is that there is a math game happening here--and this has been confusing.
for instance, Callahan says that he has paid down on Bethlehem's debt to the tune of $60 million. Dent often refers to the fact that Bethlehem is still hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. both of these statements can be true simultaneously, and i hesitate to blame a mayor who inherits hundred of millions in debt for not obliterated all of it in just a few years. it is certainly good in these economic times to hear that debt is being paid down, rather than growing.
but what i don't get--and i hope someone can offer the logic at play here--is whether or not "debt" is part of a city's "balanced budget." i keep hearing that Callahan "has balanced the budget" year after year. does anyone know whether debt is something calculated outside of a city's budget? that is the only way i can figure that this can be an honest claim, if indeed Bethlehem is still hundreds of millions in debt.
does anyone know? and please no sniping--this is an earnest attempt to get to the bottom of this for myself and anyone else reading who might be confused by all these seemingly conflicting claims. it would seem outrageously bold (and setting one's self up for a hefty libel suit) to simply lie outright in a campaign, especially over and over in printed materials. i suspect that these assertions are being made in a very calculated way and it's important for voter's to figure out precisely what those calculations are.
thanks in advance!
i think voters are getting really sick of all the mudslinging and confusing claims by both sides, which is probably why Jake Towne won the debate at the State and the Express Times' endorsement.
Debt can be twisted to be balanced because it is paid every year in monthly payments. Like a mortgage. That's how many local politicians can claim balanced budget, but many of them borrow and borrow and borrow. These bonds have big interest rates.
so if "balancing" simply means making one's annual payment on a debt (along with covering all other expenses throughout the year) then the real question is whether or not new debt was taken on to "balance" that debt, right?
does anyone have decisive info on whether or not Callahan balanced his budgets according to this definition, or whether he borrowed more to cover the payment? if he did not, then i think it's fair for him to claim that he's not only balanced the budget but paid down $60 million in debt, and unfair for Dent to claim that he's lying. but if he did, then that would seem an illegitimate claim, and Dent is right to call him on it.
does anyone have fact-checked info on this discrepancy in claims?
The whole campaign shows the reason for term limits at the federal level. Dent is there 6 years so of course he has a better handle on the issues.
However, he has learned the Washington method of campaigning -- distort your opponents record even if what you say about him isn't true.
John Callahan didn't raise his own salary and Dent knows that. City Council establishes the salary and votes on it BEFORE the application period starts. And Callahan is NOT on city council so he doesn't get a vote. On the other side however, Dent VOTED FOR HIS OWN 37% INCREASE.
Callahan lowered the debt of the city/ Dent has increased it more than $3 trillion dollars and remember everyone agrees that the Clinton inheried more than $200 billion in debt and and decreased it to giving Bush !! a $240 billion SURPLUS.
The Democrats are showing mmuch more fiscal conservatism
"Dent VOTED FOR HIS OWN 37% INCREASE."
Where is the specific vote citation for this? You know what, you dont have one. This is a complete fabrication. Callahan's campaign is so pathetic that they continue to lie and are called out on every single lie. This is what happens when you let Washington DC hacks run a campaign.
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