| Atlictoatl |
Oct 7 '12 1:43pm |
I was more taken by this excerpt:
Quote:
“We think anyone making comments about drowning Grover Norquist and stabbing things shows a shocking level of immaturity and poor judgment that voters should know about,” Maine GOP party spokesman David Sorenson said. “Certainly the fact that she spends so much time on a video game says something about her work ethic and, again, her immaturity.”
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I agree with the first sentence and disagree with the last sentence.
Anyone who is within the sphere of politics who thinks they might one day run for office should avoid writing things in public spaces that include some of the phrases being bandied about. It shows a lack of common sense and, yes, maturity. She shouldn't be denied a seat in the State Senate for being a gamer, but she might very well be denied a seat for being a gamer that admits to their hobby causing them to underperform at work.
The way they're going about it isn't appropriate, but the Maine GOP may have a valid concern somewhere in there. I think we need more context to form a substantive opinion -- how does she represent herself on the campaign trail, and let's see her questionable comments in context.
Edit: There's a follow-up article:
Quote:
“I regret that some things I said before I knew I was running for office could be misconstrued and offended some people,” she said. “Many of these comments go back quite a long time.”
[...]
“I don’t understand why I’m being targeted for playing online games when all I’ve done is campaign on the issues,” she said. “That’s the baffling thing. I’m out talking to people all the time about how what the Republicans are doing is affecting working class families in the district. I’d really like to get back to that.”
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One of the more interesting facets of the two articles is their veiled commentary on Main party headquarters. The GOP candidate is quoted expressing disdain for the party's attacks:
Quote:
Martin said he has no plans to make an issue out of Lachowicz’s alter-ego and explained that the parties frequently operate without consulting candidates in local Maine races.
“From the first time I was elected, I didn’t like the mudslinging,” said Martin, who owns Nitram Excavation Services. “Somebody’s personal life is their personal life. What you do in society and in the community is what matters. I’ve seen three or four attack ads against me from the Democratic Party. We have no control over that, which is unfortunate.”
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The Democratic candidate, on the other hand, says:
Quote:
The Maine Democratic Party defended Lachowicz by posting a plea for donations for "a gamer who's under attack." Lachowicz said, however, that she can’t accept any further campaign funds and she wasn’t involved in the decision to create that plea.
Still, the effort could be lucrative. The story of the attack on Lachowicz drew an outpouring of support for her from the gaming and online communities. For her part, however, she’d rather not become their emblem.
“I don’t understand why I’m being targeted for playing online games when all I’ve done is campaign on the issues,” she said. “That’s the baffling thing. I’m out talking to people all the time about how what the Republicans are doing is affecting working class families in the district. I’d really like to get back to that."
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The winning line, IMO is this one: "Lachowicz said her current game of choice now is Angry Birds." |
