Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Let me begin by saying that former Rep. Ted Downing (D-LD28) was done wrong when he ran for state senate in 2006. An independent expenditure committee comprised of members affiliated with a certain Democratic women's political action organization "swiftboated" Ted Downing with a smear campaign in his Democratic primary against Sen. Paula Aboud (D-LD28).
The allegations and vicious personal rumors were categorically false, yet a number of voters were receptive to believing the worst to be true. Such is the nature of politics.
This "politics of personal destruction" and win-at-all-costs tactic is rarely ever seen in Democratic Party primary races. The women behind this swiftboating are well-known within Democratic Party circles and, while they are still active in Democratic Party politics, they are viewed as toxic by many Democrats and generally kept at a safe distance from campaigns that want to avoid being tainted by their reputations earned in this ugly 2006 primary race.
Ted Downing never recovered from the vicious personal attacks on his character and his family. The false attacks went beyond the pale, and Downing was understandably hurt and angry. It even adversely affected his health for a period of time. I suspect that Downing has been nursing a grudge ever since.
Earlier this year, Ted Downing surprised everyone when he filed to run for office not for the House seat being vacated by Rep. David Bradley (termed out) as everyone expected, but rather to challenge Sen. Paula Aboud in a rematch of their 2006 senate primary.
Things got ugly early, for those of you who attended or viewed the video of the Legislative District 28 Candidate Forum from earlier this year.
Downing purportedly is running on a reform agenda of a unicameral legislature and nonpartisan political races, as exists only in the state of Nebraska. I personally do not support this idea. Downing has not gained much traction for his reform proposal.
I was recently told by a source whom I will not disclose that it was suggested to Downing that if he really believes in this reform agenda of a unicameral legislature and nonpartisan political races that he should be running for office as a nonpartisan independent rather than in the Democratic Party primary. Apparently Downing took this advice to heart.
Downing's campaign committee filing on the Secretary of State web site was amended as of May 4, 2010 to reflect that his party affiliation is now "nonpartisan & independent."
Downing will have to start over collecting petition signatures. It remains to be seen whether he can collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot as an independent with less than two weeks to go before the May 26th filing deadline. It is doubtful that those Democrats who previously signed his petitions will be inclined to sign his new petitions now that he has abandoned his affiliation to the Democratic Party. Those individuals who contributed $5 clean elections contributions to his campaign as a Democratic candidate in a Democratic primary may now want to reconsider their contributions.
Downing realized that he could not win the Democratic Party primary for senate. The only chance he has to settle the score from the 2006 Democratic Party primary is to get to the general election and to appeal to enough independents and his dwindling base of Democratic supporters. Republicans who have no horse in this race could play spoiler.
It is most unfortunate that the ghosts of the 2006 Democratic Party primary for senate have haunted Ted Downing and have led him to this ill-advised grudge match campaign. The individuals responsible for swiftboating him in 2006 are not on the ballot, they work in the shadows.
Should Ted Downing qualify for the ballot as an independent in November, he will no doubt be targeted by these same individuals hiding in the shadows of yet another independent expenditure committee. Downing will again be attacked, and he will lose in this heavily Democratic voter registration district now that he has abandoned his affiliation to the Democratic Party. There is nothing to be gained from this grudge match.
My best advice to you Ted is to let it go and to walk away. For your sake and the sake of your family, let it go and walk away. Take a well deserved vacation and try to find some peace in your soul. Do not allow the vicious personal slanders of these hateful harpies to haunt you. They are not worth it. They will get the justice they deserve someday.
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There were legitimate reasons to vote against this measure, whether you or I agree with those reasons or not. To characterize Downing as “pro-rape” as a result of his vote is hateful. And if you were privy to some of the personal innuendo and slander (which I will not repeat here) spread by the individuals behind this independent expenditure committee as I was, “hateful harpies” is a generous characterization. I have said worse in private conversations.
El Rasquacho – i haven’t a clue who you are – but I want to thank you for your posting. I have been doing a slow burn since Meanie put this column up. I have had my own, personal experience with Ted Downing in the 2006 primary for Congress. He publicly chewed me out after I tactfully pointed out to him that I had expressed opposition to the Iraq war. He flew into a towering rage, with people there, and made rude, tasteless remarks to and about me and my candidacy. It was a very MCP (male chauvinist pig) display. So, anyway, thanks!!!!
Cry me a river! Could we please dispense with the sympathy for Downing? He voted against a bill that would have finally updated our laws and made it so a man who raped his wife would be committing a felony. He didn’t see how this was going to be an issue in the campaign?
This was only one example of many bizarre votes (and bizarre claims: passed 80 bills? Or is it 81? Which ones?). He’d pull stunts like this and later come up with some unexplainable strategic reason and tell people he was “making a deal” or “doing it for the good of the caucus.” The real reason is because he thinks he knows better than the great intellectually unwashed and, if we just appreciated his genius, we’d understand. His arrogance did more to end his political career than Arizona List did.
Did we really refer to the women activists who helped take Downing down in ’06 as “hateful harpies”?
When you have a real job that requires it, then you will understand.
With all due respect to this finest of AZ lefty blogs, I can’t possibly be the only one reading this to think:
AZ Blue Meanie is a fine one to be criticizing anyone for “hiding in the shadows.”
Just sayin’.
AZ Blue Meanie is absolutely right about the history of the 2006 election and the smear campaign run against Ted Downing. Ted has every right to be angry, as was I, both because I supported his candidacy and because that kind of politics is filthy and has no place in the Democratic Party.
I also agree that Ted’s Senate run is an ill considered, ill fated move which he should reconsider. I both like Ted and respect him for the work he has done in Arizona and other places in the world. He is too valuable a member of our community to potentially lose his influence — and it would be a real loss for all of us if he can no longer fight effectively to make Arizona a better place.