May 31, 2012
TO: BOB BURNS
SUSAN BITTER SMITH
BOB STUMP
SUSAN BITTER SMITH
BOB STUMP
Disappointed.
That is how I feel.
As a candidate for the Arizona Corporation Commission, I have been looking forward to what I hoped would be a stimulating, policy-driven debate throughout the course of the campaign.
Instead, it is only May, and already I can see that what I’m facing is more of the same thing I’ve been seeing from career politicians for decades: A slate of opposing candidates who prefer to mislead their constituents with half-truths, innuendo and outright falsehoods, rather than trust the voters in our state to make a decision based on facts, positions and genuine recitations of belief.
Your newly launched web site includes photographs of me, and several of my fellow candidates, alongside the statement that we are each and all “committed to follow President Obama’s energy policies.”
That may serve as convenient red meat to toss to your supporters in an effort to energize your base.
What it does not serve to do is tell the truth.
I would challenge you, individually or collectively, to provide any evidence that I have ever made any such commitment, publicly or privately. It is, quite simply, untrue.
What is true is that the President’s energy policies do include some components with which I agree, such as a strong pursuit of alternative energy development. The question is: Why don’t the three of you agree with me on that stance? Solar energy production, as an industry, has the potential to transform Arizona, with massive new investments, thousands of new jobs and the possibility of dramatically reduced local energy rates for all Arizonans.
Are the three of you against new jobs, financial investments in our state and lower energy rates?
This is my first candidacy for elected office, but I have many decades of experience in practicing law, professional mediation, running a small business and public service. I knew what to expect when I made the decision to seek this office, and I am fully prepared for you, my opponents, to launch attacks on my character. What I had hoped for was that I would be answering for my genuine stance on issues, policies and practices; not having to dispel myths that have absolutely no basis in reality.
I am ready, willing and extremely eager to engage with each and all of you regarding the issues important to Arizonans: creating and retaining jobs, lowering energy costs, ensuring safely-run utilities and fighting investment fraud. But if we’re going to do so, we should all agree to do so within the confines of fact.
I respectfully ask you to take down or edit the content of your web site to be based in fact, not innuendo. In my opinion, you each owe an apology to the good people of Arizona whose intelligence and decency you’ve insulted with the outright falsehoods you’ve put forth about who I am and what I stand for.
Respectfully,
Marcia Busching
2 comments:
I find it interesting that Marcia Busching considers a statement that she agrees with President Obama's energy policies to be an attack on her character. It bodes well for Mitt Romney that Democrat candidates are so quick to disassociate themselves from President Obama's policies and consider accusations of agreement to be an attack on their character.
State Rep. John Kavanagh
Rep. Kavanagh - With all due respect sir, I disagree with your interpretation.
I don't think the issue here is about Mrs. Busching's stance vis-a-vis the President.
(I think her letter explains that pretty clearly, and she is obviously not distancing herself from the President; she is giving an open and honest view of her position: she agrees with some, but not all, of his energy policies.)
The issue here is that her opponents made a statement characterizing her position that was brazenly false, in an attempt to score political points with their own base.
I respect your attempt to pivot the issue here to a referendum on the President, but the matter at hand is clear:
Susan Bitter Smith, Bob Stump and Bob Burns lied to the voters about their opponents' stance, and the three of them owe the voting public an apology (and should retract the offending statements).
Michael Harris
Phoenix
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