As I have been reporting on this blog, Van Hilleary and his campaign are in serious trouble.Just recently, Van lost out on the much covenanted conservative Tennessee Right to Life endorsement to Ed Bryant. It has also just been reported that Van was involved in a very serious ethical scandal, which still several unanswered questions.
And now, in a desperate attempt to win back some support, Van is attacking everything in sight, including Congressman Ford.
However, his tactics are winning over no one. Not even Republicans.
As a matter of fact, he is receiving extreme heat for his recent comments.
Below is just a sampling of commentary around the blogosphere concerning Van and his rhetoric.
From Pith In The Wind:
Get a Grip, Van
The Tennessean today picks up an AP story (based on a Van Hilleary senate campaign news release last Sunday) about Hilleary's criticism of GOP senate opponent Bob Corker for supposedly supporting and raising money for the Tennessee Black Caucus's 2004 legislative retreat.
From the Hilleary news release:
Republican voters deserve to know how much money Bob Corker raised for the liberal Caucus and why in the world he would raise money for a group of Democrat legislators who are completely at odds with the conservative agenda that Republican legislators are trying to enact.
Corker, as mayor of Chattanooga, encouraged the caucus's retreat and training conference to convene in his city and urged some local corporate financial support for the meeting. Earth to Van: This is what mayors are elected and paid to do. Does Hilleary believe that a mayor should apply a litmus test of political ideology to a city's cultivation of investment and tourism opportunities?
Hilleary feels understandably compelled to take pot shots at the better financed Corker whenever possible, but attacks that shed more light on your own dimness than your opponent's foibles are not the stuff of winning campaigns. As campaign assaults go, this one is lame, revealing yet again Hilleary's own shallowness and desperation.
From Blogging for Bryant:
Hilleary Lashes Out at Tennessee Right to Life
Unfortunately, Hilleary has decided to burn his bridges with Tennessee's pro-life conservatives, which is another reason why he's unelectable in a statewide general election. When asked about Tennessee Right to Life's unprecedented early endorsement of Ed Bryant for U.S. Senate, Hilleary responded: "I think they did themselves nor the Republican Party, nor the unborn any justice by making that early endorsement for Ed."
Tennessee Right to Life represents 175,000 Tennessee households, and Hilleary has attacked their commitment to protecting the unborn! What is he thinking? A statesman, might have told the reporter that Bryant has a good relationship with TN Right to Life, and that he's just as committed to the pro-life cause and looks forward to working with them should he prevail. Nope, not Van Hilleary - his first instinct was to ATTACK Tennessee's leading pro-life organization. Unbelievable.
From Pensieri:
The Time Has Come For Van Hilleary to Withdraw From the US Senate Race
"The Author must begin this entry by admitting that he currently holds a heavy heart. He has been friends with Van and Meredith Hilleary since the 2002 Gubernatorial Primary. The Hillearys are wonderful people, strong in their convictions, proud of their party and dedicated life-long public servants. The Author never thought when he began this dialogue in July of this year that such an entry would ever be written by him."
"The Author will let his argument rest at this point as to write more would succeed in boring himself much less his reader. It is with great respect for Mr. Hilleary that this editorial was written. For the Party's sake and for Van's sake, we hope he will use the holidays to reconsider his candidacy."
From Adam Groves:
Hilleary on Steve Gill
"Van Hilleary has taken the wrong approach in criticizing Ford for his family's woes. Republicans cannot make Ford's family woes an actual part of their campaign against him..."
From Conservatives for Corker:
Hilleary's Attacks Ring Hollow . . . Again
In what has already become a pattern, Van Hilleary’s latest attack on Bob Corker rings hollow. Last week, Hilleary issued a press release criticizing Corker for raising money for the Black Caucus’s annual conference, which occurred in Chattanooga. Hilleary’s release asked why would Corker raise money for the Black Caucus?
The answer: Corker was doing his job. As mayor of Chattanooga, Corker’s job was to recruit conferences to the city – both to increase tourism and to increase tax reform. When he recruited the Black Caucus, that is exactly what he was doing. Is Van implying that – if he were mayor – he would have only supported certain group’s conferences?
So as you can see, Van Hilleary is not helping himself one bit by his continued desperate attacks and lies.
As I have said before, the people of Tennessee are sick and tired of these kind of hardball political tactics and deserve better.
They deserve someone with character and integrity to be their next U.S. Senator.
That is why Congressman Harold Ford Jr. will be our next U.S. Senator.
