Time to take the high road
The Kern County Young Republicans’ “grouchy glasses” political hit piece on assessor-recorder candidate Laura Avila brings to mind Sir Walter Scott’s poetic admonition: “Oh, the tangled webs we weave when we first practice to deceive.”
Criticism is made of Avila for changing her political party registration from Democrat to Republican. So what.
Laura Avila is not an impostor as the Young Republicans spew.
The Kern County Young Republicans did not call out Judge Lance Fielder for changing his party registration from Democrat to Republican when he last ran for re-election a few years ago.
In fact, Fielder’s name appeared on the Kern County Young Republicans Voting Guide as an endorsed candidate.
Avila is also slammed for being supported by “insiders” in the assessor’s office.
Hypocritically, the Young Republicans are supporting Jeff Flores whose boss, Supervisor Mike Maggard, is endorsing him to take his place as 3rd District Supervisor.
This fact has nothing to do with Flores’ fitness for office, nor should it be held against him.
By the Young Republicans’ own self-serving definition, Maggard and Flores are “insiders.” This does make Flores a bad candidate, nor does it make Laura Avila one, either.
Flores landed on the Young Republicans’ slate mailer, along with many other local Republican candidates who are supported by “insiders.”
Ironically, but not surprisingly, the Young Republicans also threw mud at Assessor-Recorder John Lifquist who was their favored candidate against Russell Johnson in 2014. Lifquist’s comment on property taxes was taken out of context.
The Young Republicans got a lot of things dirty with their mud.
They spent their money on mudslinging rather than discussing the issues.
I’m sorry to observe such twisted facts and personal attacks rear their ugly heads in this election.
Candidates and their campaign surrogates should not travel the low political road. They should try to always campaign with honor.
The Kern County Republican Party deserves better than this sleazy ploy by the Kern County Young Republicans.
In 1982, our revered Sen. Walter Stiern also faced wild attacks in his campaign for re-election.
Stiern believed his record of public service was worth more than all the mud slung at him.
When a person like Stiern died, it was a sad reminder of all that was once right about are political system, how it attracted some of the best and brightest who were committed to our people’s well being and how much it has deteriorated into a mindless, often ruthless, unproductive game of personal attack and partisan posturing.