First let me show you what's appears in today's Times, or at least a portion thereof (see "9th District long shot's story of blackmail rings true"):
What [Jeremiah Heaton] never expected was the bare-knuckled politics, including what he called "threats" and "blackmail."
Those strong words, he told me Sunday, arise from what Heaton called an ugly carrot-and-stick showdown in an Abingdon pastor's office Sept. 17 aimed at forcing him to drop out of the race.
If he did, he said he was told, he would get Republican Party support for a future House of Delegates bid.
If he refused, Heaton said he was told, scandalous information would be spread about his "business relationship" with Boucher's wife, Amy.
This probably leaves you wondering what this "business relationship" is. Well, here we go: Amy Boucher has played banjo in a five-piece bluegrass band at Heaton's business, the Damascus General Store, three times in the past year.
Heaton paid the band $200 each time. If the money was divvied evenly, Amy Boucher earned $120. Big deal, right?
Boucher said he had heard the "business relationship" rumors and called them "a lot about nothing."
A month later, on Oct. 17, Reavis sent an e-mail to reporters and others in which he referenced the "business relationship" and encouraged reporters to look into it.
That got picked up Oct. 18 on an influential conservative Southwest Virginia political blog, From On High. Blogger Jerry Fuhrman's headline was, "Scandal Rocks the 9th District," though it seems he meant that tongue-in-cheek.
The bottom line is, the gossip about Heaton's business and Boucher's wife indeed got spread after Heaton refused some Griffith backers' request that he drop out. [link]
1) Jeremiah Heaton has no chance of winning this election. But his poll numbers hover in the 4% range. With Morgan Griffith and Rick Boucher currently running in a dead heat, Heaton's 4% becomes all important and could make all the difference one way or another.
2) If Jeremiah Heaton were trying to unseat the incumbent, a rational person might think that he would be running against the incumbent. Instead Mr. Heaton has chosen to devote his every energy to attacking the Republican in this race. Remember his infamous YouTube video that had him blaming Morgan Griffith for having created conditions such that people who look Mexican are able to work on Virginia's road crews? Like Griffith ... and not Boucher ... has anything to do with immigration policy?
Heaton's explanation for this bizarre campaign strategy?
"Morgan Griffith took my opportunity to beat Rick Boucher away from me by rolling in here with all this special-interest money and running in a congressional district where he does not live. I don't care if his feelings are hurt." (source)
That's why Heaton has chosen to employ the tactic of relentlessly attacking Boucher's opponent so as to get Boucher defeated.
Can you say Strange? As well as Strained? Do I need to drag out my bullshit-o-meter again?
3) If Jeremiah Heaton has a bug up his butt about Morgan Griffith, so be it. If he chooses to waste his time attacking the incumbent's only real opposition, fine. But then the real bottom line kicks in. As it turns out, Mr. Boucher and Mr. Heaton have met in the recent past, with the flimsiest of explanations provided ("Boucher said that both he and Heaton have met before to discuss the impact of Heaton's general store in Damascus on the town's tourism economy.")
Right. Two guys running for the same office never discussed running or the office.
More importantly, a business relationship exists between two competing candidates in the race for Virginia's 9th Congressional District seat. The reporter can poo-poo the amount that changed hands (as Boucher's Committee for Southwest Virginia will attest, the money is no object to the Bouchers these days anyway), but what can't be denied is the relationship.
So who are the two candidates who have this business relationship both devoting their time and resources to defeating? Morgan Griffith.
That, to me, adds up to more than just coincidence.
As for the Times reporter who cited my weblog post, "Scandal Rocks the 9th District," I would respectfully recommend another: "I Smell a Rat." What I wrote then and will repeat now is that something in this story smells. And it's not that a concerned citizen down in Abingdon tried to get Jeremiah Heaton to bow out of the race by dangling some promised reward in front of his nose. It's that Morgan Griffith may lose the election because of the (coordinated?) efforts of Rick Boucher and Jeremiah Heaton.
Bottom line? There's a story to be told here. Perhaps the Roanoke Times can see fit - some day - to tell it.
6 comments:
You know a newspaper has jumped the ethics shark when it pens and apologia for political corruption instead of investigating it.
It should be noted that The Roanoke Times has endorsed Boucher.
Boucher is the beneficiary of Heaton's antics, which seem keenly aimed at returning Boucher to Congress by smearing Boucher's conservative opponent, Morgan Griffith.
Additionally, the meeting with Heaton was documented on this site including email exchanges. This was posted well before this article. http://swvateapartyab.org/?p=217
It seems to me that Jeremiah Heaton wants to get his name in the paper and is unconcerned that, despite his claimed conservative views on abortion/Cap & Trade, etc., he's content that the result is returning Boucher to congress. Better to smite conservative Morgan Griffith for "taking away" his "opportunity to beat Rick Boucher." Wow, for JUST ONCE, could it PLEASE be about the residents of southwest Virginia? We finally have a shot at getting a seat at the table in Washington to have a conservative to speak for our pro-life, fiscal conservative, limited government values, but "the Independent" is going all in to keep that from happening.
This "Independent" running against the "career politicians" sure hit the ground running in political smear campaigning.
Would you please clarify? I thought Heaton was a tea party member trying to keep the 'dream' (for lack of better words) alive. Was he a republican that lost the primary to Griffith - then chose the independent route?
If the latter, doesn't it make some sense he would have his knife out for Griffith - and wouldn't republican voters recognize that? Hurt in the 5th had somewhat the same problem. Perhaps Heaton has a vision of a Heaton vs. Boucher match in 2012, though think it's clear Griffith will run again even if defeated.
The republican voter in the 9th seems baffling to me. Did Griffith agree to include an already defeated Heaton in a debate as the only way to debate Boucher? Has Heaton spent any serious money on the campaign and where did it come from?
Sorry for the rambling - so many questions - appreciate if you can clear any of this up for me.
"Blackmail?" What does Dan Casey feel that Heaton is being threatened with here? The truth?
If there were any ethics to be found in what masquerades as journalism today, the Roanoke Times would have determined that Heaton is a fraud after receiving the email trail I sent them weeks earlier, documenting the fact that the Southwest Virginia Tea Party in Abingdon started vetting Heaton more than a year ago and nothing about him checks out!
We did the investigation that three newspapers chose to ignore, fully documented here: www.swvateapartyab.org.
I wouldn't wrap my fish in most of the print media around here! But when they abuse their power like this guy just did, it is truly reprehensible. What an ugly time we live in.
Cathy Turner
Abingdon
Heaton was vetted early on in the campaign season by area Tea Parties and found lacking. That is why every Tea Party organization in the 9th District has publicly endorsed Griffith. Also, Heaton was NOT one of the six candidates vying for the GOP nomination. He has been an "independent" since the beginning.
I think Cathy has it right. I order for "blackmail" to have been involved, some potential harm would have had to have fallen on Heaton's person when his secret was revealed. What harm was there in the news that he had a relationship with the Bouchers that he'd not disclosed (okay, I just hit on the ethics issue).
Another point, I'm trying to put myself in Heaton's shoes. If I'd been offered support in securing a delegate seat in the legislature - knowing that I have no experience whatsoever - why wouldn't I jump at the chance? Yet he didn't. He was satisfied with his 5%?
Curious.
Post a Comment