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Thursday, May 10, 2007
This Will Drive You Nuts, Too
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Monona
So, what would you make of a grown adult person who got so agitated about a candidate in a local election that she would actually call one of the candidate's supporters and demand that the supporter take down that candidate's yard sign or face a one-person boycott? Does anybody know anything about that? Did that really happen in Monona?
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Actually that seems rather tame compared to the antics of some of the loonies in town.
ReplyDeleteYeah? Like what?
ReplyDeleteDoug-What does a one-person boycott mean?
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous that is rather tame by local elecation standards and other things that go on.
I mean during this prevous elecation there was a lot that people did not know or refused to ackowledge about folks.
Further, there public accusations about people and in the paper that based on facts was not true.
Love, war and politics.
Yes, it does take a size 12 shoe to call your friend and say take down that sign.
I suppose all small towns are this way, but Monona sure has its share of bullies. It is impossible to be in the minority on any issue in this town, especially if you are a business owner, unless you want to endure some really personal and nasty nonsense. During the school referenda of the past couple of years businesses who put out signs supporting the referendum were threatened. pOssibly this happend to business with No signs too but they were not expressing a minority opinion. There are some very nasty and vocal people in this city with whom it is not possible to have honest disagreements over issues.
ReplyDeleteBy 'one-person boycott' I meant that this unnamed person said they would not shop at the business that had my yard sign up.
ReplyDeleteI think we are only have a handful of the real bullies, but they can do a lot of damage if they are involved in a lot of stuff and aren't called on it. Could be worse, look at Columbus - they've been in turmoil for a decade or more..
It's one thing to say that you personally are not going to patronize a business owned by someone who supports a referendum question or candidate you don't agree with. It's something entirely different to go in and demand that a sign expressing that view be taken down. Last I heard, there is still a right to free speech in this country, though there certainly seems to be a group of people in Monona who don't support it.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think those are different things. They both violate free speech. If there is something specific to the business itself that would cause one not patronize it, like they have a business practice that you don't agree with, they don't provide good service or they have been personally offensive to you, fine. But just because the owner's politcal views are different, you are telling him/her that if they express their views, you will jeopardize their livelihood. If you want a healthy business community in your town, that's not the way to get it. What it encourages is businesses who are not personally invested because it is too hard to live in the same town they do business in. It's not like any business owner is expressing support for the Ku Klux Klan or some sort of morally repugnant thing, it's a just a matter of opinion on local issues. I can't believe how spoiled some of the people in our town are to beleive that any issue our city is facing is all that important. Some of these individuals need to spend a little time somewhere in the world where life really is tough and there really are bad things going on that are worth getting all worked up about.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago (15 or so?) there was an anonymous negative mailing about a City Council candidate. I don't remember if it was ever determined who paid for it.
ReplyDeleteThe Monona small town mind set is silly and quaint in a Peyton Place sort of way.
If we were as powerful and important as we wish we were, we'd be able to get rid of that road block on Coldspring.
It was never determined who did that although a complaint was filed with the D.A. Rumor had it that a prominent local person (now deceased) was behind it. As I recall it was suggestively or implicitly anti-Semitic. He was from Illinois, young, and fairly new to Monona.
ReplyDeleteBullying-do any the following count or sound familar:
ReplyDelete1. A city "father" serving as a poll watcher staring at people, whispering about them and then being asked to leave a voting area he/she was not acting in a manner that was appropriate around poll watching (let only any set of ethical standards we might discuss).
bullying?
I would say yep as well as poor taste, sad and ethical standards that are low.
2. Candidate for political office saying vote ONLY for me-pls VOTE once not twice or three times or the other person might get in.....
bullyin?
yes.
Do we need more?
I think these are worse then the current example on the table.
Do you want more or do these qualify?
Well, that's incorrect, as usual. This purported episode is about me, if I recognize it after the gross distortion employed in the comment. At the spring 2006 school referendum election the 'vote yes' group, of which I was a part, had poll watchers. I was a poll watcher.
ReplyDeleteAn elections worker who did not understand the election law thought I should not be there. I tried explaining it was perfectly legal and standard practice to have poll watchers. She still did not get it, so I asked Ken VM, the elections judge to come over and clarify the rule. He agreed with me without hesitation.
And I was not staring or whispering about voters; that's just an absurd lie. I was standing by myself and not talking to anyone (other than chit-chat with other elections workers when they were not busy) until the elections worker (incorrectly) questioned my right to be there.
BTW, beside the head elections judge and the mistaken poll worker, the only other direct witness to this exchange was - wait for it - MA Lictfeld.
As for asking people only to vote for me, if people asked I said I was only voting for me because of our at-large voting system. I did not go out of my way to push this idea, but it's certainly a legitimate strategy. There was an implicit understanding that a lot of people were going to vote for Bob Miller and me and I wasn't going to discourage that approach. Anyway, I knew Bob was going to be one of the top 3 and as much as I may like Dale and Jeff personally I generally don't agree with them politically.
Fact: Litchfield never told me that story. I was there and never met u. However, I knew of your stance and knew who you were. I was offended you were there and did not make me feel to great. Frankly, it left a pit in my stomach. You do not think it was anymore or any less bullying then take down that sign....?
ReplyDeleteI was not talking about you telling people that...figured you did, but others. This is not a bully-though. Someone who not only tells the voter who to vote for but who to vote against?
define:
1. blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. (maybe applies)
2. to act the bully toward; intimidate; domineer.
(This applies to your example and both of mine.)
3. to be loudly arrogant and overbearing. (and once again...your example and mine.)
Or is MOnonaDOug that bullying only applies when it is toward you and not about you?
just a thought.
Well, this is just getting silly. Do you understand why campaigns have poll watchers? Mainly it is to check to see whether people that you have identified as supporters have voted. If it gets late in the day and they have not voted, then you can call them and remind to make sure and vote. People who are neutral do not serve as poll watchers. I'm nonplussed that me standing there with a sheet of paper scratching off names would intimidate anyone.
ReplyDeleteI did not demand that anyone do anything, unlike the person who demanded that business owner take down my yard sign. Of course, I suggested that people vote for me or even only for me if they felt strongly about it. I was the lone proven progressive candidate. Aren't we supposed to have politics in our politics?
"Aren't we supposed to have politics in our politics?"
ReplyDeleteFair Question-yes we are.
Jew baiting-agree totally wrong.
However, how are your examples any worse than the two examples-I have given (they are different)??? I find my examples offensive, stupid and totally unfair. You state politics-fair is fair. I may buy what you are selling on that count.
Yet, I must tell you the orignal examples in this thread strikes me as...yes-tame and a little silly
I am still left with: you are offended because it about you and your sign.
I don't get why this person thinks You are (Doug is) offended. I don't read it that way, at all.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a free speech issue. Isn't local politics supposed to be about compromising and listening all sides. By the people, for the people, etc.
It is supposed to be non partisan.
I don't agree with Jeff Wiswell's politics, but I feel a little bit bad that he lost. I wouldn't boycott a business because they choose to have one of his signs.
I have this impression because of these two statements:
ReplyDelete"This Will Drive You Nuts, Too"
" think we are only have a handful of the real bullies, but they can do a lot of damage if they are involved in a lot of stuff and aren't called on it. "
curious why we can't call out all this strange behavior regardless of who you are
ReplyDeleteseems like if we are calling out certain behaviors we should just call them all out..
is there anything else we should "call out?" people...
business....
I would like to know what businesses were threatened with a boycott, so that I can go patronize them!
ReplyDeleteagree with tame.
ReplyDeletehow about:
vandalism
sign stealing and destroying
egging of houses and cars
vandalism
do you need to hear more?