Diana Maldonado Now Masquerading as an Independent or Something

Oh my, the Diana Maldonado campaign has finally figured out it's not such a good thing to be an Obama Democrat this year.  The latest campaign flyer from the beleaguered incumbent not only implies she is fiscally conservative, but actually claims she is the "Independent" voice.  Furthermore, that bad, bad word "Democrat" has been stricken from the entire piece, front and back.  What a charade.

For starters, a recent poll showed that the number one issue for independent voters this year is....Obamacare.  Specifically, they hate it.  This is a huge problem for Representative Maldonado; even though she couldn't vote for it, she sent a very public letter to the President in March 2010, urging him to go ahead and force Obamacare through Congress despite overwhelming public opposition.  Not a popular move amongst 'Independents.' 

Another huge problem for Maldonado is her list of supporters; most notably Annie's List , a 'liberal-progressive' group so controversial, that even the Williamson County Democrat Party Chair spoke out against them.  In addition to the radically pro-abortion Annie's List, Maldonado also takes support from Blue Texas, a left-wing, pro-Democrat PAC, as well as other liberal-progressive groups. 

Of course this isn't the only charade Maldonado and her supporters are attempting; in addition to last week's awkward debate faux pas, Lefty blog Burnt Orange Report mistakenly claimed a poll showed her leading by 50-42 against Larry Gonzales.  However, author Karl-Thomas-Musselman had to backtrack since the 50-42 number wasn't a poll after all.   Here is the exchange:

Does a recent poll show Diana Maldonado leading her Republican challenger 50%-42%? It's possible. Maybe those on Sen. Kirk Watson's Online Townhall yesterday with Rep. Maldanado know more- I missed the call.


CORRECTION: Alas, those weren't poll numbers, but instead Rep. Maldonado's time of 50min:42sec for her 5 mile run. Too bad the title wasn't "Maldonado Running Strong in District 52"!

Well, duh.  Maldonado could not get to 50% in a pro-Dem year, only a fool would believe she is somehow stronger in a pro-Conservative year.  A better title would've been "Maldonado Running from Her Votes." 

Curiously, the mea culpa hasn't stopped lefties like Harvey Kronberg from running with the rumor that Maldonado is leading, although he is careful to add "No, we haven't seen the poll."  So much for the credibility of the Quorum Report. 

Diana Maldonado can try to use campaign literature to hide her affiliations, but she won't be able to hide from her voting record and actions as a legislator. Educated voters will realize that Maldonado and her fellow Democrats are part of the problem, and the solution will be to declare their independence by hiring a new State Rep for House District 52.

Maldonado Is Weaving a Tangled Web: UPDATED

Apparently the Diana Maldonado campaign had to do some quick scrambling Wednesday in response to the revelation that the Texas House District 52 Representative has been avoiding open debate on political issues. By Wednesday night, they were sending out notices to lefty bloggers that included a copy of Maldonado's Calendar, which now shows scheduled debates. Their take?  “See? See? She had it right there on her calendar!”

Unfortunately a copy of an electronic calendar doesn't prove much. The syndicated Lynn Wooley radio show invited Representative Maldonado to debate with Gonzales on air, but she claimed she was unavailable for the initial date. The show then offered 3 alternate dates, but she claimed to be busy on all three. Her campaign is now saying the show was too “Tea Party,” but that does not explain why she declined the Austin Community College invitation for a televised debate. The Round Rock Chamber Debate Diana suddenly has on her electronic calendar for October 5, is actually tentatively scheduled for October 14 during lunch at the Wingate, and has not been finalized. The wrangling over the terms of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber has been going on inconclusively for weeks.

Puzzled by the fact that he had never even heard about the debate at Southwestern University to which Diana claims she agreed, GOP candidate Larry Gonzales actually picked up the telephone to call the university to try to determine when and where this debate will take place. Officials at Southwestern were completely baffled by the question, and stated that nothing was on the college calendar. However, when Gonzales finally got in touch with the events coordinator, he was told that the College Democrats had contacted scheduling on Wednesday night to schedule a debate, while the Maldonado campaign is claiming it has been scheduled for weeks. The press release from the Gonzales campaign calling for debates arrived in my mailbox at 11:57AM Wednesday morning.

It gets better. The scheduler tells Larry that “one candidate has confirmed and they've talked to a least one other one,” and “they have talked to Gonzales.” Neither Larry nor anyone with his campaign have ever been contacted by anyone regarding a debate at Southwestern.

The truth is that Larry Gonzales is willing to have an unscripted debate anytime, anywhere, while Representative Maldonado has been evasive and/or making diva-demands regarding parameters. When called out for her tactics, it seems Diana Maldonado and her handlers scrambled together an elaborate deception to try to make Larry Gonzales look like a liar. Pretty slimy stuff.

Happily, the result of all this, is that now Diana Maldonado will have to agree to some real debates. I'm sure the Voters of House District 52 will appreciate the chance to get beyond the pre-worded statements into serious discussion of the issues.

Update:
News 8 Austin covered this story this evening, and confirmed that no debate had been scheduled at Southwestern University.  Also of interest: regarding Larry Gonzales' request for unscripted debates,   "Maldonado admitted she preferred less divisive settings."  Of course she does.

Representative Maldonado Afraid to Debate?

In the recent Politifact/Austin American Statesman article verifying that Democrat Representative Diana Maldonado is having to hire 'volunteers' through Craigslist, the Maldonado campaign claimed that Larry Gonzales was not willing to discuss the issues.  Ironically, Larry Gonzales has been trying unsuccessfully for months to get Maldonado to debate him on issues important to the District.  She has refused to do so unless she is given the questions in advance, which only further substantiates the rumor that she cannot think for herself and is completely reliant on handlers to script every appearance.  Below is the release from the Gonzales campaign: 

Gonzales to Maldonado: Let’s Debate…Unscripted
Gonzales Proposes Three Issue-Themed Debates

Williamson County – Republican nominee for House District 52, Larry Gonzales, today challenged liberal incumbent Diana Maldonado to three debates focused on key themes.


“Elections are about choices on issues that matter, and I want the voters of District 52 to have ample opportunity to see the differences between a small business owner and an out of touch liberal who represents Austin instead of Williamson County,” said Gonzales. “Let’s stand before the people of this district with no scripts or canned remarks, and let the voters decide who offers the best vision for creating jobs and opportunity in Williamson County.”


Gonzales proposes an initial debate about the subject most on the mind of voters: jobs and fiscal discipline, hosted by a local business organization. Gonzales proposes a second debate on education, including higher education, hosted either by a local PTA or on the grounds of a local campus. Gonzales proposes a third debate on border security, and the challenges posed by illegal immigration, hosted by a local Tea Party.


Gonzales added, “Diana Maldonado has had five opportunities to stand with me and debate the issues, but has declined every one of them – one of them was to be televised,” said Gonzales. “Clearly, trying to work out a debate schedule privately did not work, so we’re making our request public.”


The debates and forums that Diana Maldonado has declined are the following: The Lynn Woolley syndicated talk radio show; the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (we were told she agreed only if she had the questions seven days in advance); Texas P2 (which is comprised of business and industry) on two separate occasions; and Austin Community College, which offered to televise the debate and rerun it before Election Day.


"In order to be transparent, honest and accountable to voters, debates are crucial. They deserve to hear their state representative defend her record, and how my vision for the future contrasts with that record," said Gonzales “Let’s give voters an unfiltered account of where we stand, and how we will lead. I’m ready. Is she?”

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