Bitter House race boils over (TX)

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF ^ | Wednesday, August 18, 2004 | By Chuck Lindell

[Arrowhead1952]

Disagreement over yard signs turns to full-scale battle between men vying for Dallas-area congressional seat

By Chuck Lindell

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

The post-redistricting showdown between Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and Democratic U.S. Rep. Martin Frost collapsed into a fit of name-calling and vitriol Tuesday, with Sessions' campaign labeled "immature" and Frost's tagged as "bizarre."

What started as a snarky disagreement over campaign yard signs erupted into accusations of political dirty tricks and attempted intimidation, then erupted again when Frost's campaign revealed a 2-year-old police report indicating that Sessions had pulled up an opponent's yard signs during his last campaign.

With that, the gloves were off in this high-stakes, high-dollar Dallas-area race.

"Pete Sessions is not up to the maturity level that a congressman should be up to," Frost campaign spokesman Justin Kitsch said. "He was willing to do this against an underfunded opponent last election cycle, and it shows he will stoop to even lower, sillier and more immature pranks this cycle."

Sessions was merely removing signs placed illegally along a roadside and was not ticketed, cited or even investigated by Dallas police in 2002, said Chris Homan, Sessions' campaign manager.

Homan instead accused Frost of trying to direct attention away from what he called a dirty trick gone bad -- also involving yard signs.

"He is almost sociopathic at this point in how he is trying to cover his tracks," Homan said.

That this battle can spiral over yard signs lays bare the deep partisan animosities boiling in the race.

Frost vs. Sessions is the nation's most expensive congressional race to date, with about $6 million raised. Democrats have rallied to the aid of Frost, who has served 13 terms, since he was targeted for extinction in last year's Texas redistricting battles. Republicans, hoping to validate the political and financial costs of redrawing the state's 32 congressional districts, have been similarly motivated to help Sessions gain a fifth term.

The fight began Monday when Sessions took his 10-year-old son Alex, who has Down syndrome, to school and found Frost signs plastered on a fence, playground equipment and the school building.

"Martin Frost put his signs on there in what is a bizarre and disturbing act to intimidate Pete and an elementary school child with a disability . . . saying in essence, 'We know where your kid goes to school,' " Homan said.

Frost's campaign countered with its own accusation of political dirty tricks, noting that hundreds of Frost yard signs had been stolen from throughout the district.

"(The Sessions campaign) stole our campaign signs over the weekend and put them up on the school grounds. They alerted the media in the morning and turned it into a photo op," Kitsch said.

Sessions denied the charge Monday, demanding that Frost provide proof -- and that's where the story sat, until Tuesday, when Frost campaign chairman Marc Stanley gave reporters copies of a 2002 Dallas police incident report.

"Here's solid evidence that Pete Sessions was not only willing but has participated in this childish activity," said Kitsch, who added that an anonymous tipster led the Frost campaign to the report.

According to the report, an officer saw Sessions and another man uproot several election signs for Democrat Pauline Dixon. Upon pulling over Sessions at 10:19 p.m., the officer noted about 10 signs in the pickup's bed.

"(Sessions) was asked if Pauline Dixon was aware that he was pulling up her signs and (Sessions) replied, 'No,' " the police report said.

The narrative ends: "Both (men) were released at the scene and the signs remained in the bed of the truck."

Dallas police Sgt. Gil Cerda said the document was a "miscellaneous information report," a routine piece of paperwork providing "documentation of what the officer observed. There was no legal repercussion from it."

Sessions easily beat Dixon in the 2002 race.

Two years later, both campaigns say they are ready to tackle the real issues of the race. They should have plenty of opportunity during five scheduled debates that begin Sept. 12.

[Arrowhead1952]

Texas election squabble ping.

[Redbob]

"Frost vs. Sessions is the nation's most expensive congressional race to date this year, with about $6 million raised."

OK, that's corrected now.

[bpjam]

Frost is a sissy puke. He was behind the hijacking of the redistricting in Texas in 2001-2. Front engineered all of the walk-outs and the court-ordered stay on the 2000 redistricting to keep it the same way it was when Frost gerrymandered the state back in 1991. He deserves to go down just like David Bonior did. Buh Bye Frosty boy.

[Arrowhead1952]

Buh Bye Frosty boy.

I just wish and hope Lloyd Doggett gets the bye, bye as well. Unfortunately, too many libs, along with many Republicans will vote to keep him.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post and ping.

What a whiner Frost is!

Bitter House race boils over (TX)

Excerpt:

The post-redistricting showdown between Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and Democratic U.S. Rep. Martin Frost collapsed into a fit of name-calling and vitriol Tuesday, with Sessions' campaign labeled "immature" and Frost's tagged as "bizarre."

What started as a snarky disagreement over campaign yard signs erupted into accusations of political dirty tricks and attempted intimidation, then erupted again when Frost's campaign revealed a 2-year-old police report indicating that Sessions had pulled up an opponent's yard signs during his last campaign.

With that, the gloves were off in this high-stakes, high-dollar Dallas-area race.

"Pete Sessions is not up to the maturity level that a congressman should be up to," Frost campaign spokesman Justin Kitsch said. "He was willing to do this against an underfunded opponent last election cycle, and it shows he will stoop to even lower, sillier and more immature pranks this cycle."

Sessions was merely removing signs placed illegally along a roadside and was not ticketed, cited or even investigated by Dallas police in 2002, said Chris Homan, Sessions' campaign manager.

Homan instead accused Frost of trying to direct attention away from what he called a dirty trick gone bad -- also involving yard signs.

"He is almost sociopathic at this point in how he is trying to cover his tracks," Homan said.

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[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[lentulusgracchus]

Sessions was merely removing signs placed illegally along a roadside and was not ticketed, cited or even investigated by Dallas police in 2002, said Chris Homan, Sessions' campaign manager.

It's illegal in many or all Texas jurisdictions to place campaign signs on public property, public rights-of-way, and utility poles and property. Anyone who wishes to, can remove any or all such signs with impunity.

[keithtoo]

Separated at birth???

[1L]

>>"(The Sessions campaign) stole our campaign signs over the weekend and put them up on the school grounds. They alerted the media in the morning and turned it into a photo op," Kitsch said.<<

This is typical Martin Frost. He's actually stupid enough to believe this happened. Proof? The only proof needed is he thinks it happened, so it did.

I live in this district and there are numerous Frost signs (but even more Sessions signs), and no Frost signs that I've seen, to my knowledge, have been tampered with. However, we have a liquor election going on next month, and our signs in opposition to liquor sales have been stolen.

[Smartaleck]

Doesn't that pic just make you want to slap him? What a pathetic petty little person.

[MeekOneGOP]

It's illegal in many or all Texas jurisdictions to place campaign signs on public property, public rights-of-way, and utility poles and property. Anyone who wishes to, can remove any or all such signs with impunity.

And yet the media FAILS to bring that up in the article. Typical.

Thanks for the info!

[MeekOneGOP]

LOLOL!

[MeekOneGOP]

Oh, yeah. That picture is perfect to show the real Frosty .....

[Mamzelle]

Not that it'll happen anytime soon--but the Texas rep I'd most like to see kicked out is Lloyd "PBA" Doggett.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

It's illegal in many or all Texas jurisdictions to place campaign signs on public property, public rights-of-way, and utility poles and property. Anyone who wishes to, can remove any or all such signs with impunity.

That is correct and I do it all the time. When confronted, I give out my business card and tell them to sue me if it's against the law for me to remove illegal signs.

That said, a candidate and his family should never pull one up unless it's on their own property. Get a curmudgeon like me to do it ...... Every campaign need a Curmudgeon to do this type work ...... contact your Local Curmudgeons Union and hire one today.

[altura]

For me it's ole Martin Frost, crooked as a snake.

And I get a chance to vote AGAINST him for the first time (since redistricting)

It will be my number two priority in November.

A couple of blocks from me are two Frost yard signs the size of billboards right across the street from each other.

I've never seen yard signs that big. I would be ticked if I was a neighbor. I am ticked because I have to drive by them several times a day.

[af_vet_rr]

What started as a snarky disagreement over campaign yard signs erupted into accusations of political dirty tricks and attempted intimidation, then erupted again when Frost's campaign revealed a 2-year-old police report indicating that Sessions had pulled up an opponent's yard signs during his last campaign.

They both need to grow up, and they should have done it long before the police were involved two years ago, and long before they took it to the playground (pun intended).

To be honest though, it's no surprise that a democrat in Texas would get nailed by the police over something like pulling up signs - they appear to have gotten progressively worse over the past few election cycles.

Pulling up signs is a sign of desperation and/or immaturity, or both.

[esarlls3]

Not that it'll happen anytime soon--but the Texas rep I'd most like to see kicked out is Lloyd "PBA" Doggett.

If you want to see Doggett retire, get on board behind Air Force Reservist and Gulf War Veteran Becky Armendariz Klein. She needs cash to get her message out against Doggett's warchest.

[af_vet_rr]

Whoops, brain fart - it was the Republican nailed for pulling up signs in 2000. Well, I still stand behind what I said - it's desperate and immature, no matter who does it.