Posted on 07/04/2010 6:05:46 PM PDT by Born Conservative
U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski is being criticized again for comments he made, this time on a local radio show, but his campaign fired back on Thursday.
Last week the 13-term Democrat from Nanticoke was criticized and attacked for his statements about minorities and “defective” people. On Thursday, while appearing as a guest on WILK Radio’s “Webster and Nancy Show,” Kanjorski was asked if he was going to hold any public town hall meetings with his constituents.
“We will do everything we can to meet with people, but I’m not going to set myself up for, you know, nuts to hit me with a camera.”
He said often times “people can’t resist changing what you said or taking things out of context.” He said these “snippets” lead to “distortions.”
“I’m not going to arm my opponent with a baseball bat,” Kanjorski said later in the interview.
Kanjorski’s Republican opponent, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, leveled criticism against the congressman.
“Paul Kanjorski has been in Congress for 26 years and his response to our region’s 10 percent unemployment rate is to call his constituents ‘nuts’ and to attack the city of Hazleton,” Barletta said. “Do these so-called ‘nuts’ who attend town meetings fall into Kanjorski’s ‘defective people’ category?”
Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski’s campaign spokesman, fired back, saying the congressman stands by his comments made on WILK, “including the ones about Barletta’s sorry record as mayor.”
“With the reference to ‘nuts,’ he (Kanjorski) meant a small number of extreme political opponents who come to disrupt town meetings solely for the purpose of scoring political points they can register on YouTube or the Internet to inflict damage and embarrass the congressman and not to the people who come to those meetings to discuss issues and gather information,” Mitchell said. “He meant nothing disparaging by his comments.”
Mitchell said Kanjorski has held face-to-face town meetings for 26 years “that usually had crowds of 20-30 people a meeting.”
“When we hold our tele-town meetings, we speak to thousands of people,” Mitchell said. “It is simply better to communicate with our constituents this way.”
Kanjorski, 73, is opposed by Barletta, 54, in the 11th Congressional District race. Kanjorski also attacked Barletta’s record as Hazleton’s mayor – something he has refrained from doing so far in the campaign.
Kanjorski said he would be happy to answer any questions Barletta has, but only after Barletta tells him a few things. Kanjorski wants Barletta to tell him:
• Why Hazleton city is near bankruptcy.
• Why Hazleton city looks “as bad as it does.”
• Why Barletta wants to sell the city water authority.
• Why Barletta allows hazardous waste to enter his city “polluting the population.” Kanjorski was likely referring to dredged material being brought in from East Coast waterways used to fill abandoned mines and the former city dump. Barletta has said that when the project is completed, an amphitheater will be built on the site.
“Perhaps Mr. Kanjorski should be worried about job creation and stopping Washington’s reckless spending instead of profiling people and continuing his negative campaign,” Barletta said in response. “I think most people would prefer it if the congressman spent more time doing his job and less time attacking everyone.”
Barletta said Kanjorski won’t hold town hall meetings because he is afraid of “nuts to hit me with a camera and ask stupid questions.”
“Kanjorski is the one who paid a man with a camera $10,000 to follow me and my family around for five months in 2008,” Barletta said. “Kanjorski’s campaign manager (Mitchell) admitted this in a Times Leader story in November 2008.”
Tory Mazzola, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Kanjorski seems to have plenty of time to spend with “Wall Street lobbyists,” but no time for town hall meetings with voters.
“Today, he started to explain why,” Mazzola said. “He apparently considers his constituents ‘nuts’ who ask ‘stupid questions.’”
The entire radio interview is here
Ping
Here’s hoping the third time is a charm for Barletta. Kanjorski is the epitome of an out of touch arrogant Democrat.
I hope Barletta can pick this one up.
I think he ran pretty close two years ago, didn’t he?
You Pennsyltuckians sure do manage to send some real pips to congress. I guess I shouldn’t brag much. Both of our NH critters are embarrassing at best.
He only missed by 4 percentage points. He can do it this time, and I think he will.
Lou is a great guy but maybe the people in PA are just totally brain dead. Kaj is a POS.
Since “We the People” all are considered nuts and defective, I’m guessing this means no one will be meeting with him. Unless of course their check books are solid.
Thanks,I’ve contributed to the Mayor and will do in the future.
The people of this Pennsylvania district have a patriotic duty to vote the incumbent nut job out of office. Based on his comments he is an intrenched arrogant SOB who holds the people in low regard.
Congresskook ping
Retire Kanjorski, Vote for Lou
Here’s a wonderful link you might want to pass on - takes less than 2 minutes to see - and worth every second:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR6FDNNC8gI
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