Conservative Kaloogian Endorsed by Howard Jarvis Taxpayers PAC in Race for Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Contact: Sal Russo – (916) 441-3734

(SAN DIEGO) – Republican Congressional Candidate, Howard Kaloogian (website: www.KaloogianForCongress.com ), has been endorsed in his campaign for U.S. Congress by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC.

“We appreciate your outstanding record of defending Proposition 13 and the interests of taxpayers. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the years ahead.”

Kaloogian has already attracted the support of the National Tax Limitation Committee and fiscal conservative leader, Steve Forbes, editor of Forbes Magazine and a former Republican presidential candidate.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is known as one of the leading champions for taxpayers’ rights in the nation. The group’s endorsement carries significant clout. Recent recipients of the HJTA PAC endorsement include Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2002 Republican Nominee for Governor Bill Simon, State Senator Tom McClintock and the recent victor in the 48th Congressional District race Special Election – Republican State Senator John Campbell.

“It truly is a blessing and an honor to have the support of one of the most respected organizations in California history. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is legendary for standing up for taxpayers and homeowners. Without them many of our citizens would have been forced out of their homes because of spiraling high property taxes. They changed the political culture to make tax increases an option that most politicians now avoid at all costs. I look forward to working with them to tackle the out-of-control spending at the federal level and to instill a climate that favors lower taxes,” said Howard Kaloogian.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers' rights, including the right to limited taxation, the right to vote on tax increases and the right of economical, equitable and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

Photo by candidate not taken in Baghdad

By Bill Ainsworth UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 30, 2006

SACRAMENTO – During his congressional campaign, Howard Kaloogian has portrayed himself as an aggressive conservative willing to go the extra mile, or in this case, 7,000 miles, to show that the war in Iraq is going well.

But a funny thing happened on the way back from Baghdad – at least according to Kaloogian: His group stopped in Istanbul, their pictures got confused and now he's at the center of a national Internet photo scandal.

Web photo questioned

For weeks, Kaloogian's campaign Web site featured a photo of a peaceful city block to help make his case that things are going well in Iraq.

“We took this photo of Baghdad while we were in Iraq,” the caption accompanying the photo read. “Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be.”

There was one problem with the photo. It wasn't Baghdad. It was a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey.

Kaloogian's explanation that it was an innocent mix-up isn't being bought by bloggers across the nation who uncovered the bogus photo.

Some of them believe he's guilty of what he's accused the mainstream media of doing: slanting the news to fit his own beliefs.

“The simplest explanation is that he lied to prove that Baghdad is this wonderful suburban safe place,” said Tamara Baker, a St. Paul, Minn., resident who followed the story on liberal Internet blogs.

After he was snared in an Internet frenzy, Kaloogian acknowledged the problem yesterday and took the photo down from his Web site.

“They used a picture that was wrong. There's nothing sinister about it,” Kaloogian said.

Kaloogian, a former assemblyman, is the founder of a group called Move America Forward, dedicated to supporting the Iraq War.

In July, he took a 10-day trip to publicize what he said was the positive news out of Iraq, now the scene of daily sectarian violence.

During his trip, he announced his candidacy for the 50th Congressional District seat.

Kaloogian said the mistake occurred because some of the people on the trip, which included conservative radio talk-show hosts, went home through Istanbul. All the group members pooled their photos. Kaloogian said his Web master selected a photo of Istanbul.

Bloggers began questioning the photo Tuesday night.

It didn't look like Iraq.

None of the signs were in Arabic. A woman was wearing Western clothes. Billboards were advertising Western products.

The issue bounced from blog to blog, mostly among liberals.

Finally, yesterday morning, a participant at the DailyKos blog found a photograph confirming that the photo was taken in a suburb of Istanbul.

Joshua Marshall, operator of a center/left blog called Talking Points Memo, said the incident undermines Kaloogian's view that the mainstream media isn't telling the truth and needs correcting from conservatives.

“He's saying, 'Believe me, I've been there.' But it makes him seem like a joke,” Marshall said.

The incident shows the strength of bloggers, he said.

“It shows the amazing power of distributed journalism, where you get a few hundred people researching this at the same time and someone comes up with the answer right away,” Marshall said.

Kaloogian isn't just getting criticism from bloggers on the left.

Last month, Matt Rexroad, a Sacramento Republican consultant who operates a blog called Cal Races, criticized Kaloogian for inaccurately listing an endorsement from the California Pro-Life Council.

Rexroad once worked for state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside, who is running for the same 50th District seat.

Kaloogian, in an interview, admitted that the California Pro-Life Council had not endorsed him and he removed the endorsement listing.

Rexroad, who served in the Army in Iraq, also blasted Kaloogian, saying he announced his candidacy on the road from Baghdad to Kuwait City.

“As someone that has driven that highway many times – the last thing you need to be doing along that stretch of Iraq is announcing your candidacy for Congress. Keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel. The military personnel protecting him weren't there as security for his little mobile press conference,” Rexroad wrote.

Kaloogian said he announced his candidacy from his hotel.

What is With this Howard Kaloogian Dude?

False endorsements Kaloogian's campaign has been plagued with at least four false endorsements * In February 2006, Kaloogian's website falsely claimed the California Pro-Life Council endorsed Kaloogian, and the council forced the campaign to remove the "endorsement".[8] * Another claim for endorsement by the conservative Center for Reclaiming America (active in the Terry Schiavo feeding tube petition drive) also proved false — the organization stated they don't endorse candidates. [9] * In March, campaign literature and Kaloogian's website suggested State Senator Tom McClintock endorsed Kaloogian with the two-year old quote "Howard Kaloogian has distinguished himself as one of the most principled, courageous and steadfast conservative leaders in California."[10] In a statement McClinctock stated "It has come to my attention that a campaign mailing on behalf of Howard Kaloogian includes a picture and quote from me that suggests that I have endorsed his candidacy for U. S. Congress. I have not."[11]. * State Senator Bill Morrow, who is running against Kaloogian, is also challenging an implied endorsement by him of Kaloogian on the same mailer and webpage.[12][13]

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