From the Harris campaign via the WMD Mailbag:Zanesville, Ohio (March 8, 2006) – Republican primary challenger James Brodbelt Harris, CFA, averted being a target on September 11th, 2001 since he was scheduled on that day to attend his late afternoon Corporate Governance Committee meeting held at the New York Society of Securities Analysts’ (NYSSA) headquarters at the World Trade Center. Though he nearly missed being targeted by Arab terrorists by approximately 8 hours, Harris recalls, “I was not a victim of terrorism on September 11th, but many Americans have had and will have close calls with our horrific enemies, and we must remain vigilant about fighting terrorism.” Partly because of his experiences in New York, for example, Harris supports the USA Patriot Act and anti-terror funding to all Americans, especially high value targets like Washington D.C. and our military and economic centers. Harris has criticized the incumbent, Congressman Ney, for voting against the Patriot Act in 2001 and 2005 and for voting against funding the needs of targets like New York and other places in America, which angered Gov. Pataki, Mayor Guiliani and Mayor Bloomberg.It is getting out of hand now... There has to be a better way to handle these issues than this...
On March 8, 2006, Ney’s [campaign] spokesman Brian Walsh attacked Harris for living in New York attempting to undercut Harris’s enormous roots in Central Ohio and in Ohio agriculture. Harris is an 8th generation Ohioan and farm bureau member twice related to an Ohio Governor, who participates in his family’s Ohio Century Farm owned by his father, a former Ohio Farm Bureau county President and a former Ohio state Director of ASCS (now FSA). Harris replies:
“The Ney campaign is pathetically trying to hide my challenge to Ney’s votes against the Patriot Act by smearing my Ohio roots and New York City. Ney has a long history of smearing NYC and foreigners, whether French or even Mexicans in Ohio, even though Ney is an immigrant to Ohio, and even though New York is a great American city. I remind everyone that New Yorkers are patriotic Americans whose firemen and cops are American heroes and whose citizens bore the brunt of our war with terrorism. I am THE CENTRAL OHIO NATIVE with residency in Central Ohio summing over 20 years, either in Franklin County or now in Muskingum County on the eastern edge of the metro area, whereas Mr. Ney has lived in Central Ohio for less than a year, moving from his gerrymandered bit of Belmont County on the border of West Virginia, the state where he was born and from where he immigrated into Ohio. I am proud that I worked almost a decade in New York in private business and have brought back my skills to my native state of Ohio, where my family has farmed continuously for over 200 years in the same township named in 1805 by my Ohio pioneer ancestor Judge Robert Lytle, a veteran of the American Revolution. My German ancestors immigrated to Southeastern central Ohio in the 1820’s and the Brodbelt family bought a farm on the National Road in the 1840’s. My Ohio roots are so broad that I even have an Ohio Amish ancestor, which could be pretty cool if I were elected, since Central Ohio’s rural 18th District is the MOST AMISH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT in America. I’m twice related to an Ohio Governor who led an Ohio brigade at Gettysburg on Cemetery Hill, and strongly feel that we Ohio natives must stand up to our opponents who only offer fear, cronyism or stagnation. Perhaps I am too plain spoken, being the g.g.g.g.g. grandson of a veteran of the Revolution and Ohio pioneer named John McCain, but I shall never allow any politician to get away with questioning my enormous Ohio roots.”
Mark's Remarks
For the love of mike, I'm more Ohio than you are? Come on...and using 9/11 to appeal to voters like this, how trashy and trite! This is horrible...I mean, if I would have been hired three months earlier, then had the senior trip delayed by three months, we may have been touring the Twin Towers when the attacks happened. Come on, this is ridiculos campaigning, and more Jerry Springer than legitimate campaigning.
