I Support Adrian Fenty For DC Mayor Because

[Anonymous]

1. Test scores are up;

2. Crime is down;

3. He has done quite a bit to revitalize all parts of the city;

4. He has never publicly made divisive statements in which he pitted a couple of Wards against others. Candidate Gray has done this. I think unity, rather than divisiveness, is in the city's best interest.

5. He can run a 6:43 minute mile.

6. He's been contributing to this city since he was a kid -- working at Fleet Feet-- a running store owned by his parents for decades and to this present day. With his father, he often sponsored the Fun Runs held every Sunday. These runs make Fleet Feet more than just a store, but a running nerve center for the city. His family has literally invested their lives in this city.

Can anyone think of some more reasons?

[Anonymous]

Fenty has done a lot of good. There has also been some ugliness to his administration, but that is unfortunately par for the course nowadays. All in all, I'd say more harm than good, though I wonder how long-term he can continue his efforts, given that alot of this work was done with very short-term, small picture thinking (not an insult; he looked for immediate results and got them). So, I wonder about how sustainable they are down the road.

However, I take issue with #4. Can you point towards specific statements that Gray made in which he explicitly pitted Wards against each other? I know a lot has been made about certain comments and a lot of innuendo has been assumed, but I have yet to see any specific comments in which Gray pitted Wards against each other or said he was going to be eliminating or decreasing existing services to any specific Wards.

[Anonymous]

At the Ward 3 straw poll, which I attended with my husband, Gray specifically stated, and with not just a tinge of sarcasm, "I know you all are concerned with your home values, and with your childrens' education. And I'm not saying I'm against any of that; I'm not saying I'm going to take away from any of that. But don't expect any more of that once I become Mayor."

That is a verbatim quote. My husband and I just stared at each other, like we couldn't believe what we had just heard, though we were both sure we had heard it.

[Anonymous]

Oh. Except before the last sentence he said, "But I think other Wards need more help.". And the "But" which began the last sentence was actually, "So".

Now it's an exact quote of what he said.

[Anonymous]

So him saying he's "not going to take away from any of that" means... he's pitting groups against each other? If you read his words directly, he is saying that Ward 3 will maintain what it has, but other Wards will also get attention. How is that pitting Wards against each other?

This is really unfairly twisting his words. Given the corrected quote, it's just as likely his "don't expect any more of that" could be about Wards being in need of help. Please don't fall for this type of spin. It's simply false to say that Gray is pitting groups against each other, at least based on the corrected quote provided here.

That's not to say Gray is a better candidate than Fenty. But the idea that Gray pitted Wards against each other is false. And, if what Gray said is true, that certain groups were left wanting while others were well taken care of, I would argue that whomever created that situation ultimately pitted the groups against each other, not the person seeking to correct it.

[Anonymous]

To clarify my second paragraph, but I meant was that Ward might be saying that we shouldn't expect to see Wards needing help if he's elected. A tall order, obviously, but that may very well likely have been what he meant, from a direct reading of his words.

[Anonymous]

While I've heard it repeated several times now, I can't find any sources online for the quote mentioned. Are there any transcripts or other sources?

[Anonymous]

I think we should let the words speak for themselves, and let the sentences as they were stated be the best evidence of their contents.

To state that a "direct" reading of these words should be interpreted to mean that under Gray, no Wards will be wanting, for all will be swell is JUST the MOST absurdest nonsense. A straw man argument. Like saying the world is flat. Or red is blue. Or a square is a circle. (Who do I sound like now?)

[Anonymous]

You must be a horrible fisherman, because your bait simply won't get any bites. Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I've heard it repeated several times now, I can't find any sources online for the quote mentioned. Are there any transcripts or other sources?

Why would you expect to find a few sentences muttered by Mr. Gray at a meeting attended by only 350 people to be reported? Seriously. It's not as though I'm saying he tried to set the Mayor on fire, and you can't find independent corroboration for that.

I heard it. I wrote it down. My husband heard it. The not inconsiderable number of people who left after he said it heard it.

[Anonymous]

Did I say he never said it? No. But since there is obvious disagreement about what he said precisely, I am looking for 3rd party verification to determine the quote. My guess is that any quotes written down were written after they were completed (not as they were being spoken), meaning a certain margin of error exists. And given that people want to put so much stock in to this quote, I think it's only fair that we make sure we are using his actual words. Is that too much to ask?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You must be a horrible fisherman, because your bait simply won't get any bites. Troll.

You just bit, limp dick. When one engages someone to tell them they're not engaging them, they're only engaging them further.

[Anonymous]

"I know you all are concerned with your home values, and with your childrens' education. And I'm not saying I'm against any of that; I'm not saying I'm going to take away from any of that. But don't expect any more of that once I become Mayor."

-vs-

"I know you all are concerned with your home values, and with your childrens' education. And I'm not saying I'm against any of that; I'm not saying I'm going to take away from any of that. But I think other Wards need more help. So don't expect any more of that once I become Mayor."

Those are different quotes with different meanings. And they are not the clearest declarative statements of his policy, though they certainly give insight. So, there are lots of ways it can be interpreted. Because of that, it's important that we put this quote in context with the other statements and positions Gray has put out there regarding this issue. To put so much emphasis on an ultimately ambiguous statement, to me, is overreacting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You must be a horrible fisherman, because your bait simply won't get any bites. Troll.

You just bit, limp dick. When one engages someone to tell them they're not engaging them, they're only engaging them further.

I'm not getting baited by your nonsense arguments. But I'll tell you how dumb you are all day long. Why would I give that up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did I say he never said it? No. But since there is obvious disagreement about what he said precisely, I am looking for 3rd party verification to determine the quote. My guess is that any quotes written down were written after they were completed (not as they were being spoken), meaning a certain margin of error exists. And given that people want to put so much stock in to this quote, I think it's only fair that we make sure we are using his actual words. Is that too much to ask?

I'm sorry, but there is no disagreement as to what he actually said. No one has said, " No. Actually he said this [. ] -- Goose has argued that his words should be interpreted in a way most befitting to Goose, but even Goose is not disagreeing about what Gray actually did say, because Goose wasn't there. I was. My husband was.

As to your question as to whether further corroboration is too much to ask: I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer your question, as I am not a member of the media. However, I would suggest again that Mr. Gray's statement probably didn't spark the media into a reporting frenzy. If the media reported every obnoxious thing said at these town halls they wouldn't have time to report on anything else.