Attack Dogs after Jay Ovittore

This morning, Yes Weekly, a newspaper serving the Greensboro/Triad area published a whiny little rant from columnist Jim Longworth, who has declared Democratic candidate for NC-06, Jay Ovittore, unworthy of air time on his little TV show "Triad Today." Never mind that most of the 6th district has never heard of Longworth or Triad Today - to my mind, his refusal to give equal time to a candidate if he so requests may actually be a violation of NC Election Law. That is something I will check into when I get home.

What is Longworth's complaint? He notes that in an interview with the News and Record, Jay said:

Noting that Coble had missed two votes on August 4 and 5, Ovittore told the Greensboro News and Record, "I noticed him (Coble) leaving early at times...maybe it was past his bed time".

Longworth incorrectly quoted the article, which was written by Mark Binker and published on Dec. 23. The quote from the article was

"I have noticed him leaving early at times," said Jay Ovittore, pointing to a spate of votes Coble missed on Aug. 4 and 5 this year before Congress' traditional summer recess. "Maybe it was past his bedtime or he had a hot date."

After speaking with Jay, I understand that this was a not a complete quote, either. Jay told Binker that he didn't think that age was a factor in running for Congress. "Fred Astaire danced until the day he died," but that Coble had missed 22 votes in August, and was often seen leaving committee meetings early - especially crucial the crucial Armed Forces Committee. By the way, one of the votes the Coble missed was the Protect America Act, otherwise known as the FISA amendment. As constituent, I had written to Coble to ask him to vote against this bill. He didn't even show up.

Whether it was Binker or an editor who left part of the quote out, I can't say. However, Longworth has turned a straightforward Ovittore comment into something snide and ugly.

Anyone who has spoken to Jay knows that he speaks his mind and will not mince words - a quality I admire and with which I can identify. Longworth thought that it was a "mean-spirited joke". I don't think it was. It sure got me looking into Coble's record. Age may or may not have anything to do with it, but I think "Our Congressman, Howard Coble", may be burning out. During the 107th Congress, he missed only .4% of the votes. During the 108th, he missed 1.7%. During the 109th, he missed 3.2%, and now, during the 110th, he has already missed 5%. (Source: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/) I don't know about you, but I see a pattern. If I had an employee whose work attendance had declined at that rate, I would want to know why.

Wait a minute. I do have a work employee whose work attendance has declined at that rate. Mr. Coble, care to explain yourself?

Jay Ovittore knows what it is to have to show up in order to get paid, and he understands that when you're sent to Washington, your number 1 job is to be on the floor to represent your constituents when a bill is being voted on. I don't care if the bill would have failed or passed without you - if you're my Congressman, and you didn't show up, my voice had no chance of being heard. Representative, my foot.

Longworth further added insult to injury when he finished his hit piece with

I'd rather have someone representing me who is 76 and has the energy of a 25-year-old, than someone who is 25 and has the demeanor of a 10-year-old.

Jay is 35 years old; he's a successful businessman, and, unlike his opponent in the primary, an active Democrat.

I am urging Longworth to rethink is position. There are a lot of active Democrats in NC-06 who don't want to see one of our candidates shunned in this manner. You owe Jay an apology, and you need to take him seriously, because when you retire, it's going to be Congressman Ovittore watching out for your Social Security.