Frankly Speaking

Congressmen are allowed to use the US Postal service to send mail to their districts for free.  This "franking" privilege is an important right, but it is subject to abuse.  Over the years constituent communications have begun to look more and more like campaign brochures and less and less like constituent communications. 

This mailing from Congressman Harry Mitchell is 11 by 24, full color, full bleed, on heavy gloss paper.  It folds into 8 panels that are 5.5 by 11.  I've printed the front panel at the left.  The back panel says "This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense."

The cover photo includes Mary Manross and I may be wrong, but the man on Harry's left looks like Chris Warner. 

Come on.  This isn't constituent communications.  It's a campaign piece--a really expensive campaign piece.   

Comments

[Travis]

All the cogs in the Mitchell Machine run by the grease of public funds.

Good Ol' Harry sat in Tempe for years doing nothing but passing out favors to his friends and receiving favors from them. (Please see giant statue of Harry next to the "Harry Mitchell" building.)

HRH Harry then sat in the state legislature doing nothing for his constituents. He was merely there waiting for his occasional marching orders from his party.

Now he sits in Washington doing the bidding of the Democrat Party elites and speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

Funny, I live in CD 5 and I didn't get one of those expensive glossy "constituent" peices, but then again, I don't vote in Democrat primaries either.

[Faith]

Yawn. I used to get these same types of constituent communications from Foghorn, back in the day.

My favorite one was the mailer his office sent out last year extolling his work improving local roads ... in California (according to the picture).

[The Klute]

Oh, Boo-freakin'-hoo.

I never got anything from Hayworth, and I lived under Bloaty for 5 of my 7 years here in Arizona.

The only time I've ever seen anything from him was mailings addressed to my girlfriend (registered independent), and then it was nothing but puff pieces about how wonderful he was.

The archives go back pretty far here - so I should expect to see similar complaints about Hayworth, right? Because this a genuine lamentation about the state of politics and not just a partisan hit piece, I'm sure.

[Mark]

Klute - what's your point? You don't care? Or is it you only care if Hayworth is doing it? How funny!

[The Klute]

Actually, no, on this issue, I don't really care. I found it amusing when Bloatworth didn't send me anything, yet my registered independent girlfriend got mailer after mailer after mailer. Apparently, independents in Scottsdale are a quite sought after demographic.

But what am I supposed to say?

"Oh no! The foundations of our democracy are being shaken to their very core because a Congressman is using his franking privledges to send something that can be construed as a press release!!! How will the Republic survive!?!?!"

There are much, much bigger fish to fry. Or for me to care about.

But Greg is acting very much like Lt. Renault from "Casablanca". He is shocked, SHOCKED to find out that a politican is abusing his power and it is the basest form of hypocrisy to criticize an enemy for one action, but defend or remain quiet when a friend does the EXACT SAME THING. It is a lie of omission, and one shouldn't let those go unchallenged.

I can't stand it when Democrats criticize Republicans and then defend other Democrats for doing the same thing (the Democratic Party's defense of Dan Rostenkowski was my deflowering in this area).

In full disclosure, one of the main reasons I voted for Mitchell over Hayworth was because Hayworth was more interested in his own self-promotion than in serving the district. Before the election, I had a better chance of seeing Bloaty on FoxNews than I did at a townhall meeting. If Mitchell pulls the same crap, I'll vote for whomever the Libertarians or the Greens send up (I'd even look at the Republican if they weren't a total wackjob like Michelle Reagan).

I don't criticize people based on their political affiliation - I criticize them on their actions and words.

[Faith]

Since when is Michele Reagan a "total whackjob?"

And if she falls that far down the spectrum of idiocy, what does that make Jack Harper?

[Mark]

Klute - your defense is quite weak. Greg didn't act shocked (SHOCKED!) but wrote:

"This "franking" privilege is an important right, but it is subject to abuse. Over the years constituent communications have begun to look more and more like campaign brochures and less and less like constituent communications."

From the onset Greg acknowledge that this abuse is common. And he then went on to show us Arizona's newest abuser. Because that abuser is a dem you are now SHOCKED!!! by Greg's insightful and mild post.

And I know Michele personally and she is the salt of the earth - the last person anyone should ever call a wackjob! What gives?

[The Klute]

Again - I... don't... care... about consituent mailings. So we're seeing the latest abuser. Fine. Did we ever hear about this abuse before when Hayworth did it? No. Will we ever hear about it if/when a GOPer retakes the district and does the same thing? I'd take the money that we won't.

As for Michelle Reagan, her support of Alcor and the Mary Manross Morality Crusade are two things that pop into my head right now that make me believe she is of nutty variety. But that's just my opinion.

[Some Guy]

The funniest part of this is 1) Democrats invented slick, substanceless presentation and behemoth bureaucracy, then 2) the Republicans, including Hayworth, followed their lead, and now 3) Harry Mitchell is charged with “Changing the Way Congress Does Business.”

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

Won’t you be surprised when the problem gets worse under this snotrag buffoon Harry!

[Walter]

I believe the man to Harry's left (in the picture and in spirit) is Marky-Mark Mitchell, the heir to the Dynasty (current Tempe council member and rumored opponent to Hugh Hallman's re-election).