May 16, 2014 at 9:48am
Ms. Zapf,
Based on the volume of campaign paraphernalia I've received in my mailbox over the last week, I take it that the race for City Council District 2 is now in full swing. I'm a Clairemont homeowner and a 5-year resident of what is today a part of District 2 (formerly District 6). I write to express concerns with material I received from your campaign yesterday.
Sarah Boot is a stranger to me, but I couldn't resist feeling sorry for her with the way one of your flyers literally demonized her, using pitchforks instead of bullet points in its characterization of her record. I also sensed some troubling (and discouragingly ironic) gender undertones with campaign material of yours that seeks to disparage Ms. Boot for being young and ambitious in a way that I can't imagine being done to a male candidate. But what compelled me to write this email was not the "devilishness" or the implicit gender stereotyping of your flyers.
You see, Ms. Zapf, in addition to being a Clairemont resident, I'm also a proud attorney. And the way your campaign materials repeatedly refer to "lawyer Sarah Boot," as if the word lawyer is a pejorative or as if Ms. Boot should be ashamed of her career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (a position I am also fortunate and very proud to have once held) not only reflects your apparent inability to refrain from laying ugly personal attacks on your political opponent, but it denigrates all of us who are members of this noble profession.
I sincerely hope that this will stop, and that your campaign will elect to forego the ad hominem and instead focus on what you believe to be the merits of your candidacy going forward. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that your hateful, anti-lawyer campaigning has drawn me into an election as to which I was previously disengaged. To that effect, I also want to put you (and Ms. Boot's campaign) on notice of the following: for every piece of campaign material of yours that I receive going forward that uses the word "lawyer" as a slur, or that disparages Ms. Boot for her mere status as an attorney, I will be donating $100 to Ms. Boot's campaign (up to any and all applicable limits on donations).
Thank you, and take care,
Doug Brown
[Address Redacted]
1 comment:
I couldn't agree more! Thanks for expressing so well what many of us have been feeling. Pitchforks, anti-lawyer, accusations with no citations -- this has gone over the top. I also love your idea of pledging $100 to Sarah Boot for every additional anti-lawyer mailing you receive.
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