Ugly, ugly
The Rock Island County Sheriff's race has been ugly and in the ditch since the primary race, but it shows no signs of improving.
As a matter of fact, judging by the flurry of ugly comments on John Beydler's "The Passing Parade" on two separate threads, both here as well as here, it's gotten so bad it's almost repellant.
The race has seemed to torn the scab off of some ugly inter-office battles to do with the union and long-festering personal grudges within the Sheriff's department. While it reveals a sheriff's office in critical need of cleaning house, should all should matter to everyone in the entire county.
There seems to be scant issues raised by all these scaborous charges and counter-charges, just a bunch of guys having some sort of really nasty turf war at work.
Should the public care?
Does all this ugly and personal inside fighting reflect badly on both candidates? I can imagine that the entire thing would be a turn off to the public and many might be prompted to turn up their noses and not vote for either men.
Is all the ugliness fair and proper, or ugly and unfortunate?
posted by The Inside Dope @ 9/30/2006
12 comments
12 Comments:
I think all of the ugly stuff is in the rear now. Things just need to move forward. There has been enough finger pointing, even though the Republican (Schwigen) started the mess.
I believe there is a debate set up the October 9th at the Martin Luther King center between Huff and Schwigen. I'm not sure of the time. Dope, could you maybe find that out? Should be good. I myself am turned off by the negative crap.
Anon,
I hope your assessment is true. Perhaps these few guys with personal grudges have gotten it out of their systems, or they've taken a step back and realized it could very well sour people on the entire race and wasn't exactly helping their guy.
Thanks for the heads up on the debate, and I'll certainly pass on any info if I receive it.
I believe negative campaigning is a terrible thing. However, the Republican candidate, Schwigen came out swinging with the first negative blows. I haven't heard anything from the Dem. candidate, Huff about any negative stuff. I believe in the primary race Huff and Grchan kept things from getting nasty and negative. We all are aware that Huff could have had a field day with the incumbent in a negative way. I think that Huff refuses to engage Schwigen in his negative mud slinging. It wasn't until Schwigen got involved that this negative garbage came up. I saw the article on Schwigen in the Dispatch and that just made him look ridiculous. I also saw the press conference he did with channel 8 and Schwigen looked nervous and scared. If the paper wasn't enough to turn the voters off of the Rep. candidate, I think the press conference did. This guy didn't look like he knew what he was doing and didn't appear sure of him self or believable. The thing that I wonder about is, why is Schwigen directing his energy and time to negative stuff about his opponent? Schwigen is a new-comer and he should be making the voters aware of who he is and why they should vote for him. Does Schwigen not have the education and abilities that he can build a campaign on and trying to direct the attention away from that? I just don't get his approach and what I've seen would not convince me to vote for him.
Anon 15:11.
What I just don't get is how someone responds to a post about ugliness and mudslinging by spending a few hundred words slinging mud all over one candidate and holding the other blameless?
That's helpful.
i have an honest question,
what is the significance of a sherrif candidates party affiliation? just a means to get votes?
Anon 23:08.
You ask a very interesting question, and one which I have no good answer for.
Aside from which party apparatus supports them and endoses them as a candidate, I'm not sure what party affiliation has to do with a position such as sheriff.
Anyone have an answer or care to speculate on why the office is partisan to begin with?
I suppose that even if it was an appointed position, it would still be partisan in that partisan elected officials would appoint them.
I think there could be a good case made for making the office of sheriff non-partisan.
Of course, the same debate exists on why, or whether, judicial positions should be partisan, or for that matter, if having them be an elective position is proper at all.
Dope,
I was simply making a personal observation about the Sheriff's race so far. I think that mud slinging is something one does when they attack someone personally. Schwigen is the only one that has gone to the paper and news channel 8 slinging mud. I have not seen anything from Huff along this line. If Schwigen thinks his ridiculous ramblings on TV are going to convince anyone to vote for him he's nuts. I have talked to people about his press conference and everyone I've talked to said it made him look silly and they would not vote for him. His scare tactic did not work for him and I think it back-fired. He said in the paper that he did not think people were sheep and he needs to realize that the voters are not fools either. I don't like anyone trying to trick me into voting for them. I made a valid point that you did not comment on and am wondering if you know the answer. I am wondering if Schwigen has a college degree or some other awesome credentials that qualifies him for the job? Schwigen did not say anything in the paper or on TV about his education or other things he has that makes him a qualified candidate. The only thing he said in the paper was about him building houses. Just because you know how to put two pieces of wood together with a nail does not qualify you for the job of being my Sheriff. There's no mud slinging about that, that's just how it is.
Anon,
That's a valid question to ask about Schwigen's credentials and relevant training.
But I have no idea of Schwigen's schooling, nor do I have any idea of Huff's.
I'd remind folks that this really isn't a "Ask the Dope" forum, though I'm happy to provide answers if I know them.
The idea is to put things out for the readers, and hopefully someone among them might be able to shed some light on Anon's question about Schwigen's training.
Dope, are you going to attend the debate between Huff and Schwigen at the King center in Rock Island? I believe it is on the 9th of Oct. at 7pm. Should be very interesting. Might be something to gauge the two on and post a blog on it.
Schwigen, what are your credentials and qualifications for the job? What are your plans?
I don't think you have any, because the only thing you talk about to the media are negative mudslinging. Do you not have any real ideas? Or is this just how the republicans work. Grchan and Huff held the higher ground. They must both hold more ethics and integrity than you.
anon above.
I'm not sure Schwigen is here at the moment.
You're free to ask questions about his qualifications, etc., but I point out that this isn't a Schwigen blog (or any candidate's blog) and you should address comments to readers, not an individual unless you're responding to something that individual has written.
Just a reminder. Thanks.
I agree. Lets stop the rhetoric and start with the issues. I think Schwigen has quite a hill to clime though.
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