Turning the page on Graves' Penthouse charge

  If you live in Missouri’s 6th Congressional District. you've probably seen the ad by GOP Rep. Sam Graves that slam Democrat Sara Jo Shettles for an ad sales job she once held for a science magazine that had corporate ties to Penthouse. The ad shows an image of Shettles with a XXX beside it.

   At a League of Women Voters candidate forum at Park University on Tuesday, Shettles fired back with sarcasm.

   “I’ve never been a nude centerfold,” she told the audience. “But I’m 63 years old and I think my husband likes the idea.”

   That remark drew laughs from the audience.

   Shettles says she sold ads for Omni magazine more than a decade ago. At the time, that magazine was owned by General Media Inc., which owned several other publications including Penthouse. She has contended that the Graves ad is misleading and aimed at distracting voters from looking closely at his conservative voting record and support for the Bush administration.

  Shettles appeared at the forum with two other candidates for the 6th District seat, Libertarian Erik Buck and Shirley Yurkonis of the Progressive Party. Graves, however, did not attend.

Posted by Mike Rice

Comments

And who's running the campaign that made this misleading, trumped up charge about Shettles? Jeff Roe. And what did Roe tell Kraske in this morning's paper about the Michael J. Fox ad He said it "overreaches" and "creates a whole debate about how far is too far in politics."

Kraske, shame on you for going to Roe as a source to begin with, and shame on you for not calling him out when he played holier than thou. You can't watch him run a distorted ad like this on the one hand and then use him as some sort of objective source who questions the taste and merits of another ad.

He's a shameless political hack with no sense of decency, who has proven time and again that he'll stoop to any depths just to win at all costs. The Shettles ad is an absolute lie.

[Not Guccione]

Oh, well OMNI Magazine?

That's WAY worse than Penthouse...they supported the theory of evolution, didn't they.

[jenniferm]

I read that quote from Roe in this morning's paper and just laughed. But I was also angry that the Star reporter thought Roe was some kind of credible source for integrity and character in political ads. (Thanks to anon above for pointing this out as well).

This ad from Graves is also done by Roe? And the Star prints quotes from him this morning getting his opinion of the Fox ad!

I would like to think that Kraske would explain why he choose this man to quote and why he actually put those quotes in his article--especially when he knows what kind of political campaigns he runs.

Let's hear it Kraske!

[Joel Lackey]

I live in Sam Grave's district and I would have never known who he was running against ( although I would never vote for Graves )if not for the off the wall attack ad. The Star's article this morning did a dis-service to the readers by asking Jeff Roe about the tone of politics.

Roe got his start as a staffer and campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican who is known as a ruthless campaigner. Two years ago, Roe orchestrated Republican Jeanne Patterson’s outrageously negative campaign against Democrat Emanuel Cleaver in Missouri’s 5th Congressional District. Cleaver prevailed, but the race was closer than it should have been.

Roe specializes in distortions. He likes ads that distort the faces of his clients’ opponents. But mostly, he distorts voting records.

Bartle’s campaign mailings made rich use of half-truths, exaggerations and out-of-context accusations.

From my reading of the New Testament, Jesus frowned upon distortions. I think he would have steered clear of Roe. But then, he really didn’t need a consultant to get his message across.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/columnists/barbara_shelly/15299236

[Jeff Roe]

Would anyone like some whine with their cheese?

[amanda]

I'm so glad that Jeff Roe could illustrate his ability to set things straight with the comment he posted. Nice job. I believe that the actual quote is, "would you like some CHEESE with your WHINE?" He may be trying to make a career out of slamming those less able-bodied than him. First Ms. Shettles, then the ailing Michael J. Fox...

When are you reporters going to start treating Roe like the vicious dirt bag he is? He's a sleeze merchant who only knows how to win by tearing down his opponents. Shettles is hopelessly underfunded, virutally unknown against a multi-term incumbant. And yet Roe still couldn't help but run attack ads.

Does Graves have so poor a record he can't run positive ads. Oh, well I guess if you can't say anything nice about yourself ...

[Jeff Roe]

But she was endorsed by the KC Star, that has to count for at least 45% of the vote. Shettles only needs 6%! Go sara go... I'm sure that the Omni sales were really hoping when she was there.

[Dan]

But she was endorsed by the KC Star, that has to count for at least 45% of the vote. Shettles only needs 6%! Go sara go... I'm sure that the Omni sales were really hoping when she was there.

[CRD]

The beauty of this ad is that it was picked up nationally in the Washington Post, and no doubt resulted in donations for Shettles that she would not otherwise have gotten.

[jack]

It is impossible to throw mud if you don't have it in your hands. When you vote for politicians that engage in smear campaigns, you get dirty politicians.

If you don't like dirty politicians, vote for someone else. TATBO works. Trust me.

[FarRight]

I love when people who spend their day posting on a blog site from their cubicle offer political advice to people who actually win campaigns.

You have two choices when you lose. You can whine about how the other team was unfair and the calls went against you. Or you can go out and get a better team. I'd suggest the latter, because no one else cares what you think is fair.

[kayceewolf]

Despite having a brother who was an effective U.S. attorney (and one of the few Republicans I have a modicum of respect for) Sammy is obviously the mental runt of the Graves litter. What a slime-coated piece of human offal! Truly an embarrassment for the state of Missouri in general and the slack-jawed yokels in the 6th District who elected him in particular.

[political moderate]

So FarWrong, you are declaring that the only thing that matters is winning?
Sorry, but I think not...
Maybe that is why I lean to the left and you fall to the wrong (right).

[FarRight]

Kacee Wolf- Slack-jawed yokels...that's why Democrats can't win in rural areas. Everyone that disagrees with them is a slack-jawed yokel.

Political immoderate- or perhaps that's why Sam Graves wins and Sara Jo Shettles loses. In the West they say don't bring a knife to a gun fight. I don't remember anyone shedding a tear for Adam Taff when Dennis Moore said he was a part of the KKK.

Winners win, losers whine.

[plattecohighschooler]

Go Graves

[KC Cicero]

Graves is afraid to debate Shettles? Maybe he could send Roe & a bucket of mud in his stead. Oh, that's right, he did...

After the Repub Congress' record for the last 6 years, Graves should be running behind all three of his opponents. Hell, he should be running behind Osama as a write-in!

[kayceewolf]

Apparently you have problems with reading comprehension, FarRight. I said nothing about people who disagreed with me being slack-jawed yokels. I was merely pointing out that, having grown up in a rural area, there is a sizeable portion of the population that area barely literate, dangerously addicted to fun-D'uh-Mental-ism, and/or inbred to the point of imbecility. Collectively, the IQ wouldn't make a room temperature in an igloo. That doesn't make them bad people, necessarily ... just especially susceptible to being taken in by the simple-minded version of Republicanism: "Ugh! Us good! Everybody else bad! (grunt!)"

[FarRight]

Kayceewolf-

you said: "and the slack-jawed yokels in the 6th District who elected him in particular."

Thereby implying that you disagreed with them on their choice for the U.S. House or Representatives. Its called an inference and it has nothing to do with reading comprehension.

Nevertheless your description of people who live in the rural areas is yet another not so subtle reminder of why Democrats don't win in rural areas. You have disdain for them. They are good people, they don't happen to believe the manure that Democrats are selling.

That's too bad. Rural Democrats were damn fine people. Today's Democrats think they can spend money better than us, think they know our values better than we do and think that everyone who isn't a Democrat is a slack-jawed yokel.

[Brad Stellars]

Wasn't Roe supposed to lose the Bartle race also?

[Tired of empty suits]

Hopelessly underfunded does not mean hopelessly ill equipped to serve. Shettles has wooed audiences with her honest, direct style of saying what she means and meaning what she says. She has built a loyal following because she has intelligent things to say. She is able to think and speak at the same time. I have yet to see Sam Graves deliver any of the above. He is so scripted that should he leave his note pad behind he would have to fake laryngitis. Shettles is more than qualified to serve honorably in Congress and provide the thoughtful and concerned representation the district has been without for 6 years. As long as political pundits look only at the bank account and not at the character and wisdom of the candidate we will continue to have a "can't do nothin Congress." Enough of blaming his former Chief of Staff Jeff Roe, the "the fish rots from the head down." This one is on Sam Graves.

[Ed Smily]

I think Jeff Roe has had a lot of cheese in his day.

What a sad hack.

[babs]

Forget the fact that I take complete offense to being called a "slack-jawed yokel" as someone who voted to elect Sam Graves; it's a good thing I'm a Republican or else my FEELINGS might have been hurt.

If the rural population is so inept at voting then how come they're the only one's doing it? If the urban population is so superior how come they always have a problem getting to the polls on Election Day?

I have a fine idea! Why not take the right to vote away from the rural-ittes since we can't elect the RIGHT candidate?

Sheesh!

[Tired of Empty Suits]

The reality is not that rural Missouri is pitted against urban Missouri. This is the view that Sam Graves would like for you to embrace. On most issues rural and urban people have the same concerns. It is also absurd for anyone to refer to rural people as less than aware of their world. What Graves has done is successfully pit these two areas against each other to divide and conquer. He is able to move about the rural areas more freely without the scrutiny of the press. He panders freely to each and every instinct of the population without his hypocracy being shown in the light of day. Many people in rural Missouri believe that Graves decision to not vote on the Voting Rights Act renewal was to please those on the far right. Sam Graves keeps company with many outside the mainstream groups. He can get away with this in the rural areas but not in the urban areas. Have you seen him speak out without a controlled audience lately? You won't either, Sam can't think on his feet but mostly he doesn't want his rural/ubran split personality to come to light.