NY-26: Jack Davis buys gas for voters, long lines, congested traffic and police used
When I arrived there were two Greece Police cars blocking the entrance to the gas station so I couldn’t pull in and traffic was snarled along both Long Pond and Ridgeway Roads. It is interesting to note that this is the way to the local hospital so I wonder if anyone had trouble getting to the hospital around the corner. I did notice an ambulance having to pull into and out of the congested traffic while this event was being staged although it wasn’t delayed more than about 10 seconds at the intersection of Long Pond and Ridgeway. I can’t attest to any further delays the ambulance may have encountered caused by congestion further down the road.
My main concern is that public funds helped to stage a campaign event (i.e., Greece Policemen and their cars).
My other concern is the actual content of the press conference. From the press release:
“We are purchasing almost 500 billion dollars a year of foreign oil and we pay for it with four dollars and twenty-five cents a gallon for gasoline.”
Davis didn’t mention that he profits off of the high costs of gasoline because of his stock investments. Robert Harding over at TAP also weighed in on Davis’ investments today:
According to his own records, he [Davis] has profited up to $288,000 off of Big Oil’s record profits.
I’ve criticized Davis for not getting out amongst the voters before and today he actually did go chat with some voters. However, Davis had to buy them gas in order to get them there. Is this the “buy the people” instead of “by the people” we want in Washington?
Today’s gas buying event will maybe help a few hundred voters for a week at most. It is a one-time event that doesn’t solve any of the underlying problems. Davis’ website does not even list an energy policy on his “Issues” section.
Jon Powers has an energy plan that will help voters for the long haul. I think voters are savvy enough to recognize a one-time media event versus a candidate like Powers who has an energy plan posted publicly and who is regularly out amongst the voters, accessible and listening, and finding real world solutions that actually solve the underlying problems our country faces. One tank of gas isn’t a solution.
Related posts:
Jack got exactly what he wanted from the mainstream press: gee-whiz coverage. Evan Dawson has an example from another station:
I agree with everything you said in this post — this tactic is bullshit. That said, Jack’s a wily old coot, and he knows how to get himself on the TeeVee.
http://www.13wham.com/content/news/political/story.aspx?content_id=b73ab41f-d8db-4833-bd64-2000e182c0c3
Jack Davis - One tank wonder.
Great post.
This isn’t even original. In May another Democratic candidate out-of-state did the same thing:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-tenth-gas-bothmay23,0,3184066.story
AND, the first customer whose white SUV Davis filled up today is from Lockport. Do they really want us to believe someone from Lockport just happened to hear about this and drove THAT far for a tank of gas? I was there early before the event began and the driver was conversing with the campaign staff to the point that I thought she was part of the campaign. Wonder if she is and/or if she was paid?
None of this reduces our dependency on oil, none of it solves any future energy problems, it is just “all the world’s a stage” and Davis is the pied piper, tooting his horn while leading everyone away…from the truth.
Was Jack wearing a red rubber nose and big, floppy shoes? What a Bozo move. Jack’s gonna be in the Oatka Festival Parade in Leroy Saturday. How about a buttload of signs saying, “Jack, buy my gas”?
Yes, it’s a giant distraction.
One thing that might help the Powers campaign is that primary voters probably won’t fall for gimmicks like this.
Isn’t it illegal to buy votes? Here is yet another example of Jack’s thinking that his money will buy him a seat. He also “bought” his petition signatures. It would be nice to see someone actually step up and support Jack who wasn’t getting paid to do it.
Most of the people have said they were just there for the gas but the first customer sounded like an ad if you click on that News 10 link above in the comments. A fellow RT reader told me that she is a realtor from Lockport.
He does own Sunoco Stock. (See my other thread above this one.) He apparently made $15,000 from Sunoco stock last year unless I’m reading it incorrectly.)
Jack Davis using his money to promote his agenda = Bad?
Tom Golisano using his money to promote his agenda = Good?
Why?
I dont see how you square your criticism of Davis’ spending with your support of Golisano’s. Is it OK to use big private dollars as long as you agree with the ideas being promoted? If so, stop pretending to support public financing.
Frankly, both of these guys earned their money. From my perspective they are both entitled to spend it any way they want.
By that logic, the richer you are, the more entitled you are to office.
You make a very valid point, Mr. DiCaro. I don’t recall ever saying that Golisano using his money to promote his agenda = Good. In general, I believe that the progressive agenda = Good and therefore any candidate who promotes/supports a true progressive agenda = Good.
I prefer the grassroots approach, which is a major reason why I support Jon Powers for Congress. Davis is not grassroots but is instead trying to buy the election. I have no issue with him having earned his money but I prefer candidates who earn votes instead of buying them.
So you were in line for the fill-up, eh?
Who’da thunk it…
Not to mention that he’ll write off the entire thing as a campaign expenditure. So he just doubled his money.
Davis also stated that he chose the gas price from 2000 due to the fact that that was the price when GWBirdbrain took office.
So perhaps he’s really trying to take a poke at the presidency instead?
He’s SO confusing!
Channel 10 has also been bought of by Davis. Of course he doesn’t mind spending the money to split the difference…. he’ll make it back with $ 35 million in oil stocks!!!!
Hardly! No way. Give me more credit than that.
[...] D&C had coverage of Jack Davis’ gas subsidy yesterday. So as you know from Grievous Angel, Jack Davis spend $27,000 dollars yesterday in a publicity stunt where he paid the difference [...]