By Diane Silver
I received one of these robot phone calls attacking Paul Morrison, and it was truly vile, but it was also well produced. If you knew little about Morrison, you might well wonder what was going on with the state's new attorney general.
What I am wondering is why is Morrison being attacked before he even takes office, and who is really behind this.
On the surface, the man complaining about Morrison is Conrad J. Braun of San Diego. According to his call, Braun spent 11 years in prison on both state and federal charges. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Braun has been in and out of the Larned Mental Health Facility and was convicted in 2005 of blackmail.
Given all that, I'm wondering how this person has the resources to start a coordinated campaign. Oh yes, the newspaper says he owns a calling company. Perhaps so, and perhaps these are the ravings of an unhinged person, but these attacks certainly are convenient for any future political opponents Morrison might have.
Make no mistake about it; this is a coordinated smear campaign. I've received numerous emails from Braun via my hopeandpolitics@yahoo.com address. As a blogger, I now receive many such "news releases."
Just like I experienced when I worked as a newspaper reporter, some of the folks who reach out to bloggers are, shall we say, not exactly working from a reality-based view of the world. When I can,I investigate and post informationI have been able to confirm. I wasn't able to do that with Braun, and thus, decided not to post on his claims.
However, the Journal-World has now made this public, so I am left with questions.
Although the charges are different, it seems remarkably similar to the "bottom-feeder" tactics defeated AG Phill Kline used against Morrison in the election. What the heck is going on?
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2 comments:
Ms. Silver,
Here's an insider tip for you. This guy is working alone because of his own greivance with Mr. Morrisson. The appearance of a coordinated smear exists only because any political enemy of Mr. Morrisson would be seeking the same thing as Mr. Braun: his removal from office, now or in the future. Think about this: an actual coordinated smear job should be timed before, not after, an election.
Personally, I believe Mr. Braun. I know him and his two sons in California, also personally. We (Conrad and I) go to church together every week.
Conrad has posted comments here:
http://kshb.com/kshb/nw_local_news/article/0,1925,KSHB_9424_5258917,00.html
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jan/03/text_conrad_brauns_phone_calls_kansans/?state_regional
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jan/03/campaign_continues/?state_regional
Thanks for posting, Jake.
As the last few days have gone by, I've begun to believe that this is what it seems, the crusade of one individual. Your comments help confirm that.
However, such an effort doesn't have to be a coordinated campaign for someone like Braun to serve the purposes of Phill Kline and others of the far right who might want to weaken Paul Morrison. I'm not saying they are behind this, but Braun's effort could well help them over time.
It could also make sense for politicians with a long view to urge on or to help fund someone like Braun. Such a helpful politician could disavow any knowledge of the smear campaign, while benefitting from it in the long run. If Braun's efforts put doubt in the minds of even a few voters, Braun helps anyone who might want to weaken such a popular public official as Morrison.
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