Now You Too Can Be Big Brother - Check Out Who Your Neighbors Are Contributing To!

Ask and ye shall receive. A Cut DC Taxes reader thought it would be fun to put up the link to the search engine that lets you see who your neighbors have contributed to in the DC Mayor's race (as well as other DC races).

So here is the link - http://election.dcwanna.be/contributions/neighbor_search

Enjoy! Oh, and by the way, I am happy to report that no one on my block gave to Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp.

Breaking - New SurveyUSA Poll Shows Cropp Gaining

Before the Cropp supporters get too excited, the new SurveyUSA poll, conducted for WUSA, still shows Fenty leading by 10%. This lead, however, is half of what it was in the last SurveyUSA poll conducted two weeks ago.

According to WUSA:

In the Democratic Primary for Mayor of Washington, DC today, Adrian Fenty leads Linda Cropp 45% to 35%, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WUSA-TV Washington, DC.Compared to an identical SurveyUSA WUSA-TV poll 2 weeks ago, Fenty has lost 3 points and Cropp has gained 8 points.

According to the SurveyUSA poll, Cropp's gains have been among self-identified moderates and conservatives (who the heck are the three folks self id-ing as 'conservatives' in the DC Democratic party???).

More from WUSA:

Cropp's gains have come from conservatives and moderates. Among conservatives, she had trailed by 33, now leads by 9. Among moderates, she had trailed by 13, now leads by 5. Liberals continue to support Fenty: he leads this group by 23 points, compared with 25 points 2 weeks ago. None of the other five candidates gets more than 9% of the votes. With two weeks until the Primary Election, only 4% of likely voters are undecided.

So the question is - are the Cropp negative campaign ads working or was the earlier SurveyUSA poll an outlier? This poll is certainly more in line with other polls showing Fenty with a roughly 10 point lead.

Marie Johns runs a distant third with 9%. Interestingly enough, taking a look a the crosstabs shows that Johns is actually running impressively strong among white DC residents - polling 19%, just 7 points behind Linda Cropp with this same group. Johns, however, is getting crushed among black DC voters, polling just 5%.

Isn't It a Little Late to "Meet Marie"

So the Marie Johns campaign has a squadron of gay guys canvassing my hood (Rose Park area of Georgetown). Props to the Johns people for knowing the hood well enough to know to send a squadron of gay guys to canvass for her. However, while she gets props for the crew she sent to canvass for her, she gets a big "huh" for the flier itself. The flier announces a "Meet Marie" event this week on P St. Maybe its just me but this seems a little late in the game for a "Meet Marie" event. Where were these folks a couple of months ago.

I think the window of opportunity closed on Marie Johns. Too bad, she could have made this race a bit more interesting.

Linda Cropp - DC's Gray Davis

It suddenly all makes sense! It turns out that the same people behind Linda Cropp's negative campaign blitz, DCO Media, are the same folks who so ably handled Gray Davis' campaigns in California! Amazingly, they actually mention it on their website!

Under the Clients section we get this gem:

Gray Davis’s stunning victory over two multi-millionaires to become governor of California

Lets see... boring, ineffectual, career bureaucrat, lousy campaign, candidate of the machine - sure enough Linda Cropp is DC's Gray Davis!

WashPost - Cropp Negative Campaign Blitz Gets "Mixed Reviews"

I love it. Nothing would make me happier than for Cropp's nasty campaign tactics to backfire on her.

Check out this blurb from the Post's article this am:

But as she steps up pressure on Fenty, her supporters are not certain what to make of her strategy. Some residents have contacted her office to complain about her tactics, and Cropp's allies worry that the advertisements could backfire.

"I don't think it was Linda's initial game plan," said Ted Trabue, a friend who worked for Cropp on the council from 1991 to 1995. "People in the District are not used to a lot of negativity. Will this hurt or help her? No one will know until September 12."

A G Rated WSC Locker Room Conversation

Random guy: "Hey nice DC flag tattoo."

LibertyDC: "Oh, thanks."

Random guy: "You originally from DC?"

LibertyDC: "No, I just love this place. I don't ever plan on leaving."

Random guy: "Who you like in the Mayor's race?"

LibertyDC: "Fenty."

Random guy: "Good, and don't believe that crap Linda Cropp is saying about him either. My mom worked for Cropp a couple years ago and she doesn't have anything good to say about her."

LibertyDC: "Don't worry, I wouldn't vote for Linda friggin Cropp if my life depended on it."

Attack of the Anonymous Cropp Supporters!!!

I love comments... I really really do. I hate that I don't get more comments. I mean I think I say some pretty over the top stuff now and then that people should want to comment on. That having been said, anonymous comments are lame. They really really really are. Which is why I am not in the least bit surprised that all of the comments I have gotten supporting Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp's televised attack ads were all from anonymous. Isn't it bad enough that your candidate, Capt Cropp, is as lame as they get. Can't you guys (and gals) at least post under a pseudonym or god forbid your actual name.

I am beginning to think I like Linda Cropp supporters about as much as I like Capt Cropp herself - and that aint much.

Marion Barry to Endorse a Mayoral Candidate Soon

According to the AP, Marion "B!tch Set Me Up" Barry is preparing to endorse a candidate in the DC Democratic Mayoral race: (crackheads, the criminally insane, and worthless, incompetent mid-level bureaucrats wait with baited breath)

Barry told Washington Post Radio there are five "outstanding candidates" running for the post. He said he's narrowed his choice down to two, but he won't say which candidates he's considering.

If the election were held today and a majority of people voted, Barry said he has a sense that Council member Adrian Fenty would win the race. He said Council Chair Linda Cropp is second.

Well its good to see Mr. Barry is capable of reading the same damn polls as the rest of us, of course maybe the former Mayor relied on his magic 8 ball to help him with that bit of stellar prognostication - oh wait, I am fairly certain Mr. Barry smoked his magic 8 ball.

Barry, clearly lacking any sense of shame or decency, had the balls to level this charge:

Barry said the city has been neglected, especially the schools. He said the next mayor will have to inspire people and make significant improvements.

Oh yeah, and this place was friggin Valhalla when you were running the show. Someone shut this guy up. Seriously.

Cropp Takes Her Attack Ad Blitz to the TV Airwaves

Adrian Fenty better watch his back. Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp ain't going down without a fight. The Washington Post is reporting that Cropp has launched a pair of television advertisements.

D.C. mayoral candidate Linda W. Cropp unveiled a pair of advertisements that began airing on local network television affiliates today, including one in which she paints herself as a responsible legislator and rival Adrian M. Fenty as ambitious but morally flawed.

The Cropp attack ad once again hammers Fenty on his handling of a pair of cases for legal clients. More from the Post:

"What is it that gives a mayor the judgment to do what's right? Flashiness or steadiness? Charisma or character?" asks a voice-over narrator on the ad that compares Cropp and Fenty.

The ad, titled "Judgment" by the Cropp campaign, then addresses a pair of cases in which Fenty, who worked as a lawyer before joining the D.C. Council in 2000, mishandled the accounts of elderly clients. The other ad, titled "Determined," touts Cropp's experience as a teacher and council chairman who helped lead the city of out financial bankruptcy in the mid-1990s.

Adrian Fenty better be prepared to swing back. These ads are a first for DC Mayoral races, and could have a dramatic impact on the race (depending of course on the size of the ad buy):

The ads reportedly mark the first time D.C. mayoral campaigns have paid for time on over-the-air network affiliates. Council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. (D-Ward 5), who also is running for mayor, bought ads this spring on local cable channels.

The Fenty campaign's response is not surprising:

Fenty's campaign has said Cropp is desperate to close the gap and that voters will be "turned off" by negative campaigning.

I hope for Adrian Fenty's sake that they aren't banking on voters being "turned off" by negative campaigning. Fenty has run a smart, aggressive campaign up until now. I would hope his campaign team would be smart enough not to let Linda Cropp define Fenty in the closing weeks.

UPDATE (3:07 PM): Here is a link to the Cropp attack ad entitled "Judgment" I just watched it, and while this crap works its clear Linda Cropp is beyond desperate. This is the gutter of politics. I don't know how many times I am going to say this but Fenty should fire back. Call Cropp out on running the nastiest, most vicious campaign this city has ever seen. I wouldn't vote for Linda Cropp for dog catcher.

Third Poll Confirms Fenty Leads by Double Digits

According to The Post,

A poll concluded last week showed Fenty leading Cropp, 39 percent to 28 percent, with 17 percent undecided, in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary. The margin of error was 2.5 percentage points. Pollster Ron Lester interviewed 600 likely Democratic voters by phone Aug. 12-15.

The story doesn't give us the full poll, nor does it tell us how the rest of the smurfs in the race are polling (here's my guess, Vincent Orange isn't seeing a surge in support after his homo-bigoted comments).

We now have a third poll that confirms Fenty has a double digit lead on Cropp in the closing weeks of the campaign, which accounts for Cropp's negative campaign blitz.

Poll re-cap

Washington Post Poll (July 13-18)
Fenty 38 Cropp 28

Survey USA Poll (August 12-14)
Fenty 48 Cropp 27

Lester Poll (August 12-15)
Fenty 39 Cropp 28

Cropp Continues Her Negative Campaign Blitz

Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp is continuing her negative campaign blitz against front runner Adrian Fenty. Her latest attack mailer, aimed at seniors and parents, again attacks Fenty for his handling of an elderly client's case, and adds attacks on Fenty's vote on rent control protections and "emergency" text book legislation (you know how much Capt Cropp LOVES emergencies!).

A digital copy of the front and the back of the flier are provided compliments of The Washington Post.

According to The Post, Cropp's negative campaign may be backfiring:

The negative literature outraged some District voters who wrote e-mails to the Fenty campaign and several neighborhood e-mail discussion groups to say that Cropp's attack persuaded them to support Fenty.

People who read this blog no I am no fan of Capt Cropp, not by a long stretch. However, I am skeptical that these mailers are actually going to backfire on her. We may not like it, but negative campaigning works. If Cropp's people did a good job of making sure these fliers got into the hands of the people its targeting - parents and seniors - then this flier certainly could have a negative effect on Fenty. I warned earlier that Fenty should not "take the high road" here. He should respond forcefully to Cropp's negative campaign. He should refute the allegations Cropp is levelling and take her to task for running a nasty, negative campaign. Fenty's failure to take Cropp's campaign on could damage him in the closing weeks.

Johns Vows to Cut Taxes on Poor

Marie Johns, a distant third in the polls, is pledging to eliminate the District's income tax on workers making less than $25,000. According to the Post:

Such a measure, she said, would provide a bit of relief to the needy and show that the city is serious about retaining a working class as rents rise and the amount of affordable housing shrinks. The tax cut would cost up to $70 million a year, she said.

Good for Marie Johns. I would much prefer she advocate across the board tax cuts, but at least she seems to fundamentally understand that people in the District are over-taxed.

In addition to having the sense to advocate for tax cuts for the working poor, Johns also is smart enough to understand the realities of her current standing in the Mayoral race:

Johns acknowledged yesterday that she is trailing Fenty and Cropp by a wide margin, though she said her appeal is more than the 8 percent of likely Democratic voters who supported her in a recent Washington Post poll.

The Post also reports that Johns finance committee chairman, Deborah Royster, recently bolted the campaign to support rival Adrian Fenty. Apparently, Johns rejected Royster's advice that she drop out and run as an independent.

More from the Post:

Johns said she is determined not to quit and wants to secure additional endorsements. She said she has no plans to bolt the party, as U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) did this month after losing in his state's Democratic primary.

Too bad. Johns running as an independent could really shake this race up.

Orange Gets Boost From Ex-Con Bus Driver

Apparently, the Don Quixote Mayoral campaign of homo-bigot Vincent Orange is resonating with some people. Well, ok maybe one person - an ex-con Metro bus driver. Check out the Washington Post story. It's almost too weird to believe.

Brown Promises to Stop Nats Stadium if Elected

Only problem for Michael Brown is that I have a better chance of being elected Mayor. Nonetheless, Brown, according to the Washington Times, is pledging to personally stop construction of a new stadium for the Nationals (I have these great images of Michael Brown chained to an abandoned car in SE to stop the stadium).

From the Times:

Michael A. Brown says that, as D.C. mayor, he would stop construction of the Washington Nationals' baseball stadium on South Capitol Street and instead would refurbish RFK Stadium for the team.

"The city is going to build a stadium for the team or refurbish, from my standpoint. ... I think the city should've selected the location. I don't think [Major League Baseball] should've forced us as to where," Mr. Brown said during an interview with editors and reporters at The Washington Times.

"When this deal is done, it's going to be $1 billion. What I'd like to do is reprogram some of those dollars to other things here in the District of Columbia and at the same time refurbish RFK."

I love Brown's use of the word "reprogram." Brown would like to "reprogram" the billion dollars for the stadium to "other things." Reprogram is clearly code word for "piss away".

Yes, Mr. Brown, thats exactly what we need. Give the incompetent city government a billion freaking dollars to "reprogram." Thank God this guy doesn't have a chance, because he clearly doesn't have a clue.

If Jack Evans is Against Ya, I'm For Ya!

When I waiver in my half-assed, half-hearted, kinda-sorta-maybe support for Adrian Fenty, I need to remind myself to read gems like this one from my Council member Jack Evans (via the Washington Post):

"He did not know what he was doing. He was just grandstanding," said Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who has long been critical of Fenty. "I don't think he's a serious person."

That's rich coming from Jack Evans. As a constituent of Jack Evans I can understand why Fenty's approach would rub him the wrong the way - Fenty is a tireless constituent advocate.

More from the Post:

With no council committee chairmanship assigned to him during his first four-year term, he focused on constituent services. Fenty, armed with his ever-present BlackBerry, and his staff answered 200 e-mails a day, distributed bulletins to 2,500 constituents and posted replies on six neighborhood Listservs.

Jack Evans on the other hand, could give a crap. Folks in my area of Georgetown either know, or have found out the hard way, that if you need something done - don't waste your time calling or emailing Jack Evans office. Much better time spent waiting for Godot.

In the interest of full disclosure, Jack Evans was responsive to an email of mine in 2003 asking him how he could possibly jump on the loony tunes bandwagon and endorse a raving lunatic like Howard Dean. His response was that he "had a feeling about Dean." It was heartening to see Councilman Evans took the same thoughtful approach to making a Presidential endorsement as he did to constituent service.

More Proof I am a Political Junkie

I read this Washington Times story on how terrible and annoying campaign signs were and thought, "What? I love campaign signs!"

Seriously, I really do. I love everything about campaigns - the signs, the commercials, the spin, the horse race, the mudslinging. It's sad, I know.

Pin Head of the Week - Vincent Orange

This story is so ridiculous it's almost funny. Councilman Vincent Orange (D) is pinning his Don Quixote campaign for Mayor hopes to his opposition to same-sex marriage.

According to the Washington Blade,

Vincent Orange accused his four main rivals of being “morally unfit” to be the mayor of Washington, D.C., because of their support for same-sex marriage.

In an Aug. 5 interview with Channel 5 News, Orange, who represents Ward 5 on the D.C. Council, said he believed gay marriage would become an issue in the final weeks before the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.

“I’m the only one that is opposed to same-sex marriage,” he told Channel 5 reporter John Henrehan. “The other four, they say they believe in God, they go to church, but they’re also for same-sex marriage.”

“So I think coming down the stretch, that’s going to be an issue,” Orange said. “I don’t think they’re morally fit to run the city.”

What a freakin pinhead. It's good to see Vincent Orange pulling the old bigot out of the hat at the last minute routine. There is a reason Orange is at 5% in the polls - he sucks. Note to Mr. Orange, maybe you should try running for office in Alabama or Texas or some other God forsaken backwoods place where your bigoted message might resonate.

Cropp Takes Negative Campaign to the Airwaves

According to the Post, Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp is taking her negative campaign against front-runner Adrian Fenty to the airwaves:

D.C. mayoral candidate Linda W. Cropp will ramp up her increasingly pointed attacks on opponent Adrian M. Fenty today with a pair of radio spots, the first on-air campaign advertising in the race for mayor before the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.

The two one-minute radio ads seek to paint Fenty as an obstructionist D.C. Council member who was an irresponsible lawyer before he was elected to office.

Both ads feature a 1999 case in which Fenty mishandled the accounts of an elderly man while he was acting as a court-appointed guardian. Fenty, who was running for council at the time, has acknowledged his oversight and said he voluntarily repaid $15,000 to the man's estate.

"Fenty was admonished for his neglect," one advertisement devoted exclusively to the case announces in a voice-over. "An official investigation labeled Fenty 'incompetent, negligent or both.' "

The Cropp campaign decision to go into hyper negative mode isn't surprising. The Post poll showed her down 10 points and the SurveyUSA poll showed her down 21 points, so it is clear she had to do something fast to turn this thing around.

Cropp's negative campaign may actually work and so far is being aided by unforced errors on Fenty's part. First, Fenty agreed to a one on one debate with Cropp, which honestly mystifies me. There is no upside in it for him. If I were Fenty's campaign I would have agreed to a debate only if it included the other candidates. Second, Fenty is trying to take the high road and not respond to the Cropp negative campaign blitz - something that is truly a mistake. More from the Post:

Despite agreeing to the debate, Fenty has responded to Cropp's attacks by trying not to get into a direct confrontation. His first direct-mail brochure to voters this week did not mention her.

Fenty can give this lead away in the coming days if he lets Cropp define him. Fenty should swing back at Cropp and swing back hard. Trying to look above the fray won't work. Voters are going to be paying closer attention to the race in the coming weeks and Cropp's negative campaign blitz could seriously hurt Fenty's standing.

New Poll - Fenty Crushing Cropp

Well, apparently Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp's recent rash of negative campaigning ain't paying off for her. A new WUSA-TV/SurveyUSA poll shows Fenty with a 21 point lead over Capt Cropp!

The poll shows Fenty at 48%, Cropp at 27%, Johns at 7%, Orange at 5%, and Brown at 4%.

It's hard to find good news in a poll that shows you getting rolled by your opponent, but if there is any glimmer of good news in this for Cropp it is this nugget:

Fenty does best among likely voters under age 35, the least reliable voters. Cropp does best among likely voters age 65 and over, the most reliable voters.

Expect to Cropp to introduce new "emergency" legislation requiring all DC residents under 35 to be confined to their homes on September 12th.

Crime Cameras Don't Work - What a Freakin Surprise

Capt Cropp should consider reading this gem from the Washington Times on the uselessness of crime surveillance cameras in Baltimore:

Surveillance cameras like those authorized by the D.C. Council for police investigations and now being put in place have shown limited success in decreasing violent crime in other cities.

Baltimore, for example, set up about 80 cameras in May 2005 in high-crime neighborhoods. Volunteers and retired law-enforcement personnel monitor the images in real time, but the cameras have not helped put criminals behind bars.

"Generally, the State's Attorney's Office has not found them to be a useful tool to prosecutors," office spokeswoman Margaret Burns said.

"They're good for circumstantial evidence, but it definitely isn't evidence we find useful to convict somebody of a crime."

Miss Burns said Baltimore prosecutors kept detailed statistics from the first nine months of the camera program. Most of the 500 cases forwarded to prosecutors were quality-of-life crimes, she said, and 40 percent of those cases were dropped by prosecutors or dismissed by the courts.

"We have not used any footage to resolve a violent-crime case," she said.

Desperate Cropp

Wow... a cardinal rule from politics 101 is that anyone who starts challenging their opponents to frequent debates, especially someone who already has almost 100% name recognition, is completely and totally desperate. It appears that Linda Captain of the Titanic Cropp is now a desperate candidate. According to this morning's Washington Post she is challenging Fenty to twice a week debates between now and the September 12th primary:

"I am ready to meet Adrian Fenty for a one-on-one debate twice a week," Cropp said during a news conference at a seniors apartment complex on Florida Avenue NE.

While I think these one-on-one debates would be fun as heck, I don't think Fenty should accept, there is almost nothing in it for him. It's clear Cropp is desperate and desperate candidates will do and say almost anything. Fenty is leading in the 4th quarter and he has the ball, he should concentrate on running out the clock and let Cropp continue to make a fool of herself.

Speaking of Capt Cropp making a fool of herself, Cropp continued her attacks on Fenty (more proof of a desperate candidate). According to the Post:

Cropp's latest attack on Fenty focused on two D.C. Council votes about education. Over the weekend, the Cropp campaign released a new mailing alleging that Fenty's record on public schools had been "shameful."

That material, a glossy brochure, features pictures of Cropp surrounded by children in a classroom setting and highlights her experience as a teacher. The four-page pamphlet outlines Cropp's plan to improve schools: universal pre-kindergarten, the creation of a principal's academy and the inclusion of the superintendent in mayoral Cabinet meetings.

It alleges that Fenty "has a record of turning his back on our children" and highlights two education bills that Fenty voted against: an emergency bill in May 2001 on purchasing public school textbooks and a bill in May 2005 approving emergency funding for school security.

During his meeting with Post reporters and editors, Fenty said he thinks District voters are "turned off " by Cropp's recent surge of negative campaigning.

Well one thing is clear - Capt Cropp LOVES emergencies... emergency crime bills, emergency education bills, emergency must debate my opponent twice a week because my campaign is in a tail spin...

Just When I Start Getting Comfortable

With my half-hearted, half-assed, kinda-maybe support for Adrian Fenty - I read this piece in the Washington City Paper. It's not flattering, and it doesn't make me think very highly of Fenty. I don't care what this guy has done for Fenty, you don't surround yourself with homophobic bigots like Sinclair Skinner - period.

Linda Cropp - Shameless

This woman never ceases to amaze me... the Capt of the Titanic herself, City Council Chair Linda Cropp threw this barb at Mayoral front-runner Adrian Fenty at an AARP forum (via the Washington Post):

"If Adrian Fenty refuses to explain his record when it comes to senior citizens in the District of Columbia, then I owe it to the District to hold him accountable," she said.

The Cropp barb wasn't in reference to Fenty's record on the City Council, but instead to his handling of a legal client's case. Linda's attack apparently went over like a fart in church:

Cropp's comments about Fenty, the Ward 4 council member, did not go over well with some attendees. After the moderator reminded the candidates to avoid personal attacks, audience members clapped enthusiastically.

Note to Captain Cropp - you better PRAY voters aren't going to the polls in September with plans on holding any of our politicos accountable for their records. You act like you just showed up on the scene, that somehow you haven't been part of the problem. The reality is that Linda Cropp isn't just part of the problem - she is the problem.

If voters in September do hold candidates accountable for their records, then Capt. Cropp's defeat is sealed. Here's hoping that happens.

The Anti-Incumbent Effect

After staying up late last night watching the defeat of three federal incumbents (Rep. Joe Schwarz (R) in Michigan's 7th, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D) in Georgia's 4th, and Senator Joe Lieberman (D) in CT) I got to wondering what impact the growing anti-incumbent sentiment might have on our own elections here in the District. I would think the conventional wisdom is that any anti-incumbent sentiment would help the perceived outsiders - Fenty and Johns, at the expense of the entrenched, incumbents like Linda Cropp.

Of course, a bigger question is whether or not the District's political landscape is shaped by the same winds that blow in the rest of the country? Could it be that a wave of anti-incumbency sweeping the nation would have no impact on the insular and isolated politics of the District?

Thoughts?

Cropp Attacks Fenty Over Crime Bill (Surprise)

Once again, Linda Capt of the Titanic Cropp is on the attack for something that happened on her watch as City Council Chair. According to the Post, Cropp is going after her opponent Adrian Fenty for his opposition to the do-nothing DC Crime Bill:

D.C. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp changed the tenor of the mayor's race yesterday in a campaign brochure warning thousands of voters that front-runner Adrian M. Fenty's position on crime "puts our safety at risk."

The personal nature of the glossy four-page brochure marks a change in tactics for Cropp, who had not mentioned Fenty in previous mailings. With a little less than five weeks until the Sept. 12 Democratic primary, Cropp is seeking to reinvigorate her campaign.

Oh yeah Linda, thats it. Fenty's vote against a bunch of feel good, do nothing provisions "puts our safety ar risk." Linda Cropp has no shame at all. She has been the CHAIR of the City Council while this "crime emergency" unfolded. Linda Cropp has been at the wheel while the City's streets became increasingly more violent. Now La Linda has the balls to attack Fenty for putting "our safety at risk." I'll tell you what will put our safety at risk - electing Linda Cropp Mayor.

Fenty's camp nailed what is motivating this latest lunacy from the Cropp campaign:

Asked about the charges made in Cropp's brochure, Alec Evans, Fenty's spokesman, said, "They're behind, and they're desperate."

While Cropp plays politics with the growing violence on our streets and pretends like she hasn't been at the helm of this disaster, Fenty is actually focused on solving our crime problem:

"The hastily and politically inspired response to the newest crime emergency underscores the need for new leadership in our city," Fenty said in the statement. "My campaign is about real solutions: putting police officers on the streets, closing down open-air drug markets and drug houses, holding the police department's feet to the fire and addressing the root of the problem by finally fixing our troubled school system."

Who Is Sabotaging the Johns Campaign?

Interesting story in today's Post about Marie Johns week of high profile events meant to boost her sagging poll numbers. The story is interesting because it appears that someone or someones are attempting to sabotage the Johns campaign:

Johns's campaign supporters say at least one rival views her as a threat.

They point to a strange convergence of events leading up to Sunday's "voter roundup," during which Johns supporters were corralled to eat barbecue, ride horses and hear their candidate. The event drew hundreds to a park in Congress Heights, despite what the Johns campaign considered acts of sabotage, including the removal of signs and calls telling Johns supporters that the event had been canceled.

And who might be working to sabotage the Johns campaign? Well the Johns folks have an idea, and honestly it wouldn't surprise me in the least:

"It's coming from the Cropp campaign," said Johns's campaign manager, Leslie Pinkston. "They're threatened."

Yesterday, the Cropp campaign denied any effort to derail Johns but declined to comment further on the issue.

Johns supporters are asking an interesting question too:

"If we are so low in the polls, and we are so not a threat, then why are people putting so much energy into undermining us?" asked Johns supporter Cora Masters Barry as she sat on her front porch to watch the roundup in the federal parkland just beyond her fence.

Does the Cropp campaign view Johns as a threat? Wouldn't her outsider campaign draw more votes from Fenty? In the end will Johns be a player or will she be kept in the single digits? Only time will tell... its just starting to get fun!

How the Heck Did I Miss This?

How the heck did I miss the fact that Juan Williams' (liberal talking head of Fox News and NPR) son, Tony Williams, is running for City Council (Ward 6) as a Republican? I knew Tony Williams was running because I have seen his name on the DC GOP website, but I had no clue he was related to Juan.

Are Brown and Orange Packing It In?

Marc Fisher has a new column up that suggests Vincent Orange and Michael Brown may be effectively leaving the Democratic Mayoral contest. Quite honestly, neither of these candidates ever made an impact in the race, and I can't figure out exactly why either thought they could or should be Mayor.

Another juicy nugget from the Fisher column is a suggestion that Marion "B*tch Set Me Up" Barry is likely to wait until after Labor Day before he endorses Linda "Capt of the Titanic" Cropp. Fisher opines that Barry may wait to endorse Cropp because, "Cropp keenly needs Barry's support east of the river, but wouldn't want Barry publicly on her side more than a few days before the vote for fear of too much backlash in other parts of the city, especially west of Rock Creek Park, where Barry's name can be poisonous."

How much with this gambit surprise me? Coming from Linda Cropp, it ain't surprising in the least damn bit.