Is Jack Davis completely out of touch with reality? It seems so, given his statements during a rare public appearance. Making an infrequent foray outside of the confines of his cozy headquarters, Jack set up a campaign appearance for the press in Genesee County. That's usually how it works with Jack. See, he doesn't think much of actual campaigning, things like going door to door to ask for your vote. He does like waving from one of his show cars in parades, but otherwise, he's content to let his $3 million dollars do his talking and, boy, does Jack like to be the one doing the talking. He's not big on listening. That fact is apparent from what he said on Friday.
Here's what he's promoting on his own website. “The farmers claim they need more foreign labor to pick those crops and some have asked for more visas for immigrant farm workers. But with our high unemployment, how can we justify hiring someone other than our own unemployed to do this work?” Its obvious Jack hasn't heard any of the problems the local growers have had in recent years. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21491778/ Does Jack really want to add to the risks that farmers already brave every year? Or was he that clueless about where he was when he made that statement? As rarely as he goes out on the trail, it might've made sense for him to do a little background research on the GLOW region. Agriculture is the backbone of our local economy. Now, Jack says he wants to deny our local farmers the labor force they depend on to get their crops out of the fields or orchards and onto our tables.
Anyone could be forgiven for thinking this is Jack's first try at office after reading this. But, Jack's had two tries at this seat in the past. In fact, Jack used to be a Republican but after he donated $2,000 at a Republican fundraiser and was told he couldn't personally speak with Vice President Cheney, Jack quit the party in a huff. That next year, in an expensive fit of pique, Jack spent 1.2 million dollars of his own personal fortune campaigning against Tom Reynolds. He lost. So, in 2006, he spent even more. In fact, Jack spent a million dollars that year on the Independence party nomination alone. No other candidates stepped up to run on the Democratic line, so Jack got it by default, the same way he got it in 2004. Tom Reynolds was a severely wounded candidate owing to his connection to the Foley scandal. It didn't matter. Jack lost. Many observers blamed it on the fact that Jack doesn't like to get out and campaign. He's of the belief that if you throw enough commercials on TV and radio, and stuff voters' mailboxes full with slick fliers day after day, you don't have to get out and actually talk with them. It didn't work for him the last two times. Still, he's doing the the very same thing for the third time. So much for learning from experience.
Jack's idea of coming to a rural area and advocating a position counter to their needs might make him seem frighteningly oblivious, but it is characteristic of his attitude that he doesn't need the voters' input. He wants you to listen to the Brooks and Dunn ripoff he's using as a radio commercial, let him bury you under multiple campaign fliers every week, and let him buy gasoline for people in Greece. That's how Jack thinks it works. Throw enough money at a problem, and he can solve it.
Jack doesn't like to listen. It was demonstrated earlier in the race when all four GLOW Democratic committees endorsed Jon Powers. Jack tried to tell them they'd made a mistake and had better change their minds. Here's their response: "This is a press release from the 4 Democratic chairs of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties regarding the NY 26th Congressional race. Jack Davis seems to feel the rural counties can be cajoled into rescinding their endorsements of Jon Powers, and the chairs wanted to make it clear that there are no intentions to do so."
Its one thing to claim to be your own man. Its a completely different thing to be ignorant of your district's concerns and to ignore your party's position on the issues. If Jack is so cavalier about rural WNY's needs and so out of step with his own party's platform, what other misapprehensions is he laboring under?
