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AWOL Abel Maldonado a no show again

September 10, 2012

Abel Maldonado

By KAREN VELIE

Congressional candidate Abel Maldonado’s biggest obstacle may not be his Democratic challenger, but instead members of the GOP who have dubbed him AWOL Abel. There have been at least 10 occasions when Maldonado has backed out on his promises to appear at debates and speaking engagements.

“One of the main responsibilities of a congressman is to be an advocate for his constituents, much like a lawyer,” said Christopher Arend, an attorney and member of the San Luis Obispo County Republican Party in a May email. “And just as with a lawyer, it is a cardinal sin not to be available for your ‘clients.’ Abel has repeatedly gone AWOL on the constituents in this district, and that alone renders him unacceptable.”

Most recently, Maldonado backed out on his agreement to speak at a North County Tea Party event planned for tonight at the Atascadero Lake Pavilion. He told members of the group, who planned to ask him to explain his votes on several key issues, he had a family emergency and would not be attending.

Lydia Thompson, a member of the North County Tea Party, sent out an email to its members announcing Maldonado’s cancellation and suggesting alternatives to voting for the Republican candidate.

“He missed eight appearances claiming all were family emergencies,” Thompson said. “Ask yourself, maybe he should step down to take care of his family.

“We do have a choice. We can vote for someone else. How about a write in? How about not voting for either? I believe the latter is the most effective,” Thompson added.

Back in May, his constituents first labeled him AWOL Abel after he backed out on an agreement to debate his primary opponent Chris Mitchum at a San Luis Obispo Republican Women’s Club meeting. He cancelled less than an hour beforehand because an officer of the club had supposedly been making disparaging calls about him. Members of the club contend Maldonado’s allegations were untrue.

The former Lt. Gov., Maldonado, is challenging Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, for her congressional seat.

Despite his high-profile, Maldonado has been at odds with some members of the GOP who question his voting record. As a result, he was unable to garner the state Republican Party endorsement prior to the June primary.

Thompson wonders if Maldonado’s frequent cancellations are an attempt to avoid answering the “tough questions.”

“It would be better to be questioned by conservatives than those who are anti-Maldonado,” Thompson said. “It he doesn’t want to talk to me, I don’t want to vote for him.”

Following his recent cancellation, Thompson said Maldonado told her he would find time to meet with her over dinner to discuss his stance on issues.

“The ball is in his court,” Thompson said.

 


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We all might have differing visions of the ideal candidate, but we have what we have. There is a reason why John Boehner and Darryl Issa have both gone to the great trouble of coming to the central coast to stump for Abel; should Obama be re-elected and the congress go to a Democratic majority, there is little chance for any fiscally conservative voice in federal government. Lots of us were very angry at Abel for his pivotal votes on the CA budget, but he has spoken to some tea party groups in Santa Barbara county and made an impressive mea culpa which sounded to me like he has learned from his mistakes. I don’t know why he hasn’t prioritized same in SLO county, but seriously folks, Lois will always vote party line, which frightens me much more than any measure by which I might doubt Abel.


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“Weepy” Boehner and “Car Thief Issa? That’s the best UnAbel could do? Too bad he can’t get Lyan in to boost his cause.


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I totally agree. Boehner is a sloppy, sobbing drunk, and he is usually drunk at political events.


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Let common sense prevail. Good comment.


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Capps told Israel to go to hell and Maldonado tells Tea Baggers to go to hell…

Win, win.


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I saw one of his TV commercials last night and the voiceover was speaking first person “I will….” but I don’t think it was Abel that was speaking. Was he AWOL for his own commercial too?


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He’s been speaking out of both sides of his mouth for years. Maybe that’s what you heard


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Mouth? I think you need to look much lower to find the correct orifice.


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simple choice here:


Hold your nose and vote for Abel


Hold gun to your head and fire after voting for Lois


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The latter would be preferred.


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See below.


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I don’t know if one ever gets the government you “wish” for – but you sure as heck get the government you vote for. Low information, prejudices and Ayn Rand are really not the criteria to use when voting.


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Only robots are so programmed that they think they can only vote for one of the candidates shoved onto the ballot by one of the two major political parties in our nation.


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I think Abel has missed some of these ‘talks’ (though I wonder why he even committed in the first place) because of the extreme anti-democratic views held by the tea party and others (such as the hijacked Repo party in this state and nationwide). Abel is sort of a moderated Repo and is probably disliked by the fanatics that get so much attention in bringing back the dark ages to our society. Like Arnie he is not good enough for the liberals but way too good for the creepos on his far right- quite a pickle for him.


But in politics as in many other things we usually get choices between pretty good or not so good.


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Abel has consistently been AWOL and the worst part was his campaign’s accusation against the VP of the SLO Republican Women’s Club. If he were smart, he would meet with the TEA party people and humble himself, be accessible, accept their criticism and try to understand their concerns, instead of simply avoiding them at all costs. He seems to be pretty good at playing political games with the big boys, but not with his constituents.


I will vote for him only because of Lois Capps’ virulently anti-Israel voting record.


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“I will vote for him only because of Lois Capps’ virulently anti-Israel voting record.” Makes a simple campaign slogan, but do you have any evidence to back your assertion? And while you’re at it, how many of those “votes against Israel” were applauded by local Jewish groups; is it not possible that some of those votes were against the extreme conservative leaders of Israel, not the larger Jewish population itself?


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No. Lois Capps is voting the Democratic ticket and the Obama Democrats are anti-Israel. It’s as simple as that.


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I asked for a response to the assertion that Lois Capps is “virulently anti-Israeli”, with the suggestion that having some evidence to back up the assertion; your response is just another non-response attempting to paint with a very broad brush against all Democratic politicians. Let me ask this in as simple of terms as I can; Please furnish some evidence that the majority of the Democratic Party is “virulently anti-Israeli” as shown by the records of their votes in Congress. Define what you mean as “anti-Israeli”; does a vote against giving Israel even more billions of dollars mean you are anti-Israeli, or could it mean you are trying to be fiscally prudent? Is any vote that somehow is viewed as against the current leadership in Israel really anti-Israeli, or does it mean that the vote is actually anti-wingnut-style-conservative voting? I really would like to understand what exactly conservatives mean when they throw out the invective that Democrats are “anti-Israeli”.


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It means that some one is not on board with the NeoCons and AIPAC who want to bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.


AIPAC has had big fundraisers for Abel in Los Angeles to get him on board with the “conservative” pro War with Iran agenda. He’s bought and paid for on Israel.


As for Lois, she is with the rest of the Dems who are still trying to work toward Peace in the Middle East and don’t think the first move should be war. As we know, the NeoCons like to make lots of false claims against anyone who isn’t pro aggression.


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The majority of Democrats are not anti-Israel; Lois Capps is part of a small but very outspoken minority that is; see my follow-up post. I do not believe her constituents feel that way.


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Obviously I don’t check this every day or I would have responded sooner.


Capps raised eyebrows in the pro-Israel community from the outset, lending her name to a 2002 congressional measure expressing support for a United Nations resolution ordering the “withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian cities.”


Capps also has spoken passionately against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

In 2007, she took to the House floor “to voice [her] disappointment” with a congressional resolution commemorating Jerusalem as Israel’s capitol, which she she labeled as “empty rhetoric.”


When war between Israel and the terror group Hamas broke out in late 2008, Capps condemned Israel for defending its citizens from deadly rocket attacks.


The next year, Capps declined to lend her name to a resolution both affirming Israel’s right to defend itself and also denouncing the Goldstone Report, a heavily criticized United Nations report that incorrectly accused Israel of committing war crimes. The report’s author, Richard Goldstone, later retracted his claims, dubbing them false.

At the time, Capps stated that she was opposed to the anti-Goldstone measure due to Congress’ haste in siding with Israel during the conflict.

“We’ve overlooked some of the depth of unspeakable tragedies that have occurred during the war on Gaza,” she said.


Capps refused to support a bi-partisan missive reaffirming the U.S.-Israel alliance later that year.


Capps’ stance towards Israel has earned her favorable ratings from out-of-the-mainstream advocacy groups such as CAIR, the American Arab Institute, American Muslims for Jerusalem, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, an anti-Israel organization that once placed Capps in its Congressional “hall of fame.”


That is enough for me. She was also the lone vote against a Congressional resolution asking for mercy for a Christian pastor in Iran who was sentened to death for being a pastor. She claimed later she pressed the wrong button. Hello???


I do not believe the vast majority of constituents here are so strongly anti-Israel and anti-Christian that they would re-elect someone with these views and this voting history.


It is hard to believe that these two candidates, Lois Capps and Abel Maldonado, are the best we can do from this beautiful part of the country. Let’s start looking for some better candidates for 2014 – regardless of who wins in November.


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Ready, willing and Abel? Sorry, but I think the retirement boomers are getting a new member.


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” Retirement Boomers” The Gold Rush of today, you read it here first on CCN


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George,

who are you refering to, yourself, Abeless or someone else ?


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Poor Abel-Must be like a lawyer? I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.

My decision in the voting box will be pretty simple, irregardless of Abel’s past actions. The question is simple, do you want Abel or Capps? My answer is that anything is better than Capps. The tea party should quit bashing Abel or just throw all their support to Capp’s because that is what they are doing now by bashing Abel.

Just another day in the dirty world of politics.


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Don’t blame the Tea Party; blame Abel.


I’m not an official Tea Partier but have been frustrated with Abel’s bait-and-switch politics for years. I’m not a Democrat and I wouldn’t vote for Capps but I DO admire her for standing for her beliefs…not that I agree, but at least she doesn’t change her votes according to opinion polls. She’s a liberal and she votes accordingly.


Abel, on the other hand, does not earn my respect OR my vote because he’s too cowardly to show up to community events and he changes his votes based on what’s good for HIM. The guy honestly thought he’d ride Arnold’s coat tails into the office of governor someday… BIG mistake, Abel. He’ll lose this election and politically, he’s just about toast.


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I hear you, and I share your disdain for Abel.


However, the bald, ugly truth is that the election is between Abel and Lois.


You’re going to have to pick the lesser of the evils.


You staying home is the same thing as you casting your vote for the greater of the evils.


In the final estimation, there is no other way to look at it.


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How many other choices do you abdicate to the two political parties?


If you want to send a message to a political party that you are NOT happy with the candidate they shoved onto the ballot, the best approach is to vote for someone who is NOT running as a Republican or a Democrat.


Voters who will only vote for either a Democrat or Republican are handing a LOT of power to those two organizations…power which, IMO, they do not deserve.


If you want to shake them up, communicate in the best way possible (not voting for D or R) that the two most powerful political parties in our nation are FAILING to select candidates that voters will vote for: don’t vote for either a D or an R.


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Maybe he is busy working so he can pay his back taxes. We must try and give him the benefit of the doubt, like I do. I doubt that he is interested in much other than his benefits.


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At least he wasn’t caught cheating on his taxes like Capps. Then it took her 10 years to rectify the error and pay the extra $8000 she owed.


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