Newspapers Publish Letter Exposing Smith's Lies and the GOP Responds

By: Lisa Hannah

As a follow up to the recent mass mailing Smith sent out on immigration, I decided to write a letter on Smith's deceptions and send it out to the many 3rd District newspapers. Of those, 4 of the major papers published it. Here is the letter I sent: Congressman Adrian Smith recently sent out a mass mailing to constituents regarding immigration. This represents the third mailing in seven months. According to the House Statement of Disbursements, the first one cost nearly $50,000 for production and postage. He contracted with a partisan political "persuasion" firm called Targeted Creative Communications to produce the first one. This firm has advertised themselves as having "a proven track record of propelling Republicans to victory with award-winning direct mail, targeting and campaign strategy."   In this most recent mailing, what Smith presented was very misleading. He stated he voted to provide $26.4 million to train and support local law enforcement in enforcing immigration law, as well as for prohibiting federal funds for cities that pass "sanctuary" laws. He also took the position that border security needs to be increased. The votes were on amendments within the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which also contained increases in funding for border security. What he failed to disclose was that when the full bill came up for the vote to pass, he voted against it. He stated that he voted to stop illegal immigrants from receiving federal housing assistance. When an amendment was offered on the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act banning illegals from having access to low-income housing, he voted for it. However, he voted against the full bill. When a ban on assistance was offered as final amendment on the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, he voted for the amendment. However, there was confusion on what the final vote was. Instead of trying to work things out, Smith joined a large number of Republicans and walked off the floor before the vote was settled. As a result, the amendment was not adopted and the bill passed without his participation.  Finally, he states he is cosponsoring three different pieces of legislation regarding immigration, but it took him one to three months after introduction to sign onto them. Congressman Smith has not introduced any legislation of his own, nor has he been a part of the development of other legislation regarding illegal immigration. And when it comes to legislation that's been up for debate, he's voted for amendments, but against the full bills. He could be accused of flip-flopping.   Congressman Smith is using dishonest political spin at taxpayer expense to mislead his constituents. The people of the Third District should demand better from him. The Scottsbluff Star-Herald published the letter on Thursday, which my sources out there say is one of the bigger editions due to all the inserts. They don't post these on-line, however, so I can't link it. They report it was published in full.  The same goes for the other three - no editing or removing: Published 8/29/07 Kearney Hub: Smith's mass mailings raise questions Published 8/30/07 Grand Island Independent: Rep. Smith's mailings 'misleading' Published 9/1/07 North Platte Telegraph: Writer does not care for Smith That last heading, at the NP Telegraph, made me laugh. So while they should be commended for publishing it, their title speaks volumes of what they think as a paper. The key is that more people were exposed to Adrian Smith's attempts to mislead them. Those really in support of major immigration reforms may have seen the truth of what Smith is REALLY doing in Washington as our Representative.

Today, there was a response from the 3rd District GOP, and I think it speaks volumes: Smith has fought against illegal immigration I am writing today in response to Lisa Hannah's letter of August 28th. Unlike Ms. Hannah, who has written several letters to the editor attacking Rep. Smith, I am very proud of the work he has done with regards to illegal immigration.   From the time he was a state senator, Smith has worked to fight against illegal immigration, and I was happy to receive the letter from Congressman Smith. I have had a chance to speak with him directly on this issue, and he understands how important this matter is. It's unfortunate that some would rather attack   Congressman Smith at every opportunity rather than acknowledge that he is doing a good job and is a man we should be proud of. Judy E. Glassburner 3rd District GOP Vice Chair Geneva, NE Why do I think this speaks volumes? They mention I'm attacking Smith TWICE in the letter. They then say how good Smith is doing on illegal immigration and how he understands how important it is. HOWEVER, they give no examples of his good work, and they don't counter any of the real facts I presented. Why? Because they know I'm telling the truth. They know I can back up what I stated 100%. And just like Smith, when talking with my husband at the gas station accused me of attacking him, they also accuse me of attacking him. But this is a knee-jerk reaction on their part. Why? Because every single criticism I've sent in his direction is backed up with facts.  Now, some may differ with me on my opinions and conclusions on some issues, but there is a difference between criticism and attacking. Criticism of a elected official involves taking their actions, analyzing those actions against facts available, and pointing out where you feel they are at fault. Attacking involves taking an issue and deflecting from it by focusing on the person criticizing rather than focusing on the issue at hand.  I criticized Smith and pointed out his lies. The 3rd District GOP, in turn, attacked me when they could not defend Adrian Smith and his actions. My work has now been completely vindicated!