I really wish I didn’t have to write this column. It’s a manufactured BS controversy that’s nothing more than distraction. But as I teach candidates in my Campaign Boot Camp:
“Silence in the face of attack is often interpreted as consent or weakness.”
So unto the breach we go…
I think we can all agree that folks who haven’t served in the military don’t understand what it’s like to serve in the military the way people who have served in the military do, right?
That doesn’t mean people who haven’t served in the military can’t speak out about issues related to the military or have opinions on them.
But they do, in fact, lack the same first-person experience of a soldier or military veteran who’s actually come under fire. The phrase “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” comes to mind.
And that’s exactly the point Republican Nevada State Treasurer candidate Jeff Carter was trying to make in a tweet that lit up a firestorm a couple days ago.
Here’s what went down…
Drew Johnson is running against Carter in the GOP primary even though Drew has no relevant experience whatsoever for the job the way Carter does. Carter makes money. Drew counts it.
Now, I know many of you know Drew. You like Drew. You support Drew. He’s a friendly kinda guy. Very personable. Very conservative. And has nice, slicked-back hair like Gavin Newsom.
But he also has a penchant for exaggeration – often taking credit where little to none is due and blaming others for his failures.
So when Drew posted a tweet a few days ago which gave excessive credit to his wife, Sahah, for Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony’s “Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports,” I ribbed him in a reply…
“You forgot to take credit for the sun rising every morning.”
That was it. Harmless enough.
But then the sh*t hit the fan.
In a reply to my response, Carter wrote:
“In the battle to keep men out of women's sports. there are those who try to claim victimhood, and that their family paid a price, when they don't have children.”
Probably ill-advised politically, but true.
It was a simple “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” observation because the Johnsons, like a lot of couples, don’t have kids.
That doesn’t mean they can’t speak out about it. Doesn’t mean they’re not allowed to have an opinion about it. Doesn’t mean their opinion doesn’t matter.
Only that the experience of people who have kids is totally different from that of people who don’t.
And it should have ended right there.
But then Drew saw an opportunity to create a controversy where none existed. And the drama queen threw one of his patented multi-tweet online hissy fits…
“My Republican primary opponent did something no decent person would ever do. Attacking my wife because she cannot have children is cruel, vile, and exposes a complete lack of character.
“Like countless women in Nevada, my wife cannot have children. It has been exceptionally devastating for her and our family. Using that as a political attack is disturbing, disgusting, and it disqualifies you from any claim to decency or public service.”
“You are a classless, vile human for attacking my family’s inability to have children…”
He followed that fire-breathing conniption by sending out a separate third-person press release from his campaign declaring:
“Jeff Carter, a little-known candidate for Nevada State Treasurer, launched a disturbing and deeply personal social-media attack against Sarah Johnson, the wife of Republican front-runner Drew Johnson. Carter mocked Sarah’s infertility…
“Jeff Carter has done nothing for our state except attack a respected female leader and weaponize a woman’s infertility for political gain.”
Except, Carter did no such thing. No one – NO ONE – made any reference to Sarah not being able to have children until DREW brought it up.
Carter’s observation was simply that they don’t have kids. Which is true.
The reason was irrelevant to the conversation – until Drew sensed an opportunity to express faux rage and righteous indignation to score some political points.
But the fact remains: There was NO ATTACK on Sarah for not being able to have kids. Period.
Carter made an accurate observation. There was no “attack.” An “attack” would be, for example, if somebody accused them of being swingers in an open marriage. Big difference.
And even though the brouhaha was between Johnson and Carter, Drew decided to draw me into his unhinged meltdown. To wit…
“Third, before you started paying Chuck Muth to attack me, he gave me a “Conservative of the Year” award, endorsed me, applauded my career as a government watchdog and think tank executive, and called me ‘a rock-solid conservative.’
“That changed only after I refused to pay him when I ran for Congress and criticized him for selling his principles to the highest bidder. He then began taking money from my opponents—people like you.
“Finally, the only person who has ever attacked my wife and me for not having children is Chuck Muth—so I know exactly where that line came from.”
How to put this gently?
Drew Johnson is a lying sh*tweasel.
But I mean that in a good Christian way.
Yes, I did endorse him after he became the GOP nominee. Yes, I have applauded him for his work as a government watchdog. And yes, I still believe he’s a solid conservative – though he lacks the political acumen to be a solid candidate.
But with that said…
First, I had NO IDEA his wife suffered infertility until DREW brought it up in his twitter rant.
Secondly, Carter hasn’t paid me a dime – though he did buy me dinner at the Italian American Club over the holidays.
Third, we didn’t give him the “Conservative of the Year” award. He got our “Unsung Hero” award. Basically, a participation trophy.
Fourth, he never “refused to pay” me when he ran for Congress. I told him I wasn’t interested in him running for Congress – and he got his feelings hurt.
Fifth, I never got paid by any of his opponents either. If I had, he never would have won the primary.
Most importantly, I have NEVER attacked his wife for not having children.
Again, I didn’t even know she had infertility problems until DREW made it public. So I sure as hell didn’t tell Carter that.
As for her part, Sarah’s no shrinking violet…and prevarication seems to run in the family.
She enthusiastically joined the tweet-fight, including this allegation directed at me:
“You were Drew's biggest (fan) for years. Even gave him an award. Then, 2 yrs ago, Kasama and Red Rock paid you and you attacked Drew. Fast forward, Kasama got out and Marty got in, paid you and you went to his team.”
Once again, neither Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama nor Red Rock Strategies nor Marty O’Donnell ever paid me a dime to “attack” Drew. To the extent that I criticized his doomed, poorly-run campaign, that was for “funsies.”
Look, this is all misdirection and political theater.
Johnson’s a proven loser at the ballot box because he thinks he knows it all and keeps failing upwards.
He lost a local county commission race, then moved up to lose a regional congressional race, and is now poised to lose a statewide race for a seat he’s not qualified to fill.
His wife’s infertility has nothing to do with that. It’s Drew who made that a campaign issue, not me.
And all his fist-pounding, teeth-gnashing, and chest-thumping righteous indignation with steam coming out of his ears doesn’t change that fact.
I hope he gets cooties.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“I had a vasectomy last week to ensure I will not have kids. My wife and I will save taxpayers almost $400k by not having 2 kids. But you want us to pay other people to have kids through refundable tax credits? How is that fair?” – Tweet to then-Sen. Marco Rubio from Drew Johnson, 12/15/17