While many Democrats had a great deal of fun with President Donald Trump referring to revolutionary armies seizing airports and mixing up two battles against the British in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, our biggest gripe was the use of $92 million tax dollars to fund what really was a partisan campaign event for office.
Democrats are not immune to this mis-use of a non-partisan national holiday for political advantage.
The Independence day celebration in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa featured Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley. No harm in that except when the parade route was populated by volunteers hyping her candidacy and wearing “Foley for State Senate” shirts and passing out campaign literature in what is supposed to be a non-partisan event AND a non-campaign event.
In my Facebook feed this morning, I was greeted by Foley’s @MayorFoley page praising the “Independence Day Community Celebration a Huge Sucess; and a “Elects Katrina Foley for California State Senate 2020” in the headline.
There’s no debate that the event was a big success, but mixing what looks like an official Mayor’s Facebook page with a campaign pitch strikes me as unethical for someone who ought to know better. I posted a question Foley took offense to.
She wrote:
Should cities not host community events? Should all cities eliminate participating in parades? Silly. The city contributed only $10,000 toward this hugely successful community event! Many cities have community celebrations that cost a lot more including Irvine where you live. Our MPT Stephens raised more than $40,000, our fire association donated 1100 hot dogs and many businesses donated food and other items. We had Hussongs open and selling and vendors from the OC Marketplace selling wares. We will generate sales tax from those sales. Wonderful community event where families gathered. Our council members even participated in a dunk tank to raise money for after school programs at Save Our Youth. The council participated for all of 15 minutes to welcome everyone. It was awesome to include our new Congressman to read a passage from the Declaration of Independence. We invited all of our council to participate and our local reps from supervisor to State Senator. Only Harley and Cottie’s representative showed up. FREE fun for our community. A great investment. It will be even better next year. I hope you can make it!
What Foley left out was volunteers matching in “Foley for State Senate” shirts and that her post included that second sentence for what is supposed to be a non-paristian/non-campaign event. Id she left out “Elect Katrina Foley for State Senate 2020” she would have been totally fine. But that sentence is still on the feed as mayor Foley celebrates her birthday.
If State Senator John Moorlach posted the same thing, this blog would have raked his ass through the coals. It gives me no pleasure to do this to a Democrat I like and one that ought to know better and be more ethical. But I’m not running her campaign and those who thought it was wise for Foley to promote her state senate candidacy at a non-parisan event did her a disservice.
Trump’s address to the nation is being ridiculed for mixing two battles — one from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 — as well as suggesting Patriots took control of “airports” that didn’t exist — all in a bid to make him look strong and patriotic while running for re-election n the taxpayer’s dime.
It’s hard to go after the president when we have a Democratic mayor/State senate candidate mixing elective office responsibilities with an office/campaign she aspires to.