Abbott Hiding Behind Hate

For weeks, Greg Abbott has allowed a collection of right-wing hacks, online bomb throwers and paid campaign consultants – including his New Hampshire-based chief strategist Dave Carney – to front for him by orchestrating a series of false personal attacks against Wendy Davis and her family.

Abbott has enabled his supporters to lie, level threats, use vile language and violent imagery to lash out at an opponent he clearly fears.

Abbott has yet to be pressed by the media to answer for the often crude personal attacks being launched on his behalf.

Toughness and accountability matter in Texas. Greg Abbott has not demonstrated either.

Here are 10 bottom-of-the-barrel campaign moments – from just the past few weeks – that Greg Abbott should be called on to either embrace or condemn.

 

1. Abbott’s chief strategist, Dave Carney, encourages childish name-calling

Wow! “Wendy Davis, Classic Texas Four-Flusher” http://t.co/K9OOY2hxsQ

— Dave Carney (@granitewinger) January 26, 2014

 

2. Carney also perpetuates lies dreamed up by Republican operatives

Unfreakingbelievable Greg Abbott ‘wheelchair truthers’ actually exist http://t.co/GkJIAgRqsp Crickets from@wendydavistexas

— Dave Carney (@granitewinger) January 26, 2014

 

3. Abbott doesn’t have the guts to condemn or fire his top consultant for inflammatory tweets

LOL: Wendy Davis endorsed by ‘sugar daddy’ dating service http://t.co/jjZT0383EW via @dailycaller

— Dave Carney (@granitewinger) January 24, 2014

 

4. Denton County GOP Chair rallies supporters by referring to Wendy Davis as “Abortion Barbie”

 

5. GOP consultant says Wendy Davis can only win by playing the Victim Card

 

6. Erick Erickson’s writing is borderline sociopathic

We are all familiar with Erick Erickson’s hate-filled tweets about Wendy Davis, but here’s what he said when Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren called him a a jerk for his outrageous comments.

“Wendy Davis believes it is perfectly acceptable to crack open a child’s skull, inject her cranium with saline, vacuum out her brains, then tear her limb from limb unstitching her from her mother’s womb even though a minute, an hour, a day, a week, or a month later she could survive outside the womb. Wendy Davis has staked her career on the right to chop a child to bits, no matter how viable the child is. The media prefers to ignore that to which Wendy Davis staked her career. They’d prefer to focus on her, as Vogue described her, “Barbie looks” and pink sneakers.

…

“Wendy Davis is a one issue wonder heralded by the press because she is a high priestess of the secular religion’s sacred sacrament — slaughtering children on the altar of Moloch.

…

“That someone is offended by me, thinks me creepy, or thinks me a jerk is fine with me as it continues to force them to talk about Wendy Davis, defender of the right to tear children apart.”

 

7. Todd Kincannon is a troll’s troll and a former Republican party official

His long track record of vitriolic and attention-seeking tweets have now extended to Wendy Davis.

Wendy Davis stimulates the kneepad economy. And a lot of penises. RT @Shadowboxer50 I wonder how many knee pads she went through at Harvard?

— Todd Kincannon (@Todd__Kincannon) January 23, 2014

 

8. Kincannon is currently an election official in South Carolina and a former Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party

Wendy Davis has solved America’s student loan crisis! Just find a dumbass to pay off your loans in exchange for sex. #Hookernomics

— Todd Kincannon (@Todd__Kincannon) January 23, 2014

 

9. The conservative Twittersphere

This is conservative comedy, folks. RT @JohnPPatterson: #WendyDavis #GodBlessTexas pic.twitter.com/sNWdfOUwGq

— Davho Pldal (@SnarkOnTap) January 21, 2014

 

10. Abbott Supporters’ Death Threats

Some of his supporters go to the absolute extreme, making death threats right on his Facebook page.