Off come the gloves
GOP challenger urges Schiff to keep his supporters in line
By Jake Armstrong 06/24/2010
It was spring when Margaret Borunda went to sleep last Thursday, but the spunky 88-year-old woke up Friday smack dab in the middle of campaign season, a time in which vandals had already defaced a political sign in Borunda’s yard, then glued it to her garage, ruining the paint underneath.
Almost immediately, the congressional candidate whose name is on that sign, John Colbert, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff in November, blamed “left-wing radicals” for the alleged vandalism and fired off a statement demanding Schiff get his minions in line.
“This type of behavior is not accepted by the good people in this district,” the statement read in part. “My message to Adam Schiff is that he needs to tell his supporters this sort of skullduggery is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
It may seem like a strong reaction, but about 20 of Colbert’s campaign signs have been stolen in Borunda’s Linda Vista neighborhood alone, said Tamara Shelter, the candidate’s spokeswoman. And Colbert’s Web site keeps a running tally of signs — 31, as of Tuesday — that have been “stolen by our opposition’s supporters.”
But how did Colbert, a retired law enforcement officer and security software executive who lives in Altadena, make the connection to Schiff?
“We may be stretching it a little bit, but the basic thing is this is inappropriate behavior,” Shetler said. “This is not politics; this is thuggery and vandalism.”
Schiff, a former federal prosecutor, did not respond to requests for comment.
But with five months remaining until the November election, there’s no telling how rocky the political landscape may be given voters’ rising frustration with incumbents.
Borunda said she’s a longtime registered Democrat, but said she’s at odds with Schiff over his voting record, though she didn’t offer specifics. “He’s too liberal,” she said. “I just don’t like what they say.”
Shetler said Colbert pulled in more votes — 24,000 — in the primary than any other recent GOP candidate for the 29th Congressional District, which stretches from Pasadena to Burbank and Monterey Park.
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SCHIFF MUST GO!