Letter: Misinformation about Murray
I am fully in favor of busting elected representative’s chops when they haven’t done their job— but there is one thing I can’t stand for—misinformation. We all need to make informed decisions about the election, investigating records and claims of each candidate, but also analyzing the veracity of ‘pundits’ opinions (or at least those people with access to the media).
One person in particular has been a wealth of misinformation: writer Michael Tabor. Mr. Tabor, I’m sure has had many victims over the years, and almost claimed one of our supporters, “Frank”—until I encouraged Frank to actually do a little investigating.
In particular, Tabor seems to have a grudge with Delegate Gareth Murray, an incumbent running for re-election. Fair enough, if Tabor’s claims are legitimate—Frank found they aren’t. Specifically, in an opinion article dated July 2006, Tabor questions Murray’s pro-environmental record, citing he was not endorsed by the Montgomery County Sierra Club. A quick call to the Sierra Club informed Frank that Murray indeed received its endorsement in July—the same month Tabor’s opinion was published. In the same opinion article, Tabor claimed Murray was “missing in action...[but] was able to portray himself as a seasoned liberal.”
If Murray was “able to portray himself as a seasoned liberal,” Frank figured there had to be some sort of supporting evidence; after all, he doubted the man could pull a fast one over on such an active county. And so Frank did some investigating again, checking out Murray’s website and looking at his voting record. Murray voted for the Fair Share Health Care bill, minimum wage increase, voting machine paper trails, medical decision-making act, increased teacher’s pensions, public financing of campaigns, and against slots. He has a 100% environmental voting record (as given by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters), and is endorsed by a prodigious amount of groups—including Progressive Maryland and Equality Maryland. Sounds like a liberal, dare we say a “seasoned” liberal.
While Frank’s investigation has focused on Murray, both he and I are interested in what Tabor has said about some of our other representatives. We can all take a simple lesson away from this (and no, it is not ‘boycott Michael Tabor articles’), it is, simply, do not accept misinformation.
— Dan Prud’homme
Silver Spring, MD