Gambaro Gets Ugly in State Senate Race
Derio Gambaro’s conservative campaign for Missouri’s 4th Senate District has gotten ugly with a mailing that allegedly calls into question the sexuality of opponent Jeff Smith. The piece asks voters if Smith has been “straight” with them on all the issues [paraphrasing, my quotes].
I’ve personally asked Jeff Smith about his sexual orientation and he happens to be one of those not so masculine straight men. As there a good many hyper-masculine gay men out there it makes sense some of the straight men aren’t quite so straight in appearance. How this is relevant to the State Senate race is what I am curious about.
Clearly Gambaro is looking to get undecided voters in his camp. Will this tactic work or backfire?
More to follow as I obtain a copy of the mailer…
Update 7/31/2006 @ 8am:
See Travis Reems’ commentary on a push poll being conducted:
Gambaro Caller:
Would you be more or less likely to vote for a candidate if you knew he was paying somebody to pretend to be his girlfriend to cover up the fact that he is gay?The implication that someone is gay simply because they have a certain appearance, mannerisms or a higher voice is offensive. Gambaro is trying to fit Jeff Smith into a roll of a stereotype that by many accounts doesn’t fit. If he can produce a boyfriend then I’ll believe him.
In this day and age it is often the person you least expect to be gay (or bisexual) that actually is. Examples include several Republican Congressmen; Jim Kolbe from Arizona, and in the 1990s you had millionaire Michael Huffington and Steve Gunderson. In the last 20 years we’ve also seen numerous anti-gay religious leaders caught with their pants down. Let’s not forget leading men such as Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter and Montgomery Clift or former major league baseball player Billy Bean.
If you want to let the Gambaro camp know just what you think of this tactic you can call their campaign at 314-773-6008.
– Steve
A friend recieved a call from the Gambaro camp elluding to the sexual orientation of Jeff Smith and how that somehow makes him not the best candidate for the state senate. They were flabbergasted to say the least.
Two things come to mind when I heard this-
#1 This is dispecable below the belt politics. If they wanted to hit Jeff and cut him at the knees I think that the lack of political experience could have just been the main nail.
#2 If a campaign is going after a candidate’s sexual orientation and nothing else substantial then they got problems and they are in the last throes of a losing campaign. You go nasty early to win- contrast yourself and keep hitting that message home weekly. Jeff, Amber, Yaphett and Kenny all have some very easly targeted weak points that could have been expolited early and often to great effect
I personally like Derio quite abit. He has been absolutely wonderful in helping me in my neighborhood association, contacting me about potential voters, and just a nice guy. HOWEVER, he was the one that had to give the okay for this type of campaigning so that makes me question his ethics.
As far as Jeff’s sexual orientation, who gives a f***? If he’s right on the issues he’s got my vote
Josh:
You hit the nail on the head when you said the this is a last ditch effort because Derio Gambaro knows he has lost. What is amazing is that he somehow thinks that calling Jeff gay and Jeff’s girlfriend, Lis, a whore is going to gain him votes. This is just as bad as the divisive tactics Candidate El-Amin has been playing. Both are acts of desperation.
Does anyone know Mr. Gabaro’s mailing address or email address? I typically just quietly follow politics, but this is disgusting enough to make me want to contact the “man”…any info is appreciated. I checked out his campaign website, but they only had information on how to donate :-/
[REPLY It was in the lower right hand corner of his site: Gambaro for Senate
5320 Wilson Ave.
St. Louis, Missouri 63110
314-773-6008]
Agreed that this is an act of desperation. What’s hilarious is that Jeff’s politics would indicate that:
1) He obviously has no prejudice towards GLTBs and probably just thinks it is low that Gambaro would accuse him of this.
2) Most people who would vote for Jeff think the same way.
Talk about picking someone that a tactic like this won’t faze. I think Gambaro will lose more votes than he would gain from this weak manuever.
If the mailer is one that my family received last week (and have since trashed) – I didn’t at all pick up on the “straight” comparison. What surprised me was the attack on Jeff’s recent move back to the area after teaching in New Hampshire for a semester, as if he’s just recently arrived in St. Louis. That struck me as the same sort of distortion we’re used to seeing from Republicans in national races.
This attack is disgusting. It would be disgusting if Jeff were gay and the allegations were true, but they clearly are not. This is slanderous.
Mr. Gambaro and his minions are playing the worst type of politics. You know why? Because they know that they will lose, that they have no chance of winning and they want to pull Jeff down with them.
One question I have for Mr. Gambaro, his staff, his friends, and his volunteers- how can they look at themselves in the mirror? He is a despicable, desperate man.
I wouldn’t vote for a known homosexual as I believe that it is sexually perverse. But I think its wrong for one candidate to call it into question in his opponent, without evidence to support the claim.
# 6–it is a shame to think that there are still people in St. Louis who would say, “It would be disgusting if Jeff were gay and the allegations were true.” That kind of thinking is despicable. If Jeff were gay it should ABSOLUTELY no difference if he can do the job well. Hopefully one day St. Louis will not be as racist, sexist and homophobic as it is today.
Does Pete realize that “I believe that it is sexually perverse” modifies “wouldn’t vote for,” which translates that he believes it is sexually perverse to vote for a known homosexual?
I look forward to getting more clarification on this. I can’t believe Mr. Gambaro would stoop to such tactics. Desperate is one thing — hatefully appeals to the ill-founded prejudices of others is entirely different.
And, if true, inexcuseable.
The “straight with you” figure of speech used all over the place in politics, and is nothing new. “Edge” wrote in here to say that he/she received this mailing and didn’t pick up on this supposed transgression.
Can we all hold off on accusing Gambaro of gay-bashing until we can see the text of the mailing for ourselves? Without it, this is just as much of a cheap shot as what you’re accusing him of.
Oakland:
Unfortunately, the negative and distastefully divisive tactics Derio Gambaro is employing goes beyond interpretation of a mailed piece to a push poll, in which the call recipient is subjected to scurrilous attacks on Jeff Smith, who is referred to as being gay, and his girlfriend who is referred to as a whore. (See my blog for further details.)
In Derio Gambaro’s act of desperation, he has gone from a whisper campaign on these points to making selective open statements to making carefully worded written statements to finally making open accusations that go far beyond decency. To intimate that Jeff Smith is one thing or another is divisive politics, and has been played by a couple of other candidates in this race, but to call his girlfriend, or any woman for that matter, a whore is beyond all decency, and just has no place in polite conversation, nor politics.
More contact info here if you get a recording at the above number:
[REPLY I deleted the link as it is no longer valid. – SLP]
Sorry, Wikipedia appeared to be up to date.
HAHAHA, this is as desperate as it gets. No one gets votes from going negative like this. Ultimately, people smell desperation in the air and run from candidates who pull this type of nonsense. This only tells me that Derio is seeing that he has lost the race. He isn’t a viable choice. His campaign has just proven it.
Is this true, or is someone from the Smith camp trying to paint Gambaro as a homophobe to discredit him? Seems to me like a lot of people are ready to believe it without having first-hand knowledge of it.
Gamboro used to be my State Rep. I had respect for the guy even though I didn’t agree with his positions. He’s lost any respect I had for him now with these tactics.
I called to complain. They can’t even field a volunteer to answer the phones at 3 in the afternoon. Ouch! I could have been a Replublican wanting to donate money. Oh well.
Travis,
Were you the voter who received this call? Do you actually here the call yourself? Is the voter who received the call a close enough friend that you would beleive what they say without question? I’d really like to know how much legitimacy we should give this information.
There are two sides to every story. Generally, somewhere in the middle lies the unadulterated truth.
BTW, this comment is in no way meant to be demeaning towards people who may or may not practice adultery. All opinions are strictly my own and do not represent the opinions of anyone else. Offer void in Canada. No purchase necessary to win.
Cletus:
I was not the recipient of the call, luckily for the caller; I would have gone ballistic.
For the privacy and protection of the individual from whom I received this information, all I can say is that it came from someone whom I trust. So, I fully believe that this dialog is verbatim from the call.
I can tell you what decided my mind up. At one of the community meetings, I asked Mr. Gambaro how he stood on marriage of gays and civil unions.
His answer was right out of a conservative playbook: “well I’m Catholic”
I didn’t ask how the Catholics think about it, I asked how HE felt about it…and he couldn’t give me an answer.
Jeff Smith on the other hand was honest. He is for civil unions and bedroom privacy.
Of course, I’m probably the most anti-catholic catholic around….being inheritently disordered and a guiena pig for stem cell treatments.
Oh and I forgot…negative smear campaigns do work or they would not be as popular as they are. Everyone says they don’t listen to them, but if that was the truth…why do politicians use them and why does the Globe, Star and other trash publications remain in buisness.