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November 11, 2015 11:02 AM UTC

Dems Take Aim At Laura Woods on Veterans Day

  • 10 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

A press release from the Democratic Senate Campaign Fund on a new ad (above) playing on cable in Senate District 19, the ultra-swing Jefferson County district held by hard-right Sen. Laura Waters Woods expected to play a central role in the Democratic strategy to retake the Colorado Senate in 2016:

The Democratic Senate Campaign Fund (DSCF), an initiative of the Colorado Democratic Party, launched an ad today highlighting State Senator Laura Woods’ hypocrisy on veteran’s issues. The ad was spurred by a recent Woods Facebook post about Veterans Day writing she supports veterans – “I am reminded I owe each veteran a debt I can never repay.” Woods can never repay because she repeatedly votes against veterans.

“Laura Woods does not get to call herself a patriot just because she posts a flag on Facebook or carries a sign in a parade. She’s playing politics with our veterans and it makes me sick to my stomach,” said Korean Era Veteran Dennis Larsen. Larsen explained, “I’m a veteran in Laura Woods’ district, and I want answers. Why has Laura voted against those of us who have put their lives on the line for our country?”

Beginning with Woods’ statement that she refers to herself as a, “liberty-minded patriot,” the ad outlines some of Woods’ harmful votes against veterans. This includes her vote against tax breaks for veterans (HB 15-1181), against in-state tuition for dependents of active duty military members who have attended school in Colorado (HB 15-1215), and her “no” vote on establishing employment services for veterans (HB 15-1030) seeking job training. The ad ends, “Laura Woods. What a hypocrite.”

“Laura needs to explain her record. Why did she vote against the majority of her party and against veterans? What would drive someone to vote for not taxing soft drinks (SB 15-274), but then vote to tax active duty service men and women (HB 15-1181),” said Andrew Short, Executive Director of the DSCF.

It’s a good ad that makes a number of hard-hitting points in rapid succession, and ends with a simple message: “what a hypocrite.” Taking advantage of the seasonal lull in political ads just after the election, it’s actually a very good time to plant messages on low-name ID downballot candidates like Sen. Laura Waters Woods–whose negatives Democrats hope will become her story ahead of 2016’s hottest state senate race.

As just these few votes demonstrate, they’ve got plenty to work with.

Comments

10 thoughts on “Dems Take Aim At Laura Woods on Veterans Day

  1. I think it's a little bit early for attacks ads like this. The DSCF seems to have the same approach as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee; voters are nothing more than dumb schmucks who can't figure things out for themselves. Woods’ vote against HB 15-1030 sounds bad; the other two, maybe not so much. And I can think of stronger reasons why she doesn’t deserve re-election, like her stand on reproduction.

    I'm all in favor of providing basic services to veterans in the years after their tours of duty; especially those who serve in the hot zones like Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. But should doing a three year hitch, and particularly not getting shot at during it, really qualify one for 30 years or more of services at taxpayer expense? Whatever happened to the concept of "citizen soldier?"  

    Right now, I don't feel super strong either way on these veterans entitlement and fiscal issues. But I think veterans benefits and how to reasonably control them is a conversation that has to happen eventually; same with other big entitlement programs. And, one can ask why isn't the VA budget counted as part of the overall defense budget? It should be. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has frequently called for an audit of the Pentagon (also refer to his comments at last night's debate about military spending). No luck yet. The VA should be included in any audit of the military.    C.H.B.

        1. Well Dems do propose and vote for legislation to help vets which Republicans always vote against. And now that the photo ops are over Rs won't vote to make help for the heroes of 9/11 permanent either as Dems keep trying to do. 

          And besides, you still haven't admitted that you were completely out of line to accuse anyone here of mocking the disabled or admitted it was his mom using her disabled child for political purposes or that the overwhelming vote against the Jeffco rightie wackos is proof that the recall reflected the true will of the electorate, not just the success of union "thugs" so shut up and go away. 

          I know it doesn't do any good to say so but I feel better every time I tell you what a waste of space stupid little piss ant you are. And you certainly are.

  2. Well, a pox on both sides on this … Republicans love to puff out their chests and proclaim themselves patriots (think Dick Cheney) and send other people's sons and daughters to war. On the other hand, Democrats seem to want to create a whole other class of government dependents out of military personnel and veterans — clearly with the cynical goal of creating Democrat voters.

    Let's get real … why should we be subsidizing the college tuitions of active duty service members? This is pandering plain and simple. And just how long is this "those of us who have put their lives on the line for our country" got to mean that taxpayers are supposed to pay for the consequences of stupid wars? 

    Especially in this era of the volunteer military, the choice to join is a choice; individuals who make this choice have to be responsible for their decision and not lord it over the rest of us by expecting more government entitlements.

    Finally, this is all about pure partisan politics. Woods putative opponent can claim 'more concern for veterans' only because she will promise to spend more taxpayers' dollars: Zenzinger is otherwise exactly the same as Woods … post a flag on a web site and say laudatory words about past wars.

    1. Um – we subsidize the college tuitions of active duty service members so that when they are done with their service they have something to look forward to in life, so that they might volunteer in the first place. We don't pay them enough to go to college: many of their families collect food stamps. And when they are injured during their service to us and our government, we owe it to them to take care of those injuries.

      Please tell me your entire post was snark, because it pissed me off. I'm an anti-war, smaller defense department liberal no doubt, but we owe those who do service for our country.

  3. If their ads are going to be this bad, they need to just send me the money.  I can make much better use of it.  But then the Dems are already stupid for choosing a loser as their candidate and freezing out all others.

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