From our Broward Correspondent:
In the always interesting primary between the candidates seeking the Republican nomination to compete against Debbie Wasserman Schultz in November, things have been heating up.
Of course, most observers have expected the attacks to step up as the primary on August 14th looms closer. Last cycle, Harrington supporter and our biased blogger award winner Javier Manjarres constantly attacked Robert Lowry. This year, the Harrington campaign and its supporters (Manjarres again) have constantly attacked Ozzie deFaria, whom many see as their chief opponent.
While Mr. Lowry didn’t seem to fight back very much when attacked back in 2010, this year things are different. Mr. deFaria released a website recently called www.doyouknowkaren.com, that makes various claims.
We review Mr. deFaria’s claims below:
1) DeFaria claims “Karen Harrington Joined the Republican Party days before Running (for the race in 2010)”. This is true, as confirmed by voter registration records.
2) DeFaria claims: “Karen Embellishes Her Credentials.” We’d rate this somewhat true, since it’s more a matter of opinion that fact. According to Ms. Harrington’s website, “Karen is a small business owner. She has been running a family restaurant with her sister for the last 30 years.” Her financial disclosure does state that she only owns 1/6 of the family business. Nothing really earth-shattering here – Candidates frequently brag a bit about their backgrounds.
3) “Karen is a Big Spender.” We’d rate this somewhat true too. Mr. deFaria’s real claim here is that Harrington racked up about $40,000 in credit card debt for her campaign. No other candidates in the race come close to this amount. There’s nothing wrong with putting your own money in a campaign – Mr. deFaria has put a lot of his own in his race. Judging from the campaign finance reports of Ms. Harrington, it is true that she is carrying credit card debt. More interestingly, and not referenced by deFaria, is that Ms. Harrington is still carrying her personal loans from her 2010 campaign on this current 2012 campaign. It is possible that any contributions received now or in the future could go to retiring this personal debt.
4) DeFaria claims “Karen is Against the Paul Ryan Budget Plan. We’d rate this true, judging from the video, though we’re not sure what the follow up was to the question. Apparently, Ms. Harrington would vote against the plan:
5) DeFaria claims “Karen Makes Claims that Aren’t True.” Hard to rate this on its own…but DeFaria is really referencing Ms. Harrington’s claim that she “survived seven recessions.” She was referring to her business experience rather than her lifespan in the video. So, while she may have physically “survived seven recessions” since she was born in 1964, she certainly wasn’t in business at 5 years of age. So we’d have to rate this as accurate with regards to what Mr. DeFaria is referring to – namely, whether Ms. Harrington survived seven recessions as a businessperson.
6) DeFaria claims that “Karen Supports Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants.” This is a tough one. Ms. Harrington states that “I support a pathway to citizenship where the rule of law is upheld.” It would seem that the plain meaning of this statement is that Ms. Harrington would favor some type of law that would allow a path to citizenship (which most people would call “amnesty”) for illegals. Ms. Harrington follows this up by saying: “…Amnesty is an inappropriate solution and would be damaging to the financial and public health of this nation.” Basically, Ms. Harrington appears to be trying to split the baby in two here: She makes a statement that seems to allow for amnesty if there were some legal framework, but then says she is against amnesty. There is no reference to anything like the DREAM act or any other half measure. So we offer no rating here.
7. DeFaria claims “Karen Supports Same Sex Marriage; VP of Gay Activist Group.” We’d rate this true. Ms. Harrington did serve as the VP of the Sunshine Republicans GOProud, which supported gay marriage. As Defaria’s website claims, “Last year, she attended a gay wedding ceremony (see her toasting the two grooms at left).” You wouldn’t attend such a ceremony unless you supported the concept. Benajamin Bullard, the President of the Sunshine GOProud chapter, has long been a supporter of Harrington’s, and sued her former 2010 opponent Robert Lowry.
8. DeFaria claims “Karen wants to extend unemployment benefits.” We’d rate this true. She says it in the video.
9. DeFaria claims “Karen wants to “change” the constitution to make politicians less accountable.” DeFaria is referring to Ms. Harrington’s statement that she would support congressional terms of four years with a two term limit. Giving them four year terms would indeed make them less frequently accountable to the voters. So we’d rate this true.
10. DeFaria claims “Karen Wants Washington Bureaucrats to Make Decisions for South Florida Schools.” The reference here is to a Project Vote Smart Survey. In the survey, Ms. Harrington answered “Yes” to the question “Do you support federal education standards and federal testing requirements for K-12 students.” So, technically, this would play into DeFaria’s claim that “Ms. Harrington wants Washington Bureaucrats to Make Decisions for South Florida Schools.” However, Ms. Harrington also answered “Yes” to “Do You Support Federal Funding for Charter Schools,” and “Do You Support Federal Funding for K-12 School Vouchers.” Some conservatives agree with federal funding for charter schools and school vouchers.
11. DeFaria claims “Karen Uses a Blogger with a Violent Criminal History to Attack Her Opponents.” Ms. Harrington paid Mr. Manjarres, who did plead guilty to “Burglary with Assault” in 1995, during her 2010 campaign. Most astute observers would speculate that Mr. Manjarres, whose business is charging candidates for “advertising” on his blog, and who frequently comments negatively on Ms. Harrington’s opponents, is being paid through Ms. Harrington’s campaign manager as a subcontractor. Since there is no absolute proof of this short of seeing a bank statement, we offer no rating here. Ms. Harrington does, however, repost many of Mr. Manjarres’ articles on her Facebook pages, as do her staffers. She has never condemned Manjarres’ attacks, and Manjarres publicly endorsed her campaign for her 2012 race way back in 2011.
So there you have it. Most claims check out as accurate, or in the least not too outrageous.
How do you know he didn’t use hugh interest loans for “his “contribution? You don’t and I don’t, but it could be said…. But I am not .
“The point being made is that Ms. Harrington has taken on high interest credit card debt in the amount of about 40,000 for her campaign.” And I am sure she will pay it back..
Are you suggesting that Karen doesn’t have the right to pay herself back? Or that it is somewhat illegal
How do you know Ozzie didn’t Borrow at a high rate ? Do you think, even though he SAID HE DIDN”T (but he did ) have money to have loan to his Camapaign , he expects to get that money back? How do you know if he did or did not tell anyone that?
One is besing honest, the other one is bobbing and weaving … Why is Ozzie denying things we all know are true? That is the issue and it should be a serious one for a race as importan as this.. Why would he not be honest? Makes NO sense
Muddy the issue? It is pretty clear… Where did his money come from if he said he doesnt have it? Repeat, he said ” I don’t have 273″ HE SAID IT . Yet, the FEC says that he put the money in .. If he doesnt have it, but it came to him from somewhere else, than just disclose it .. Pretty simple ..
Did HE put it on his credit card? Did he get a Loan? ask the same question to all..
If any candidate cannot answer what is really a simple question , we dont need them in Congress. We already have one of those . Her name is Debbie, and she is who we are trying to defeat
We don’t think anyone is seriously contending that Mr. Defaria did anything wrong by contributing money to his campaign. It’s clear he put personal funds into his campaign. The amount depends on the point in time you look at a campaign. Mr. Defaria could put in 100,000 one month, add another 100,000 the following month, and so forth. The point being made is that Ms. Harrington has taken on high interest credit card debt in the amount of about 40,000 for her campaign. Also, as we have pointed out the the past, Ms. Harrington has rolled over her personal contributions from her 2010 campaign to this 2012 campaign. This means that she intends to get them paid back. This also means that contributions to her campaign could go towards retiring this personal debt.
I don’t speak based on others. If I find some good information, no matter where it is comes from, I will learn from it.. Could be from here, Shark, Bizpac…. There are many good sources of good information .
But to your post… so in the ways that each is able, they have put money into their Campaign , Although I did see a tape where he denies that he did.( It was him, his lips were moving to the sound, so I take it that it was him answering the questions. )
I agree that there is nothing wrong with it.. My point is why does this guy continually say things are wrong when he does the exact same? That is what Debbie Does … Also not a good quality for someone running for Congress .Have Conservatives not fought hard the last 4 years to rid our Government from that ?
So, I guess another question would be, being Ozzie said he didn’t have the money ” I don’t have 273″ is what he said on the tape. Where did the money come from? It is a valid question
Debbie Does things like this . None of us like it.. hopefully we are focused on Firing Debbie !
Once again, looking at both your site and the Shark guy’s , there are some major issues that keep bringing back to the same place.. Is it not the place to look at them and point out any obvious omissions or corrections?
You say “There’s nothing wrong with putting your own money in a campaign – Mr. deFaria has put a lot of his own in his race.” <– Ozzie says when asked in the video, he didn't put it in… he "didnt have 273".. Yet when pressed he directed the interviewer to the FEC site which says he did. If he did, how could he fault another who did and admits it? If he didn't , then he filed false FEC forms right? If it was a loan, cool, but he doesnt disclose it .
How does one candidate investing in themselves to run for this important seat,it rates as bad she does it, but good when he does (but doesnt admit it ) ? Doesn't make sense .. If he didn't put the money in himself, who did and where did it come from? These are legitimate questions based on his denial /FEC filing…
Sounds like your “Shark guy” is trying to cloud the issue (no surprise there…that’s his job). Read our point again here:
“3) “Karen is a Big Spender.” … Mr. deFaria’s real claim here is that Harrington racked up about $40,000 in credit card debt for her campaign. No other candidates in the race come close to this amount. There’s nothing wrong with putting your own money in a campaign – Mr. deFaria has put a lot of his own in his race. Judging from the campaign finance reports of Ms. Harrington, it is true that she is carrying credit card debt. More interestingly, and not referenced by deFaria, is that Ms. Harrington is still carrying her personal loans from her 2010 campaign on this current 2012 campaign. It is possible that any contributions received now or in the future could go to retiring this personal debt.”
Ms. Harrington is carrying about $230,000 in debt for her campaign which are loans from hereself…and any contributions received by her campaign could be used to retire this debt – meaning she could pay herself back the money loaned to her campaign. Mr. Defaria has categorized $150,000 as a loan to his campaign. Any contributions to his campaign could also be used to pay back this personal loan. The difference is that Ms. Harrington’s loans consist of about $40,000 of credit card debt, carried at high interest rates. Mr. Defaria points out that Ms. Harrington makes about $46,000 per year….so the credit card debt is pretty high. The other big difference between them is that Ms. Harrington is still carrying debt from her old 2010 campaign. Generally, you don’t carry debt from one campaign to another unless you are looking to get it paid off.
Remember…we are only analyzing Mr. Defaria’s claims on his website. We categorized this one as “somewhat true” since saying someone is “a big spender” is mostly a matter of opinion and degree.
I respect your right to write what you want . That is what the first is about.. Still, when I see a video from a candidate that he, in your words “DeFaria Releases Website “www.doyouknowkaren.com” I am wondering where you , or how conclude it is accurate.. Using words like speculate , judgement , one must conclude , etc… It is just puzzling.
that in the Biz world is a receivable ..
I will ask one more time.. Is anyone who writes on this this site employed, or receives any form of compensation from Ozzie? Or did you accept it blindly as a Fact? It is a straight foward question .. It is either yes or no.
We answered your questions in our comment below (see 7/12 below)…but we guess you failed to read it. Since you have a habit of not reading our answers, we’ll answer again for you one last time: NO ONE WHO BLOGS ON THIS SITE IS EMPLOYED BY MR. DEFARIA. NO ONE WHO BLOGS ON THIS SITE RECEIVES ANY COMPENSATION BY MR. DEFARIA. NO ONE WHO BLOGS ON THIS SITE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO MR. DEFARIA. We hope that is clear enough for you to understand.
We analyzed Mr. DeFaria’s site http://www.doyouknowkaren.com for accuracy. We pointed out where it was totally accurate, and were there were some embellishments typical of one campaign competing against another. If you don’t agree with our analysis, that is your choice. At least we offer reasonable analysis, unlike the Shark Tank, who has smeared Ms. Harrington’s opponents unfairly and inaccurately.
” Most claims check out as accurate, or in the least not too outrageous.”
It certainly seems the claims check out, judging by the evidence in the videos and documents on the website. Looks to me like FCN did a good job of staying impartial and even mentioning when some of the claims were exaggerated. Looking at the Shark Tank pieces on Defaria, they are one-sided and leave out the most important detail – that the case was dismissed. It’s obvious he’s a schill for Harrington…and I’ve seen him with her at multiple events.
Well, you completely tried to side step my questions.. As Far as SharkTank , I will ask him, but doesn’t change the fact I asked you first.. You know the questions…… Using innuendo hiding under commentary isn’t fact nor helpfull ..
Have a great day
You asked us, and we replied.
We suggest you get a dictionary. It’s the Shark Tank that uses innuendo, fabrications, and downright lies hiding these as purported “fact.” Go and fact check some of his articles and get back to us. We label our commentary as commentary when appropriate. We label our hard news as news when appropriate.
Ask Mr. Manjarres if he is being paid by Ms. Harrington. Since there’s an advertisement on his website from her, he has to say yes. We are not paid by nor have we contributed to any candidate or their surrogates.
Have a nice day…and thanks for giving our blog so much of your attention.
There are a lot of words in Ozzies” and your rated ” 11 points that are the focus here…
Judge, Technically,Speculate , WE rate as accurate. etc etc.. None of which go with the word Fact.
You also go on to say that ” Most astute observers would SPECULATE (My Emphasis) that Mr. Manjarres, whose business is charging candidates for “advertising” on his blog, and who frequently comments negatively on Ms. Harrington’s opponents, is being paid through Ms. Harrington’s campaign manager as a subcontractor.”
Then you go on to say ” Since there is no absolute proof of this …..” This type of “comentary” is innuendo hiding under commentary.. .. This is throughout the site, not just this subject. It is not offered as opinion, as it should be .
so, you are practicing “do as I say, not as we do ” are you not?
One last direct question.. Does any contributor to this site work for, is paid or receieve any type compensation from the Ozzie Camp? I don’t speculate or assume, which is why I am asking directly .
Once again, it would be nice to see this primary be held on the merrits of the candidates , not mudslinging, or innuendo’s ,,, Broward County GOP is 0-2,650 by using this method.. Maybe they will come down to earth and finally understand that this has cost us dearly over the last 25-30 years . MY OPINION
There you go again, “Broward Citizen.” If you look at our article, we clearly spell out when we are commenting on something (as you point out)…unlike the Shark Tank which comments on everything while claiming it is presenting facts. So which would you rather have – a liar who claims everything he writes is fact or writers who clearly identify commentary versus hard news as we do?
Not one of our many writers has contributed to any of the candidates in the CD23 race or is being paid by any candidates or their surrogates.
In case you weren’t paying attention, it is a fact that Mr. Manjarres, whose business is charging candidates for “advertising” on his blog, frequently comments negatively on Ms. Harrington’s opponents.
Perhaps you should take your focus to the Shark Tank…ask him how much he is being paid for the so-called “advertising” from Harrington on his website.
I did not say I was a fan , or not. What I said was at least he is upfront , and signs his work, rather than hiding in the Dark.
The remark about Republicans is in direct response to the attack against Karen in regards to her having been a registered independant , which is plain nonsense. As I said there are MANY rather conservatives who register independant all over this country for various reasons .. I have done it myself.. Does that make me less Conservative? Absolutely not.
I do know, by search of records that there are 2 who write and support your blog, who were recently registered Democrats.. Nothing wrong with that unless they are attacking a good candidate , for being registered Independant at one time .
Ideally, we would see the importance of defeating Debbie Wasserman , both for the district, and for the good of our Nation. May the best person win, but the baseless mudslinging that has entered this race starting with a Dog -collar picture , Only hurts Conservatives, and GOP as whole .. It has been a problem in Broward County for too many years . We do not want to become the very thing we fight, and some groups as Broward County “Republicans” are very responsible for the problem . . We MUST stop the game.. We all lose if this continues .. I appreciate your post .
Once again, “Broward Citizen,” we don’t look up the political affiliation of someone commenting on our blog. Who the heck does that anyway? (You’d also have to assume that someone signing their name was in fact the real person commenting and not another anonymous poster using someone else’s name. You, after all, are anonymous as well.)
We’ve already said that we who author the posts in this blog are all Republicans.
We state facts on our blog. Not mudslinging. Ms. Harrington was in fact an independent only days prior to her filing to run in 2010. That is a fact. For all those Democrats and Independents that have become Republicans lately – we applaud them for waking up and smelling the truth. That’s great.
We reviewed Mr. deFaria’s http://www.doyouknowkaren.com website to test its accuracy. We will continue to point out when Mr. Manjarres, the blogger supporting Ms. Harrington, states inaccuracies, half-truths, or downright lies about her opponents. That’s only fair.
Does anyone here really know how Ozzie made his money? True Conservative and job creator? Really?
!) shark tank guy signs what he writes. so you know exactly where it comes from . Ozzie’s people seem to like to hide ( doesnt mean not found )
One of the writers of this blog was a registered Democrat. Karen was an Independant , as are many GOP voters. Speaking for myself, many Broward GOP residents do not care for the usual games and suspects at BREC . People run from it ..
we can start there and go further if you wish.. Best to start signing your “work” before you attack others.
Perhaps some comments on this blog are from Democrats…(since we allow anyone to post) but not its writers. All Republicans.
When the Shark Tank admits to being a paid political operative rather than a “journalist,” maybe we’ll reveal the identity of a few of our bloggers.
And if you can find anything that’s not backed up on our blog with facts, or where we don’t label something specifically as commentary, please let us know. We’re not “in the tank” for anyone…yet we find it funny when fans of the Shark Tank post here complaining when we unveil the whole story behind a topic that he writes about.
+Vote for Ozzie, the only fiscal and social conservative in the CD 23 race and the best qualified.
Harrington only got 38% last time to DWS’s 60%…That’s a blowout…why should we give her another chance?
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