Creep: Eric Dondero

December 4, 2006 in Creep

by Jay Stevens 

One of the “benefits” of having a blog gain some notoriety is that I no longer have to comb the Internet for 4&20 blackbirds’ creeps. They come to me.

Today’s creep, Mr. Eric Dondero, emailed me, I presume, in response to my article in the American Prospect on Idaho’s Proposition 2. According to Mr. Dondero, I made up the notion that there was pervasive fraud involved in the gathering of Montanans’ signatures for Howie Rich’s ballot initiatives (mistakes are his, invectives edited for your Internet filters at work):

Mr. Stephens, you are a f*cking *sshole

Stop lying you pr*ck!

You repeat only tired old Communist/Fascist leftwing talking points in regards to brave libertarian petitioners who stood out in the blizzard cold, and then 95 degree heat, to collect 80,000 signagtures for property rights all over Montana. And instread of praising those of us who petititioned you accuse us of engaging in “fraud.”

How f*cking dare you, asshole!!! I want a mother-f*cking retraction.

I’m a Veteran you f*cker. I served 4 years in the Navy. I have three medals and an honorable discharge to show for it.

How many years did you serve? If your a non-Vet than shut the f*ck up.

You are on shaky ground Sir. If I ever, EVER hear you accuse me or my fellow libertarian petititioners again of “engaging in fraud” on an on-line Forum, I will slap you with a liable lawsuite so quick it will make your head spin.

Notice you didn’t say a word about the left-wing petititioners in MT for Minimum Wage and Stop the Lobbyists. You want some examples of serious shenanigans in petitition gathering. Check your own side. Oh, and btw, we libertarians and conservatives are no longer going to sit by and let you leftwing f*ckers get away with blocking us. We may have been polite in 2006. But expect us to fight you all every step of the way in 2007 and 2008. You’re hereby on notice.

NOW F*CK YOU AND HAVE A NICE DAY!!!

Libertarian Republicans

Fiscally Conservative, Socially Tolerant & Pro-Defense!

Dondero is a US Navy Veteran, former Libertarian Party National Committeeman, fmr. Senior Aide to US Congressman Ron Paul R-TX, and Founder of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

There’s a lot to address in this email, but the first is the accusation that I lied about “pervasive fraud” in the Howie-Rich sponsored initiative signature gathering. I admit I only personally witnessed one act of questionable signature gathering, and heard anecdotes about fraud in signature gathering, but of course that wouldn’t be enough to get me to write “pervasive fraud” in the American Prospect. No, that line about “pervasive fraud” was lifted from the court ruling by Justice Dirk Sandefur (pdf), who wrote:

…the Court finds and concludes for the foregoing reasons that the signature gathering process for CI-97, CI-98, and I-154 was permeated by a pervasive and general pattern and practice of deceit, fraud, and procedural non-compliance.

Justice Sandefur’s ruling was later upheld by the Montana Supreme Court.

I suggest to Mr. Dondero that he take up the matter of lying with Justice Sandefur and the Montana Supreme Court. Maybe the justices would enjoy similar invective-filled emails. Surely Dondero’s fine prose and argumentation would cause those on Montana’s highest benches to reconsider their decisions.

As for the rest of the stuff…I looked to no avail for the clause in the Constitution prohibiting non-veterans from expressing opinions or participating in crafting public policy…so I can only assume Mr. Dondero must be confusing reality with the plot of Starship Troopers. (A great read, by the way, and I salute Mr. Dondero’s taste in science fiction.)

I also looked for a similar ruling finding signature gathering for the minimum wage and lobby reform initiatives were also “permeated by a pervasive pattern and practice of deceit, fraud, and procedural non-compliance,” but I couldn’t find it, either.

And has the word “tolerant” even been more egregiously out of place than in this email?

Mr. Dondero’s threats that he’ll make our leftwing lives miserable in 2008 understates how miserable Howie Rich’s initiatives made our lives in the summer of 2006. Again, it seems crazy that conservatives are lining up to make the next election cycle more negative after the expression of weariness by most voters of the rampant negativity this summer and fall, but as a liberal and a supporter of the Democratic Party, I welcome that tactic. And next election, please let’s not hear any complaints that “both parties” engage in negative rhetoric. There’s been enough bitter complaining from the right about its intention to amp up the hostility and divisiveness in elections, it should be clear who will be responsible for the tenor of 2008 rhetoric.

Lastly, at least one well-respected conservative website promoted Dondero’s Montana Republican Liberty Caucus as a small-government, individual-liberty promoting organization and viable alternative to the mainstream Republican party…but I think it’s fair that Montanans see the MRLC obviously doesn’t offer them a reasoned forum in which to pursue their agenda, only more bitterness and acrimony.

And to Mr. Dondero and his fellow travelers, I suggest you move on from the debacle of 2006 and find a constructive, Montana-based way to introduce this legislation into the public sphere instead of reacting to your legislative defeats with anger and denial.