For Immediate Release: August 3, 2010
CONTACT: DCCC, Jennifer Crider & Andy Stone (202) 485-3440
Still Waiting: Does Van Tran Support Extreme Agenda Backed By Fellow Tea Party Express Endorsee Sharron Angle?
As Van Tran continues embracing the endorsement from the Tea Party Express, a group whose reputation for racism and anti-Semitism has crystallized in the last weeks, questions swirl about Tran’s links to fellow Tea Party Express-endorsed candidate Sharron Angle.
With their dual Tea Party Express endorsements, will Tran now also follow Angle in espousing extreme, out of the mainstream beliefs?
After all, Sharron Angle has a well-deserved reputation for extremism, arguing that those forced to rely on short-term unemployment during these tough times are ‘spoiled’ and that the oil spill devastating Gulf communities is an ‘accident.’
“Questions continue to swirl about the links between Van Tran and Sharron Angle, since they’ve both welcomed the Tea Party Express’ endorsement – and have both failed to denounce the racist and anti-Semitic screeds from the group’s leader,” said Andy Stone, Western Regional Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Tran owes it to Orange County voters to come clean about his support for the radical, out of touch Sharron Angle agenda: privatizing Social Security and Medicare, eliminating the Departments of Education and Energy and deregulating Big Oil.”
Background
• Sharron Angle said she decided to run for Senate because of “a calling” from God. [Las Vegas Review Journal, 8/1/10]
• Van Tran has been endorsed by the Tea Party Express, the same group that endorsed Sharron Angle. Tran’s campaign manager said Tran “welcomed” the endorsement. [Associated Press, 7/29/10; KTNV-TV, 4/15/10]
• Angle opined that we need to further “deregulate” the oil industry in the wake of the disaster. [Washington Post, The Plum Line, 6/9/10]
• Angle called Nevadans relying on unemployment assistance during hard times “spoiled.” [KRNV-TV, 5/25/2010]
• “We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out in favor of something privatized,” Angle said. [Face to Face Debate, 5/19/10]
• Angle said, “The Department of Education is unconstitutional and should not be involved in education at any level.” [Nevada News and Views, 3/22/10]
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Even though having the same endorser does not equate Van to Sharron, the questions here are not farfetched, now that we know it was Van who attended the Tax Day Tea Party in Santa Ana and claimed, ridiculously, that “Say what you will, the new health care reform bill is socialist and communist.”
This is exactly the language selfish reactionaries used against Social Security 60 years ago, and against Medicare 45 years ago. And any twisted logic that makes Obamacare Communist would surely make these two great American programs Communist as well. Somebody needs to ask him.
You’d think Van Tran would know what Communism actually is. Maybe he’s forgotten. After decades of enjoying American food and freedom, it seems it’s just become a handy catch-all scare word and insult for him to throw around.
Let’s remember his countryman Joseph Anh Cao, the only Viet in Congress, was also the only Republican to vote for the healthcare reform. HE knew it wasn’t Communist. Of course, he also comes across as a very honest, caring man though.