This morning, vineyard owner Brad Goehring, a Lodi Republican candidate for the 11th Congressional District now held by Democrat Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, posted this on his Facebook page.
“If I could issue hunting permits, I would officially declare today opening day for liberals. The season would extend through November 2 and have no limits on how many taken as we desperately need to ‘thin’ the herd.”
More than 50 people commented on his post, including one who commended Goehring for his frank remarks, stating, “Washington needs honest Americans!”
Other commenters and Facebook friends were less supportive.
Tracy resident Jim Freeman said was shocked by Goehring’s Facebook post.
“That was pretty surprising to see by somebody that is a congressional candidate making a statement like that,” said Jim Freeman of Tracy. “To me, it’s undignified. I think we have to expect more from somebody that wants to be a congressman.”
Goehring campaign manager Carl Fogliani said the post was misunderstood.
”I think it’s pretty obvious he’s talking about elections,” Goehring’s campaign spokesman, Carl Fogliani said. “It’s a campaign. People are trying to make an issue out of nothing.”
Goehring apologized for his comments in follow-up post a few hours later.
“I intended to include the wording 'we would use votes and not bullets' (but) hit the share button by accident before I finished and decided to leave it, thinking it would not be taken in a literal sense,” Goehring posted. “I'm sorry if I confused anyone.”
Goehring deleted the posts a few hours later.
Four candidates are on the Republican ballot for the June 8 primary, where only one will go on to battle McNerney’s seat.
Fogliani said “things like this are a diversion” and he doesn’t think it will affect Goehring in the June 8 primary.
Goehring’s competitors include Tony Amador, a retired U.S. marshal from Lodi; Elizabeth Emken, an autism advocate with a background in corporate finance from Danville and David Harmer, an attorney from San Ramon.
Freeman said he wants to see McNerney unseated, and that he follows the campaign through social media and e-mail updates since he attended a January Republican candidate’s forum in Manteca. Freeman said Goehring’s Facebook post will affect how he votes in the primary.
“The timing of this coming out — before the primary election — makes me feel more strongly that I would support David Harmer,” Freeman said.
A spokeswoman for McNerney had no comment about the Facebook post. Campaign spokespeople for Emken and Harmer also had no comment. Amador’s office did not return a phone message.
Contact reporter Jaclyn Hirsch at 830-4269 or jhirsch@tracypress.com.
Do you work for Jerry's campaign? You failed again. Why don't you go ask Nancy for a job.
McNerney did sponsor the bill, but "authoring", not sure it is in his capacity.
CN
I didn't see that law. I think it want back to Washington. Last I heard it would not be enacted. Where do you get this information?
Brad Goehring has already in the past hired a David Creager to go onto blogs and bash other candidates
http://foryourapproval.blogspot.com/2010/01/fallout-from-mondays-gop-debate-amador.html
In addition, "LodiReader" bashes Harmer's candidacy, but claims to know who Harmer's campaign staffers friends are? vedddy interesting, indeed!
Looks like Freedman better watch his back like Beadles.
Trying to divert voters from realizing that the guy (Harmer) DOESN'T even live in the district and he's a career candidate. He's so fake it disgusts me. I rather vote for anyone that Mr. Plastic. A vote for Harmer = 2 more years of McNerney.
It's amazing how fast you liberals forget what the attitude after 9/11 was. People wanted to point the finger at someone, and the middle east was the #1 suspect. There were terrorists in Irag, whether you believe it or not. Besides, along the way we liberated an oppressed country, shouldn't that make a liberal happy? That those people are free?
It was a joke. He OBVIOUSLY was never going to physically hunt liberals. Like I said, just goes to show that conservatives can actually have a sense of humor, contrary to popular belief. Seems that you and your liberal friends don't. But he knows now not to say anything that the liberal media can blow up into him "preaching hate" as you say...
McNerney, the lapdog running for Congress!
As oppesed to all Corporate Republicans in total support of UNPAID wars against an enemy that never attacked
us aka IRAQ... I guess ur right yes, we dam proud liberals are against those wars...
But I bet you watch fox "news" and still think that Iraq attacked us on 9-11 even when BUSH officials have acknoledged that not to be the case...
But back to the point at hand; violence against any American is antiamerican so therefore if you are a conservative Republican who can't admit this than therefore you are a right-wing terrorist...
On the other hand if you can say that he was wrong to say such things and you acknowledge that someone on your side made a mistake than you a true American Patriot that puts country before party!
Any other Corporate Republicans feel the need to defend another Republican who preaches hate?? Go right ahead and do it... all your doing is showing your true colors.
Vote
McNerney The "adult" running for Congress!
Wow looks like you went to the school of Glen Beck, where you learn to use the word Marxism and Communist and then tie it to anything Democrats do... Big Yawn that argument is old and pretty lame...
As Far as me hating the flag... Please quote the line in my post in which I said such a thing and we'll go from there.
All your doing is assuming that I hate the flag and that all Democrats do as well! Very childish and shows that you cant have fact driven argument!
As far as freedom I love it and admire the many sacrifices many have fought for, both Republican and Democratic, to preserve it... Are you saying only conservatives have fought in war and served our country??
As far as Marxism goes I doubt you really know the meaning and like to throw the word out there to create political rhetoric without arguing substance just like Glenn Beck and Papa Limbaugh taught you, really learn the meaning before you use them to argue current American politics.
If you think helping the poor of this country is unpatriotic than that's your choice. I don't, I believe that a strong middle class creates a strong Country and Reagan did the most damage to the Middle class this country has ever seen.
But alas we are just debating on this Tracy Press forum but the real debate will be at the ballot box...
I will not condone violence used by Democratic or Republican candidates. That's UnAmerican!
Jim Freemans comments are just a political poke at Brad Goehing for the purpose of Freeman showing his support for the "liberal" Harmer, who says he is a strong conservative.
Why would this reporter, Ms. Hirsch, even interview this guy Freeman? Maybe they have coffee together across the street from the Press.
Got no argument against what ya have said in either of yer previous comments.
I completely agree, people should be raisin thair children an not leavin it fer someone else ta do.
If ya can't do that then ya shouldn't have children.
Can't tell ya th Democrats are any better or worse than th Republicans. From my viewpoint they are all just as corrupt as th other side.
That's why I don't vote a party line but fer th individual candidate based on how I thank he or she will perform in office.
But I will say th biggest problem we have is cronyism an th only way ta stop it is not to vote for any incumbents an try yer best ta not vote fer anyone that's ever held a political office for th next 8 to 10 years.
Yep it will be a rough ride but when ya got a cancer that's killin yer body ya sometimes gotta take extreme measures ta survive in th long run.
So if yer gonna raise a stink about it start with th leadership of our nation who, by th way, should be settin th example fer all of us by th way they lead.
Come ta think of it, perhaps that's th problem. We got too many of our government leaders that are corrupt an th examples of that type of leadership are filterin down ta th rest of our society an th whole ship is takin on water an about ta flounder.
When th president or any other elected public official does things illegally an with impunity what example does it set fer th rest of us?
Had a young girl that tried ta tell me that oral sex wasn't sex because, after all, that's what one of our presidents did in th White House. How do ya argue that line of thankin?
Go for it Brad.. Left wing bleading heart liberals out of the White House in November!
This episode highlights the obvious:
For decades now, the most serious threat of domestic terrorism has come from the growing ranks of paranoid anti-government hate groups who use mixed metaphors to draw on inspiration, dissatisfaction and anger as vocabulary to ignite the confused and disenfranchised.
For example there has been explosive growth among the far-right militia-type groups which identify themselves as tax protesters, gun rights activists, anti-Federal Government who see themselves upholding the values of 'the Founding Fathers' and the 'free enterprise system'.
It would also be disingenuous to dismiss groups out-of-the-past such as the KKK, and more recently Timothy McVeigh and the Hutaree.
Perhaps the real joke will fall on Republican candidate Brad Goehring who will go by way of the AMC Gremlin, 8-track tape deck, and Mohar sweater by simply returning to growing grapes and peddling booze?