I have come across more pieces of useful information (or negative smearing, depending upon your interpretation of pesky facts) that I would like to share with the people of Provo. As I've stated previously, Mr. Curtis wants the fact that he was a Democrat to go away; too many questions are being asked about the 'why' behind his decision to do so, and since there isn't an easy answer people are starting to question the man's integrity.
Since Provo is the Seat of Utah County, and has been informally dubbed the bastion of conservatism, to be called a Democrat might be likened to a naughty four-letter word. Some might say "who cares about party affiliation," and, to a point, I agree completely. Really, if you're going to be a Republican, stand up for what you believe in. If you are going to be a Democrat you should “stand up and fight…be a Democrat and fight for what you think is right in Utah County.” [1] This previous quote was given by Nancy Jane Woodside, previous Chairwoman of the Utah County Democratic Party. Also interesting about this individual is that Mr. John Curtis served as her Vice Chairman, and at the same speech where she proclaimed this rally call to Democratic values, she also uttered these words:
“You don’t give anything up to those crazies in the Republican party,” she said to applause. “You can stand up to them. We will stand up to them together.” (emphasis added) [1]
“Those crazies in the Republican party.” If this isn’t the pinnacle of negative campaigning, then someone please awaken me from this nightmare. Not only was Mr. Curtis present when these words were uttered, but he served as the Vice Chairman of the leadership committee to stand up to “crazies in the Republican party.” I would like for Mr. Curtis to explain the circumstances behind this situation for himself, in his words, why he aligned himself with a party who thought that the dominant party was rife with “crazies.” Maybe Mr. Curtis will try to tell you that changes to the 2000 Utah County Democratic platform were in “close harmony” with his “core values.” [2] Or maybe he will try to tell you that he was actually a victim of circumstances, that he was actually in “a dramatic attempt to align the Utah County Democratic Party with Utah County values.” [3] Or maybe he will try to tell you that he was simply trying “to give Utah County voters more choices at the ballot box” by putting a (D) instead of a (R) at the end of his name. [3] Whatever his excuse may be, it becomes painfully evident that Mr. Curtis has orchestrated an intricate web of lies and half-truths to deceive the people of Provo about his political background.
By why give such an elaborate story to explain something that should be straightforward and simple to understand? Why not simply state “I ran as a Democrat, I believed in the values, so get off my back”? That because Mr. Curtis, more than anyone else in this race, understands the consequences of running as a Democrat in Utah County. In his own words, Mr. Curtis stated that he lost a political race while running as a Democrat because “there is clearly a confidence level in voting for Republicans…the ‘D’ and the ‘R’ sets up stereotypes in a lot of people’s minds, stereotypes that don’t reflect who I am.” [4]
In response to this, I have two very simple questions, Mr. Curtis: What are these stereotypes you are speaking of, and who are you? Firstly, you speak of stereotypes, and I’m guessing that you are referring to the stereotype that people in Utah view Democrats as the fulcrum of all that is evil in society. Well, the interesting aspect surrounding stereotypes is that they are a two-way street, just like when you stated the following:
“A vote for George W. Bush was a vote against me,” said Curtis. “It’s disheartening to go through what we went through for the campaign and know that we were dead before we even started.” [4]
So, as you bemoaned that ‘stereotypes’ lost you the election (it could never be something as simple as issues or stance, right?), you also delve into the stereotype that any individual who voted for President Bush did not vote for you. If you do not win the mayoral race, are you going to blame “smear campaigning” or “negativity” surrounding your campaign, or will you realize that the issues simply are not stacking up in your favor?
You see, Mr. Curtis, I am not the only person who is questioning your intentions. There are plenty of people out there who are asking ‘who is John Curtis…really?’ When you find yourself surrounded by a mostly conservative audience or being questioned by a conservative newspaper, you gladly state that your “values have never changed” and that you have “been a Republican [your] whole life.” [3] However, if you are in the presence of a more liberal-leaning crowd, you are not afraid to say that you “believe one-party dominance” is “at the heart of the problem” here in Utah; that you are “not afraid to stray form [sic] the stereotypes of the past.” [5] The dualities within your nature are like a tailspin, Mr. Curtis. You bemoan that stereotypes ruined your chances at political office as a Democrat, yet you stated that you ran as a Democrat because you were not afraid to stray from those stereotypes that supposedly doomed you. In fact, after taking Nancy Jane Woodside’s position as Chairman of the Utah County Democrats when she decided to run for public office against a Republican, you said Republicans didn’t “need any more advantage than they already have” when addressing Woodside’s concern that Republicans were always listed first on the ballot. [6]
I believe Mr. Curtis is trying to cross the finish line with a very intricate lie that he has been carrying throughout the entire campaign. Up until recently, Mr. Curtis issued a challenge on his website that he would personally go “toe-to-toe” with any individual who wanted to question his conservative stances; that is until this challenge was taken away. Why erase this off your website, Mr. Curtis? Are the demons of your political past coming to fruition? Are people starting to question your reasoning behind switching parties? Are your past comments betraying your current positions? There really isn’t an easy answer, because Mr. Curtis has spun himself into a web of lies and half-truths that only he can understand which makes matters difficult for the people of Provo. When we want to know what Mr. Curtis truly believes, we can never know because his values are always changing. Even if he stands by his ‘values,’ how are we not to know that this isn’t an artificial attempt to appear conservative so he does not lose another race due to ‘stereotypes’?
People of Provo, you should never vote based on political affiliation alone. You should always look towards the candidate’s issues and platform, and then make a calculated decision on what you believe is best for the City as a whole. Yet when you look towards Mr. Curtis and want a straightforward answer, you really can’t get the answer you’re looking for. The outright lies that have come from his own mouth about his political background is enough to nullify any integrity left within his campaign, all while he accuses his opponents of operating a “whisper campaign” which is spreading “shallow accusations…half truths and rumors.” [7] I hate to break the news to you, Mr. Curtis, but the only person spreading half truths about your background is staring right back at you in the mirror.
[1] http://www.deseretnews.com/article/843209/
[2] http://www.ourcampaigns.com/cgi-bin/r.cgi/CandidateDetail.html?&CandidateID=13693
[3] http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650219973/2-vie-for-Provo-House-seat.html
[4] http://www.deseretnews.com/article/850009/?pg=1
[5] http://web.archive.org/web/20010803024809/www.johncurtis.org/q&a.shtml
[6] http://www.deseretnews.com/article/908464/
[7] http://www.johncurtis.org/rumors.html
