Mike Erickson Deserves Better

Mike Erickson deserves better
By Guest Opinion

Today Mannix released a letter attacking Mike Erickson based on an email from someone who knew Erickson. Unfortunately it boils down to a he said/she said story and that is it. Those conservatives who feverishly defended Clarence Thomas and espouse that everyone is innocent until proven guilty are now wishing Erickson to hang at the first sign of an accusation.

If the Republican Party leaders care then they need to step in and declare a time out for the sake of their future. This type of scorched earth attacks will leave both candidates permanently dead by Memorial Day. Too much is at stake in this rare congressional open door opportunity.

The highly private nature of the controversy means we may never know the full story. We have to accept that. Consider the public perception as the general public watches Republicans fight over this highly emotional and explosive issue of abortion. There is a big difference between what you expect the public to think and how they will really feel when it is all over.

Erickson has done what is expected of him. He ran when no one else did (consider the empty Wu, Blumenauer & DeFazio challenger seats). Erickson put up his own money, time and name. Erickson is not blameless. He did his own cross-the-line tax attacks on Mannix earlier. That is not justified either. Just consider the Lindland-Theimann, Hillary-Obama and the Merkley-Novick races. The political will strong enough to temper such problems in the primary will build a stronger coalition in the fall.