This from Politicususa:
Abbott has been claiming that he loves women, after all he married one and has a daughter, for as long as Davis has been using his record as a Republican AG to prove otherwise. But last Thursday she launched an ad against him charging that as a Supreme Court justice, he sided with a vacuum cleaner manufacturer against a woman raped by a salesman in her home.
In his 1998 dissent, Abbott found that a company selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door “had no responsibility” in the hiring of a salesman who raped a customer.
This of course elicited an angry response from the Abbott camp:
“No one has a stronger record fighting the heinous crime of sexual assault than Greg Abbott,” Chasse continued. “Not only did he create dedicated units to arrest and prosecute sex offenders and protect women and children from assault, he’s responsible for putting more offenders in jail than all of his predecessors combined. In the case referenced in Sen. Davis’ despicable ad, Greg Abbott’s decision left intact the liability against the sex offender and his employer. No amount of desperate distortion attempts or token ad buys by Sen. Davis can change the facts of Greg Abbott’s record of fighting for Texans.”
" No amount of desperate distortion attempts or token ad buys by Sen.
Davis can change the facts of Greg Abbott’s record of fighting for
Texans.” Well unless they're Texas WOMEN of course.
Politifact did a little checking and found that the ad was "mostly true." Quibbling only with the fact that Abbott felt that it was up to the distributors of Kirby vacuums to perform background checks to keep their customers safe, instead of the manufacturer themselves.
This was his dissent:
"Failure to require background checks of potential dealers relates to who is a dealer, not where the dealer works," Abbott wrote. "As a result, the requisite relation between the control retained and the alleged injury is missing. Because the Court holds to the contrary, I dissent."
Maybe it's just me, but if a woman opens the door becasue she trusts the name "Kirby vacuum cleaners" then it would seem to me that the company has a duty to ensure that such trust is justified.
I think this ad is a big win for Wendy Davis, and I also think that the women of Texas are going to think so as well.
I saw this ad earlier this morning. I thought it was very well done and made an excellent point. That's just one woman's opinion and I happen to live in Texas.
ReplyDeleteTexas Mel
The manufacturer appoints the distributor to act on behalf of the manufacturer if they don't wish to do their own distribution, therefore the manufacturer has the responsibility. It's not like a retail shop.
ReplyDeleteWendy's Ad is quite effective, and the ironic part is how his protestations drive it home to female voters even more. This was a nightmare that could have been avoided by a simple background check. Gee, I wonder what other products whine about lax background checks? I can't think of any, but I'm sure Wendy will bring it up one way or another.
ReplyDeleteWhoa. That sucks. As does Greg Abbott.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I'm still weeping for Robin Wiiliams. Depression kills.
The death of Robin Williams is terribly sad for this person also. Fuck!
DeleteO/T Tea Party News Network is running a post showing a new James O'Keefe video where O'Keefe "proves" that "Even Osama Bin Laden Could Cross the US-Mexico Border".
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tpnn.com/2014/08/11/new-okeefe-video-illustrates-even-osama-bin-laden-could-cross-us-mexico-border/
Excellent ad. I just hope that TX women understand that Greg Abbott is 'all about the money'. If he stands to make a bundle, he'll sell all Texans down the Guadalupe and never lose a nights sleep.
ReplyDeleteKinda like a part time Alaska fisherman showing up for a massage and demanding sex instead.
ReplyDeleteI posted the wonderful youtube video of Robin Williams with Koko, the gorilla. Don't know why, but it made me smile through a bit of a wet face.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but as much as I think Abbott is a douchenozzle, based on the sketchy amount of information I have, I think he may be right on this one. Think about it: if a 7-11 clerk rapes someone in the store, are the manufacturers of every product in the store liable because they didn't vet 7-11's employee?
ReplyDeleteKirby sells licences to sell it's products to dozens, maybe hundreds of distributors around the world. How can anyone reasonably say it's their responsibility to vet the employees of other people's distribution companies? Is that even legal or possible from a business point of view?
Are they responsible if the sales clerk in the vaccuum department of K-Mart rapes somebody?
Now, if the rapist were a direct employee of Kirby or a wholly owned subsidiary, that's different. But if Kirby didn't hire the man, how can they reasonably be held liable for his actions?
Kirby didn't vet the distribution company, clearly. Kirby wants to sell door to door, NOT in shops, so they certainly have a legal duty of care to see that no one is harmed by their practices. If you can't see that for yourself I truly hope you never have a job managing other people.
DeleteI agree. The bigger picture of this ad though- is that this is an obvious desperation move by the failing Davis campaign to smear her opponent as if he doesn't care about women who get raped- which frankly is absurd. Wendy Davis isn't going to be Governor of Texas. I don't live there and don't care who is Governor, but she is not going to beat out the well respected (in Texas), white, paraplegic, conservative guy. Especially not with smear campaigns.
DeleteAnonymous @6:43PM
DeleteSorry to disagree -- Kirby DOES NOT sell door-to-door. Their distributors have offices or showrooms which customers can visit. Their salesmen can also set up home appointments from these locations and meet with the customer in the home.
It is NOT Kirby the manufacturer's responsibility to vet all the people any one distributor may hire -- that's the distributor's obligation. If the manufacturer had to vet all of those salesmen the distributors hire, it would be a logistical nightmare for Kirby.
if a 7-11 clerk rapes someone in the store, are the manufacturers of every product in the store liable because they didn't vet 7-11's employee?
ReplyDeleteProctor & Gamble doesn't put their name on the storefront, nor on the uniforms of the employees. The corporation in the position analogous to Kirby is 7-11, which does have its name on the storefront, etc. Think about it.
Kirby sells licences to sell it's[sic] products to dozens, maybe hundreds of distributors around the world.
A company as big as you describe almost certainly has a legal department, and standardized license agreements which place appropriate requirements upon the licensees. The Davis ad plainly states that "The Kirby distributor failed to perform a routine background check." There was no suggestion that Kirby should have done such a check itself, only that it should have ensured that such checks took place.
Are they responsible if the sales clerk in the vaccuum department of K-Mart rapes somebody?
Try "a Kirby outlet store" and you might get somewhere. See 7-11 above.
But if Kirby didn't hire the man, how can they reasonably be held liable for his actions?
They licensed the company that did hire him, and allowed that company to use the Kirby name in their advertising, in their home demonstrations. The woman allowed the man into her home because of the Kirby name, not because the direct employer of the salesman was Acme Distribution Co.
Obviously most of the judges on the court understood that it was about the distribution company and not the manufacturer. And, yes, a background check is a good idea especially if your representative is going to go into private homes. Someone with as limited a range of thinking as G. Abbott should not become a governor. One normally expects a governor to act on behalf of the people and not the corporations.
DeleteBeaglemom
Anonymous 6:56 PM—Isn't referring to the Davis campaign as "the failing Davis campaign" making "an obvious desperation move" itself a smear campaign, albeit a minuscule one?
ReplyDeleteI dunno Ted, that seems like a bit of a stretch that I am somehow part of a smear campaign since I am not in Texas, not a part of any campaign, and really don't care who wins. But as an outside observer, polls have consistently put Abbot ahead of Davis by 10 to 15 pts (approx), and that trend hasn't changed. Plus, forgetting all the polls, it isn't much of a brain stretch to see the writing on the wall, for a state like Texas... i.e. the mindset of the general public, Texans, will vote in greater numbers for the male republican conservative Abbot. The election may as well already be called.
DeleteActually, the newest poll that just came out only shows Abbot with an eight point lead, and it was conducted by Rasmussen, which is historically conservative leaning. I think to term anything at this point a desperation move is a bit silly, when the campaign has really just started. This is only her first tv ad, but then not being in Texas you wouldn't know that....
DeleteHa. Ok 6:33, well maybe we should reconvene on this after the election that is only a few scant months away. The polls have also shown that most voters have already made up their minds though. For the record, it would be a nice change of pace to see a change of the guard so to speak in Texas, and on a slightly sexist note, I do think Davis would be quite an attractive Governor. But, not likely to happen.
DeleteGryphen, why are you still desperately trying to flame the war between Levi and Bristol? That is not appropriate. Leading up to a mediation should be peaceful. That is what mediation is for. It's the most mature, cheapest (important for all), and provides the best outcome for a future relationship between the 2 parents. Luckily, this isn't a nasty case. They're both pretty equal, neither is better, neither is deserving of more or less of anything relating to time.
ReplyDeleteSure, it's hard for a parent to not be with her child. that has been the issue all this time.
But YOU are inappropriate.And the bizarrely formed biases when even you know the people you support are FAR from perfect are getting old.
ohh boy, must be money in sarapac again so the trolls can get paid...............go away trolls
DeleteFap harder troll. We are not convinced yet.
DeleteStrangely worded sentences "bizarrely formed biases", a touch of feigned familiarity coupled with false equivalencies "Luckily, this isn't a nasty case. They're both pretty equal," I smell the troll with twenty names.
Fap fap fap
Can't post at other blogs in the middle of the night...
I know it sucks, but what is it about a political ad that mentions a vacuum company make you think of Bristol, Levi and Tripp's day in court?
DeleteAt least Gryphen has admitted he is a man who doesn't give a crap about children's feelings. If he did he wouldn't ignorantly trash that child's loving mother by perpetuating lies about her.
ReplyDeleteKind of interesting how democrat prove daily that they're are the intolerant, the ignorant and the non compassionate ones. Let alone deceptive.
Ehhh..... wrong thread. But thanks for the clicks!
DeleteAnother incident of Republicans being the PRO RAPE party.
ReplyDelete