Brewer Campaign Getting Hot and Sweaty? Starts Re-raising Ancient "Goddard Is Gay" Rumors, Posts 20-Year Old AZScam Transcript

Maybe the Rocky Mountain Poll showing incumbent Gov. Jan Brewer under 50% (38% among all voters) is more worrisome than the Brewer campaign is letting on.  How else to explain trying to re-raise old "Goddard is gay" rumors?

Dennis Welch at the Arizona Guardian has posted a story (paid subscription required) noting that top Brewer political adviser Chuck Coughlin claimed that reporters should ask Democratic nominee Terry Goddard if he is gay if they are going to ask Brewer for her health records. 

After the story went up, Coughlin's political consulting firm posted and tweeted links trying to justify bringing that whisper campaign into the public arena through the back door.  They claim that it is justified because it shows that it is as irrelevant as the rumors that Governor Brewer has health issues that could effect her ability to serve out her term.

This is how Coughlin/Higher Ground points out the "lack of relevance".  Here is the Tweet: (@azhighground
HighGround, Inc.): The latest Brewer rumormongering is about as relevant as this 20 year old AZSCAM transcript."  That Tweet links to this post on Higher Ground's blog, posted earlier this hour (notwithstanding East Coast time showing):

The latest rumormongering about Governor Brewer is about as relevant as this 20 year old AZSCAM transcript. Questions are raised and the media pursuit legitimizes a topic no matter how irrelevant. In no way is anyone suggesting that there is a problem with being gay, but it has a common lack of relevance to this race for Governor as the unfounded rumors being perpetuated by Goddard and his democrat operatives.


It may not be sexy for Team Goddard to talk about running a state during a campaign – something the Governor has been excelling at since January of 2009. Terry Goddard has tried three times to be Governor and has failed. This time will be no different.

Wow! Besides getting in the catty "three times" comment (whoa, shades of late Gov. Mecham), they manage to send us to a 20-year old transcript of two anonymous guys speculating on Goddard's sexual preference.  Without context.

Limp protestations aside, what Higher Ground has done in trotting out - on behalf of their client, the Governor - is far different from what two persons not working for the Goddard campaign have done regarding the health rumors.

EDIT: Timeline on this:
1) John Dougherty brings up Brewer health rumor on his Facebook page.
2) Francine Hardaway posts on Huffington Post about it.
3) Brewer campaign denies health rumor.
4) Coughlin brings in gay rumor to Guardian.
5) Higher Ground posts the AZScam transcript.


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