Janice Daniels and the Problem of Pandering, Fear Mongering, and Blame

Over the past couple of weeks, we've seen Janice Daniels shamelessly rip-off other people's campaign literature, and take the cheap, lazy path to campaigning.

But let's take a broader view and analyze the real problem with Janice Daniels.

The problem, succinctly put, is the Tea Party. Nationally, the Tea Party is the party of obstructionism and government dysfunction. It accomplishes it's goal through three major techniques: pandering, blame, and fear mongering.

And each of these techniques are all over Janice Daniels' campaign literature.

First up, pandering.

The word “pandering,” loosely defined, means to “minister to base passions.” In other words, to pander is to attempt to curry favor by telling people what they want to hear.

Don't believe that Janice panders? Let's look at another piece of Janice's recent campaign literature. Once again, Janice is ripping-off the the literature used other people's campaigns. This time, it's from a Deb DeBacker mailer, used during her primary run for the 41st House District. Janice needs you to believe that she is, somehow, going to use her seat on council to protect the sanctity of human life.

Now, does Troy's Charter grant the power of life or death to City Council? Nope. So why is Janice even bringing this subject up? Because she want your vote, and she is hoping to work your heart strings with a picture of a cute little baby.

Next up, fear mongering.

In another of Janice's mailers, she's claiming that Troy had a wetlands ordinance that would have “made it impossible to build an addition to your home, add a deck or even put up a chain link fend or a kids swing set.” Janice continues, claiming that she “defeated that ordinance” through “grassroots efforts.”

Now, does anyone remember this? And does anybody believe what Janice is claiming? (Sorry, this is the beside the point.) The important thing to remember is what Janice is trying to do. Janice needs you to be afraid of City Council, because without her, they're up nefarious things! Only the brave warrior Janice Daniels can save you.  Janice needs you to believe that Troy won't survive without Janice Daniels on council!

Finally, blame.

In the same “wetlands” letter, Janice claims that the “bureaucrats at Troy's City Hall want to protect their growing sweetheart pension obligations, while maintaining two municipal golf courses.”

Yep, for Janice, government is always the problem. It's a tried-and-true Tea Party method to blame the government, despite the fact that the city now sub-contracts the golf courses Billy Casper Golf, retirement expenditures are only 11.73% of the general fund, and City Management has eliminated one-third of Troy's workforce.

So now that we know how Janice operates, the question remains, what's the problem will all of this?

Simple. It's deceitful. Janice is just making things up to seduce you into voting for her.

But the truth is in what isn't being said. Nowhere in any of her literature does Janice Daniels have the decency to offer an opinion of the General Fund balance. Nowhere does she offer a promise to work with other members of City Council to maintain decorum and civility. Nowhere does Janice Daniels admit to having learned anything from being tossed out of office. Nope, Janice Daniels can't offer her real opinions, because the truth about who she is would horrify Troy residents.

Instead, Janice Daniels thinks we're all suckers and would have us believe she's the solution to a problem.  A problem that exists only in her head. But the real truth is this:  Janice Daniels and her Tea Party pals are the problem. 

But the solution is simple.  Join me on November 5th in solving the problem of Troy's Tea Party once and for all.  Tell them Troy is not buying what Janice is selling.