Lies  and Distortions from the Right

A flyer from the Matt Letourneau campaign has started showing up in Dulles District mailboxes, and–just like the rhetoric we’ve heard from his fellow Republicans on the national stage–it’s rife with distortions, exaggerations, and flat-out untruths about his qualifications. Let’s look at his claims.

• “Matt . . . is the only candidate for Dulles Supervisor with both private and public sector policy experience.” Matt, take another look at your opponent’s resume. After his years designing and implementing policies in the State Department, Larry Roeder was a director of an international private-sector corporation chartered in Washington, DC doing charitable work.  He has also worked as an independent consultant on economic development and emergency management policies.
• “[Matt] played a role in the passage of several key pieces of legislation.” What kind of legislation did Matt help pass, and who benefited from it–U.S. taxpayers, or special interests? Larry Roeder has negotiated major economic agreements
  and designed strategies that expanded exports of U.S. goods abroad. Loudoun needs that kind of strategic thinking to boost domestic growth for all its citizens.
• “[Matt has] experience working at the highest level of government….” Did he ever advise the President? Larry did–specifically, Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Clinton, as well as Vice President Gore. Larry has also worked with prime ministers, ambassadors, and other top-echelon global leaders from the United Nations and the Organization for
  Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as the Red Cross.
• “…and for the world’s largest business organization.” Matt actually works for one of the biggest lobbyists in the world–the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a huge trade association aimed at putting business interests ahead of everyone else. By contrast, when Larry talks about broadening our tax base in Loudoun to boost economic development, he is committed to using a lifetime of economic policy experience to preserve Loudoun’s culture and the interests of all stakeholders—not just big business.
• Transportation: Yes, we need to connect roads, but simply widening roads as Matt recommends is not the real answer. Traffic is like water. If the pipe is widened, water just fills the pipe with more flow.  What Loudoun needs is to get cars off the road. Larry has offered a plan to do that.
• Education: Matt doesn’t offer a plan, just an attack on “misplaced priorities.” What are his priorities and how will they be paid? Larry’s priorities are clearly explained in his education flyer.
• “[Matt] became involved with county issues….” Matt cites only two experiences with community service:  as part-time president of his HOA and as Dulles District Chair for his party. By  contrast, in addition to being Dulles District Chair for Loudoun Democrats, Larry is vice chair of the Loudoun County Criminal Justice Board, as well as a volunteer with the Red Cross and the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps–programs that benefit the entire county, not just one party or one HOA.
• Cultural Diversity:  Larry served in the military in Africa and has lived and worked abroad in nearly every region of the world, giving him the broad experience necessary to help Loudoun’s multi-ethnic communities and our returning veterans. Matt has none of that.
• “Matt’s Dulles Direct Initiative will bring government closer . . .  through open quarterly meetings….”: Quarterly
  meetings? Citizens and business owners tell Larry they want a Supervisor who will talk to them every day, not three or four times a year. With a full-time job 90 minutes from Loudoun–a job he admits requires a lot of travel–when will Matt ever be available to help citizens? When it comes to a choice between a Loudoun crisis and a Chamber crisis, whose needs have to take priority? Larry will have only one job and one priority: serving Loudoun.   He will be a true full-time
  Supervisor.

A Personal  Message from Larry:

“My lifetime of authentic, policy-level experiences in economic development and emergency management have been in both the public and private sectors. They taught me that elections should be fair, with truthful comparisons. Too many times we have been subjected to distortions by Republicans like John Boehner, Michelle Bachmann, and Eric Cantor.  You deserve better.  In these crucial times, when every vote is about jobs, schools, safety, and infrastructure,  I want to assure our voters that when I am elected, I will have only one job: serving you, Democrat, Republican and Independent.  I have the background and zeal to help Loudoun.  Help me help you,  and please vote on November 8.

“Many thanks for your attention.”

Best,
Larry  Roeder