Dr. Johnston Celebrates Liberal Newspaper's Endorsement of Opponent
Newspaper Editorial Board Misrepresents Dr. Johnston's Positions to the Public in Sunday Editorial
I should feature it as a "Breaking News" alert on my campaign website: "Dr. Johnston's Opponent Gets Endorsement of Liberal, Dishonest Newspaper Editorial Staff." Because of my outspoken conservative stands against abortion, for less state spending, and for "school choice", I did not expect to get this endorsement anyway. However, I was hopeful that I and the issues for which I stand would receive fair treatment in the newspaper after my opponent and I received a fair interview by the Editorial Boards of the Coshocton Tribune and the Times Recorder on February 8.
I was, however, misrepresented by the editorial staff in their editorial on Sunday, February 17. My position on education, on jobs, and on abortion was made thoroughly clear during the interview, and has been made thoroughly clear in the articles on my campaign website. There was no room for confusion on where I stand on the issues. If you doubt it, listen to the interview here: http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080208/NEWS03/80208024/1004.
First, the editorial board gave the impression in their article that I have not focused at all on bringing jobs into the area. That is patently false. Most of my campaign literature focuses on doing what is necessary to increase jobs in Ohio. During my fundraisers in Coshocton and Zanesville, I spent most of the time of my lecture on bringing jobs into the area.* During the interview with the editorial boards, I articulated a clear plan that would cause employment to blossom in Ohio.
Secondly, the editorial board misrepresented my position on education and told the reader that I wanted to "disband public education." Nothing could be further from the truth! I want to improve public education by doing what is best for the education of the children instead of what is best for the government system. I have an extensive article detailing my plan to improve the cost efficiency and quality of the education of the public in a manner that would remedy the present unconstitutional system of school funding. I detailed my position on public education during the interview. The editorial board was not ignorant at all of my position on education, so there is no excuse for their caricature of my position in their editorial. I want to work toward a free-market educational system that puts the control of public education into the hands of parents instead of bureaucrats. I want to implement the plank of the Republican Party platform called "school choice." I want to free local educators from the constraints of bad educational policies imposed on them by superiors. I want to free taxpayers from the unreasonable expense of the top-heavy government bureaucracy that doesn't serve their children well. I want to make government schools better, but I don't want to disband public education.
Thirdly, they called me "callous" and made the public think that I wanted public services for the handicapped defunded. On the contrary, I want more - not less - funds to be provided by the public for services for the handicapped and other worthy services! I just want people to be free to decide how much to give and to whom to give it. I don't want to fine, imprison, or confiscate the property of those who fail to yield what the state demands for those services. The confiscatory taxation power of the state should not force Ohioans to give to causes to which they would not give willingly if they had the free choice. I want to limit the state to its constitutionally-justified obligations and let Ohioans be free. The individual is a better steward of his own hard-earned money than bureaucrats and politicians who want to increase their chances of re-election by raiding the treasury to fund their favorite charities and programs back in their district. On this subject, I have been thorough and clear, both during the interview and in the articles on my website, yet again the editorial board misrepresents my views to the public.
Lastly, the editorial board said that my opponent's obvious discomfort with the interview was due to him having to respond to my "outrageous views." That is just patently false. My opponent agreed with me on almost every subject except a few, and often said, "I agree with Dr. Johnston." The only outrageous views were espoused by the editorial staff during the interview. For example, one of them justified the killing of unborn children conceived through rape, and another equated the murder of an innocent person with the execution of capital murderers. Even my opponent had the sense to disagree with their outrageous assertions during the interview.
Conservative candidates for office should never trust the liberal staff of an editorial board. If the Coshocton Tribune and the Times Recorder wanted to campaign for my opponent, they could have at least done it without misrepresenting my views to the public and feigning objectivity. I am encouraged: some citizens have said that an endorsement by our liberal newspaper would have been a terrible blow to my campaign and an indication that I was doing something wrong! My faith is in the Lord and in the people of this district to investigate our positions and our experience and judge the matter rightly. The editorial board may represent the far-left opinions of N.O.W., Handgun Control, the N.E.A., the A.C.L.U., and the National Abortion Rights Action League, but they are fooling themselves to think that they represent the voters of Distict 94.
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* You can view the entire presentation at my Zanesville fundraiser by sending $50 to my campaign with a request for the fundraiser lecture on DVD. You can review excerpts at http://www.johnstonforohio.com/.