So this is where Katherine Harris' former campaign staff is working....

[DeSwiss]

Rep. Schmidt's Marathon Ad Questioned
By MATT LEINGANG, Associated Press Writer
Thu Aug 24, 4:28 PM ET


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt is fast, capable of running a marathon in 3 hours, 19 minutes, 6 seconds. At least that's what a photo on the Ohio congresswoman's Web site shows.

No way, says a rival who contends that the picture from the 1993 Columbus Marathon is doctored and complained to state election officials. A four-member commission panel ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence to look into the complaint.

State law prohibits candidates from publishing false statements designed to promote their election.

The photo shows Schmidt near the finish line at the marathon with a time clock showing 3:19:06, which would have made her one of the top finishers. But a newspaper list of the top runners does not include Schmidt, said Nathan Noy, who is seeking to run as a write-in candidate against Schmidt.

Noy said he believes the photo may be fake and suggested that Schmidt never even participated in the event. In the photo, Schmidt doesn't cast a shadow while other runners do.

Joseph Braun, an attorney representing Schmidt, denied that the photograph is fake. He produced what he said was an official race results book, listing Schmidt as the fifth-place finisher in her age group with a time of 3:19:09 — three seconds slower than the time depicted in the photograph.

The time clock reflects when the photo was taken, not her official time, Braun said.

On her Web site, Schmidt, who is 54, said she has completed 59 marathons. In April, she received a public reprimand from the Ohio Elections Commission for claiming on her Web site that she had two college degrees when she had only one.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_el_ho/candidate_marathon_photo

Don't ya just love it when the Repugs trash each other???

[evlbstrd]

1. It also proves something else.

All of the good Photoshop artists are Democrats.

[patrice]

2. Newspapers make mistakes and the photo is not big enough

for us to form a conclusion about the shadow.

I DON'T like Schmidt either, but you'll have to do better than that.

[DeSwiss]

10. Patrice, point taken...

...but I wasn't attempting to verify the validity or the quality of the newspaper's photo as presented. Nor her opponent's claim. What you see is what I found on the net. What's interesting to me about it is the extent to which politicians (usually Repugs), will cut corners and obfuscate "facts" in order to embellish themselves for votes. Its one thing to make a political statement that you can possibly claim later was taken out of context -- but website pages are forever (once they've been copied).

Politicians today are trying to learn how to use the Internets but they need to get their facts straight before they post. Many have yet to reach the apex of the learning curve. And even speeches need vetting as Geeorge (Macaca) Allen has now learned. Its just that I found this type of fudging of facts eerily similar to what Katherine Harris and her campaign has done (and apparently is still doing). And that was the point of my thread.

Of course the final paragraph in the article states that the Ohio Elections Commission reprimanded her previously for claiming she had a college degree that she didn't earn. Now how do you forget something like that???

btw, I'm a former Buckeye living in TN now. I have no vested interest in the election's outcome other than a desire to see the Dems take back control of the House. So I'm still hoping the Dems from my home state can pull this one off....

[patrice]

11. Thanks for the Reply DeSwiss. I hope! you didn't take my

response tooooo critically! :hi:

[DeSwiss]

12. Naw, I didn't...

...when you get to be my age your skin gets real thick. Now it matches the thickness of my skull. Which comes in handy when one has to listen people like Bush. Take care.

:-)

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Proof she's Satan's handmaiden

She doesn't cast a shadow!

[TheDebbieDee]

6. Maybe she's a vampire????????

[rpannier]

7. OMG...

That is soooooooooooooooooooo f**king funny.

I'd give you a kick and recommend if I could.

[K8-EEE]

4. K&R! Love Any Dirt On Mean Jean!

What a big phony she is....I can't believe those idiots in OH voted for her over Hackett!

[sarge43]

5. Same skank who trashed Jack Murtha on the House floor n/t

[pooja]

8. If she is an avid marathoner, her time is probably pretty good.

A novice with pre-training can do about 4hrs the first time out. I'm not sure about her own running record. I am not touting a republican... but to run a marathon is an accomplishment of the mind and body. It takes tremendous strength to push yourself 26 and some miles. I am training now. It is going to take a year to get my body physically able to go the 26 mi (i'm a bit out of shape since i ran last). I will first train for some 10k's. Then it takes approx. 20 hard weeks to train for that one event. The avg. marathoner usually only runs 2 per yr because it is so physically taxing. I'm not so sure that I would want someone in govt who is such an avid marathoner for the pure fact that it takes so much of your time to actually train for the marathon. Anyway, forgetting about seconds or minutes here, it is an accomplishment.

[Tin Man]

9. Her time is VERY good - puts her into 97th percentile for women @ Columbus

found Columbus Marathon race results for years 2000-2005 (published online here: http://www.marathonguide.com/races/racedetails.cfm?MIDD... )

Reviewing the results, and 'doing the math' - I deduced that MeanJean's reported 3hr 19min finishing time (in 1993) would put her into the 97th and 98th percentile of women finishers during the period 2000-2005. Like I said in the post above, for somebody finishing so highly, she doesn't look the part - inappropriately dressed and too 'fresh' in appearance. My guess is she shortcut the race course, big time.