ELECTION ’12//CONGRESS 15 | Former Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson was once a regular on Law & Order and former Sen. Patrick Leahy made cameos in three Batman movies. Of course, there’s “Gopher” and “Cooter,” who made the jump from campy television shows to the House of Representatives.
But how many have launched insurgent campaigns for Congress after appearing in a low-budget horror film?
Dublin Democrat Eric Swalwell is apparently trying to be the first.
Here’s the trailer for the film co-created by one of his volunteers, referred to here last week as the “Dreadlocked, bearded information guy,” and titled, The Banshee and the Big Man.
In it, Swalwell gets special consideration near the end and partly utters the line “Irish immigration…?”
On the campaign side, Swalwell’s use of in-house produced YouTube videos has not been the campaign’s most professional look. The creator of the film Swalwell appears in is also credited with producing the oftentimes poorly lit and audio-deficient clips formerly featured on the campaign’s Web site.
In a 30-second spot posted on YouTube last week, another campaign volunteer describes why he is supporting Swalwell. However, from the 20-second mark on, it appears the volunteer’s exuberance coupled with the gripped, downward motion of his hand hilariously looks less laudatory and more masturbatory.
I'm just curious why 7:14 has such an issue with the fact that people have creative outlets, and enjoy making movies. Why is that a bad thing? Why does that in any way, shape or form bother you? Does it keep you up at night? It sounds to me like you have a jealousy issue (or a few), you sound like a reject just spewing “fox news”. Get a hobby or a girlfriend, something. But stop attacking people because their viewpoints are different than yours its disgusting and really sad that you have nothing better to do with your time. They do have medication for what your going through, and therapy. Please seek professional help or just shut your mouth, weirdo.
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I think 11:13 has a deplorable sense of humor.
Steven Tavares is a pervert.
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🙂 haha, wow, eric “understands” the youth in the community and that's supposed to make him “qualified” as a congressman.
glad to see your bar is as low as it is.
please spare the rest of us the 5 seconds of time we'll never get back from reading your nonsense.
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This is complete and utter proof that Tavares is worthless: https://twitter.com/eastbaycitizen
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Finally, Eric Swalwell, a candidate that understands the youth in the community and the first thing that happens is he gets barraged by an under qualified idiot who takes someones regular hand movements and immediately refers to masturbation. I mean, is this “journalist” a 14 year old who just finished playing a game on Xbox or what?
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Wow. Talk about a non-story.
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i think 6:43, 9:34 AM, and 9:56 lack both common sense and a sense of humor.
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Are you a journalism professor or someone without a sense of humor? No crying.
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that's the point you moron. if you can't manage a campaign what makes anyone think you can represent them? bush leagues versus big leagues.
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In the same article you call out Eric Swalwell's campaign for being unprofessional, you pick on a young campaign volunteer by making a masturbation joke. Classy.
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nice try 9:56 – keep following the swalwell playbook and focus on the negatives rather than the goal.
the fact that you still don't get it undermines your ability to make a competent contribution to this blog, let alone the community-at-large.
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7:33 “You are reading a little too much into the reference. the reality is that everyone who can, has a vote. even fry cooks.”
No, you are dancing away from your elitist comment where you referred to a working individual, on Labor Day…in the following manner
“get back to your job making french fries.”
As though that worker, doing their job, is nothing but a peon in your world. Clearly you have no repect for a good portion of those people who serve you.
You let your real attitude slip out.
I guess the problem with “french fry cooks” is that they aren't part of a powerful union that can fork over large campaign contributions to powerful entrenched politicians.
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“Best of us” is a relative term, relatively speaking.
Be very careful about applying labels, and even more careful about what or whom you wish for. It might come true, and with very unintended and devastating results!
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You are reading a little too much into the reference. the reality is that everyone who can, has a vote. even fry cooks.
I'm all for accepting everyone, i just choose to celebrate the best of us because leaders (especially in alameda county) seem hard to come by and what we don't need is another wanna-be with a cursory understanding of politics trying to pass themselves off as some sort of savior. We've been down that road one too many times, and because of term limits, we get a chance to reset the damage that easily swayed, vote by emotion folks like you seem to make over and over.
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The other elephant (donkey) in the room is Senator Ellen Corbett who will run against Rho Khanna in 2014. She will have all the local support that Rho does not have. Pete will do a good job for two more years. At least we know his positions on issues we care about!
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That second video just kills me.
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Here! Here!
I agree. The moment Khanna gets in the election is over, for him–just like in San Mateo County all those years ago. In Alameda County, we don't look kindly on carpetbaggers whose motto is best described as “Me, Myself, and I!” I don't know about french fries, but those who earn $100,000+ aren't at all impressed with this shill.
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10:27, Given all your comments about issues, and Labor Day, and the “working man”, how do you find it appropriate to tell that poster to “get back to your job making french fries” ?
I suppose you feel its acceptable to speak in a derogatory manner about a worker who happens to be serving the public “french fries” and such.
Labor day is a day when we are suppose to be honoring labor whether that worker is doing brain surgery or making french fries.
Or do you never order french fries and other fast food.
When you do, do you look down at those people serving you? Perhaps you shouldn't eat at such places if the workers aren't up to your standards.
Elitist attitudes are everywhere, even in folks who say they honor the working man.
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THANK YOU 11:36 for articulating that point. I hate to point out the obvious but the pro-swalwell folks on here won't get it. most, if not all, I would assume are the folks tavares was writing about in a previous article (as a motley crew of party rejects).
where is Eric's position on any of the issues? I went on his website (again) to see if he can articulate a single point of difference with Stark on the issues that matter. All I see is a “local-yocal” city councilman with a naive perspective on how the federal government operates. swalwell's ignorance is second only to his arrogance.
and this bit about ro khanna – give it a rest. the minute that guy gets in the race the election is over. what alameda county has lacked for some time is a well connected, educated, young, motivational leader. if you morons think for one second that the guy isn't electable you should stop posting now – and get back to your job making french fries.
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It is quite remarkable that the Swalwell supporters on these comments threads are completely unable to articulate one policy position Eric would take action on which would be superior to Stark's position.
Not. One.
A reason who I'm a Stark supporter is that he supports the middle class. We know that Swalwell is supportive of benefit cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Pete, on the other hand, has always voted to protect these insurance and income programs Americans have paid for. Stark's position is the position supported by wide majorities of both Republicans and Democrats.
Another reason I'm a Stark supported is because of his strong support of unionized workers. This is also a position which supports a stronger middle class in our region and our country. The insults and slurs about unions people place in the comments here are completely substance-free. When more people had union representation in our country, more people had better wages, benefits and job security.
Happy Labor Day! Thank the union movement; it created the weekend, and gave us so many other things we have come to take from granted, but shouldn't.
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The last time I checked the qualifications for congress, Swalwell meets them. So goes your 'argument' for lacking the qualifications and 'prime time,' whatever that means. Everyone has a right to pursue elective office if they so choose and meet the qualifications.
As for Khanna, he has brains all right–and they're stuck up his ass. No respect for a carpetbagger who shops around, as he did when he ran in San Mateo County years ago. Talk about a loser. The ONLY reason he is supporting Stark is so that he has the opportunity to succeed him. If Swalwell wins, the window closes for Kid Brilliant for good (pun definitely intended).
Pete's day was way in the past, and he's got to go.
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Where have you been? Swalwell has been transparently ambitious for just as long as Khanna. But unlike Swalwell, Khanna has brains and experience with which to back up that ambition.
This is just another example of why Swalwell is attention-hungry but not ready for prime time (pun intended). He's not ready to be in Congress and he knows it, which is why everything he says is simply an attack on Stark and whenever he tries to talk about his own accomplishments, he has to exaggerate.
Beware the man who is running for a position he knows he isn't qualified for. Someone who mistakenly believes he is qualified is likely well-intentioned but dull. But when someone understands that they're not qualified and is running anyway, it likely means that they…or whoever's pulling their strings…have ulterior motives.
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Ro Khanna started running the day he came out of the womb. That is a fact.
As for Pete Stark, who doesn't support Israel, hasn't got a full set of marbles on his best day, and doesn't even live in the district, let alone the state, he's the day before yesterday's news. I'm willing to give Swalwell a chance, just as old man Stark was given one two generations ago. Hopefully he won't prostitute himself for the unions the way ol' Pete has!
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OK, so at the very beginning of the next congressional session, it is very likely that there will be votes in the House of Representatives which will determine…
– whether or not we will invest in the current generation of workers so that their skills are not allowed to lie dormant or undeveloped…
– if women will be give the opportunity to be paid and hired in equal status with men, and if they will keep the liberty to choose their own destinies (if you can't control when you start your family, you don't control anything)…
– how Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will be preserved as the programs Americans have paid for to defend against extreme poverty as they have for our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents…
– not if, but how we will continue to reduce our large Federal budget deficits: on the backs of the poor, middle-class, elderly and disabled while giving tax breaks to the wealthy and the largest corporations, or in other ways which make much more sense…
…and other extraordinarily consequential votes. But, multiple commenters on this threat say we should put a 31-year-old rookie City Councilmember in Congress not because they think or know he's do a good job. No, they demand we toss Pete Stark from office because they dislike Ro Khanna, who isn't even running for office in 2012.
Yeah, something's f***ing stupid here, all right.
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Oh hi TMZ, nice to meet you…
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I agree. Ro Khana is a HUGE whore!!! Electing Swalwell put an end to Khana once and for all.
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good grief, you should be ashamed for being that dumb (anonymously or not)
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We must elect Swalwell, despite his flaws, to put a stake through Ro Khana once and for all. He is whore who has shopped around for a congressional seat before, most notably in San Mateo County YEARS AGO, but couldn't defeat the late, great Tom Lantos. He then moved on.
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Instead of fighting in your comparisons of these two political opponents take a broader look at all the present officials now in office and really look at what you got. You will then get a look at Bay Area politics at it's worse. Not one should be in office. My opinion.
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Hahahahah. This guy is running for congress and he is guest starring in a youtube movie?
I googled finley. i think he thinks he is johnny depp. just a fatter, uglier, and less talented johnny depp. I guess when you're standing next to swalwell and this kid in the video – finley actually looks like a rockstar.
btw, 5 and 5:16. please stop being so obvious and stop trying to spin this.
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5:02, Pleez, and the alternative, a guy who is in such decline that he now has to be kept from appearing in public for fear of making inevitable blunders.
If a congressman can no longer be trusted to speak in public, then I'd say its time for him to retire.
Wouldn't everyone, on all sides, be happier had he done so? (including nearly everyone on the Democratic side who is involved in politics… Now be honest, that is true)
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Just like Clint Eastwood, Swalwell has only one thing to offer – an empty seat!! Yet people will vote for this bozo – incredible.
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I agree, Swalwell's videos are unprofessional.
However with the stuff that Stark supplies everytime he appears in public, there should be no shortage of helpfull video material.
I can't wait for Pete's next appearance. That is if he makes one between now and November 6th.
I'm serious, I'm not sure he is going to appear even once in a unscripted setting.
His campaign staff is terrified of helping Swalwell any more than they already have.
Does anyone know if Pete Stark has accepted a invitation to appear at any forum or open meeting?
One would think he'd atleast be willing to attend the League of Women Voters type meeting.
I doubt he will. Rather campaign mailers will be the only thing we'll see.
Rather telling.
Just a thought. Do you think anyone will take that Swalwell video (above) and fiddle with the speed? Then auto tune it.
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Smh. Where do you find this stuff! lol
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