The Power of Misstatements in Campaigning

[TMS]

It bothers me that the Kathy Taylor campaign says she wants to build upon the mentoring program she began in Tulsa. Well, she may have implemented A mentoring program... but to say it the way the campaign is stating it is implying that she started THE (only) mentoring program in Tulsa. But of course, there are more than one mentoring programs in the Tulsa public school system. (In fact, I believe Ms. Bartlett is responsible for one of them.)

A powerful campaign statement... but so misleading. I wish politicians and their campaigns would be honest with us whose votes they are soliciting.

[Red Arrow]

I wish politicians and their campaigns would be honest with us whose votes they are soliciting.

It's too hard to get elected that way.

[AquaMan]

Take credit for what you did as a candidate and let the others blow their own horn.

It is not a misstatement at all. It is factual yet not totally accurate. How feasible would it be if you had to say, "My mentoring program, along with Ms. Bartlett's and dozens of other privately sponsored mentoring programs has been helpful in education"? Fine if you are selling mentoring programs but not much help in getting people elected.

[RecycleMichael]

It was 100% started by Kathy Taylor. It was called "Mentoring to the Max" a term she came up with. There was no organized mentoring program coming out of the Mayor's office until her.

It worked on me. Kathy Taylor pinned me down and told me that no one is too busy to not donate one hour a week in a public school. Me and 800 other people now do it and I suspect that most of them do it because of her prodding. I donate one hour after school every Thursday to teach chess to elementary students.

Victoria Bartlett saw that it was a good idea and continued it.

There is no misstatement. It is in no way misleading.

[TMS]

Thank you for your reply R.M., and for your service through a local mentoring program.

I say "a" mentoring program, because there have been more than one here in Tulsa. I've too been mentoring in the Tulsa pubic school system, now for a number of years, but via a program that was not started by Ms. Taylor.

You're absolutely right about there being no misstatement in the one ad presented by Ms. Taylor herself, stating that she wants to build upon the program she began. It's the other ad that I have a problem with, the one in which some unidentified lady states "Kathy Taylor started the mentoring program in Tulsa."  THE is the key word, implying in that advertisement that there has been only one mentoring program in Tulsa, and that it was Ms. Taylor who started THE (only) one.

The implication may not have been intentional, but it still was misrepresentative, and that was the point I was trying to make. My apologies for being unclear in my original post.

[RecycleMichael]

...she wants to build upon the mentoring program she began in Tulsa.

How is this misleading? She is in no way saying that it is the only mentoring program, only that she wants to add to the one that she helped start.

I hope you are not mentoring in reading comprehension because you are reading between the lines.

[TMS]

How is this misleading? She is in no way saying that it is the only mentoring program, only that she wants to add to the one that she helped start.

The statement "Kathy Taylor started the mentoring program in Tulsa" does insinuate that it was the only one. The advertisement should have said she started a mentoring program, or referred to the one she did help start... but not that she began the mentoring program, as if there was only ever one in Tulsa and that Ms. Taylor began it.  It may be a subtlety to you, but I recognized it as a misleading statement when I first heard it (and since that was the only line the woman had in the commercial, I don't see any more than one line to read between).  I refer to my original post on the subject, that it (not the statement made by Ms. Taylor in the other ad) was misleading and that I wish politicians and their cronies would pay more attention to an accurate representation of the facts, that's all.

But then, that's just my $0.02 worth. Your mileage obviously varies.

[RecycleMichael]

Here are the Taylor commercials on mentoring...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMrD-pt3p4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78A1sdoK9cg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeDoW7_XMBU

In the second one, the teacher does say that Kathy Taylor started THE mentoring program. You are correct. That is misleading if a program for mentoring did exist. I am sure that mentors did exist before Taylor. How organized was it?

[TMS]

I'm sure there were mentors in the school system before Ms. Taylor became mayor, but I have no idea how many or the number of groups involved in public school mentoring. Once I started mentoring I didn't have any contact with the program but directly with the counselor of the school from that point on.

I feel certain those in the Taylor camp knew she hadn't started the only mentoring program Tulsa had ever had up until then.

[RecycleMichael]

So your mentoring was not part of any organized mentoring program? Do you know of any organized mentoring program before or are you just assuming that there might have been one?

You are the one who said it was a "misstatement". Can you prove it?

[Red Arrow]

So your mentoring was not part of any organized mentoring program? Do you know of any organized mentoring program before or are you just assuming that there might have been one?

You are the one who said it was a "misstatement". Can you prove it?

I can see we are now down to the usual pissing contest.

[RecycleMichael]

Just defending my friend. When someone makes an inflammatory statement about them I feel a responsibility to defend them or ask for a clarification. I would do the same for you.

Call it piss if you want.

[Red Arrow]

Just defending my friend. When someone makes an inflammatory statement about them I feel a responsibility to defend them or ask for a clarification. I would do the same for you.

Call it piss if you want.

There are so many times that this forum gets down to the level of words not having any meaning that yes, I am going to call this a pissing contest.  Bill Clinton has nothing on the "exact" meaning of a word  compared what goes on in this forum.

I understand your wanting to defend a friend.  I too got the impression that the Taylor ad was trying to leave the impression that hers was the only mentoring program.  I will also agree that Kathy's own words were not incorrect.  She wants to continue the program that she started.  She did not say anything about any other program that may or may not have existed.  I just barely remember definitions from high school geometry about sufficient, incomplete and a few others.

[sgrizzle]

Doesn't she says she wants to expand on the mentoring program she started? Mentoring programs have been around for what, hundreds of years?

I'm not really a fan of any of the ads but I think if you interpret that to mean she has the only mentoring program, then you might need to sign up to be a mentee.

That's like if Dewey were to say he wanted to continue working on the budget and you think that Dewey is the only person to ever have a budget.

[Red Arrow]

Doesn't she says she wants to expand on the mentoring program she started? Mentoring programs have been around for what, hundreds of years?
I'm not really a fan of any of the ads but I think if you interpret that to mean she has the only mentoring program, then you might need to sign up to be a mentee.
That's like if Dewey were to say he wanted to continue working on the budget and you think that Dewey is the only person to ever have a budget.

As I said, her own words are not incorrect.  The ad I saw (not Kathy Taylor speaking in person) implied that hers was the only mentoring program.  It didn't say it was the only mentoring program but I certainly got that impression.  Budgets are more common than mentoring programs.   As a resident of Bixby, I don't really have a stake in this issue beyond hoping that the public school system can turn out some students that can read, write, and add 2 + 2 and get something other than 22.

I stand by my statement that this has become a pissing contest.