Hayworth flees forum, has representative anger constituents in his place.

While at the "Donuts and Democrats" forum this morning in Ahwatukee, I received a report from attendees of last night's Candidate Forum at the Temple Beth Israel in north Scottsdale. It sounds like it was a real barn-stormer!

JD Hayworth evidently had other priorities than attend. Now, I won't say that Hayworth was too afraid to attend and defend his record, or stand by his statements (for example, in favor of the anti-semitic Henry Ford's nativist dogma). That would be, well, dishonorable.

I will say, though, that after Hayworth has made such an issue about scheduling conflicts requiring rescheduling a forum, one could certainly be forgiven for using Hayworth's own words against him. I think the expression Hayworth used is "It seems more likely he is saving himself from the public embarrassment he would surely face when confronted with his scandal plagued past and inability to understand the talking points..."

If Hayworth feels that's appropriate, even when it's demonstrably false, then he can hardly argue against it being applied to himself. Hypocrisy much, JD?

As for the event itself, it gets worse. Evidently, Hayworth sent a couple to represent him. From my sources, the couple first complained about the format of the forum which prevented two people from speaking on one candidate's behalf and demanded to be able to speak. Following that, the husband evidently took a profoundly racist tone. He then lied about Harry Mitchell's involvement in a particular fundraiser in order to underscore the racial issue. From the reports, this led to angry shouts from the audience and some people walked out of the forum.

Later in the forum, the same fellow again used racist comments to attack Harry Mitchell and finally said, and I am simply stunned by this, words to the effect of: "JD Hayworth is probably more observing a Jew than most Jews." At which point, a large number of those present walked out in anger. Many who remained accosted the man afterward to express their resentment at the use of race and the other insults that had been part of the Hayworth's representative's discourse.

Wow.

First, Hayworth bailed out on a forum only a week after his campaign issued blatantly false, smear rhetoric against his opponent related to scheduling conflicts on a forum.

Then Hayworth's representative uses racist and insulting comments to represent Hayworth's position. Comments so infuriating that a sizeable number of forum attendees walk out in protest!

It sounds like Harry Mitchell, on the other hand, represented himself quite well as a mature, polished and professional public servant. Which, considering Hayworth's man, must have been quite a contrast.

Sadly, all of this wasn't on video. I understand that "The Hill" and and AZ Republic reporer were there, so we'll soon hear about it from them. If any of my readers were in attendance, I'd very much appreciate your comments and observations on how this all went. It sounds like Hayworth's representatives were quite inflammatory and condescending to the audience.

If this is the way Hayworth expects to campaign for the next twenty days, then I encourage him to go for it! The more people that hear Hayworth's lies, hypocrisy and divisive rhetoric, the better Harry Mitchell looks.

Update: Fellow blogger cpmaz was there and has a good write-up on the event, here. The details match with what I was told by others this morning.

Update 2: Lofty Donkey has a write-up of this event, too, with this report:

Unable to defend his repeated praise of Henry Ford’s anti-Semitic “Americanization” program, U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth bailed on a scheduled campaign appearance Tuesday evening only to send in his place surrogates who repeatedly lectured the audience at Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale and proclaimed that Hayworth “is a more observant Jew” than those present.

The comment by Jonathan Tratt, a spokesman for the Hayworth campaign, drew loud and angry boos and caused nearly three-quarters of the crowd of more than 200 at the forum to walk out in disgust. After the walkout, another Hayworth surrogate, Irit Tratt, stood on the Temple’s bimah as she told members of the audience who gathered to ask questions, “No wonder there are anti-Semites.”

Yeesh!

Update 3: Hayworth's campaign issued a qualified (saying his surrogates were "provoked") statement of "regret that people were offended." However, when asked about it during a meeting with the AZ Republic's Editorial Board, Hayworth flatly declined to answer saying:

"I have no comment, because I don't know. I haven't been able to get an accurate accounting of what transpired...I wasn't even anywhere around."

During the conversation, Harry Mitchell, Hayworth's Democratic opponent, interjected that a Hayworth campaign staffer videotaped the event.

"Well, thank you, Harry, maybe I'll sit down and watch that," Hayworth said sarcastically. "Thanks. That's a helpful thought."

Hayworth, caught in another fib. And as one reader commented on that thread, "I'm not seeing the regret."