Mallory: David Pepper is not Adolph Hitler

So it's come to this -- dueling press releases from candidates for Cincinnati mayor about a blogger who has somehow managed to inject himself as an issue in the campaign.

It started when an internet prankster, the notorious Nate Livingston Jr., put up a web site last week comparing Councilman David Pepper to Adolph Hitler.

Pepper issued a press release Tuesday demanding that his opponent in the Cincinnati mayoral election, state Sen. Mark L. Mallory, denounce the attack.

"Mark Mallory boasts about being someone who will bring the city together, but he’s displayed a shameful lack of leadership over the past week by refusing to stand up to outrageous statements and tactics by a prominent supporter and boycotter," Pepper press secretary Anne Sesler said. "If Mallory is unwilling to rebuke one of his leading advocates for engaging in the worst kind of divisive politics, he’s clearly not a leader who can bring us together and move our City forward.”

So Mallory issued his own press release this evening offering to denounce not just the Hitler comment, but "every mean thing ever said about Pepper."

“Nate Livingston has said a lot of nasty things about David Pepper. Obviously, I do not think that David Pepper is anything at all like Hitler, but I want to make absolutely sure that everyone is clear on that rather obvious point,” Mallory said in the statement. “I am not usually in the habit of commenting on statements made by private citizens, but it is clear that this matter has upset David and is distracting him from a discussion about the important issues that need to be talked about in this election.”

The statement -- which Mallory later admitted was written tongue-in-cheek -- requests the Pepper campaign to send daily e-mail updates to Mallory by 10 a.m., so that Mallory can denounce the nasty comments and "can return to the normal business of discussing real issues."

Pepper's response: "This is a basic test of leadership and Mark failed. After ten days of being asked by citizens, Mark still won't stand up to the most extreme voices in Cincinnati politics who divide our city and who are now working to elect him. This is a telling signal about how he would lead as Mayor."

The complete press releases follow. First Pepper's:

Mallory Refuses to Denounce Tactics of
Supporter/Boycotter Who Equates Pepper to Adolph Hitler

A prominent supporter of mayoral candidate Mark Mallory, Nate Livingston, has launched a website in which Mallory’s opponent, David Pepper, is compared with Adolph Hitler.

The website, www.davidpepper.org, announces that its "primary purpose is to support honest candidates, like Mark Mallory, who have pledged to work tirelessly to bring Cincinnatians together." The site contains various inaccurate and offensive charges about Pepper including the highlighted line that, “We have grave concerns that, like Adolph Hitler, David is a Dictator!"

Subsequent to the launch of the website one week ago, Livingston has distributed flyers making the same Pepper-Hitler comparison during two joint appearances of Pepper and Mallory. Mallory has declined several opportunities to disavow Livingston’s tactics or rhetoric.

Over the past two years, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) apologized after receiving withering national criticism for comparing their opponents to Nazis. During the controversy involving Senator Durbin, CNN commentator Paul Begala was quoted in the Washington Post remarking, "...you should never compare anything to Nazis or Hitler. It's as basic a rule as there is in politics."

Anne Sesler, Pepper’s communication director remarked, "Mark Mallory boasts about being someone who will bring the city together, but he’s displayed a shameful lack of leadership over the past week by refusing to stand up to outrageous statements and tactics by a prominent supporter and boycotter. If Mallory is unwilling to rebuke one of his leading advocates for engaging in the worst kind of divisive politics, he’s clearly not a leader who can bring us together and move our City forward.”

According to Livingston, “…the Mallory and Livingston families are friends…” (blackcincinnati.blogspot.com, 1/03/05). Following the launch of the website last week, Mallory was contacted by several Cincinnatians and asked to decry the rhetoric of his supporter. Mallory declined to do so. On September 22 during a Pepper-Mallory debate, Livingston distributed a flyer comparing Pepper to Hitler, right in front of Mallory; Mallory remained silent.

Yesterday, during a Pepper-Mallory debate before an audience of U.C. students, Livingston again distributed a flyer comparing Pepper to Hitler. Livingston directly asked Mallory a question accusing Pepper of wanting to be a dictator. Instead of renouncing Livingston's characterizations, Mallory answered the question routinely.

Mallory's response:

Mallory denounces every mean thing

ever said about Pepper

Senator requests expanded list of people to denounce

(Cincinnati) – Senator Mark Mallory announced today that he does not support any mean or nasty statements about David Pepper now or ever. Pepper has sent out a press release challenging Mallory to denounce comments made by local political activist Nate Livingston.

Mallory wants to be sure that he does not leave any doubt that he is against people saying mean things about David Pepper, so he has requested a complete list of mean things that people have said about David, so that he can denounce all of those statements as well.

“Nate Livingston has said a lot of nasty things about David Pepper. Obviously, I do not think that David Pepper is anything at all like Hitler, but I want to make absolutely sure that everyone is clear on that rather obvious point,” Senator Mallory said. “I am not usually in the habit of commenting on statements made by private citizens, but it is clear that this matter has upset David and is distracting him from a discussion about the important issues that need to be talked about in this election.”

Concerned that denouncing mean statements against David Pepper could be an on-going problem, the Mallory campaign has taken the proactive step of requesting that the Pepper Campaign send daily e-mail updates about any new mean statements made by anyone that need to be denounced. The Mallory Campaign is hopeful that all denouncements can be completed by 10:00 am daily, so that the campaign can return to the normal business of discussing real issues.

Mallory noted that Pepper’s complaints illustrate the short time he has held public office. “David clearly hasn’t been in public life very long, otherwise he would realize that sometimes people say mean thing about you,” Senator Mallory said.

“People have said plenty of mean things about me in the past, and I am sure that people will say many more in the future, but when they do, I won’t be running to David Pepper to stick up for me,” Senator Mallory said. “I fight my own fights David Pepper needs to learn to do the same.”

“David Pepper is tired of talking about his divisive record on City Council and is using this issue to stir up controversy in order to change the subject. I am going to continue to talk about the issues that the people of Cincinnati care about and my opponent’s record of failed leadership. I have a record of bringing people together to build consensus and solve problems, and that is the type of leadership I want to bring to Cincinnati as the next mayor."