"Go For Broke!" Japanese-American WW2 Vets Breaks Away from Muratsuchi, Support David Hadley

The Japanese-American community of Torrance is one of the largest in the United States.

There is no larger concentration of this diverse community anywhere in the country--besides Hawaii. In front of Torrance High School, my alma mater, a memorial to Tartar Ted Tanouye recognizes his service for country.

Bear in mind that 120,000 Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II because the federal government feared that any one of them could be colluding with the Axis Power Empire of Japan.

Tanouye was fighting for his country, even though his government was undermining the rights of a select number if its citizens.

The bravery of the Japanese-Americans, willing to take up arms and fight for our country, should not be forgotten.

David Hadley has connected extensively with the Asian community throughout the 66th Assembly District, and he has advocated on their behalf even if they did not live in his district.

Because of his tireless outreach and hard work to this community, leaders among the JA World War II veterans endorsed David Hadley for re-election.

Instead of respecting the rights of citizens to endorse whomever they choose, the Muratsuchi campaign decided to release a mailer--purportedly from an independent expenditure--featuring the JA WW2 vets.

This kind of trash happens all the time in the South Bay.

Crooked Aunt Janice released a mailer with a picture of Torrance Tartar Louis Zamperini--even though he had already endorsed Craig Huey or Congress in 2011. It's despicable and dirty.

Here is the mailer, with the proper information about the military personnel presented on it:

Mr. Kaji sets the record straight about his endorsement:

(He also served as treasurer for the city of Gardena)

More of them are proud to support Hadley:

First, Rafu Shimpo reported on the Muratsuchi duplicity ... but also insisted on repeating the misleading allegation that Hadley coordinated with an independent PAC, too. Reminder: Muratsuchi has filed a complaint, but that does not make it true.

Here is the photo/flyer which Rafu featured:

Nisei veterans who appear in a campaign flyer in support of Al Muratsuchi’s Assembly campaign have complained about the use of their photo and its implied endorsement.

And they were right to do so. Such sloppy, abusive campaigning is all too common with the Muratsuchi and Democratic phalanx.

The photo, taken in front of Gardena City Hall in 2014, first appeared in campaign literature during Muratsuchi’s unsuccessful re-election bid. The photo shows Muratsuchi with veterans Victor Abe, James Ogawa, Ralph Kaneshiro, Mas Takahashi and Ken Akune. Abe and Takahashi have passed away since the photo was taken.

How sick is that? The Democratic Party makes dead people and vote, and exploits their images and services to promote their own limited ends. How low can they go?

Photo release forms provided by Muratsuchi’s campaign indicate that the five veterans signed release waivers on Sept. 5, 2014. However, the permission form states that it was for the 2014 campaign.

EXACTLY! Not for 2016. This is a development which I was not aware of. Candidates must remember that men and women do not eternally lease their endorsement to candidates.

In a letter released by Jon Kaji on behalf of the veterans, the families of the veterans in the photo state that they have not approved its use in Muratsuchi’s current campaign and accused the Democratic candidate of “dishonorable conduct.”

Go John Kaji!

“We have respectfully asked Al Muratsuchi in August 2016 to refrain from any use of our photos depicting support for his campaign and are disappointed that the use has continued despite our wishes to the contrary,” the families state.

OUCH!

In response, Muratsuchi expressed regret about the use of the veterans’ photo but added “it was not used by my campaign.”

Sure, Al, Sure.

“It was used by a third party conducting what is called an ‘independent expenditure campaign.’ That means they conduct the campaign without the coordination or knowledge of my campaign. I cannot legally communicate with the committee that did this, although I have publicly asked they refrain from using these photos, as I have refrained from using them in my campaign,” Muratsuchi said.

“I have nothing but respect for the veterans who served and now participate in Go for Broke. I would never use their images without consent.”

If he has respect for the veterans, then he should have refrained from lying about his opponent David Hadley with nasty smears. He never should have resorted to the despicable attacks he used against Craig Huey, either.

The fact is that the families of these honorable veterans were beyond furious.

They should be, and Al Muratsuchi has lost more key support from Japanese-Americans in the South Bay.

The Daily Breeze then weighed in on this misuse of veteran profiles ...

Bitter 66th Assembly District race between Al Muratsuchi, David Hadleyrumbles toward finish

The potentially pivotal 66th Assembly District race between GOP incumbent David Hadley and Democratic challenger Al Muratsuchi enters its waning days filled with nasty accusations and recriminations between the two familiar foes.

Nothing potential -- it is pivotal.

Hadley, a Manhattan Beach businessman, is seeking to retain the seat he won by such a narrow margin two years ago that it took weeks before the outcome of the race was known and Muratsuchi reluctantly conceded.

Muratsuchi, a Rolling Hills Estate resident who formerly served on the Torrance school board, is perhaps facing the end of his political career should he become a two-time loser at the hands of Hadley.

Wait! I thought Al Muratsuchi lived in Torrance. How is it possible for him to live in a posh neighborhood on the Palos Verdes Peninsula on a deputy attorney general's pay?

And the final result in the coastal swing district itself — one of the few in the state — could potentially decide whether the dominant Democrats are able to secure a supermajority in the Legislature, which would give the party the power to dictate state policy and overrule the Republican legislative minority as never before.

That alone is reason enough to vote for David Hadley. But there's more.

With stakes like that, it’s perhaps no surprise the already venomous race has seemingly plumbed even further depths of late as the negative rhetoric rachets up yet another notch with the barrage of mailers pouring into voters’ mailboxes. Voters of the largely coastal South Bay district will decide the race Tuesday.

Honestly, is this race really as nasty as people make it out to be? How uickly the press has forgotten Election 2012, when the Democratic smears were so vile and offensive, Craig Huey filed a lawsuit against the Muratsuchi campaign for  libel!

COORDINATION WITH PACS?

For instance, Muratsuchi’s campaign has repeatedly attempted to link Hadley to “money-laundering” on several occasions.

Two, exactly, and the first time was  a mistake. The second time is a trumped-up (pun intended) charge intended to slow down the Hadley campaign.

The latest accusation is that his campaign coordinated with political action committees on their independent expenditures, which is against the law.

“Politician David Hadley will do anything to get elected — even break the law,” alleged one Muratsuchi mailer.

Muratsuchi has done just about anything to get elected, including lies and cheating. Just plain dishonorable.

Meanwhile, Hadley supporters have their own suspicions of possible illegal coordination between Muratsuchi’s campaign and an independent PAC.

An Oct. 27 mailer paid for by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which operates the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland, included photos of local Japanese-American World War II veterans.

The implication was that the veterans, pictured wearing shirts emblazoned with the logo of respected nonprofit Go for Broke had endorsed the candidacy of a fellow Japanese-American.

They have not endorsed Al. They do not want him in the state assembly representing him!

But at least a couple of the veterans pictured are now deceased and, although they signed releases allowing Muratsuchi’s campaign to use the pictures they took in 2014, that was not the case two years later.

This is the same information from the Rafu article. But the reaction of the families to the misuse of their images was more specific:

Several veterans and their family members said Friday they felt the mailer “exploited” them for political purposes and was “disrespectful.”

“The photos were misrepresentations,” said Scott Takahashi, 67, of Gardena, a Vietnam veteran and son of Mas Takahashi, who was pictured on the mailer but died last year. “This upset our family tremendously. It’s probably a good thing for him dad is not alive. Dad would probably not take this lying down.”

Neither will the voters of the 66th!

The group Asian Pacific Americans for Hadley countered by circulating an image similar to the mailer on Facebook featuring some of the same veterans endorsing Hadley.

Shimpock noted that Muratsuchi had publicly apologized in a letter to little-read Japanese-language newspaper Rafu Shimpo.

"Little-read"? Jealousy, much?!

There has been plenty of blow-back for Muratsuchi's desperate Democratic fraudulent behavior.

SOME LOCAL DEMOCRATS REACT

Meanwhile, some prominent former Muratsuchi supporters appear to be turning on the Democrat, too.

Former Assemblyman George Nakano has publicly disassociated himself from Muratsuchi, who is endorsed by President Barack Obama.

OUCH! Nakano is the dean of South Bay politics. He was the assemblyman for this region for the full term allowed by law.

Nakano said he withdrew his support in 2014 after supporting him for 20 years. This time around, he noted via email, other elected officials had, too, including Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel, Rolling Hills Estates Mayor Steve Zuckerman, Gardena Councilwoman Tasha Cerda and Palos Verdes Estates Councilwoman Betty Lin Peterson.

I know a great deal about why Nakano uit Muratsuchi, even though he had mentored him for years.

Muratsuchi was colluding with Pat Furey and Ray Uchima to get him onto the Torrance City Council in 2014. There were multiple violations of the Brown Act in the process.

Nakano is liberal, but he is also honest and upright. He could not go along with Muratsuchi's scummy tactics.

“He’s unresponsive to his constituents,” Nakano said, adding Muratsuchi was a no-show at several events he had previously committed to attend.

That's true, too!

Shimpock countered that Nakano’s remarks were not “rooted in reality” and there was “not a lot of truth to it.”

Shimpock has no problem shaming David Hadley for non-existent allegations, but treads lightly when criticizing Nakano. "Not rooted in reality" ... Really?

"Not a lot of truth to it ..." So Nakano is a liar?

Well?!

Final Reflection

Al Muratsuchi is corrupt.

Al Muratsuchi is a liar.

He misuses the images of veterans, all while claiming that some third party took advantage of the photos which had been used in 2014.

And how did this San Manuel expenditure get these photos in the first place?

David Hadley has reached out to the Japanese-American communities. He has shown up time and again to represent their interests. He has honored their contributions for our country and the South Bay.

Where in the world was Al Muratsuchi when he was in the state assembly? Nowhere. He never showed up, and he never stepped up.

There's a very clear reason why the Gardena-Torrance Japanese-American community wants Hadley in Sacramento!