RUTHFULLY YOURS

The race to replace retiring Arizona senator Jeff Flake has been polling as a statistical tie.  Until now, at least.  Republican candidate Rep. Martha McSally has an incredible life story to tell, with 26 years of service in the Air Force and a historic milestone – the kind that actually means something:

She is the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat and first to command a fighter squadron in combat in United States history.

This is literally leadership under fire.

So her opponent, Krysten Sinema, faced a challenge in coming up with a compelling life story and settled on something that would appeal to Democrats.  In place of accomplishment and heroism, she turned to victimhood.  In a campaign video, she tugged at heartstrings, claiming (via the Daily Caller):

“First we lost our car, then we lost our home,” Sinema says in an ad.  “For nearly three years, we lived in an old abandoned gas station without running water or electricity.  Sometimes we didn’t have enough food to eat, but we got by, thanks to help from family, church and sometimes even the government.  Those were tough times, but I knew it could be different.  I never believed that being homeless was going to stop me from being who I wanted to be.”

Just one little problem, as the Daily Caller notes:

[C]ourt documents obtained by TheNYT reveal that Sinema’s mother and stepfather had provided a judge with records detailing monthly payments they made for electricity, phone and gas bills during that time.

Her response does not inspire confidence:

Sinema did not have an answer when asked by The NYT why her stepfather made payments for power and gas, nor did she address directly whether she had ever embellished details about her upbringing in the Florida gas station in the mid-1980s.

“Oh gosh, I don’t have an answer for that,” Sinema said.  “That’s not something a little kid would hear about from her parents.”

“I’ve shared what I remember from my childhood.  I know what I lived through,” Sinema added.  Her family moved out of the gas station when she was 11.

That’s the Elizabeth Warren dodge, that her personal memories are dispositive.  But Warren is smart enough to have refused a genetic test that could reveal the truthfulness of her contention.  Sineama can’t do anything about the utility records though.

How likely is it that this is an innocent mistake?  Ask yourself if you would notice the difference between not having electricity and water and having them.  Would you notice it if they were cut off today?