If the shiny, glossy flyer that recently came to my mailbox is any indication, Colin Van Ostern is very concerned that his campaign for Congress is in trouble. How else to describe Mr. Van Ostern’s smear campaign against Maggie Goodlander in this shameful piece. Borrowing a page from Trump’s misdirection, hyperbole and playing loose with facts, he presents statements that at times are factual but not true. For example, he accuses Goodlander of giving thousands to pro-life Republicans. The only donation I could find was to Dan Driscoll, a Georgia Republican for $2,800 when she worked for him as a legal advisor early in her career. All other party donations from that time forward are to well known Democrats. The accusation that she is a pro-life Republican is simply laughable.

Mr. Van Ostern also claims that Goodlander is funded by a Washington Super Pac. However, it doesn’t really exist; it is true that Goodlander has had donations from D.C. individuals but they are hardly a Super Pac. Mr. Van Ostern’s flyer also asks us to fact check his ‘sky is falling’ ravings and provides annotative sources. However, they often lead down a rabbit hole that ends nowhere. Other sources are from entities that can only be accessed by paying a subscription: Legistorm, Boston Globe, New York Times. How convenient. In a race that has been fairly respectful, Mr. Van Ostern has crossed the line with this blatant attempt to mislead potential voters.

Chuck Annal

Concord