Berman Campaign Office Launches Anti-Sherman Website

The fight for the 30th Congressional District between Congressmen Howard Berman and Brad Sherman heated up further Wednesday with the launch of www.bradshermanfacts.com. A press release issued by Berman's campaign office announced the launch, and said that the site highlighted "Sherman's lack of accomplishments in office."

The site claims that Sherman has only passed three bills in Congress during his 15 years in office and failed to pass 84.

It also contains a document that it claims is an internal email from Sherman to his staff, instructing his staff on his policies on co-sponsorship guidelines. The site then states:

"Instead of writing bills or working to pass the ones he’s written, Brad Sherman instructs his staff to look for opportunities to add his name to bills that already look like they’re going to pass — except for appropriations bills, which require that he 'put in real thought.'"

Sherman's campaign press secretary, John Schwada, sent Patch an emailed response to the allegations:

"It is completely unremarkable that Cong. Sherman would seek to join forces with Democrats and Republicans to support legislation that has bi-partisan support. If this is the worst accusation Berman's camp can conjure out of this document then they're in far more trouble than even our recent poll shows (Sherman, according to our recent poll, has a 17 point lead over Berman).

"It would also be fair to say that a congressman's record - as has been pointed out by political scientists for decades - cannot be measured in terms of legislation authored. The congressional process is complicated, and Sherman has been a notable workhorse in congress - who, just for starters, helped prevent the three-quarters of a trillion dollar TARP legislation from becoming a disastrous boondoggle for Wall Street's biggest financial players.

"It should also be pointed out that our rival, Howard Berman, in the first 12 years he was in office did not author a single piece of legislation that was signed into law." 

Sherman's campaign office also issued a press release that noted the Feldman Group's latest poll gives the Congressman a 17-point lead over Berman. An April poll also indicated that Sherman was in the lead.

For more on the fight for the 30th Congressional District, click on the links below.