Education: I earned my degree from Thomas Edison State College
What does the phrase "I earned my degree" mean to most human beings?
To most of us, that means that he HAS a 4 YEAR degree from that college.
He doesn't. He doesn't have any degree from anywhere.
It's kinda like the difference between an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor. They ain't the same.
He's lying on purpose, and now he's lying directly to the voters he would try and scam into voting for him.
I already feel sorry for his kids.
And I certainly feel sorry for the people of Washougal who are stuck with this clown until they either recall him or he gets bounced in the next election.
He even mentions McKenna like McKenna even knows this worm is alive.
So, to that end, Russell even lied to the newspaper.
Here's what we've got.
We've got a pattern of lies and obfuscation. We've got a history of lying about his wife being a doctor. We've got a history of Russell violating the PDC laws in a half dozen ways.
What we DON'T have is a reason to vote for a liar.
Keep in mind the fact that my interview with the Columbian, DONE IN WRITING, did NOT say some of what is printed here.
But here is the entire entry, unfortunately limited to the not-well-read political blog on the website as opposed to being printed in the newspaper... like it should have been.
Did Jon Russell, the Washougal city councilor who’s running for an open seat in the 18th Legislative District, misrepresent his academic credentials to precinct committee officers?
Yes, says Kelly Hinton, who leveled the accusation at Russell last week on his Clark County Politics blog.
No, insists Russell. So we checked it out.
Russell allegedly told 18th District precinct committee officers that he had a two-year associate degree from Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey. The college offers degrees through correspondence courses as well as at its bricks-and-mortar campus.
The college confirms that Russell enrolled in courses there, but says it has not granted him a degree.
Russell says he has earned more than the 60 credit hours required for an AA degree. He told The Columbian he has sent for his transcript to prove it.
But he concedes that he never got around to doing the paperwork required to get the actual degree.
When he looked into it last week, he said, he learned he would have to reenroll as a fulltime student in order to apply.
Joe Guzzardo, spokesman for Thomas Edison, confirmed the policy. Not only that, he said, it would cost Russell $630 to apply for the AA degree under the college’s “reenrollment to graduate” policy. Until last March, he said, the cost would have been $2,332 for former students living out of state.
“In order for someone like Mr. Russell to finish, they would have to take advantage of the ‘reenrollment to graduate’ policy,” Guzzardo said.
Russell maintains that he never said he actually had the degree. “I’ve always said I’ve earned my degree,” he told The Columbian. “I’ve never said I obtained my degree.”
Nevertheless, he said Tuesday, “I have submitted a ‘request for graduation’ form with Thomas Edison to have my diploma sent to me.”
Russell says Hinton’s blog “is designed to do nothing more than to tear down my credibility” because Hinton, a former legislative staffer, backs one of Russell’s opponents, Ann Rivers, in the 18th District race. “He is trying to turn over every rock,” Russell said.
Both Hinton and Rivers confirmed that they are business associates in a political consulting firm. Rivers called Hinton “a friend.”
But she said she’s not behind Hinton’s blog attacks. “I don’t need to tear down someone else’s building to make myself look taller,” she said.
Hinton confirmed in an e-mail that he supports Rivers’ candidacy, but he said he began criticizing Russell when he was still a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Russell dropped out of that race in February and joined a crowded field for the open 18th District position.
Kathie Durbin
Unfortunately for the reader not in the know, this article is factually incorrect in ways that just mystify me.
In my blog or in my email to Durbin, I never alleged that Russell had told the PCO's of the 18th District that he had a degree. I made no note of that whatsoever.
What I told Durbin was this:
The evidence I have provided; that Russell has indicated his wife is a “physician” to the 18th District PCO’s, that he called her a ”doctor” in the Vancouver Business Journal and then changed the story to “family nurse practitioner” after I blogged about it and that Sarah Russell has advertised herself as a doctor at the Columbia River Gorge Medical Clinic in a newspaper owned by the Columbian, if I’m not mistaken, is not something I fabricated.
For whatever the reason, there was no mention of these allegations, which are as much a lie as Russell's fake degree.
And let's review the verbiage Russell was using on his website:
Jon’s experience in politics started as he was working on his degree in political science first at Vincennes University and finished his degree at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ.
CLEARLY this was meant to deliberately infer that he had completed a BACHELOR'S DEGREE, and NOT an AA.
How Durbin could confuse Russell lying to the PCO's about his degree and lying to the PCO's about his wife is just beyond me.
For those of us actually possessed of 4 year degrees, we recognize the major difference, parsed by Russell, between having more then the number of credits required for an AA degree and actually completing... and receiving... a bachelor's degree.
Russell knows that. Thus his Clintonesque, "it all depends on what the definition of "is," is response:
Russell maintains that he never said he actually had the degree. “I’ve always said I’ve earned my degree,” he told The Columbian. “I’ve never said I obtained my degree.”
Really?
So, this is the kind of representation Russell has to offer? One where we have to parse everything he says to figure it out?
Russell whines that my blog: "... is designed to do nothing more than to tear down my credibility” because Hinton, a former legislative staffer, backs one of Russell’s opponents, Ann Rivers, in the 18th District race. “He is trying to turn over every rock,” Russell said.
Well, the thing about credibility is this: If you don't lie, fabricate or exaggerate, then I've got nothing to write about... do I?
Unfortunately, the paper deliberately left out the FACT that I began nailing Russell's "credibility" as soon as he announced for Congress; instead of verifying that truth, relying alternately on the "I said I began criticizing Russell" when he announced for Congress, thereby deliberately failing to destroy Russell's position that my primary motivation for Jon Russell Watch wasn't my support of Ann Rivers, but instead, my opposition to Russell.
Typical.
And by the way, Jon.... I'm given to understand that you brought your own lies to the attention of the paper (Not that, since they read my blogs several times a day, they didn't know about them anyway) so I wanted to give you a hearty "Well done!"
So, while whoever wrote this has a fact check problem with a narrow-focused view with blinders, leaving out much of the other allegations which directly impact on Russell's increasingly non-existent credibility, this is, I suppose, better than nothing.
Barely. But this is, I suppose, what passes for "journalism" at the lazy C.
Regular readers are well aware of the, ahem, high esteem with which I hold the Columbian Newspaper.
Well, imagine my surprise when I received the following:
I'm investigating your accusations against Jon Russell re his academic credentials and his wife's professional status. If this results in a story, I will be naming you as the accuser. I will also be reporting Russell's response to your accusations.
Russell claims that you and Ann Rivers are business associates, that you support Rivers in the 18th District race, and that Jon Russell Watch is an attempt to undermine his campaign so Rivers will win the primary. True? What if any role are you playing in Rivers' campaign? Thank you for your prompt response.
Far be it from me to be obstructionist to the press, so, I was more then happy to reply as follows:
Russell claims that you and Ann Rivers are business associates,
True.
that you support Rivers in the 18th District race
True.
and that Jon Russell Watch is an attempt to undermine his campaign so Rivers will win the primary. True?
Only secondarily.
My opposition to Russell stretches back to last Summer, (long before he bailed out of his abortive congressional run) where I told him directly that I would do everything I could to oppose him. My first blog post against Russell was on June 16 of last year. Today's political yuk: Jon Russell to run for Congress? I wrote many posts on CCP opposing him for Congress and criticizing him for the Washougal debacle. I told Russell personally last summer that I did not want him anywhere in government, based on my interactions with him in the past and his poor performance as an elected official, much of which is detailed in my blogs.
I set up Jon Russell Watch (and Jaime Herrera Watch, come to think of it) when it became clear that the volume of posts I was doing on Russell was taking up too much space on that blog. As of now, I have done 37 posts on Russell on Jon Russell Watch. And while many of them are placed on both CCP and Russell Watch, it was with an eye towards weaning one from the other, so I could get a focus for each blog, using CCP for issues of local and national importance to me, while separating out the issues of the campaigns that concern me the most so that they would have their own readership.
I call that “secondarily” because first, I publically and loudly opposed Russell before I started Russell Watch when he was running for Congress; and second, I would have written every word I put up if Ann was not running.
Russell Watch has nothing to do with Ann Rivers. The evidence I have provided; that Russell has indicated his wife is a “physician” to the 18th District PCO’s, that he called her a ”doctor” in the Vancouver Business Journal and then changed the story to “family nurse practitioner” after I blogged about it and that Sarah Russell has advertised herself as a doctor at the Columbia River Gorge Medical Clinic in a newspaper owned by the Columbian, if I’m not mistaken, is not something I fabricated. The allegations contained within the PDC complaints I filed against Russell were not manufactured out of whole cloth.
The fact is that I first emailed and then called (in response to their email) the registrar’s office at Thomas Edison yesterday. They verified that they had not awarded Russell with a degree, a verification I would imagine that anyone could get by using the numbers that post provided… which is why I provided them.
I get that Russell’s defense is to attack my motives and motivation. But whatever my motives and motivation, that has nothing to do with the evidence. This, however, shouldn’t have anything to do with me if the evidence proves my assertions. I’m not in this for the greater glory of me. I’m in this to provide information about a candidate who holds himself out to be one thing while the evidence tends to show he’s something else.
Those were decisions Russell made. And in the Richard Blumenthal era, I think it’s safe to say they were the wrong decisions to make.
I write what I write because *I* want to write it. No one has any say or sway over the words I post. They are what I believe, my opinions and where the evidence takes me. No one is paying me or controlling me... though some have tried to control me.
As for my role in the River’s campaign, that title is “friend and supporter.” She is her own woman, her positions are her own and in no way are caused by me. We agree on many of the issues, but my support of Rivers is because I know all of the candidates actually running a serious campaign on the GOP side, and she is the best qualified, experienced, knowledgeable and most visionary candidate running.
As far as that goes, I look forward to another column from Brancaccio about how worthless bloggers are.
________________________________________________
I publish this here on the off chance that the newspaper might actually do a story on the local version of Mr. Blumnethal. I provide this here to make sure that readers of our local august publication get ALL of the story, so nothing is lost in translation.
Jon’s experience in politics started as he was working on his degree in political science first at Vincennes University and finished his degree at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ.
As I indicated, discussions with Thomas Edison indicate that they did NOT award him with the degree he claims he "finished."
Jon’s experience in politics started as he was working on his degree in political science first at Vincennes University and finished his degree at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ
And that's fine. Thomas Edison is a fully accredited College.
There's only one problem:
While Russell may have attended there... he didn't graduate. So, while lying about getting a degree is right up there with getting a matchbook cover degree from a degree mill, that all begs the issue:
Why does he lie about it?
I checked with the fine folks here:
Thomas Edison State College Office of the Registrar Phone # 609-984-1180 Fax # 609-777-0477
In discussions with the Office of the Registrar at that school, a records check indicated that they had not "awarded any degree to Mr. Russell."
Unless, of course, the plain meaning of the phrase: "and finished his degree at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ" has some other meaning besides the obvious meaning of the term.
He was questioned last year about his education as well. He would write on his bio the colleges he attended. When questioned about degrees it was left blank. Now he states he has an AA in Political Science. Which is only offered as a BA..You calls himself a Christian...Reminds me of Sarah Palin, all smiles no substance...Full of sh*t...
Yesterday, Clark County Politics filed a formal complaint with the Health Systems Quality Assurance Board concerning Jon and Sarah Russell.
The complaint alleges that Jon and Sarah Russell have deliberately misrepresented Sarah Russell as a doctor.
The evidence consists of the article that Jon Russell arranged to have changed almost 90 days after it was published, and the ad in the Camas Post Record, both identifying Sarah Russell as a doctor.
Again, I have no idea why they felt compelled to lie about Sarah Russell's status. I cant even begin to understand why they feel the need to advertise an "Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner" as a doctor... or as anything else besides, well, an advanced registered nurse practitioner... unless there's some sort of requirement that a health clinic have medical doctor oversight.
ONCE may be a mistake. THREE times? Well, that's a pattern of lies.
Regardless. That this alleged Christian conservative would systematically and deliberately lie about his wife; both verbally (I witnessed him telling the 18th District PCO's on May 22 that his wife was a "physician) AND IN WRITING (In the Vancouver Business Journal and in the ad in the Camas Post Record) WOULD tend to cast doubt on his fitness to hold office.
Because if he would lie about something as unnecessary as that... where does it end? What else would he lie about? When do we believe him?
