The Swimmer Video

Josh Dagda's campaign released a campaign video recently and it drew a response video from people calling themselves the El Paso Swim Community.

I'll get to that video in a minute, but let me cover Dagda's video real quick.

I thought the message of the video was effective. Way too little, way too late, but I thought it was an effective message. Sure, the part with him on camera is so cheesy it makes lawyer commercials look good, and yes, Dagda should get a suit that fits him properly. And yes, I would've had someone else narrate the video because the way he speaks is distracting. (I'm using the "San Jacinto Plaza" as a ringtone on my phone). And more than one person has said that after they saw the commercial they thought Dagda looks like Ellen and talks like Borat.

But the video is effective because of the message. DK has a piece on his blog where he goes through the substance of the accuracy of his message, but its still effective.

And now there is a response video from the El Paso Swim Community.

Let talk about that video for a second. First of all, I think they probably need to file a campaign finance report now. They are calling themselves a group and they made an overtly political ad. So I see no reason why they shouldn't file.

Second - and this is serious to me - stop calling yourself a community. You aren't a community. You're a collection of hobbyists. Enthusiasts. Athletes. The soccer moms of rich westside pools. But you are NOT A COMMUNITY. Latinos, Jews, African-Americans, gays, the Irish, etc...those are communities. Swimmers are not a community.

Its the same bullshit Norma Chavez tried to sell the public a few years ago about bikers. Bikers are not a community and neither are swimmers. Period.

So stop calling yourselves a community.

Third - you should apologize to the world for that crappy video. Lens flares and something created on windows media alone demand an apology. You all used my content without my permission, which I don't necessarily mind, but you guys manipulated my content and made it look like you had my permission.

I don't think Dagda is a serious candidate, nor do I think anyone should take him seriously considering he knows basically nothing about issues and is just spitting out lines from Stephanie Townsend-Allala and Hector Montes.

And, I don't think he could operate a hot dog stand without asking them for directions on how to apply mustard to a hot dog.

But that doesn't make it okay for you guys to alter my content.

Yes he was the head of that weed group. So what? Where do I start with the irony of swimmers complaining about weed? I'm sure you've heard of Michael Phelps. He likes to hit the sticky-icky on the regular if you haven't heard.

Hate to break it to you but there are a lot of people that are okay with weed and a growing number are advocating for changes in legislation.

Fellow westsider, State Rep Joe Moody has a bill in the Texas House on the topic. Hell Al Weisenberger upped his cool factor exponentially at the Westside Democrats meeting recently when he talked about going to kindergarten with Bill Clinton and quipped a joke about inhaling.

Also a westsider.

The part of the video where Dagda paused has nothing to do with short-term memory loss and it was a cheap shot. It was his first time on camera as a candidate. He was nervous and honestly he was scared out of his mind to do the interview. He had some strange hairy guy around him that was convincing him not to do the interview.

Sure, he was rough around the edges. And again, he knows absolutely nothing about policy that isn't spoon-fed to him, but the kid was nervous. Put your 20 something kid (who has likely smoked weed a time or two) in front of ol' LionStar and have them answer some policy questions. It ain't that easy lady.

Plus, Dagda has come a LONG way since that interview. Hell the very next time I interviewed him he was light years better.

The part of my video where you guys replay over and over a portion of the video where he says "come again" is altered. It happened once. And it was during a candidate forum so people where passing behind me and it was distracting.

Your video is dishonest.

And finally, I think your pool project was over-funded. The fact that it has more money invested in it than the Hispanic Cultural Center is an embarrassment and miscarriage of justice. A real community was under-funded in favor of a project for rich westsiders.

The video didn't need the ridiculous alterations you made to my content. The thing about involving yourselves politically is that you are now opening up yourselves to criticism and scrutiny.

Stay in your lane (see what I did there?) and stick to water recreation.

Politics is the deep end of the pool.