One of the coolest things about this blog is the reader mail we get. Angry messages full of typos and vitriol (”you people r going to hell!!!”), sympathetic messages from Capitol Hill staffers, questions from 6th graders who have to talk about their Congressman in class… and then there’s the messages of support form the local blogosphere.

These are some of the best to get, because they bring together all the different strands of commentary and investigative reporting that have been applied to Putnam over the years. Best new local blog we’ve found out about this way: http://aikane.blogspot.com/  (Aikane Leo… presumably a pun on Alkaline Treo?)

You can read the full Adam Putnam archives over there by going here:

Aikane Leo Adam Putnam Archives 

I’ll be posting my favorite Flashback reporting entry in a few hours when I’ve had time to read all the great stuff over there.

As published in the Lakeland Ledger: 

“You will see fewer Americans in Iraq next June than last June,” he said, “as the Iraqi troops begin to take over.”

-Adam Putnam

Which next June is he talking about here?   June 2006.

The above quote is from a Ledger story written by Bill Rufty and published  November 29, 2005.  The remarks came while Adam Putnam was home in Polk County addressing the Tiger Bay Club.

It’s not a full 18 months since we were supposed to have “less troops” based on the predictions of Adam Putnam.  Instead we have an escalating War in Iraq, a military stretched to it’s fullest capacity, and an American Public completely and utterly tired of war.

Oh, and we have Adam Putnam still saying things in Iraq are rosy, and the war must go on.

 I’ve been going back and reading archives of the Lakeland Ledger, especially Bill Rufty, the main political writer. He leans to the conservative view point on most things, for sure, but I’m glad to see that sometimes he can also see through Putnam’s BS. This is a blog post he wrote a few months ago:

U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, say that the new high on the Dow Jones Industrial Average is all because of Reopublicans. (Gee, I thought it was because of investors).

But Putnam, chairman of the House Republican Conference, said it was Republican tax cuts when the GOP was in charge in Congress that has propelled the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 14,000 and closing at another record high:

“It’s no surprise the market’s on a good run right now - investors are feeling confident about the state of our economy and rightly so. Whether it’s more new jobs, a lower deficit, or a surging Dow, the benefits of pro-growth Republican policies are clear as day,” Putnam said in a press release.

“Republicans will continue to lead the way on fiscal responsibility by holding the line on spending and fighting to keep taxes low. In stark contrast, Democrats are setting the wrong fiscal priorities for our nation by passing one budget-busting spending bill after another,” the press release continued.

Say, remember last week when the Dow dropped 148 points? Not to rain on anyone’s parade with a shower of Keynesian economic theory, but what did that?

Two main problems with Adam’s assessment:

• The stock market is not the same as the economy.  One can do well while the other fails miserably.  They are related, but not at all the same.
• The economy is not so great, and has taken some major hits since Adam’s last rosy assessment.  Who should we blame for that Congressman Putnam?  Bill Clinton?  Nancy Pelosi?  Iran?

The truth is, Adam Putnam’s current job is to spin the truth until it looks completely different.  When it comes to the economy, Iraq, S-CHIP, or corruption in Washington… up is down, down is up, the GOP can do no wrong, and the Democrats are the Devil.  It doesn’t matter what the facts are, because in Putnam’s world Partisanship trumps Reality. 

We’re going to start out w/ light posting on the weekends until we have a few more editors of the Putnam Report… but for now here are two links we think you’ll be interested in.  Both from the last few weeks in the Lakeland Ledger:

•  Bill Rufty is not exactly a liberal blogger, but in this post he skewers Adam Putnam’s attempt to take credit for the Dow Jones rise.  Well, the recent Dow Jones rise after the Dow Jones plummet a few weeks ago…. Seriously, if you remember the 90’s (which all voters should), then you probably know that this is not what a great economy looks like.  Putnam needs to figure out which talking points work and which ones never will.

• Attack Dog And Cheerleader.  That’s what the Ledger calls Putnam in this piece.  Ouch.