Crappy Spin of the Day Award

And the winner is...Republican congressional candidate Nathan Bech, for comedically misrepresenting the comments of his opponent, Democrat John Olver, in a press release titled "Olver to Citizens Facing Cold Winter: Stop Whining."

Check out the first two paragraphs, and you'll see what I mean:

Congressional candidate Nathan Bech (R-West Springfield) criticized Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst) for the incumbent's recent comments on energy.  In a June 25th floor speech before the House, Olver blamed his constituents for the high price of gas. "For America, the only certain solution to the high price of gasoline is to reduce the consumption of gasoline. We can drive slower. We can drive less. We can carpool. We can use public transportation when it's possible. We can develop 'work from home' wherever and whenever that's feasible as an option.  We must start pursuing all of these strategies immediately."

Bech lambasted Olver for his comments, saying "John Olver has finally admitted that he has no solution to the energy crisis.  In his world, citizens stop going to work, farmers ride a bus through the fields, and the elderly pedal bikes to the doctor."  [emph. added]

What really impresses me about this crappy spin--beyond that bit about the old folks biking to their check-ups--is that it's crappy on two levels. First, Bech's gloss on Olver is just flat-out wrong. Second, the press release highlights this fact by putting Olver's quote and Bech's rebuttal side by side for easy comparison.

Take a bow, Nathan Bech!