Tuesday, July 14, 2009

With Enemies Like These
Who Needs Friends?

Q: What do these 2 blogs share in common?
  1. Team America
  2. Ellen of the 10th
A: This video.
YouTube

The video was produced by the DSCC -- the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee -- and if this is typical of their work, then don't be surprised if the Democrats not only lose their Senate super-majority, but become the minority party in 2010.

Even before 10th District Congressman Mark Kirk had decided to pretend he has made up his mind to run for the US Senate, this attack video had been making the rounds of the InterWebs. Which illustrates the topsy-turvy state of the Illinois US Senate race. If I were Mark Kirk and I saw this video I'd say, "thank you DSCC" -- and if you have any more like that, keep 'em coming!

Howcome? There are already four declared Republican Senate candidates. These include Eric Wallace, Robert Zadek and Internet Powerhouse® Andy Martin. Also, with Party Chair Andy McKenna and Lisa Madigan out of the game now, your LakeCountyEye wouldn't be surprised to see more chapeaux tossed into the ring.

The point being, if you've been thinking Kirk gets to cakewalk through the Primary, think again.

Those who will bother to go to the polls in dead-of-winter-February and request a Republican ballot are not a representative sample of average voters. They will be social (if not fiscal) conservatives, who take their marching orders from FoxNews, and aren't likely to vote for someone who, like Kirk, voted for a Cap & Trade Energy Bill.

With long odds like these, how does a gun-hating, abortion-loving, gay-loving social liberal like Mark Kirk manage a Primary win? He will need to follow Richard Nixon's dictum:
To win a primary, run to the right.
To win an election, run to the center.
Between now and Feb, expect to see Kirk flogging his right-wing street-cred in an attempt to win over those same ditto-headed-voters. And if you didn't think Cap'n'Trade Kirk had any right-wing street-cred, just watch that DSCC video one more time.

Even the baby-seal-hugging Tenth District Dems piled on, releasing a presser full of facts and figures proving that for the record, Mark Kirk's is ...
... mostly a right-wing Republican voting record that contrasts with Kirk’s mostly moderate rhetoric.
And I'm sure Kirk will be telling his Primary voters down in Peoria & Decatur & Belleville the exact same thing. While flashing for everyone that photo of him man-clutching Dubya.

This DSCC video is exactly the sort of commercial Kirk will need to use to get him over the hump on February 2.

2 comments:

Nicki said...

This is the same strategy Tenth Dems has used against Kirk in the past two elections, and it hasn't worked. They have feverishly tried to paint Kirk as a right-wing Bush Republican, and the voters just aren't buying it. Now, with Bush out of the picture, they would be smart to find some other approach if Kirk wins the Republican nomination (that is, if he runs at all).

Barney Baxter said...

Hi Nicki,
If the latest press release is to be believed, it's looking like the 10th Dems won't have Mark Kirk to kick around any more.
-BB-