"The Martinez strategy: Fewer issues, more dirt," Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 10/3/04
I was so ready to start off this week's rant with all of the gaffes in Mel Martinez's bid for the Senate--from what the St. Petersburg Times called a 'bigoted' primary campaign against Bill McCollum and blaming his staff for calling federal law enforcement agents 'armed thugs' to firing his campaign manager over the weekend. But, from time to time, you just have to let the press speak for themselves. So, here it is, in the words of Miami Herald columnist, Jim Defede:
In the hotly contested race for U.S. Senate, candidate Mel Martinez has stayed on the offensive, first against fellow Republican Bill McCollum and now against Democratic nominee Betty Castor. Since we expect more of the same in the final weeks leading to the Nov. 2 showdown, the following is how I imagine next week's strategy session will go between Martinez and his campaign staff.
Martinez: Good afternoon everyone. Where are we?
Staffer No. 1: Well, the polls are still very close. It's a dead heat between you and Betty Castor.
Martinez: OK, any ideas?
Staffer No. 2: We could try debating her on the issues.
Martinez: Issues! Are you crazy? No, what we need to do is slime her just like we did Bill McCollum in the primary.
Staffer No. 1: Are you sure you want to go negative, sir?
Martinez: Oh, I'm not going to go negative. You guys are. This week, Danny and Tom will issue statements suggesting the reason Castor supports stem cell research is because she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and that she is mentally incompetent to be a senator.
Staffer No. 2: Is that true, sir? Does she have Alzheimer's?
Martinez: Of course not. But once you guys say it, some nitwit's going to believe it. And if the media goes nuts and blasts us for being insensitive, I'll step in, act disgusted by your assertions and repudiate you as a couple of ''young turks.'' But even after I distance myself from your remarks, some people will still believe Castor is sick. This is going to be great.
Staffer No. 1: I'm sorry, sir. There is only one problem. You can't call Danny and Tom ''young turks'' because you already called Pete and Bobby ''young turks'' after you had them accuse McCollum of being in bed with the "radical homosexual lobby.''
Martinez: Darn it! [Pause in conversation. Martinez can be heard talking to himself.] Think, Mel, think. I got it! We'll call them overzealous.
Staffer No. 1: Nope. We used that one for the guys at the ad agency that produced the commercial labeling McCollum "antifamily.''
Martinez: OK, how about rogue staffers? You guys wouldn't mind being rogue staffers would you?
Staffer No. 1: No, sorry sir, you called Carlos and Hector rogue staffers after they issued that news release you wrote for the Spanish-language radio stations calling the federal agents who seized Elián González "armed thugs.''
Martinez: Well-intentioned but misguided?
Staffer No. 2: That's what you said about Sandy and Diane after they said Castor was an accomplished thespian in college.
Martinez: Renegade? I don't remember condemning anyone on my staff for being a renegade.
Staffer No. 1: Well, we were saving renegade for the commercials suggesting Castor may have been a founding member of al Qaeda.
Martinez: [Sounding annoyed.] Look people, I can't do this on my own. I need your help. I realize none of you like being repudiated. Do you think I like repudiating you? I don't. But I made it very clear from the beginning that this campaign was going to be based on one simple theme: plausible deniability. I can't get elected if people are going to hold me accountable for the mean and nasty things we're doing. My only hope is to blame each and every one of you.
Staffer No. 2: You're right, sir. And, I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say we are all honored to be the kindling in the bonfire of your vanity.
Martinez: OK, I have no idea what you just said. Sounds like homosexualist talk to me, but nevertheless if it was an apology, I accept it. Now let's get back to the hard work of this campaign. Remember, the mud isn't going to sling itself people. In the meantime, get me a thesaurus because for the next 30 days I'm going to repudiate each and every one of you like my life depended on it.
Other Florida newspapers agree: "Martinez's tactics raise troubling questions about his character and leadership." (Tampa Tribune, September 2, 2004). And an even longer list of Mel's mishaps can be found on the Palm Beach Post website.
If Mel can't be held accountable for what happens in his own campaign, how can Floridians trust him to be held accountable in the Senate? Will he blame constituents for his votes? Distance himself from Senate floor statements after making them? Click here to see the latest ad from Betty Castor, entitled "Shoes," that asks, "can we believe anything he says?"
While Mel has been preoccupied with blaming and firing his staff members, Betty Castor has been busy reaching out to voters, campaigning on the issues and fundraising. You can see why the St. Petersburg Times endorsed Betty Castor over the weekend, declaring, "In the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, one candidate brings a reassuring resume and the other an identity crisis." Ouch. Told you makeovers usually don't last. You can read the full endorsement by clicking here.
Nethercutt from Nether Nether Land--Far Right and Farther from the Truth
What kind of politician would use Osama bin Laden and images of 9/11 to get elected? None other than Republican Senate candidate, George Nethercutt running in Washington state. He is so behind in the polls that he released a TV ad linking Senator Patty Murray to Osama bin Laden--during the very week she was fighting to increase homeland security on the Senate floor!
"False" "slanders" is what newspapers call Nethercutt's attacks against Senator Murray (Seattle PI, August 31, 2004). The ad was so outrageous, the Seattle Times wrote, "The George Nethercutt for U.S. Senate campaign should yank a sleazy attack ad running on TV stations in our state. The ad insults the intelligence of Washington voters." (Seattle Times, October 1, 2004). Just like his fellow far-right Republican Senate candidates, Martinez, Coburn, Keyes and Coors, George Nethercutt "will do anything to be in office." (Seattle Times, September 2, 2004).
But Senator Murray came out with a new ad in response to Nethercutt and the latest polls show his desperate and dishonest attacks are failing--badly. Murray's lead against Nethercutt has actually widened in recent days. She now runs 17 points ahead of Nethercutt. Click here to view Senator Murray's latest ad.
"Maybe It's Good for Pete Coors, But It's Bad for Colorado"
You have to see the DSCC's new ad exposing the truth behind Pete Coors' record as a businessman--click here to view the ad entitled "Headlines." Coors is running for the Senate as a job creator. Well, I can see why. He's real good at creating jobs. Just not for Americans. And he's all for tax cuts, too... in the form of tax breaks for millionaires like himself. After all, this is a man who has justified his vow to fight any attempt to "tax the rich" by claiming, "I don't think there's anything wrong with being self-serving." (Rocky Mountain News, September 18, 2004).
And he wants more of the tax breaks George W. Bush handed to him and other corporate friends on a silver platter. The additional tax cuts Coors proposes for the rich will save him another $670,000 on his tax bill. How does he expect to pay for these irresponsible and unaffordable tax breaks in a time of war and a historic budget deficit--both started by his own party? The same way he cut himself a break as CEO of Coors Brewing Company.
When he needed to finance his fat executive bonus, he went on a cost-trimming, job-cutting, outsourcing spree. At the same time he was laying off hundreds of Colorado workers, he applied to hire scores of foreign workers for jobs paying as much as $135,298 a year. (Rocky Mountain News, September 28, 2004). His company repeatedly violated environmental regulations, and was fined for it by the US Environmental Protection Agency. But those fines were a drop in the bucket compared with the bottom line benefits he was swimming in. So, his company remains the third-largest source of water pollution in the state.
Bitter Vitter Puts Himself Above Louisiana Issues, Maybe Even Above the Law
Last week, I ranted about how David Vitter was placing the interests of corporate crunch above the issues at stake in the Louisiana Senate race. This week, he puts personal ambition and party politics above the issues affecting ordinary Louisianians. As reported by The Advocate,
"The three Democratic contenders for U.S. Senate all mention issues when asked to point to one thing they will do if elected that will help Louisiana the most. But for U.S. Rep. David Vitter, the lone Republican in the race, it's a different story. Just his presence in the Senate would open all kinds of possibilities, Vitter replied when asked to name his top issue." (The Advocate, September 30, 2004).
Considering he decided to keep $10,000 in political contributions from indicted officials at Tom Delay's PAC, Americans for a Republican Majority, Bitter Vitter thinks he's above the law, too. If he doesn't listen to voters and doesn't listen to federal judges, who does he listen to? His party--he voted with them 96% of the time in Congress.
Driving Home the Point in Oklahoma
What will Oklahoma City residents see on their way home from work? A new billboard that displays Republican Tom Coburn's now infamous quote, "You have a bunch of crapheads in Oklahoma City," and calls on Coburn to apologize for this inflammatory remark. Click here to view the billboard.
All of us following the Oklahoma Senate race have been hearing one offensive remark after another coming out of Tom Coburn. Yesterday, the rest of the nation got to know this far-right Republican:
"Oklahoma's Senate candidates faced off on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, with... Republican Tom Coburn, a former House member, invoking John F. Kennedy's name and suggesting as 'evil' a $442 billion budget deficit brought on by a GOP Congress and administration...
Carson, a former Rhodes scholar, stuck closely to his strategy of painting Coburn as a 'gadfly' with a propensity to make off-the-wall comments, and whose voting record indicates he cares more about his ideology than supporting projects for Oklahoma." (Washington Post, October 4, 2004).
And Coburn reiterated his stance on the death penalty for abortion providers:
MR. RUSSERT: You would outlaw all abortion.
DR. COBURN: Except to save the life of the mother. I would think that every created life has value.
MR. RUSSERT: If a doctor performed an abortion in violation of that law, he should be subject to the death...
DR. COBURN: Well, I think whatever we decide should be the subject as a country, if in fact it's violating the law. I know it's not violating the law today. But it grieves my heart every time that we terminate.
MR. RUSSERT: But if you had your way, Doctor, and this is important, you would have a law banning all abortions, and if a doctor violated that law, he or she should be put to death.
DR. COBURN: He or she should be put to the penalties that we think, as a society--today, in many states, we don't have the death penalty. In other states, we do. Whatever that is, but I believe that we have to stick on the side of life. I think...
MR. RUSSERT: But you think the death penalty would be an appropriate penalty in that situation.
DR. COBURN: If somebody intentionally takes life at any stage throughout the country, except to save a life, and that's innocent life, I think we have to use the law that's on the books to respond to that. I sure do.
Remember Coburn, Oklahomans know this Senate race isn't a "battle of good versus evil," as you believe, but a battle of ideas. That's why the most recent Daily Oklahoman poll now shows Carson leading by 5 points--a dramatic reverse from last month when Coburn held a 9-point lead. (Daily Oklahoman, September 27, 2004).
Above the Law in Ohio, Too
Republicans are running so scared in Ohio that Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is threatening to disqualify voter registration cards that are not printed on 80 pound stock paper. What the *#@!? That's right. Ohio residents who failed to weigh the paper their voter registration form was printed on will have to re-submit their applications. But the deadline to register in Ohio is... today. That means thousands of Ohio voters will not have the time to re-apply and will therefore be denied the right to vote in this critical battleground state.
This a clear violation of US Voting Rights Codes that state, "No person acting under color of law shall... deny the right of any individual to vote in any election because of an error or omission on any record or paper relating to any application, registration, or other act requisite to voting, if such error or omission is not material in determining whether such individual is qualified under State law to vote in such election."
As usual, the Republicans believe they are above the law. Their creative engineering of the polls is painfully familiar to all of us. And, just like their far-right Senate candidates, they export election tricks across state borders almost as fast as Pete Coors exports Colorado jobs!
DSCC Supporters: Clicking Away to Victory
In case you missed my victory lap around the DSCC office last week, let me thank all of our supporters again for pushing the DSCC online war chest to above the $1.3 million mark at the close of the 3rd quarter. You helped exceed our target of $1 million, and political observers are taking notice. Roll Call wrote, "In both South Carolina and Oklahoma, the two Republicans held leads in the high single digits prior to the DSCC spending. The races are now within a few points."
Take a look at how your contribution is making all the difference in the most hotly contested Senate races:
"The DSCC has been on the air with independent expenditures since Aug. 19, a move widely credited with revitalizing the campaign of state Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum (D), which had been floundering for several months.
'With the DSCC being the only outside money in the race for two months, it has allowed our opponent to stay in the game when she otherwise would have been through,' said Terry Sullivan, campaign manager for Rep. Jim DeMint (R).
A similar situation has been playing out in the Oklahoma race between Rep. Brad Carson (D) and former Rep. Tom Coburn (R). There, the DSCC began running independent-expenditure ads just after Labor Day, hammering Coburn with $533,000 worth of ads before the NRSC has even placed its first buy." (Roll Call, September 28, 2004).
"Democratic prospects have improved in two states: Oklahoma and South Carolina... A Democrat win there would change the party's prospects at retaking the Senate." (Stuart Rothenberg; Roll Call, October 1, 2004).
The Hotline's analysis now places us at 50 seats in the Senate. Thanks to all of your support, 51 is within clear reach. Stay tuned--only 29 days more to go! And don't forget to watch tomorrow's Vice Presidential debate at 9pm EST. Because it's not just the next Vice President of the United States we'll be watching, but the next tie-breaker in the Senate, as well.
Scary Stats of the Week
The Supreme Court is back in session today so I thought it was appropriate to remind you of a few key, scary numbers:
- 5-4 razor thin margins have decided the most important Supreme Court decisions on issues like women's rights, privacy rights, and civil rights.
- 4 out of the 9 Supreme Court justices over the age of 70.
- 10 years since the last Supreme Court retirement--the longest period since 1823 that we've ever gone without a vacancy.
- 2 or 3 justices that will likely be appointed by the next President of the United States.
- 1 new justice is all the Republicans need to overturn Roe v. Wade.
- 51 Democratic Senators is what it will take to block nominations of another conservative Bush Administration.
Republican Blooper of the Week
"I even take the position that sexual orgies eliminate social tensions and ought to be encouraged." (Justice Antonin Scalia; Harvard Crimson, September 29, 2004). No further comment necessary from this mother of two.
Actually, Stop Ranting, and Start Acting: Things YOU Can do to Win Back the Majority
The election is fast approaching, folks. Your action today will make the difference between 49 and 51 Democratic seats this November!! We are looking for help with Get Out the Vote (GOTV), legal and fundraising efforts across the country – especially in our key states of South Dakota, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Colorado and North Carolina. A successful GOTV effort is crucial to our goal of taking back the majority in the US Senate. We are interested in volunteers for a day, 4 days, a week - it does not matter. We will assist with housing and other logistics. Being a part of an effective statewide campaign is an extremely rewarding experience, one that you will never forget. Please contact Steve Heuer at Heuer@dscc.org or 202-224-2447 if you are able to help in the push to regain the majority!! You can also contact the following volunteer coordinators on our campaigns:
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Best Regards,
Anne Holy Cow we're going to win Lewis
