Whether or not the Republicans lose one or more houses of congress this November, they certainly are acting as if they are worried about it. Republicans are giving up on many races and declaring them lost in favor of attempting to rally around the few seats they still believe they can save. In terms of campaign ads and attacks, in race after race, GOP members of the House and Senate are slinging mud as if they each had eight arms and hands with which to do it.
Consider Republican Ray Meier running against Democrat Michael Arcuri running for the House in NY's 24th Congressional District. Meier's campaign got their hands on an old telephone bill from when Mr. Arcuri was the district attorney in Oneida County in NY. The bill contained a call to a 1-800 sex line that was billed to taxpayers. Meier's campaign ran ads accusing Arcuri of essentially being a pervert.
The problem is the sex line had the same last seven numbers (not area code) as the NY state Department of Criminal Justice Services. The sex line call had been a mistake lasting less than a minute. The next call that was one minute later from Mr. Arcuri's line? You guessed it. It was a call to the NY state Department of Criminal Justice Services.
The Campaign of Senator George 'Macaca' Allen in Virginia blatantly lies about former Navy Secretary James Webb's response to the Navy Tailhook scandal. Allen's campaign alleges that Webb denigrated the NEED for an investigation. In fact, Webb was unhappy about the QUALITY of the investigation. Here is the correct quote from a NY Times article:
"A botched internal investigation and the ongoing revelations of inexcusable harassment of women . . . have also left in their wake a witch hunt that threatens to swamp the entire naval service."
In Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district, advocates for Republican congressman Don Sherwood told such an outlandish lie regarding opponent, Democrat Chris Carney's support of Social Security, that AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons stepped in and took the unusual step of defending Carney and pointing out the lies in Sherwood's campaign advertisements.
In Missouri, Republican Senator Jim Talent attacked the HUSBAND of his challenger, Democrat Claire McCaskill. The only thing one can say about this is that if McCaskill is such an outstanding lady and candidate that the GOP's Talent must resort to attacking her husband, then Democrat McCaskill belongs in the Senate and Talent belongs on the golf course in early retirement.
Republicans weren't finished in the Missouri Senate race. Not satisfied with only attacking the candidate's spouse, Rush Limbaugh weighed in by attacking Michael J. Fox who supports Claire McCaskill. Setting a new low even for him, Limbaugh suggested that Fox shook more than his disease (Fox suffers from Parkinson's disease) really causes him to shake in advertisements for McCaskill.
New Jersey's Democratic Senator Robert Menendez also faces a two pronged attack, both from his candidate and his candidates DAD. Republican's Tom Kean Sr. and Tom Kean Jr. are taking turns tossing manure at Menendez. Here is a hint to Tom Kean Jr., Junior, we would hope that by the time you run for the US Senate, you would stop having your dad fight your battles for you.
In perhaps the lowest of the low, the campaign of Tennessee Republican Bob Corker has run an ad that suggests an inter-racial relationship between Democratic Senate Candidate Harold Ford, who is black, and a sexy blonde. The ad spot finishes with the Blonde holding up her hand to her ear as if it is a phone receiver and saying "Call me Harold".
The spot has people of both parties all over the nation expressing their disgust with Corker and his campaign. It is race baiting at its worst. Republicans putting this ad out is an testament to how little regard Republicans have for people in the South if they think that this would convince today's southerners to vote against Ford.
Not being satisfied with merely having for years protected a pedophile, in their desperation, Republicans are doing everything possible to show themselves as multi-talented when it comes to being vile, cynical, opportunistic, ruthless and tasteless. When diving into the most fetid swamps of personal attacks and campaign lies, the GOP and its candidates dive in head first and with their mouths joyfully open.
Americans have yet another reason to vote Democratic this November 7th. By voting Democratic, Americans can show their distaste for the Republicans disgusting campaign tactics once and for all. In addition to their dozens of failures in every aspect of governing, the GOP deserves to be punished for running the campaigns and ads that they have. The American people deserve a lot better than what the GOP have been giving them.
Steven Leser specializes in Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and Public Relations Chair within county organizations.
Steven Leser writes for www.opednews.com, an internet only media site that has grown to become one of the highest traffic news sites in America, reaching more traffic, according to alexa.com, than all but the thirty largest daily newspapers in the US. Mr. Leser is one of the 500+ liberal pundits who, each month, are published in what has become one of the top five Liberal/progressive media sites in the US.
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