The Gabby Gaggle

I really don’t get what everyone is squawking about over Weiss’ criticism of Gabby’s legislative record. All Patty did was use some statistics on Gabby’s voting record crunched by her staff, and made a very theatrical, and somewhat hyperbolistic, pronouncement about what they found. I don’t think it was particularly well-done (and I would have insisted on more data if I were Patty’s advisor), but it has effectively garnered free media public attention. By the Giffords camp’s reaction you’d think that Patty had accused Gabby, without any proof, of smoking powdered babies.

Sure, Patty’s message may hurt Gabby with some Democrats (not to mention hurting Patty with others), but Gabby does have a 20 point lead, if the polling is reliable. Sheesh, how insecure can a campaign and its supporter base be if they’re pissin’ and moanin’ about some perfectly legitimate contrast messaging, while they’re sitting on most of the money and a 20 point lead? Don’t like it? Buck up. Act like adults. Refute the changes. Clarify the numbers. Dig out the erroneous assumptions. If anyone wants me to publish something to refute the Weiss campaigns numbers, which I have put in the public domain, in a serious way – no whining – I’d love to do so. Calling people names, or questioning their character, or loyalty to the party, because they stuck one in you during a debate is just, well… Republican.

If Gabby makes it through the primary, she’ll be a better candidate for having dealt with such a fairly minor attacks. You think she won’t face far worse once nominated? Is that light coming out of your ears?

In the end, a reputation for independence of mind, a touch of conservative tendencies, and her former status as a Republican, are what has gotten her this far. The Democratic establishment loves her for these very reasons. And the electorate she faces is also majority Republican. It’s not a bad idea to have a candidate who, when the GOP nominee is trying to paint her as a wild-eyed liberal, has business leaders and Democratic activists both eager to deny that charge. If the GOP candidate tries to use the line, "Gabby’s too Republican," hoots and catcalls will certainly follow. If anything, Weiss’ accusations are a positive that the GOP nominee will have to work to neutralize in the general. How many moderate Republicans faced with a choice of Graf or ‘90% of Steve Huffman’ are going to choose the latter? Lots, that’s how many.

So stop being such geese, Gabby gaggle. Your earnest outrage at "how anyone could possible besmirch the integrity of… yada yada yada" is really getting off-putting. This is politics, and contrast messaging based on facts is not dirty campaigning; done right (and it’s true that Patty didn’t do it particularly well, but I’m sure she’s learned from this), it’s what politics is all about: posing choices to the electorate.

A candidate’s past votes are never irrelevant. They are a legislator’s only real performance evaluation. And it is the candidate’s responsibility to explain that record if it is questioned. The opposition’s only responsibility is to not lie or deliberately mislead. The only real question is then whether Patty’s analysis is deliberately misleading; and that is an interesting question. My own opinion is that the bottom line presented is not the most illuminating cut on the evidence, but it is not misleading. Relevant and honest contrast politics is never dirty politics. You want to see some dirty politics, wait for the general. Oh, the feathers that will fly… the gaggle that will gabble…

In the end, Patty is probably doing Gabby a favor by getting some public daylight between her and the Democratic party prior to general. After the primary, just watch how quickly the Democratic nominee, no matter who it is, tacks for the center. This particular controversy will probably end up as a centerpeice of that effort if Gabby gets the nod. Heck, there has been so many clandestine shenanigans in this race that I wouldn’t be surprised to find that Patty and Gabby had planned this out together – though, of course, they and their staffs would never admit it. In fact, when their proxies jump on here and call me a kook in the comments for even suggesting it, you should probably take that as proof of a conspiracy 🙂