Shawn Dixon October 10th, 2008

Has Mitch McConnell lost his political mind? McConnell apparently has just spent money to buy the ad below to run in Kentucky against Senator Charles Schumer of New York. I have no idea what McConnell thinks he is accomplishing with this ad. In fact, that’s why I don’t mind embedding it here. Normally I wouldn’t help push a McConnell ad, but it is completely ineffective and makes him look like a DC insider with a personal vendetta against Charles Schumer.

As some other blogs have noted, what’s most striking about the ad is that Bruce Lunsford’s name isn’t even mentioned. The whole ad talks about Charles Schumer, which raises a very important question: who is McConnell targeting with this ad? The fact that the ad doesn’t mention Lunsford by name and the only name mentioned is a Senator who most Kentuckians are probably unfamiliar with suggests that McConnell can’t be going after undecided voters. This ad can only mean one thing: Mitch McConnell must think he has a problem among the more well informed wing of his conservative base. By invoking Charles Schumer as the boogeyman, he is reaching out to those conservative political junkies who are likely abandoning him at an alarming rate over his bailout vote and failed economic policies.

This ad says a lot more about Mitch McConnell than it does about either Charles Schumer or Bruce Lunsford. The only reason for McConnell to run an ad like this is if he needs to shore up support amongst his base and that’s not good news for him. If that’s not the reason for the ad, I can’t imagine what is. Either way, I’m happy he has chosen to spend his time and money on such nonsense.

Update: According to the NY Times there hasn’t been any airtime bought for this ad. For now it appears only to be a web ad.

• Mitch McConnell
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