Mitt Romney was not the best surrogate, and underplayed the hand held by the Republican Party this year. Granted, this election is anti-Obama as opposed to pro-GOP, but the momentum of the six-year itch, plus the disaffected liberal-leftist interest groups sitting out this election, plus the expanded ground game for Republicans against Democrats indicate that the Democratic Party is facing very bad prospects, worse than 2010, and more than what the Republicans endured in 2006, when Bush was the six-term incumbent hurting his party label.
Cardin tried to play up the economic gains which President Obama touted on his latest weekly address. Chris Wallace exposed the darker undercurrents for otherwise tolerable economic numbers. Millions of Americans are in part-time or temporary work, while a large cohort of unaccounted unemployed have dropped out of the work force entirely.
Then there's that growing cohort of Americans on food stamps (from 35 million to 46.5 million), even though the economy is apparently improving.
Still, at the outset Cardin claimed that Democrats have a good ground game. That means nothing if once-ardent supporters have cooled toward their Democratic representatives and the President. Then Wallace outlined the litany of scandals, which expose the crisis of competence gripping the Obama Administration. Cardin tried to play up Obamacare, claiming that insurance rates have gone down. No, they haven't, and Obama's record of incompetence on foreign and domestic matters has hut otherwise safe Democrats, too, like Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire.
 |
| US Senator Ben Cardin dodged questions about the race card |
Wallace's toughest questions to Cardin focused on the race-hustling from Democratic politicians:
Aren't Senate Democrats playing the race card and playing it from the bottom of the deck?
Cardin paused for a minute (who wouldn't?), and then answered:
We've seen in too many races around the country. I saw it in my own race when there were efforts made to suppress the minority vote. as a tactic by Republicans.
Again, the race card. Cardin continued:
That should have no place in American politics. And we're starting to see that again in these races. We want everyone to vote. We want them to vote for the person they think is the best candidate. Democrats are proud of our efforts to help people with the opportunity to vote. . .
Wallace did not get an answer to his question, so he pressed:
Wait a minute, sir. Why does it make sense to tie Thom Tillis, who is the House Speaker in North Carolina with the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida? How does it make any sense except as playing the race card?
Cardin's non-response:
Well, I think your isolating one particular part of the North Carolina Senate race that Kay Hagan's running.
Isolated incident?
Kay Hagan's campaign against North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis featured a mailer alleging that Tillis' support for Stand Your Ground laws connects him with the death of Trayvon Martin. Does anyone really believe that Republican candidates want to increase the deaths of black youths?
Georgia mailers alleged that a Republican win in the Peach State would lead to more lynchings. This race-baiting is outrageous as well as insulting.
Then there's Louisiana US Senator Mary Landrieu, who shamed her constituents with the argument that they do not like President Obama because he is black, and they are not supporting her because she is a woman. Is she trying to lose her seat on purpose?
Wallace again interrupted for an answer:
I'm just playing an ad paid by your Senate leader.
Cardin again:
Well, I can tell you that race has been run on issues. I think that Kay Hagan and the Democrats are proud of the way that race has been run, and I believe that Kay Hagan is going to win in North Carolina.
Ben Cardin flopped in his tepid attempts to justify (or rather ignore) his Democratic colleagues' infamous race politics. He couldn't, and he didn't. He shouldn't, either.
Along with the gender card, the "War on Women" meme, and the Wall Street/Main Street attacks, the race card is all played out, and will not bring out the base effectively with a strong anti-incumbent, anti-Democrat groundswell out for change in Washington this November.
No comments:
Post a Comment