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Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Why are Republicans failing in the opposition research battle? First, Bill Simon crashed with a false hit on Gray Davis, and now national Republicans are burning after they really screwed up in attacking Walter Mondale for a position he never maintained. The GOP started quick on this one, bringing in Gingrich on Meet the Press and getting National Review to post an article within 48 hours of Wellstone's passing.
In the first place, the hit on Mondale was tedious and dishonest -- it was a very, very poor job, and, besides, can't they come up with something better? How about the fact that their essentially-in-remembrance, nearly-beatified former President Reagan thought he was a joke and whupped him everywhere except, but almost, Minnesota. "Minnesota has a chance to finish what it failed to start in '84" is how I'd phrase it.
But back to the main point: if even the national GOP can't vet its oppo research well enough to withstand elementary criticism, will the press stop taking it? Will this have a spillover for Dems' research, as well?
UPDATE: I forgot about the wannabe voter registration scam in South Dakota...this really is turning into an epidemic.
Steven I. Weiss 11:10:00 PM
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