johncombestblog.com

Via Wonkette:

I don’t know about you, but on the morning of Nov. 8, I’m going to put together the day’s headlines at johncombest.com, turn off my phone, and take a nap. So I put together next Wednesday’s blog post in advance. Read it now or read it later — it’s your call.

Here are five lessons we learned from Election 2006:

5.) Wherever you go, YouTube is there. Credit Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill for not making any big mistakes within sight of video cameras. Other U.S. Senate candidates — namely George Allen and Conrad Burns — were not so lucky. Thanks to YouTube, Missouri politicos saw good actors and bad actors and angry thespians re-enacting the running of the bulls (Springfield as Pamplona — who woulda thunk it?!?) Google’s purchase of YouTube means ubiquity for the video site, and an invitation for pros and amateurs to catch their least favorite candidates in the most unflattering of lights.

4.) Vote fraud isn’t dead, but it’s dying. To date, the positive contribution Gov. Matt Blunt has made to ethics in Missouri government is the appointment of real Republicans to the St. Louis City Election Board. Without them, it’s doubtful that groups like this would have been caught doing things like this. Republican legislators will still pass a photo ID bill next year, for obvious reasons. But rank-and-file Republicans should just be happy that Scott Leiendecker, and cooperative Dems at the Election Board, have made fighting fraud a top priority.

3.) Love for sale — black Dems stop giving it up for free. Longtime Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr., gained attention in September for sending a letter to the supporters of Amendment 2, warning them that not enough black political leaders were receiving their rightful tribute. Bosley’s not-so-veiled threat was surprising not for its content, but for the fact that it was made publicly. With Jay Nixon at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2008, we can expect more black leaders to publicly assert their independence from the Democratic Party and become political free agents. The market will no doubt be flooded with some sketchy “consultants”, but with Republican leaders willing to put more money in the streets, expect the going rate for a clergy or ward endorsement to increase dramatically. Republicans still won’t crack 20% of the black vote, but Dems will find organizing black voters to be more difficult and much more expensive than in years past.

2.) Susan Montee is a problem. Forget Robin Carnahan — Susan Montee is the Dems’ new golden child. Like Carnahan, Montee has a statewide office to use to increase her name ID and resume for future campaigns. Unlike Carnahan, Montee will be able to trot out a husband and kids — the missing piece of the puzzle in Carnahan’s campaign collage. Montee is a certified varsity starter in a party full of lifelong B-teamers, and she’s one of very few Dems who can mount a legitimate challenge to Kenny Hulshof should Kit Bond’s U.S. Senate seat open up in 2010.

1.) Sorry, Michael J. — all politics is still local. A year ago, it looked like Claire McCaskill had an easy task — all she had to do was tie her opponent to an unpopular president, one whom Jim Talent voted with — say it with me — 94% of the time. Moreover, Talent opposed embryonic stem cell research, which was favored by an overwhelming majority of Missourians (remember those days?). So what happened? The short answer is that a majority of voters never bought the argument that Jim Talent was part of the problem in Washington. McCaskill hit on popular notes of national discontent — the war in Iraq, “fairness” in health care, and gas prices (back when they were astronomical). But McCaskill unwisely ignored her base — who are predisposed to buying into class-based arguments — in favor of rural voters, most of whom have been bombarded with Republican memes of “guns, God, and gays” for the last decade. McCaskill’s slogan — “It’s time for a Senator on our side” was cute, but most Missourians felt like Jim Talent never left their side in the first place. That sentiment — along with the Dems’ disorganization and the Republicans’ turnout machine — is responsible for Missourians returning Jim Talent back to the U.S. Senate.

Note to angry candidates, staff, and consultants: I care about your opinion. No really, I care a whole lot. Send your very valuable feedback to john {at} johncombestblog {dot} com. Be sure to put “Inconsequential ramblings that John will delete without reading” in the subject line so I can give your e-mail the attention it deserves.

I play the role of dunderheaded partisan whenever the mood strikes — in other words, most of my waking hours. But when I saw this story, I immediately thought about a conversation I had with someone in the public relations field a week or so ago.

The conversational thread was based upon the question: Do party spokespeople really believe the charges they levy against their opponents? Read the headlines here and here, then answer that question.

To be sure, engaging in purely partisan behavior — much like arguing with your significant other — can be a very healthy and fun activity when done on a selective basis. It’s when you do it every day that it becomes a problem.

I’m the first to admit that I’m biased in this case because my relationship with Rich Chrismer, Sr. and his son predate johncombest.com. Call me naive, but I’d like to think that the honesty and character of the Chrismers is why they are so successful, and why they’ll both continue to be as long as they choose to give their lives to public service.

Comments to john {at} johncombestblog {dot} com. E-mail rules here.

If you believe recent rumors on the Internets, blogs like this one won’t be able to engage in certain partisan behaviors anymore.

Behaviors like suggesting that anyone you know with questions about absentee voting visit the RNC’s information page or contact Gary McElyea at the MRP: (573) 291-5370 or gary {at} mogop {dot} org.

And linking to something like the Talent for Senate 72-Hour Volunteer Signup will probably be illegal too.

Hopefully Rs and Ds can work together between now and November 2008 to kill some of the more ridiculous anti-blogging provisions. Until then, I’m going to go buy some boots so I can shake in them.

“All the federales say, they could have had him any day/They only let him go so long/Out of kindness, I suppose.” — Missouri political activist Willie Nelson, Pancho & Lefty.

Comments and cease & desist orders to john {at} johncombestblog {dot} com. E-mail rules here.