Reynolds Blames Losses on Lack of Negative Campaigning

[Rose Siding]

Reynolds blames colleagues for upsets

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s election rout, Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), the GOP campaign chief in the House, leveled blame at Republicans who failed to “disqualify” their Democratic opponents.....

“I accept the fact that you have good people lose in hard-fought battles, but I can also unfortunately show examples of some of my colleagues who did not disqualify their opponents at all, or too late,” Reynolds said.

He mentioned Rep. Anne Northup’s (R-Ky.) decision to run positive ads during the final days of her race against newspaper columnist John Yarmuth, but he had others in mind, too.
...
Republicans in tight races ran negative campaigns over the summer against their Democratic opponents to counteract a gathering wave of voter discontent, and Reynolds was critical of members who refused or neglected to do so.
...
During a conference call late last month, Reynolds warned members that the campaign committee was involved in a lot of races where once-safe incumbents had not worked hard enough to hammer challengers.

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/110906/reynolds.html

[niyad]

1. I wasn't aware they did any positive campaigning, what is he talking about?

[AIJ Alom]

2. No Reynolds it was Foley. Plain and simple.

The icing on the Republican corruption cake made of the ingredients, Ney, Delay, Abramoff, Cunningham, and all the sugary coverup that you presented to the American people. Enjoy it's bitter taste, you helped in making it.

[TankLV]

6. And enjoy the investigations - you're likely to be among the FIRST up...

And it will be a REAL investigation of YOUR coverup of a fellow REPUKE PEDOPHILE - not a repukes only whitewash...

[Erika]

3. He was a bastard who kept his mouth shut about Foley

Can't believe the GOP utter arrogance.

[hlthe2b]

4. Damn that Reynolds is "side-splitting funny"

:rofl:


Please keep telling that to the American People there, Tommy. It will surely build your credibility!

[Awsi Dooger]

5. Disqualify equals shamelessly lie and mislead

I watched Reynolds' press conference this morning. As soon as he used the disqualify theme I got pissed off and thought about Jon Porter here in Nevada. Sure enough, in Reynolds' examples of doing it properly, Porter was one of the first two or three he mentioned.

Jon Porter's commercials called Tessa Hafen a political opportunist who can't tell the truth. He defined her as a carpetbagger even though she is a native Nevadan, three generations of roots.

Somehow it stuck, because the DCCC didn't fund the race early enough. Locals thought Hafen was like Jack Carter, someone who moved here fairly recently and apparently to run for office. That theme stuck to Nevada Democrats this year. Carter and Titus are native Georgians with southern accents and then you had Hafen labeled as a carpetbagger. I talk to locals all the time and several of them told me Democrats were running nothing but imports. Only Jill Derby was able to avoid that issue, in fact capitalizing on her strength as a lifelong rural Nevadan to come closer than any Democrat should be able to in NV-2, losing by 5 points.

If that was the lesson learned, just wait for the tactics in 2008.

[MattP]

7. He should have lost himself

Anybody that hides behind children during a press conference isn't fit to hold office.

[liberalpragmatist]

8. Dems had a TERRIBLE candidate in that race

An eccentric septuaganarian. We dropped the ball on that one, thinking it wouldn't be competitive. A half-way competent Dem challenger would have easily beaten Reynolds in this environment.

[MattP]

9. A one issue type

Wasn't it like a Lou Dobbs type Dem?

[oasis]

10. Bill Maher used the Harold Ford "call me" ad as an example of how negative ads

work. Maher was a guest on CNN's Larry King.


Side note:Maher also said George Allen was attempting to fashion himself in the mold of GW Bush as he prepared to run for the presidency.