2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumRepublicans Take Their Sanders Advocacy to the Next Level
A super-PAC founded by Republican billionaire Joe Ricketts is making its first foray into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, spending $600,000 on a television ad in Iowa calling Sanders "too liberal," according to The New York Times.
The ad then spotlights two of the policies that have helped fuel his rise in the Democratic primaryhis calls for "completely free" college education and more taxes on Wall Street and the "super-rich."
"It's exactly the same thing we did with Todd Akin," said Caitlin Legacki, who served as communications director to Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill's during her successful campaign in 2012. "They're clearly trying to use the exact same playbook."
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-28/republicans-take-their-sanders-advocacy-to-the-next-level
Gothmog
(145,321 posts)This so-called attack ad is really an ad designed to help Sanders. The fact that the Sanders supporters think that this is an attack ad and do not realize that the purpose of this ad is to help Sanders is amusing http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/anti-sanders-attack-ad-isnt-quite-what-it-seems-be
At first blush, the move may seem encouraging to Sanders supporters. After all, if Republicans have gone from defending Sanders to attacking him, maybe it means GOP insiders are getting scared of the Vermont independent?
Its a nice idea, but thats not whats going on here. In fact, far from an attack ad, this commercial, backed by a prominent Republican mega-donor, is the latest evidence of the GOP trying to help Sanders, not hurt him.
Indeed, in this case, its hardly even subtle. This commercial touts Sanders support for tuition-free college, single-payer health care, and higher taxes on the super-rich. It concludes that the senator is too liberal, which isnt much of an insult in an ad directed towards liberal voters in Iowa.
In other words, were talking about a Republican mega-donor investing in a faux attack ad to help Sanders win because he sees Sanders as easy to beat in November.
Its the mirror image of the tactic Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) used in the 2012 U.S. Senate race in Missouri, when she invested in ads intended to boost then-Rep. Todd Akin (R) in his primary race, with commercials touting his far-right positions and calling him too conservative. The point was to make Akin look better in the eyes of Missouri Republicans so hed win the primary, making it easier for the incumbent Democrat to defeat him on Election Day.
This ad is just another example of the GOP trying to help Sanders become the nominee because the GOP knows that Sanders is the weaker candidate.
Gothmog
(145,321 posts)This is an ad designed to help Sanders. Conservatives and the GOP do not fear sanders and want him to be the nominee and these same conservatives are scared of Clinton http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1283025/hillary-clinton-attacks-todd-ricketts-super-pac-sanders-ad
I got to tell you. I do find this perversely flattering. But I also find it very instructive. Because if they werent afraid of me, they would be just sitting back just hoping I would get nominated. They know me. They know I say what I mean. I mean to do what I say.
And I will never let them do what they did to us before. So they are trying to stop me before I get too far. Well, a lot of folks have tried to take me out before. And I am still standing.
A Clinton spokesman, Nick Merrill, said after the event the Sanders assault was sleight of hand and its real intent was to fire up his base.
I am amused that Sanders supporters think that the conservatives are worried about Sanders being the nominee
Skwmom
(12,685 posts)AtomicKitten
(46,585 posts)Let us recall in 2008 that Hillary accused Pres Obama of cheating, sued states to suppress the vote she feared unfavorable to her, and insisted the opposition wanted to run against Obama and were helping him in nefarious ways (Operation Chaos, anyone?).