The Mine Canary Croaks
So it's official: Ralph Reed's planned stroll through the nothing-burger office of Lieutenant Governor of Georgia en route to a rendezvous with destiny in some future presidential race went horribly off track. In yesterday's Georgia primary, Ralph got stomped by state senator Casey Cagle, who made Reed's various ethical challenges the centerpiece of his campaign.
We can happily forget about Ralph for the foreseeable future. The supposed master of conservative voter mobilization can't win a low-turnout primary in his own state. The billing rate for his political consulting services just took a big dive.
But beyond Ralph's own richly deserved fate, his defeat shows that even among Republican primary voters, Republican scandals can produce a tangible electoral cost this year. He's the Abramoff Mine Canary, and he just croaked. Casino Jack's other buddies best take notice.
Comments (13)
"We can happily forget about Ralph for the foreseeable future. The supposed master of conservative voter mobilization can't win a low-turnout primary in his own state."
Can I quote a really astute observer back at you?
"And so it is that many Democrats are unprepared to face an adversary who has a fallback position situated just inches behind the frontline, and a fallback position just inches behind that, and so on indefinitely.
When the Dems overrun a Republican position, they celebrate like drunken Hessians, only to sober up and realize they have gained very little ground at all and that the Republicans are still fighting."
That's your boy Josh, and I think he's right.
You cannot afford to forget Ralph Reed for one instant. The Republicans always keep fighting, and they always take care of their own. ("We can happily forget about Cap Weinberger/Elliot Abrams/the entire Nixon White House/ for the foreseeable future"--yeah, that's worked out real well). They will find a place for him in the machine, and they will reward him richly for the damage that he has done to the country.
Ralph Reed will be back, unless all of us keep fighting, even harder. Sober up, pal.
July 19, 2006 11:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
It always struck me as sort of a stretch that Reed would really be able to make the jump from back-room organizer and strategist to an actual politician. He'll go back to what he's been successful at before.
July 19, 2006 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do you have any idea how many Democrats crossed over to vote against him? or how many Republicans in the 4th district crossed to vote against McKinney?
For the record, the anticipation of crossing over and voting against Reed was pleasant but the after-experience is a let down. It is much more satisfying to vote for someone than against.
.
July 19, 2006 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I understand that you and the Bull Moose are excited, Ed, but you're excited for the wrong reasons. It's much more important that a religious kook lost an election than that an Abramoff-scandal related guy lost an election.
Beating people implicated in major scandals is easy. Now, we have to focus on beating the nutjobs on the religious right.
thosethingswesay.blogspot.com
July 19, 2006 1:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would not call Ralph Reed a "canary". His corruption was unusually simple to understand and convincing: simultaneous advocacy of the ban of casino gambling and collecting money from the casino promoters. Why this shakeout did not lead to an indictment and conviction?
But using PACs to employ the family etc. seems to be still acceptable.
July 19, 2006 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think I heard someone talking about John Doolittle? He, with the wife who has a "company" with no employees, no business license (a violation of the law), and who earns all of her income by dipping into the campaign contributions to John's campaign. If that's the Congressman being referred to, I'm sure visitors to this site would be most welcome, especially if they have a nice fat credit card.
Hoppy in Sacramento
July 19, 2006 6:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tad Says
I agree, but for the rest of the week you can wear a party hat and blow a noisemaker. Winning once in awhile makes the fighting more fun, doesn't it. :-)
Mike
July 19, 2006 7:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ugh. My pet canary just cried at the analogy.
Anyhow, harbinger or not, it sure feels good. I interned in college at PFAW during the height of his power, and my main task was tracking Christian Coalition and similar groups' literature. This one was 12 years in the making, and it feels really good.
July 19, 2006 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I live in McKinney's district. There are very few Rebuplicans here to cross over.
Also, I think many Democrats would have liked Reed to win the Rebublican primary. It would have been nice to beat up on him in November.
July 20, 2006 5:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
According to AJC's Political Insider, it was Dems crossing over to vote against Reed that hurt McKinney most, although there are some accounts of Republicans crossing to vote against McKinney.
July 20, 2006 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, the cross-over vote is possble, but what's the evidence that it really happened? The AJC article doesn't site any.
July 20, 2006 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
The link is to one post on a blog. Look at previous posts. They asked people who crossed over to self-identify.
July 20, 2006 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
T.Rollie Fisher
Ralph will be back, slick as ever and raising money by selling his version of "Christian, family values," not to be confused with "The Soprano's family values."
July 21, 2006 7:50 AM | Reply | Permalink