Joe Courtney is one of the nicest politicians I’ve ever met. Some might say that’s damning with faint praise, but Joe would be on the nice guy side of the scale in any group you’d care to name. So it is with heavy heart that I must call him out on the devious campaign tactics in which he is obviously engaged.
Last week the Peckinpaugh campaign issued a press release, calling attention to a video that made Peckinpaugh and Rob Simmons look like– well, it made them look like the assholes they are. Today, we hear of yet another press release from the Peckinpaugh campaign.
Searching for a breakthrough in its run against U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, Republican Janet Peckinpaugh’s campaign issued a press release Friday encouraging voters to make her “the first woman elected to the U.S. House from the 2nd Congressional District.”
Just one problem: She wouldn’t be the first.
The first woman elected to represent Connecticut’s 2nd District was Chase Going Woodhouse, a Democrat who served in Congress from 1945 to 1947 and again from 1949 to 1951.
There is only one logical conclusion to draw from all of this. The Courtney campaign has placed an operative deep within the Peckinpaugh operation, which operative is engaged in an orchestrated campaign to make Peckinpaugh look like the biggest horse’s ass to come along since–well, since Rob Simmons. This is the sort of thing that would make Karl Rove turn green with envy.
Don’t try to tell me this is just incompetence. No one could be so stupid as to issue such a press release without even checking to see if the central assertion made was true. I mean, how long would it take to check that fact through Google, or on wikipedia? Two minutes, three maybe if you’re using a PC? What competent campaign worker wouldn’t foresee that someone would check it once the release was issued. And, looking back, is there a person alive who could possibly believe it would be a good thing if voters watched that video, or, given the squirm factor, tried to watch it?
No, I refuse to believe anyone is that stupid, so there is only one explanation. Well, Democrat or not, nice guy or not, I’m crying foul. There’s some things that you just don’t do. After all, Peckinpaugh is way behind and this type of loathsome campaign tactic is totally unnecessary. Joe should apologize to Peckinpaugh, remove his operative from Peckinpaugh’s campaign, and insert him or her into the McMahon camp where he or she belongs.
Sure I’ve got principles, but they’re flexible.
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