With the primary elections coming down to the finish, 24thState is going to increase a focus on helping the patriotic, freedom-loving voter to see through the typical campaign garbage in order to properly discern what really matters when selecting candidates. One of the first problems to face every candidate is whether to "go negative". The favorite solution is usually to find a third party to do the hitting while the candidate gets to stay positive, and appear to be the boy scout in the race. This allows the candidate to have his cake and eat it, too. So how do we judge political speech from third parties?
Today, we kick off the series of primers for patriotic voters with a classic campaign tactic, the Fake Campaign Committee. In the race for Missouri's 31st state senate seat, Ed Emery has been hit by a shadow campaign committee hoping to block Ed to the benefit of his opponent, Scott Largent. For his part, Scott Largent began running a clean campaign, but decided to take the gloves off late. While there is certainly a degree of honor to a campaign doing its own hitting, the move also belies a losing campaing.
The race is between Ed Emery, a rock solid conservative, and relative newcomer, Scott Largent. Taking nothing from Largent, Ed Emery is known to conservatives across the state as one of the most reliable, independent and trustworthy lawmakers to ever occupy a seat in the Capitol. That is important because when someone compares a boy scout to Jayhawker the discerning patriot is skeptical. A new fake campaign committee has done just that.
Missourians Against Higher Utility Rates, wants you to believe that Ed Emery supports high utility rates. Really. They would not say it if it were not true. Right?
Here are two axioms. One, campaign pieces rarely lie, they just tell their versions of the facts. Two, never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line. Actually, the second and more valuable axiom is better borrowed from the Crying Game. Consider the nature of the candidate.
So whose version of the facts are voters getting from Noranda Aluminum of New Madrid, Mo, the outfit behind the attack on Ed Emery? More importantly, would Ed Emery actually support anything at all that is bad for Missourians? Ed Emery's nature is as solid as it gets, so if someone is casting doubt on Ed it says a lot more about them. Ed cannot hurt Missouri even if he wanted to because being in any way dishonorable is not in his nature.
On the other hand, Noranda is the largest electricity consumer in the state and does have every right to engage the political process. They also enjoy the lowest electric rates of any customer in the state. Residential rates are 8.96 cents per kilowatt hour compared to 3.77 cents for Noranda. Could it be that Noranda means to say that Ed Emery is open to raising their rates if it is for the long term good of all Missourians? Big companies do not suffer independence (which they see as defection) very well.
Curiously, in the question of nature, Noranda hates Ed Emery, but loves former Speaker turned Village People turned Green Balloons Rod Jetton who they hired as their lead lobbyist. That the once rising star, Rod Jetton had dishonored himself politically by first sneaking, then denying, then defending his role in passing the most treacherous anti-local control measure ever at the behest of his wealthiest donor, and followed that up with an affair, divorce and bizzarre sexual dust up, and was now toxic in Jefferson City did not bother Noranda. They thought he was perfect material to be their face in the Capitol.
Over the coming week, we will feature more axioms including endorsements, a great tool for measuring Congressional candidates, Reagan's 11th Commandment and the Senate race, consultant wars and more. But remember, while this memorable scene validates the notion of a higher power, and God is in control, he calls his people to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves, that means that the patriotic voter first has a duty to be wise. We at 24thState are here to help.
