Yesterday, the Ohio Democratic Party took yet another desperate leap on behalf of Ted Strickland.
With the Lehman attacks failing to make a serious dent in John Kasich, they decided to highlight Kasich’s endorsement of George W. Bush in 2000.
Ah, the Bush card.
You’d think Lis Smith, Strickland’s communications director would have learned her lesson by now.
When she ran communications for Jon Corzine, they put a lot of money into this ad hitting Chris Christie.
I don’t think I need to remind you that it failed miserably.
But it doesn’t end there.
Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post ran a story awhile ago providing some historical context into how worthless a strategy it is to attempt to use a former President in campaigns:
A look back at history suggests that even the most disliked of presidents tend to linger over their party’s candidates only while they remain in office.
In 1974, the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon — coming as it did just three months before a midterm election — badly damaged his party, which lost 48 House seats and five Senate seats. Two years later Jimmy Carter was elected president largely on his pledge to be the anti-Nixon — but congressional Republicans lost only a single seat in the House and no seats in the Senate.
Carter’s ineffectual presidency cost him the White House and his party 34 House seats and a whopping 12 Senate seats in 1980 but two years later any lingering distaste for Carter had clearly worn off as Democrats picked up 26 House districts.
So why such desperate attacks against Kasich?
Because the Governor doesn’t have the record to make voters want to vote for him. Instead, he’s hoping to make this election into a referendum on John Kasich.
That won’t work.
Why not? I’ll give you 15 reasons why not.
That’s the current streak of months with double digit unemployment in Ohio.
This election isn’t about Lehman, or Bush, or even Ted’s keggers.
It’s about who can bring jobs to Ohio.
Kasich’s optimistic message is working.
And Ted’s record can’t be erased.
