Fear and paranoia on the campaign trail

Hey, I love good spin anywhere I can find it. Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Ron Paul – anywhere. In the marketplace of politics the good stuff is interesting and educational.

But the worst is usually a product of what psychologists call “transference.”  That’s sort of like when you’re covered in mud and start pointing a finger at the other guy shouting in horror: “Look everyone, he’s dirty.”

Shout long and loud enough and someone will even believe it.

So it is with some of the GOP faithful these days. They have gone from claiming Maryland is hemorrhaging people – while offering no proof because there isn’t any - to demanding they win elections just because they’ve lost so many recently. (Re: “We must have a two-party government and oh yea, we’re the other party.”)

If the latest spin from the MDGOP “theme team” is an example of their contemporary work then they’ve already lost. They just don’t know it yet.

Winning elections and then working to win more of them is now described by Republicans high and low in the “active” category as “paranoid” or, effort spent “out of fear.”

That is nothing more than Republican activists trying to lift the spirits of other Republican activists. Those are votes you already have, right?

Nobody else - not even the everyday, ordinary Republican like my Father - is impressed by such creative rhetoric. Nor will they care enough to change their vote because of it.

Transference? Well, the guy who wildly accuses others of being paranoid, usually is.

There will be no apologies for electoral success coming from Maryland Democrats. Why would anyone stop working hard to win more elections, just because they’ve won before?

So the work continues. Maryland Democrats want to “Make it 8 in ’08.” That means 8 Congressional Districts in Maryland and 8 Democrats representing them.

After Dems have taken GOP House seats in IL, MS and LA victories – and we are talking about seats held for a very long time by Republicans –  there is no such thing as a safe GOP district in America, much less Maryland.

Because it’s fun to toss conventional wisdom aside from time to time – especially the conventional thinking of your opponent -  understand a few simple facts about the First district primary election. The three GOP candidates spent millions – much of it on TV. Frank Kratovil bought no TV and spent pocket change to win his primary.  His name recognition is better today than it was back then but his internal polling shows the more people who get to know him, the more they like him. That’s what campaigns are for.

They already know what they need to know about Andy Harris. That’s his problem.

But that’s not the good part. After all that GOP money was spent and all those TV commercials aired – supposedly to educate and excite Republican voters to get up and go to the polls on Feb. 12 and vote for somebody - 10,000 more Democrats voted in the First district primary election than Republicans. Many of those Dems are just now learning who Frank Kratovil is. As I said before, as they get to know him, they like him. They like him a lot. 

Now imagine the other problem for “9% Andy” - a good number of those Republicans are going to vote against him.  The guy with the awful environmental record (9% by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters) just vanquished their good friend and trustworthy incumbent with constant, nasty, negative campaign ads. Besides, there are Republicans who actually like their Bay and don’t want their open space paved over.

As for Jennifer Dougherty vs. Roscoe Bartlett, believe it or not, there some political pros who think she is the best chance for Dems to pick up a seat in Maryland.

Mayor Dougherty is campaigning hard and she knows how to do it right. Roscoe is hiding from debates and flip-flopping on the one thing that’s defined his tenure besides cranky ineffectiveness.

She’s energized, confident and outspoken. He’s hoping to run another lazy campaign and stumble back into office one more time. Many an entrenched and comfortable incumbent has disappeared that way. Throw the 6th District voter registration numbers out the window. Republicans want change this year, too.

Has anyone heard McSame as Bush speak about “change” lately? At least jumping on the message bandwagon a little late isn’t technically transference.

Nothing is guaranteed but I like the Maryland Democratic Party’s odd on “8 in ‘08” very much and anyone who says it’s not possible is trying to spin you. 

But are they paranoid or afraid as they do it?

Who cares?