Monday Morning Flak Attack: Slinking Into The Depths

Sad to say, there really is no contest for last week's Flak Attack winner.

An Associated Press report detailing the negative polling commissioned by Jeff Merkley's U.S. Senate campaign against opponent Steve Novick rose head and shoulders above the rest for outright gall and depravity.

From AP reporter Julia Silverman's report:

Voters are asked whether they are more or less favorably inclined toward Novick, given the following information:

• "Novick is a pro-tax advocate, repeatedly supporting higher taxes for the middle classes, running on a proposal to raise Social Security taxes and falling for false Republican claims that if we don't do this, Social Security will go bankrupt."

• "Novick is simply not a serious candidate who can win election. He carried joke business cards that have a Communist hammer and sickle symbol on them. He voted for Ralph Nader. His campaign ads feature jokes. That is not the person who can beat Gordon Smith."

• "Novick is a paid political consultant and lobbyist. He has made a political career out of developing negative attacks, poll-driven campaigns and advising candidates what to say to get elected."

Voters were also asked what in Novick's "background" concerned them most: "that he is a pro-tax advocate, political consultant, or that he is a divider."

Let's shine some sunlight on the smears that Merkley poll-tested:

• The "pro-tax" advocate and "poll-driven ... political consultant" spins are especially galling considering how closely they echo the standard Republican talking points against any and all Democrats, including Jeff Merkley himself.

Moreover, the claims are based on Novick's work in helping to create successful progressive coalitions to defeat Bill Sizemore's crazy government-crippling initiatives and in Novick's efforts to help Oregonians maximize state lottery profits to aid schools and parks. Novick has also worked developing policy proposals for candidates including John Kitzbaher, Ted Kulongoski and Ron Wyden, among others

Novick's efforts to defeat Sizemore, better balance lottery profits and help elect Democrats were most certainly supported and applauded by Jeff Merkley and his Democratic establishment backers at the time. Now, when it's politically convenient, Merkley tries to spin Novick's efforts as a bad thing. It's an incredibly low blow.

On Social Security, Novick proposes a tax on Social Security wages beyond the $100,000 cap currently in place. As reported at Loaded Orygun, less than 15% of Oregonians make more than $100,000 a year -- certainly not middle class in Oregon.

Merkley's GOP-tinged smear is harsh and untrue, and he knows it.

Truly disappointing.

• But the poll question attacking Novick as something less than a "serious" candidate because he carried a fake "commie" business card and has dared to publicly display his sense of humor is by far the biggest joke of the campaign. If any of that particular smear were true, why would the Merkley campaign be scrambling in the last weeks of the primary to poll which negative attack will work best on the guy who conventional wisdom said never had a chance to win in the first place?

The Merkley campaign's Keystone-Cops-like frantic actions put the lie to their own polling question. Claiming Novick is not serious is harsh and untrue, and they know it.

In reality, Steve Novick can simultaneously be the wittiest fellow in the room and the smartest, most informed guy in the room. After two debates with Novick, Merkley definitely knows that. It's probably why you never see the prolific Merkley Machine and its internet echo chamber highlighting any debate video, audio or neutral reviews.

It's pretty clear from the polling Merkley paid for that he plans to turn up the heat in the last few weeks with some very harsh and untrue negative attacks against Novick.

It all seems so familiar. Where have I experienced this feeling before ... ... ...

In an article last week about the Presidential primary, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote this about Bill and Hillary Clinton:

Some top Democrats are increasingly worried that the Clintons’ divide-and-conquer strategy is nihilistic: Hillary or no democrat.

(Or, as one Democrat described it to ABC’s Jake Tapper: Hillary is going for “the Tonya Harding option” — if she can’t get the gold, kneecap her rival.)

After all, the Clintons think of themselves as The Democratic Party.

Replace "Clintons" with "Merkley campaign" and "Hillary" with "Jeff," and I think you've got a pretty accurate description of Oregon's Democratic Senate primary, too.