GOP Senator Accuses Opponent Of Helping Child Rapist Get Released Onto Streets
This just might be the most brutal attack ad we've seen all cycle: Incumbent GOP Senator Gordon Smith, who's locked in a tough reelection fight, has a new spot that accuses Dem opponent Jeff Merkley of conspiring to help a child rapist get released onto the streets.
"Jeff Merkley," the announcer says sternly, "failing to protect our most vulnerable."
Smith's dilemma is that he's a Republican seeking re-election a Democratic-leaning state that is highly likely to vote for Barack Obama. As such, his campaign tactics have veered back and forth between tying himself to Obama, or going extremely negative on Merkley.
And this other ad takes the attack up yet another notch, featuring one of the victims of the rapist in question.
"Jeff Merkley, you should have voted to protect victims," Tiffany Edens says, "not rapists."
Merkley spokesman Matt Canter told Election Central that Merkley had in fact voted for that very bill to extend the statute of limitations on sex offenders that Smith's ad says he voted against -- he just voted once against passing the bill on a procedural ground. "He's (Smith) taking one procedural vote, ripping it out of context," Canter said.
Merkley is up with his own response ads, accusing Smith of running a sleazy and dishonest campaign. Check those out after the jump.
The first ad features Kristi Gustafson, a police officer, telling viewers that Merkley does in fact support tougher penalties for sex offenders:
"Gordon Smith, knock off the sleazy campaign," Gustafson says.
And this ad goes after Smith for peddling "Just one lie after another":
"Gordon Smith's sleazy campaign," the announcer says, "proof that Washington is broken -- and so is Gordon Smith."
Repellent.
For any number of reasons, this election is extremely important. Notwithstanding all those other reasons, if the results demonstrate that these disgusting negative attacks ads don't work, we will have taken a medium size step forward as an electorate.
September 15, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ugh. I'm not sure how or why this resonates with voters, but it always seems to be the case.
September 15, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hurricane sleaze cometh.
September 15, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, as a former police officer and now twenty-plus year Oregonian, I must say: "Willie Horton is apparently alive and well…"
Senator Smith knows that he's in a tough battle, but given the totality of his records, I didn't believe that he would ever stoop so low as he has, in what has clearly become a desperate move to hold on to his seat. Hey, Gordon: "…don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!"
Here's hoping that Senator Wyden breaks his long silence, as comes out swing hard against his friend and Senate colleague.
September 15, 2008 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, you guys should have picked Steve Novick, not Merkely. Merkely is smarmy. I could not understand why your Dem establishment backed him over Novick.
September 16, 2008 1:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yikes. That should have read…
"… and comes out swinging hard against his friend and Senate colleague."
A gentleman's agreement not to overtly criticize his colleague should be immediately terminated when one gentleman no longer behaves appropriately, and no longer holds up his end of the bargain.
It's clearly long past time for Senator Smith to go.
September 15, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's one of the oldest trick of political campaigning. Take your opponent's negative and give it a heart-wrenching dimension a real person or story.
The question is whether or not it kills an opponent. I think they create doubts but I don't believe they destroy the campaign.
These ads are a kind of a test: how you respond and what your response says about you and your message.
September 15, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jeff Merkley needs to make another ad with a different rape victim who praises him for his support of the law in question.
That would be the really effective antidote to the GOP's deceptive ad.
September 15, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope he doesn't. It's sleazy enough that Gordo's parading a rape victim around for political purposes. I don't want to see Merkley respond in kind.
I think Merkley's ads are right on - especially that first one with Gustafson calling out Smith. Perfect delivery.
September 15, 2008 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I actually think the worse ad, for Merkely, is the one where he is caught stuffing his face and licking his fingers and being stupid/dismissive about the conflict in Georgia.
Don't get me wrong, I have donated to Merkely and want Smith defeated so badly I can taste it. But Novick would have had a better shot, I think.
September 16, 2008 1:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Unless he's mailing cakes with files in the middle to these offenders, this is a pretty outrageous smear.
September 15, 2008 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, negative ads tend not to work all that well here in Oregon and I'm guessing these ads, and the equally noxious NRSC spot against Merkley will do Gordo more harm than good.
One gets the sense in the "Georgia gotcha" commercial that they cut things off before he was finished with the question...
These ads signal just how worried the GOP is about this race
September 15, 2008 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
"You're side has blown it, don't as for four more years." -- Herr Tweetster, at the Close of Hardball.
September 15, 2008 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
your, not you're
-- Marioth's Typist
September 15, 2008 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Next to Coleman, Smith is the type of two-faced bastard that gives governmental officals a bad name.
September 15, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's an ad idea in response:
If a victim of serial child rapist Richard Gillmore had gotten pregnant, Sarah Palin would force her to have the child.
September 15, 2008 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gordon Smith is a genuinely good person...
It is sad that he would stoop this low to get elected.
September 15, 2008 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry to say that this is an effective ad for Smith. Merkley is going to have to work very hard to counter this ad if he is to survive. And I don't think he will survive this.
A drama of crime and justice has been playing out here in Oregon over the last 11 or so months, with Richard Gilmore(the serial rapist) and Tiffany Edens(the victim) as main characters. Twice in these past 11 months the Oregon State Parole Board has voted to parole Richard Gilmore, even though he raped 8 females -- a number of them children. And twice the Parole Board has had to stay their decision in the face of stiff public opposition and successful lawsuits from Tiffany Edens. Throughout the course of this, Tiffany Edens has become a folk hero in Oregon, and the Oregon State Parole Board has become the most hated government institution in the state.
Seeing Tiffany Edens in a campaign ad endorsing Gordon Smith, and attacking Jeff Merkley, will be a powerful experience for many voters. At this time, in Oregon, this woman's opinion carries considerable weight.
If I were to venture a guess as to Ms. Edens motives in this matter, I would guess that she is very angry at her treatment by the Oregon State Parole Board. They have treated her wrongly throughout this whole ordeal, while at the same time granting the greatest of deference to Mr. Gilmore. At some point it dawned on Ms. Edens that all 3 members of the Oregon State Parole Board were appointed by our current Democratic governor, Ted Kulongoski. They serve at the pleasure of the Governor, and he can fire them at any time for any reason. Yet, the only thing Kulongoski has said about the Gilmore affair is that "it would be inappropriate to intervene." Well, I have to take issue with the Governor; he should have fired some or all of the losers who now sit on the parole board; but he didn't do that, and now Smith has an opening against Merkley. Meanwhile, Tiffany Edens has decided to participate in a grudge match against Oregon Democrats, and Merkley could very well be taken down.
I have to hand it to her. If she can pull this off -- and I think she can -- then Merkley will lose, and no Democratic politician in this state will ever want to appear soft on crime ever again...
September 16, 2008 3:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Eric, nice story but you should have mentioned the state of Oregon somewhere (preferably near the top).
"Smith's dilemma is that he's a Republican seeking re-election a Democratic-leaning state..."
And that would be ... WHERE?!
Not to be overly critical, but we don't all have a score card at home. Remember the basics.
Thanks!
-- ARG
September 16, 2008 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink