This is ridiculous – first of all, Carney is hardly a “Nancy Pelosi liberal.” He’s a moderate congressman from a moderate district; good match, no? Second, it’s extraordinarily distasteful to make these accusations while Carney, a Commander in the Naval Reserve, is on active duty. Sorry Hackett, he doesn’t have time to campaign against your constant negative attacks because he’s doing actual work for the people; something you’d know nothing about.
From Hackett’s campaign manager:
“Chris Carney obviously thinks he’s a Washington big shot now. First he abandoned his promise to represent Pennsylvania values by voting with Nancy Pelosi and the liberals 90 percent of the time. Now he refuses to even show enough respect for voters to defend his record in open and honest debates. Carney is a sorry excuse for a congressman, trying to win an election behind negative attacks instead of debates.”
Republicans have a majority
Republicans have a majority of registered voters in the 10th CD and all they could come up with were a guy who’s legal residence was in the 11th CD and this joker? Who at the NRCC was in charge of recruiting candidates in this district? Voters in the 11th respect Carney’s commitment to the National Guard and I think if enough fuss is made over Hackett’s willingness to attack Carney while he’s on active duty for two weeks, then Hackett will lose support because of this. A very amateurish move IMO.
Chris Carney has done a good job in his two years. He has shown that he’s a politically savvy congressman who represents the district well. All Chris Hackett has proved in his few months on the political scene is that he knows how to run negative campaign for personal achievement.
Navy reserve, not Nat'l Guard
Carney’s in the Naval Reserves, not National Guard, ftr.
I can’t see how attacking a reservist on active duty is good strategy, though, especially in this rather conservative district.
pd
This is becoming a problem
This is becoming a problem for the conservative side from local politics to the national scene. They have seen it sway the weaker voter and are numb to the fact that they are trashing an opponent to get votes. It truly is a black mark on American politics that mudslinging is becoming the prefered tactic. This is not just a conservative problem. Both parties are guilty and a politician that has not dabbled in attack ads is a rare bird. But this angle comes from the top. It is strongly pushed on candidates by the national committees and really puts them on the spot if they wish to continue with their political careers. Without the support of the national committees, a candidate goes nowhere. Negative ads will not stop as long as voters elect the culprits. When politicians begin to lose jobs because of the negativity of their ads…the ads will stop. But for the time being, they see this tactic working and will stick with it.
JP
Mudslinging
You probably should go back and read the history of American presidential elections. Except for George Washington, mudslinging and intrigue have been a hallmark of campaigns for over 200 years.
pd
In this case?
Yes, attacks work pretty well for the most part, but do you think they’re working in this case? It doesn’t seem like it to me – this isn’t the type of district where criticizing a military man will score you a lot of points, especially when the attacker is a not-very-likable businessman with questionable ethics.
Interesting how attacks on
Interesting how attacks on veterans or military service should be very much off-limits, but Swift Boat made it into the NRCC playbook doing just that. On the other hand, I believe Hackett is cutting his own throat with this poorly advised stunt.
On a slightly separate note, the Obama camp must be so very careful not to give any hint of criticism of McCain’s military service and I’m sure McCain is listening closely for a slip to capitalize on.
For Obama to be critical of McCain’s service would be a step toward the dark side, but on the other hand for McCain to use his military service and criticism of the same to further his political ambitions would be just as big a step into the abyss.
JP
Yeah, dumb strategy
I agree, Greg. This just doesn’t make any sense for exactly the reasons you say.
pd
True. I guess with the
True. I guess with the wonders of TV, we all have it right in the livingroom making it feel so “in your face”
JP
unbelievable
Is Chris Hackett serious here? How could he stoop to such a level of attacking our Congressman while hes serving our country in the Naval Reserves? Hackett and his staffers need to mind their tounges. This is a new low.
He'll go lower
It’s a new low, but I suspect he’ll go lower. Just wait.
Agreed. Hackett’s the
Agreed. Hackett’s the type who will do/say anything to get elected. The primary election with Meuser is evidence of that.
He should resign
Mark Harris should resign as CM for that comment. If Hackett had any Class he would fire him.
Hack-ett
While I’m sure Chris Hackett himself probably (hopefully) wasn’t pleased by the comments of his CM, it speaks to the kind of campaign the GOP feels it has to run against Carney this fall. If this is the case, the quality of Republican campaign management here in Pennsylvania will have hit an all-time low. The 10th is widely considered rock-ribbed conservative territory, and even if the Republicans run an “average” campaign against Carney, they’d be slightly favored to win in November. By “average” campaign, I mean running a clean, positive, effort (that avoids pathetic rhetorical barbs like the one above) coupled with a strong GOTV operation on Election Day. After the Sherwood debacle in 2006 (which is the main reason why Carney sits in Congress today), the last thing voters in the 10th are looking for is character assassination of their sitting member of Congress (one who also happens to be a member of the armed forces). If Pennsylvania Republicans can’t even manage to win back a seat that should be a lock for them, how can they possibly expect to even remain competitive in other areas of the state? Hackett wasn’t the best choice for Republicans in the 10th, but even a “B-grade” candidate shouldn’t have that much trouble in that district. However, in the recent past, Republicans in this state have made things harder on themselves than they really have to be. Hackett seems to be no exception to this trend.
Puh leeez!
It was Carneys spokesman who brought up the military service, not Hacketts. Is there suppposed to be a moratorium on comments while Carney is away on reserves? If so, then I can see why Carney waited til just before he left to “drop the bomb” that there would be only one debate. That effectively shuts off any criticism.
Nice move, but I think the voters in the district will see though it.
Are u serious
All the voters are going to see is a dirtbag attacking a member of the military. It doesn’t matter if it’s calculated. It’s simply repulsive to personally attack a member of the military while they are active.
I’m sure Carney waited until he reported for duty to “drop the bomb” He was hoping Hackett would be dumb enough to attack him while on duty. I bet Carney’s camp never dreamed Hackett would be dumb enough to make an outrageous personal attack while he was serving his country.
PM
funding
what you al forget to lool at is where does chris get his money? its from unions not in his district. believe i am not a big hackett fan he really does not understand the real issues of the district. he is following in lemming like precision with standard but failed republican attack. chris avoids debate and other chris avoids real thought . i wish carnwey was a repubnlican rather than a labor union paid for democrat.
Carney 10th
Once again the really important issues are at the forefront of this election. I can’t speak for everyone in the 10th, but I have to guess employment, healthcare, the family farm, property taxes, education, etc are more of a priority than who said what about whom. I do have to agree that we are getting a look at the “real” Chris Hackett. Any candidate truly concerned with the district would be addressing some or all of the issues previously mentioned, instead of taking cheap shots at their opponent. When I hear this type of talk from a candidate, all I hear is “ I have nothing to offer, so I’ll try to cast a negaitve light on my opponent.” If petty politicking is the best we can expect from Hackett, we will be better served by keeping Chris Carney.
Typical Hackett Sleazy Attack
This cheap sleazy stuff is typical of Hackett. He will do and say anything to get elected. He bought the primary by hiring evangelical fringe group leaders for lots and lots of money. The same offers were made to Meuser but he wouldn’t stoop that low. Hackett never participated in the political process at all until the primary. He thinks he can buy the office. Maybe he can.
Please don’t blame Republicans for the actions of Chris Hackett. He is a rogue that has divided the party with his low rent antics. This loyal “R” hopes Hackett gets his butt kicked. We don’t need a dishonest Congressman. I would rather take the “D”
Carney is a good representative for the 10th
Chris’ positions on many issues are in line with those he represents.
Many Democrats down here in the Wyoming Valley were not happy with some of Carney’s votes as they were too conservative. I had to remind them that there’s a world of difference between the 10th and 11th district. Carney was elected to represent the 10th, and represent their concerns not just to be a tool for his party.
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