| Current Poll |
Are you keeping your New Year's resolutions?
View Results
|
|
Story Archives: Dems make life easy for Vitter
- 2013 - 320 articles
- 2012 - 1160 articles
- 2011 - 1177 articles
- 2010 - 810 articles
- 2009 - 779 articles
- 2008 - 949 articles
|
Dems make life easy for Vitter
 The state Democratic Party has been busy as of late distributing emails criticizing U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
The negative remarks have focused on the opposition Vitter has exhibited toward just about anything President Barack Hussein Obama and Democrats in the Congress propose or advocate. Democrats say Vitter is guilty of thwarting efforts to revitalize the U.S. economy. Vitter says the "Obama Deal" is a wasteful expansion of government.
Meanwhile, the committee that spearheads efforts to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate joined the fray, too, leveling a shot across Vitter's bow, claiming the Republican senator "shares the blame" for the economic problems the country faces today.
"People who have lost their jobs, their homes or seen their 401K's disappearing now know that their senator, David Vitter, shares the blame," said a statement issued by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). The email from the DSCC arrived shortly after Vitter voted "no" in a test vote on the $800-plus billion stimulus package Congress is attempting to deliver to Obama by President's Day.
Yet, we can expect to see far more negative remarks about Vitter from Democratic campaign operatives in Baton Rouge and Washington. They know unseating Vitter, who faces a re-election campaign in 2010, will entail an uphill challenge even under the best of circumstances for Democrats. That's why they're hacking on Vitter only slightly less than two years prior to Election Day 2010.
Judging by the tone of the statements issued by Democrats, they obviously feel Vitter is out of touch with mainstream Americans. The out-of-touch charge probably has something to do with Vitter's opposition to Obama's so-called economic stimulus package. It also probably has something to do with Vitter opposing Hillary Clinton's nomination as secretary of state.
And it would be within reason to believe Democrats think the support Obama enjoys across the country—according to at least one recent poll—translates into support for Obama's policies, including here in Louisiana.
Thus, rational thinking would tell us the Democrats believe Vitter is vulnerable. After all, it was not too long ago that the junior senator made national news for his involvement with a call girl service, an incident that called into question Vitter's sincerity on the family values front. As you will recall, Vitter enjoyed healthy support among values voters when he was first elected to the Senate in 2004. Though they didn't appreciate his involvement with a call girl service, values voters have shown no signs of abandoning Vitter.
Regardless, there's a problem with the strategy Democrats are pursuing in their quest to end Vitter's political career.
Think about it.
What may be important to so-called mainstream voters in California or Ohio or Pennsylvania is not necessarily important to mainstream voters in Louisiana. Remember, Republican Sen. John McCain carried Louisiana in last fall's presidential race with some 60 percent of the vote.
That raises a question.
Do the Democrats know what they're doing?
It's obvious Vitter knows what he is doing, meaning his opposition to everything Obama only solidifies Vitter's support among conservative Republicans. They will support Vitter over any moderate Republican or Democrat any day of the week. You can bank on it.
That leaves moderate voters, though, who Vitter must court to secure a second, six-year term in the Senate. The jury is still out on whether moderate voters remain angry with Vitter over his personal problem, but Vitter has plenty of time to repair any damage that may be lingering. A year is a long time in politics, or more than enough time to make nice with voters who may be a bit peeved.
Still, if the election returns in Louisiana from the 2008 presidential race are an indication, Vitter has been scoring big-time with moderate voters, too.
|
|
|
E-mail Story
Print Story
