Jay Evensen
  • Front Page
  • Opinions
  • Second Thoughts
  • Portfolio
  • Awards
  • About

Mitch McConnell, Ashley Judd and the ironies of politics 

4/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Politics is full of irony.

As I understand it, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is in trouble because someone secretly recorded him and his campaign advisers discussing ways they could attack actress Ashley Judd, should she decide to run against him next year.

The tape makes McConnell and his folks look mean and nasty because, hey, it’s

not nice to make fun of someone’s problems with depression or the way they freaked out after seeing pink fuzzy socks on a rack after returning from an overseas trip. Apparently, the socks symbolized this nation’s prepackaged consumerist obsessions.

But here’s the ironic part: If Judd had decided to run (she chose not to) and McConnell’s campaign meeting never had been taped, the campaign strategies discussed probably would have worked well.

A history of struggles against depression may be worthy of public sympathy and support, but it’s not generally seen as a resume builder for political office.

The secret recording was published by Mother Jones, which decided it was OK to let the person who did the recording remain anonymous. (Read a CBSnews.com story on the matter here.)

And don’t think this kind of backroom strategizing goes on only with Republicans. Finding dirt on your opponent — or, as McConnell calls it on the tape, the “the Whac-A-Mole period of the campaign...when anybody sticks their head up, do them out” — is as old as the republic, or perhaps even democracy itself.

It works, too.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson called John Adams, "blind, bald, crippled and toothless" and accused him of wanting to start a war with France. Adams, for his part, said a Jefferson victory would mean "murder, adultery, rape, incest and robbery" would be openly taught and practiced.

They didn’t actually say those things. They had surrogates say them, kind of like what Super PACs do today.

Of course, if we had a secret tape recording of either of them sitting around a table laughing about how they were going to pursue that strategy, we might have a different image of those esteemed Founding Fathers.

Here’s a video based on those 1800 allegations:
Here’s a commercial from the 1956 presidential campaign, trying to scare people away from Dwight Eisenhower because of his running mate, Richard Nixon. Come to think of it, sometimes negative ads are worth listening to.
301521_Be Green 468x60
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Search this site


    Like what you read here?

      Please subscribe below, and we'll let you know when there is a new opinion.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture

    The author

    Jay Evensen is the Senior Editorial Columnist of the Deseret News. He has nearly 40 years experience as a reporter, editor and editorial writer in Oklahoma, New York City, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He also has been an adjunct journalism professor at Brigham Young and Weber State universities.

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All
    Campaign 2012
    Congress
    Crime
    Culture
    Iran
    Oil And Gas
    Poverty
    Steroids
    Taxes
    Utah
    Washington
    World Events
    World Events

    Links

    Deseret News
    Newslink
    Marianne Evensen's blog

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.