by Damozel | Nikki Tinker---she of the race and/or religion-baiting ad campaign criticized by Obama--- lost to Cohen "handily," as The Politico says.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) overwhelmingly defeated attorney Nikki Tinker in a racially charged Democratic primary in Memphis that received national attention....
Entering the race, Cohen faced the challenge of being the only white congressman representing a majority African-American congressional district.... And Tinker, who is black, sought to make Cohen’s race and religion (he’s Jewish) a central part of her candidacy, airing two ads in the final week questioning his racial tolerance and religious convictions.
One ad featured Cohen alongside a hooded Klansman, criticizing him for voting against removing a statue of Klan founder Nathaniel Bedford Forrest from a local park. A second ad rebuked the Jewish congressman for "praying in our churches" while casting a vote that opposed prayer in schools. ... Cohen’s sizable victory suggests that Memphis voters, both black and white, resoundingly rejected Tinker’s campaign tactics. (The Politico)
At TPM, Greg Sargent points out that while Tinker was going down in flames, another crucial race was in train: a GOP primary challenger won David Davis's seat by less than 500 votes.
This is a sort of pyrrhic victory since the district is so Republican that there is no Democratic candidate. (DWT) As Down with Tyranny notes, for Dems it's a victory of "Less than Good" over "More than Bad."
Davis' voting record is as far right as you can go without falling off the edge of the world. There's not a single saving grace on a single issue...Don't expect much moderation from Roe; his platform is as whacky as Davis'-- only he pledges to not take PAC money. We'll see how long that lasts.
But this win might, as Sargent suggests, be an indicator of how the public (specifically Republicans) is responding to certain tactics currently being deployed in the presidential race.
Davis' loss was a big deal, for two reasons: First, he's the first incumbent knocked off in this state since 1956. More important, he went down largely because his foe, in an unusual move for a fellow Republican, aggressively yoked him to "Big Oil."
This could have broader national significance, because it shows that championing offshore drilling, as Davis did with extreme enthusiasm, can't always be counted on as the sure winner the GOP thinks it is -- after all, he lost on the issue even among GOP primary voters.
He aggressively championed political attacks on Dems over offshore drilling, and was a leading member of that "Republican Uprising" that has been vowing to tie Congress up in knots until it lifts the drilling ban. (TPM)
Whoops! That didn't work so well.
The ad---h/t to Down with Tyranny--is here. It's definitely worth a careful look. After all, it seems to have worked.
A rather pathetic note: poor old Davis had apparently prepared in advance a press release celebrating his presumed victory and touting his role in "the revolt." (TPM)
Down with Tyranny comments:
Davis didn't lose because he's an extremist-- Roe is a wing-nut as well. He lost because he's corrupt and was caught trading favors for "contributions," including from oil companies. If those are going to be the standards in November there won't be any Republicans left in Congress and it's also bye-bye Blue Dogs. Roe used the Democratic Party argument that Davis was in the pocket of Big Oil and was partially responsible for driving up the price of gasoline with his bought and paid for votes on their behalf.
Could Main Street Republicans---who would benefit far more from Obama's platform than McCain's--- be becoming less gullible than previously---less susceptible to gestures, more attuned to substance? Doubtful. But let us hope.
As Bush once said, quoting what he said is an old Tennessee saying:
Memeorandum on the Davis defeat.
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