WP: La. Democrat Wins In GOP Stronghold - Anti Obama strategy fails Reps lose 33yr old seat

[grantcart]

The Washington Post Reports: Strategy to Link Victor to Obama Falls Short



A Louisiana Democrat captured a House seat held by Republicans for the previous 33 years, defeating a former GOP state legislator yesterday in a special election that Republicans tried to turn into a referendum on Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

With all precincts reporting, State Rep. Donald J. Cazayoux Jr. had 49 percent of the vote to Woody Jenkins's 46 percent, overcoming a barrage of ads from GOP committees that tried to paint Cazayoux as an ally of Obama, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif

Democrats said the result in the Baton Rouge-based district showed that an anti-Obama campaign has its limits and that they are poised for very large gains this fall.

"These Republicans can run, but they cannot hide. Our candidates have proven that they are competitive, that they are viable. This is clearly adding up to a very bad year for Republicans," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Cazayoux's victory followed that in March of Bill Foster, a Democrat who won the seat of former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in a special election. Hastert had easily won reelection since 1986 before his retirement in November.


With a poorly funded candidate in Jenkins, the National Republican Congressional Committee and conservative groups poured about $1 million into an advertising campaign that in the final weeks focused on linking Cazayoux to Obama and Pelosi. The ads accused Cazayoux of supporting Obama's "big government scheme" on health care and his "radical agenda" on other issues.

GOP strategists considered the Cazayoux-Jenkins race a test run of the emerging strategy to pin Obama to many House Democratic candidates, thinking that his liberal voting record and recent controversies involving statements by his former pastor make him a drag on down-ballot Democrats


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050301312.html?hpid=topnews

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. Fail.

Not you, grantcart, the LA GOP.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Don't forget the Clinton-style black vote supression!

That's the good stuff!

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/192986.php

"On election day, a number of homes in Baton Rouge's predominantly black neighborhoods were phoned with a tape-recorded message asking black voters to teach white Democrats a lesson by staying home and not casting ballots.

The ad signed off as "Friends of Michael Jackson."

Jackson, a Democratic state representative defeated by Cazayoux in the primary runoff, said he was not involved or connected in any way with the calls. Jackson said he will run for the seat in November."

[quantass]

3. Cheers to the American People for wanting real change!

[goclark]

4. Good News ~ keep it coming

Please let Tuesday night go well. :bounce:

[grantcart]

17. It will be

[goclark]

24. Someone in this thread said "Obama has Coattails"

:bounce:

That's because he wants to help others.

That should be one of the lessons of this campaign.

[grantcart]

27. i think there was an article yesterday withthat title.

[grantcart]

28. i think there was an article yesterday withthat title.

[cliffordu]

5. This whole election cycle reminds me of the transition from

the monolithic, cold blooded, slow adaptability of the dinosaur and the rapid development of smaller, warm blooded mammals....

A million mice produced and most survive as opposed to one or two eggs from a Brontosaurs' nest......

The big parties are just like the dinosaur, cold blooded, slow and not adaptable in the least....
Contrast that with the million plus donors to Obama.....

Welcome to the age of mammals......

And we ain't mice........

[Cali_Democrat]

6. Edit

I misread the article

[grantcart]

7. you still have time to edit for a pithy comeback lol

[Cali_Democrat]

12. Aww man, now you put me on the spot!!

It's like trying to pee with a dozen people looking at you ;-)

[opihimoimoi]

8. The L Word them GOOPers hate to hear....LANDSLIDE

For the GOP...its rear guard action...limit the losses....Make it hard for the Dems to succeed and come back in 4 years...thats their short term battle plan....

[Zachstar]

18. A plan they will lose if we work hard.

Once Obama is nominated we need to work HARD on the downticket races.

[opihimoimoi]

26. Gotcha...will do

[NotThisTime]

9. Great news, GOP tactics LOSE

[grantcart]

25. This is going to send shock waves through the GOP

[HowHasItComeToThis]

10. HIT 'EM AGAIN, HIT 'EM AGAIN....HARDER, HARDER

[FrenchieCat]

11. The GOP's tactics are too transparent.......

and just make people mad.

[Cha]

13. Yes, after 8 years..people are

catching on and to the m$$$fm, too.

[grantcart]

14. Like the guy said you can fool some of the people all of the time . . .

[Zachstar]

15. A large blow to the republicans! Glad to see this!

[grantcart]

16. I live in 'Duke' Cunningham's district and when these off schedule elections come up

they pour in millions.

[Warren Stupidity]

19. Somehow the crazy folks here will spin this as an Obama disaster.

The reknucklians went straight for the Obama-cide on Cazayoux and ended losing a safe reknucklian seat. That fact will not get in the way of the crazy people here claiming otherwise.

[brindis_desala]

20. great!

[Vinca]

21. Let's hope the electorate has finally awakened to the BS put out

by the Republicans. After 8 years of utter disaster, why anyone would vote for them is a mystery.

[NJmaverick]

22. It failed like every other repuke idea, there most successful tool at this point is Hillary

[NorthCarolina]

23. GOP confirms...Obama has coattails

bet they're shittin' their pants now. Should be a fun GE season :thumbsup:

[Carrieyazel]

29. Obama doesn't make any difference in these House races.

That's the lesson. Most people voting for Cazayoux probably didn't even think about Obama. (This was a special election, and Obama's name was nowhere to be found on any ballot of course) but still. The Repukes can try to link all they want, but nobody is buying it. Obama has nothing to do with a Louisiana Dem running his first race.

[grantcart]

30. boy you really missed the point $ 1 million attack trying to link Obama and Wright to Cazayoux

didn't make a dent. A seat that had a 33 year old Republican history is lost.

It wasn't about Obama's influence but about the Republican's in disarray.

[Joanne98]

31. Obama has the power!!!!!!!!