GOP tries to catch Democrats in 'macaca' moments
The interviewer asked first about a single provision in the massive economic stimulus bill, then asked if Carney was going to be “ready to vote tomorrow.”
An irritated Carney answered: “Like I told you before, if I see the damn package, I’ll have an answer.”
A “macaca” moment meant to replayed on the Internet and possibly wound a vulnerable Democrat?
That’s the goal. A video of former Virginia Republican Sen. George Allen’s offhand racial slur of an Indian-American Democratic campaign tracker helped lead to his defeat in 2006.
The National Republican Congressional Committee is sending out video “trackers” to ask provocative questions of Democratic members of Congress . The trackers, who are congressional committee staffers, were earlier reported by Congress Daily , a specialty publication distributed largely on Capitol Hill .
NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay told McClatchy that Democratic complaints were “whining,” adding that “The modern-day world of campaign politics demands that we track our opponents’ steps and missteps. We have nothing to hide when it comes to asking tough questions, but it appears that Democrats do when it comes to answering them.”
The NRCC doesn’t require its questioners to identify themselves as partisans on grounds that anyone has a right to approach a member of Congress and ask a question. It wouldn’t say how many lawmakers have been questioned: A GOP statement said that, “Videos are posted on a case-by-case basis.”
Republicans say they’re simply trying to hold Democratic lawmakers accountable. Since the Internet became an important part of campaigns, it’s not been unusual for candidates of any party to be tracked by their opponents.
“We’ve had trackers following us around before, but they were there to observe,” said Andrew Stoddard , communications director for Rep. Dina Titus , D- Nev. , who recently was ambushed by a GOP interviewer.
“What they’re doing now,” Stoddard said, “takes things to a whole new level.”
Carney, elected to his second term last year, represents a slice of heavily industrial, blue-collar northeastern Pennsylvania that’s considered a prime Republican target in 2010. His spokesman, Vince Rongione , said the video hasn’t generated any reaction.
Terry Madonna , a professor of public affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. , said that Carney shouldn’t worry.
“These moments only matter if you say something outrageous. Allen needed suburban voters in Virginia , and the idea he was using racial slurs was significant,” he said.
“Nobody understands more clearly than Republicans how much an unscripted moment can hurt you,” said Stephen Farnsworth , the author of “Spinner in Chief,” a study of how presidents sell their policies to the public….
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