Full Sleeze Ahead!

According to the Washington Post, a very interesting television add is being run in the Ohio 6th. The commercial is an attack add, calling candidate Bob Carr, "too far left to work with Republicans in Washington," and characterizing him as a, "liberal Democrat." The add is paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

OK, so far there's nothing surprising about this, right? After all, you'd hardly expect the Republicans to run an add supporting a Democrat in a congressional election. That's true enough, but here's the kicker: Carr isn't the Democratic candidate for the district. At least not yet. He has to win the primary first.

A Republican attack add against the Democratic candidate in the general election is an attempt to hurt that candidate. A Republican attack add against a Democrat running in a primary is an endorsement. (Unless, of course, you think that Democratic voters are looking for a candidate who isn't a liberal, and who wants to work with Republicans.)

The NRCC is running the attack adds in an attempt to get themselves a nice, weak candidate to run against in the fall:

If Carr wins, there is no reason to suppose that he will be a formidable candidate in this open district, being vacated as incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland runs for governor. Carr once ran a hapless campaign, as a Republican, in Michigan. He lost that race in 1996 to Rep. Bart Stupak (D) by 71 percent to 27 percent.

Gotta love it. It's not even may yet, and the Republicans are already doing their best to run a nice, dirty, dishonest campaign.