Bad Week for Novick Memes: PolitickerOR Shatters Outsider Label
November 30, 2007
After taking some body blows earlier this week for his hypocritical position on the DSCC, the bleeding doesn’t stop with new criticism from PolitickerOR on Novick’s political outsider theme:
Now, wait a minute. Isn’t Novick the guy who worked inside the D.C. beltway for years at the Department of Justice? Did he not just host a fundraiser in D.C., trying to court the same kind of political insiders that are lining up with his primary nemesis Jeff Merkley? Is he not same the guy who worked for years on several Democratic “establishment” campaigns including Governor Ted Kulongoski’s first go around? Steve Novick, an outsider to Oregon politics? Please.
The theme, an attempt to harness the change wave, creates problems in and of itself. Running against Jeff Merkley’s dynamite resume and impressive institutional support, Novick, who has never served in elected office, has simultaneously trot out his insider credentials to convince voters of his experience, and push the outsider messaging to rationalize why he has so far failed to garner significant national and state wide support from players in the race. Additionally, his outsider messaging is designed to play to those who have a insatiable hatred for anything establishment. The line Novick must walk is a thin one. His insider credentials contradict his outsider message, but both are needed for him to win voters, lest they see what lies behind the curtains.
Furthermore, the real danger that Novick faces with his outsider messaging is that if he does win the nomination, he will not be able to distance himself from his criticisms of crucial organizations. As noted elsewhere, Novick’s fundraising has been quite poor thus far. If Novick wins the nomination, he desperately needs the DSCC to bail him out to even have a chance at beating Smith. Furthermore, the DSCC’s independent expenditures for Merkley, coupled with their refusal to meet with Novick, is telling. The message the DSCC is sending is Gordon Smith is vulnerable, but we only think Merkley can beat him, and they likely have unreleased polling data to back that up. Considering the number of seats that are realistically in play, the DSCC is indicating that they will likely go elsewhere with their funds if Novick is the nominee. Getting DSCC support, if he wins the nomination, is already uphill battle for the Novick campaign and imprecise rhetoric used to attack the DSCC at every turn doesn’t help.
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Tags: SteveNovick, DSCC, Outsider, Oregon Senate, 2008 Democratic Primary, OR-Sen, Jeff Merkley, PolitickerOR
Entry Filed under: OR-Sen, Uncategorized. .
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bdunn
atleastimhonest
1.
Pat Ryan | November 30, 2007 at 10:55 am
Getting DSCC support, if he wins the nomination, is already uphill battle for the Novick campaign and imprecise rhetoric used to attack the DSCC at every turn doesn’t help.
Imprecise or intentionally misleading, the email item from the Novick campaign reads as follows:
Bend Bulletin Reveals DSCC Has Already Spent Nearly $100,000 To Elect Jeff Merkley
“This report leaves no doubt that D.C. insiders are trying to dictate the outcome of this primary, and we expect that Oregon voters will not take kindly to it,” Weigler said.
Dear Friends,
[Blah, Blah, Blah]
The uninitiated might think that Mr. Weigler is a reporter for the bulletin here. Gotta give ‘em points for creativity I guess……..
As for Schumer and his band of Merry Appeasers, I don’t like ‘em much either, but it’d be pretty dumb not to take their help if offered.
2.
bdunn | November 30, 2007 at 11:01 am
Welcome to my house Pat, glad you stopped by to say hi. I totally agree that you don’t have to like Schumer to recognize that we can’t beat Smith without the DSCC. Though some have forgotten, beating Smith is the real goal.
3.
Onlurker | November 30, 2007 at 2:35 pm
we can’t beat Smith without the DSCC
Apparently, you can’t beat Novick without it either.
4.
bdunn | November 30, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Both Merkley and the DSCC are worried about Smith not Novick getting an early start on Smith is something I encourage.
5.
onlurker | November 30, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Well, you can’t take Smith on without beating Novick first; so, for now the DSCC is spending resources on defeating Novick. What are they so scared of??
(B - you might want to check this site out.)
6.
bdunn | November 30, 2007 at 11:46 pm
If spelling and syntax errors show up in my thesis, that is a problem. However, if something I write as a comment before running off to class has slight errors I won’t stress out.
You don’t seem worried that Candy Neville is getting the shaft. [snark] I don’t hear you objecting to the DSCC brazenly trying to crush her. [/snark]
It is just more sour grapes from Novick supporters, complaining that he was unable to garner any broad based support.
7.
Onlurker | December 1, 2007 at 7:58 pm
If spelling and syntax errors show up in my thesis, that is a problem. However, if something I write as a comment before running off to class has slight errors I won’t stress out.
Yeah, that’s fine. It’ll just be harder for people to understand you. And there’s that credibility issue. And seriously, if you care about punctuation for a grade, but you don’t care about it when you post public statements, then what are you going to do when you graduate?
You don’t seem worried that Candy Neville is getting the shaft. [snark] I don’t hear you objecting to the DSCC brazenly trying to crush her. [/snark]
If she got more exposure, I would. You don’t get it. It’s not about Novick. It’s about DC trying to dictate who the Democratic Candidate will be. That’s bad. It turns people off, independents especially.
It is just more sour grapes from Novick supporters, complaining that he was unable to garner any broad based support.
Or….Schumer is worried that Merkley won’t make it past the primary without DSCC support. Since the Merkley supporters are so sure that he’ll beat Novick, he shouldn’t need DSCC support. Should he??
8.
bdunn | December 1, 2007 at 8:28 pm
If this statement is true, it would due more damage in the general election to accept DSCC help, since it turns off independents so much. Yet, Novick is readily accepting DC dollars from his lawyer friends in the primary, and says he wants DSCC support in the general. Seems like a bad position to take, if your premise is true (which I don’t buy, see the Burns-Tester race for an example).
Or the DSCC knows that waiting untill the middle of May to start attacking Gordon Smith is political suicide.
Additionally, why the hell would Schumer be afraid of Steve Novick winning the primary? The only reason I can think of is Schumer knows that Novick can’t beat Gordon Smith, either because Schumer doesn’t have enough money to save Novick from his fundraising black hole, because Schumer has an unreleased poll showing him that Novick doesn’t have growth potential, or both.
9.
BHamm | December 3, 2007 at 11:55 am
bdunn,
You seem to have indulged in some of Trey Anastasio’s kool-aid, or are simply just caught up in the delusional world of blog politics.
Your obvious lack of experience in campaigns and policy is thinly veiled behind sharp attacks at Novick, while you suck Merkley off under the table. You praise the Merkley camp for focusing on Smith, then spend your hard-earned credit hours cutting Novick down on the Internets.
Why would Schumer be afraid of Steve Novick? Maybe because he won’t be a whipping boy for party leadership to call on for support, but rather a smart, innovative legislator who will fight for what is right, not what is politically expedient. It has become obvious that Novick would be a senator more along the lines of Feingold, Wellstone, etc., whereas Merkley would most definitely be a Harry Reid or a Dianne Feinstein. I see both roles as necessary in Congress, and it just depends which kind of leader will better represent Oregon and bring a real progressive agenda with him to the Senate.
And really, what’s with the drive to be a Merkley bedfellow? Are you really convinced he’ll be a great senator, or are you just looking for a leg aide job come 2009?
10.
bdunn | December 3, 2007 at 12:52 pm
BHamm,
I appreciate genuine debate and if you disagree with my assessment please, explain why. That being said these nasty, ad hominem attacks from Novick supporters demonstrates a serious inability to positively back Novick. Since you cant find any logical reason to disagree with what I have written you have to resort to these uncouth attacks.
Finally, you can’t argue that Merkley would be DiFi when your campaign sent a Stu Rothenberg article, which attacks Merkley for criticizing DiFi for her Southwick vote, to reporters as an indication that Merkley is stepping on to many DiFi Dems toes.