Part of the problem in going after Tom DeLay’s legal and ethical problems has been the fact that most Americans seem unaware of who he is and what he’s done. A new TV ad may very well help change that.
The Campaign for America’s Future, backed by labor and other liberal leaders, plans to announce today that DeLay will be featured in television ads in at least four Republican House districts. The group said it is buying a 30-second ad in DeLay’s suburban Houston district that shows a man wearing cuff links and a Rolex watch, and washing his hands.
“Tom DeLay: He’d like to wash his hands of corruption,” the announcer says before recounting charges against the majority leader. “Tom DeLay can’t wash his hands of corruption,” the ad concludes. “But Congress can certainly wash its hands of Tom DeLay.”
The group also plans ads designed to put pressure on Republican members to “stand with DeLay or decency.”
I haven’t seen the ad yet, and the Campaign for America’s Future website hasn’t posted it yet, but it sounds pretty good.
Perhaps more importantly than having the ad air in a few districts, however, the CAF’s DeLay initiative is getting significant attention in the media. Just as the initial Swiftboat Liars’ ad was an incredible bargain — the group spent very little money, but benefited from “free media” when outlets started airing their ads repeatedly during news segments — this ad may have tremendous bang for its buck. The NYT reported today that the CAF is spending about $75,000 for its initial ad-buy. If the spot makes onto CNN and Fox News, as is likely, the CAF has made a very wise investment.
Having said that, DeLay’s allies aren’t going to take this lying down.
The Hill reported today that some of the right’s biggest players are rallying to DeLay’s defense.
Conservative leaders are crafting plans to launch a public campaign to defend House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas).
The move follows a meeting last week among DeLay, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the chief deputy majority whip, and nearly two dozen conservative leaders, including David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union; Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Morton Blackwell, president of the Leadership Institute; and Edwin Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation.
Perkins, Keene and Feulner called the meeting, according to participants.
“It was a rallying cry to our conservative community that we are under assault. We need to fight back. We’re going to have a challenging year with the judicial issue bubbling up in the senate and the impact it may have on our ability to get things done,” said Cantor, who said he described to the group how Democrats and liberal groups have waged a coordinated battle to raise doubts about DeLay’s conduct.
Several of the conservative leaders who met last week are planning to launch a grassroots campaign targeted at conservatives in the districts of House Republican lawmakers whose support for DeLay may be wavering.
This may sound counterintuitive, but the right’s aggressive response may be a welcome development. On the one hand, if conservative heavy-hitters circle the wagons, it may solidify wavering GOP support for DeLay, which isn’t exactly what Dems would like to see. On the other hand, the more these high-profile right-wing leaders are publicly defending DeLay, the more the public learns who DeLay is and why he needs so much defending.
Right now, one of the underlying goals of taking on DeLay is getting people familiar with him and his corrupt ways. If conservatives want to help us boost DeLay’s name recognition, I welcome the help.