I just wanted to share some excellent reporting from local reporter Joe Sonka on the Grimes-McConnell race. First up, many people have criticized Grimes latest ad on immigration as pandering to racists. I concur with this analysis. Furthermore, it has caused some backlash from at least one progressive group that supports Grimes. While I will still pull the lever for Grimes in November, this and many other instances make me think that Grimes' strategy of courting the redneck vote may come at the expense of Democratic base voters. In other words, Grimes can go to far in her campaign and cost herself the election.
Grimes has been cynically following what I call as the Rahm Emaneul strategy. Basically, where are you dirty, fucking hippie progressives going to go when the Democratic candidate runs as a conservative? With Grimes, she has been able to fend off major attacks from the left because we all hate McConnell with a passion. People like myself grumble, but we, and Grimes, know that I would walk over burning, broken glass to vote against McConnell.
However, not all base voters are like me. There are, unfortunately, a number of Democratic base voters who will just sit out an election. Their response to a Rahm Emanuel strategy is, "Fine. I'll stay home on election day."
You can argue all you like that the greater good is to elect a Democrat over an evil prick like McConnell, but the reality is that Democratic base voters do just sit out elections when they feel that a Democrat is not talking to them. How many midterm results do the Democrats have to see before this reality sinks in?