MO-Gov: Missouri Republicans are in the midst of a WWE-worthy cage match eight months out from their primary, and now they've reached the part of the bout where contenders are dragging each other outside of the ring and whaling on one another with folding chairs.
It started last week when ex-Democrat and newly self-appointed "conservative outsider" Eric Greitens picked up the phone to call one of his Republican primary opponents, John Brunner—a Richie Rich businessman who also, incidentally, is vying for the "conservative outsider" label. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Greitens was furious about a campaign website that had been linked to former Brunner aide and questioned his conservative bona fides, a sore spot for Greitens seeing as he'd been recruited to run for Congress by the DCCC as recently as 2010.
But unbeknownst to Greitens, the conversation was recorded (which is perfectly legal in Missouri), and wow did he sound unhinged. "Oh, John Brunner, oh my God, you are such a weasel! Are you going to meet tomorrow or not?" demanded Greitens, an ex-Navy SEAL, ominously warning his rival: "I can't wait to see you in person, John. I want to look in your eyes!"
The same shadowy group that put up the website that got under Greitens' skin quickly produced an amusing holiday-themed video mocking the bizarre outburst. Democrats also got into the fun with their own video titled "Meltdown" that mixes the audio of Greitens yelling his head off with videos of 1980s cultural icons Sam Kinison and John McEnroe unleashing their patented temper tantrums.
Team Blue would love it if Greitens' behavior undermined him with primary voters, since his $2 million bankroll and his clean-slate political record would make him a tough opponent in the general election. But they'll need much more than a web video to make the charge stick. So we'll have to wait and see if Greitens' Republican opponents feature audio of his unseemly eruption in some TV ads, or if Missouri Democrats—who are very familiar with the dark art of ratfucking GOP primaries—wind up doing the deed themselves.