How do you smear a progressive Democrat? Call him a Republican. An email, labeled a hoax, proclaims Tom DeLay’s support of Florida candidate for governor and state senator Rod Smith.
The e-mail sent to Smith supporters mixes crude innuendo with suggestions that Smith — campaigning as a moderate Democrat — is a closet Republican. Smith’s campaign calls the missive “crude and juvenile.”
But the e-mail seeks to poke fun at Smith, who often says he’s the only Democrat in the race who can appeal to Republicans and independents, as well as to conservative Democrats who have fled the party in recent years.
DeLay, the faux e-mail from ”Republican Rod” says, endorsed Smith because of his “reliably conservative voting record.”
Smith’s campaign said it hasn’t spent much time tracking down the origin of the e-mail, which refers to Smith as “The Mallet” — a play on DeLay’s moniker in Congress, “The Hammer.”
Since I am more amenable to the other guy, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, I would hate to think – and have a hard time believing – his campaign is behind this. They of course deny it.
The really tantalizing thought is that Republican strategists – and there are some nasty ones in Florida – cooked this up. How bad is it when the way to make someone else look bad is to say they are like you?
