The campaign = the candidate

Eventually you come to the point in a political campaign where the effectiveness of management, communication of a coherent message, and execution to meet goals become a proxy for the candidate him/herself. In other words, if a candidate runs a terrible campaign (e.g. Creigh Deeds) the voters question the competency of the candidate to be senator/governor/president. Legal Insurrection lists the many missteps of Martha Coakley:

Martha Coakley's slap-shots fired at Fenway Park fans and devout Catholics, her vacation in the middle of a special election, her refusal to debate one-on-one, her D.C. lobbyist fundraiser, and her denial that she witnessed the subsequent assault on a reporter, all have people bewildered as to how Coakley could be so "tone deaf."

Today, the heels of the "Massachusettes" incident, the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight has released a Scott Brown attack ad with the World Trade Center in the background.

Meanwhile a DSCC spokesman is saying the image shouldn't have appeared in the ad and that it is being pulled.

And you want to be my latex salesman senator?



Extra - Boston Globe: "Campaigns are an opportunity for candidates to hear from the public they want to represent, but Coakley doesn’t seem to believe this is necessary." Voters are icky.

More - Jules Crittenden: "Bromentum?"