An Empty GOP Campaign vs. A Winning Conservative Campaign: Tillis in N Carolina and McConnell in KY

CHQ ^ | 10/1/2014 | CHQ Staff

[xzins]

This may be one of the few times you see the Senate’s Republican Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, praised on the pages of CHQ – but right now he is running a tough and professional campaign against a strong challenger.

And it appears McConnell is beginning to open a lead against this strong challenge not because he is outspending Alison Lundergan Grimes, but because he is campaigning on the issues that matter to conservatives.

We contrast that with North Carolina Republican challenger Thom Tillis, who by rights should be running away with the race in his campaign to unseat Democratic Senator Kay Hagan.

Tillis has struggled to keep up with Hagan in spending and in the polls largely because he is stuck in the DC consultant “prevent defense” campaign of the Republican establishment.

You can really see why Thom Tillis is losing and Mitch McConnell is winning just by comparing their websites.

http://thomtillis.com/

http://www.teammitch.com/home

For most of the campaign there's not been been much on the Tillis website. It's amateur.

And there’s nothing in opposition to the Democrat’s plan to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. Indeed, there’s nothing at all about immigration or border security on Tillis’ website.

McConnell's website is packed with videos of all the great ads he's running against Grimes.

McConnell's ads are excellent.

McConnell is running a tough professional campaign.

From looking at his website I can't tell what Thom Tillis is doing, but whatever it is it isn’t working because the polls show him behind in a race he should be winning.

Tillis might end up being the only Republican who loses who should win.

And if he loses, it will be because instead of campaigning on the issues that really move voters, national security, opposition to amnesty for illegal aliens and ending Obama’s culture of lies, lawlessness and corruption, Tillis has been stuck campaigning to Hagan’s strengths on such things as increasing education spending and other issues far afield from what is at the top of mind for voters going into the November 4 election.

[INVAR]

McConnell’s political mechanics is sabotage, subterfuge and assault of Conservatives first, and foremost. He has not hit Grimes as hard and as viciously as he did Bevin in the primary.

McConnell began slamming Bevin over a year-and-a-half before the primary. I got direct mail and heard endless radio ads bashing Bevin’s wealth, family, business and personal life in vitriolic ways he has not yet unleashed on Grimes.

Most of his ads here are almost totally focused on tying her to Obama. I’m waiting to see if he will attack her personal life and family like he did Bevin’s.

I do not expect the oligarchy to “lose” - but I will be damned before I fill in a square for McConnell.

[INVAR]

The primary was ugly, but the truth is, Grimes would do the same to Bevin as McConnell did. Best to find out early?

Disagree. McConnell muddied the waters early to denounce Bevin as 'no Conservative' and claimed him to be 'Bailout Bevin" tying him to Obama and 'big money interests' in Washington.

"Bevin is not Conservative" while lauding himself as the ONLY Conservative muddied the primary along with all his vicious attack ads - most of which were bullshite.

If Bevin won the primary, this election might be a contrast between Conservative positions and Grimes' Leftism, but I would not doubt the GOP would have yanked the carpet from under Bevin in the General Election had he won.

It was not a landslide for McConnell in the primary. He is solidly disliked.

Put pork talks and rhetoric walks in a country where principles are spat on and seen as a liability while cash and subsidy are valued.

[ExCTCitizen]

I just heard that ‘The King’ (no not Obama, but NASCAR’s King - Richard Petty) is going to do ads for Tellis.

[Theodore R.]

Without Helms, NC perishes; might as well merge with SC.