In exposing the erroneous and hyper-partisan postcard that Jordan Mason’s new Shining Light PAC is sending to rip Brown County Sheriff Mark Milbrandt for having Democratic supporters, Republican blogger Pat Powers agrees with me that Mason’s mailer misses the Mark. Amidst the contorted disavowals of his own hyper-partisan, ad-hominem political tactics, Powers offers this coded signal to Aberdeen establishment Republicans:
Really? Milbrandt having supporters across the political spectrum is now a liability? Are Republicans in Brown County so polarized to the impossibly hard-right that having Democrats want to support them in an election a negative?
That would be like expecting Republicans who are married to Democrats to get a divorce, because “that damn liberal should know better, and now she just needs to leave.” You really don’t hear of people that extreme. Which is how this postcard comes off [Pat Powers, “SD Gun Owners related consultant is attacking Brown County Sheriff with new PAC in odd mailing,” Dakota War College, 2018.05.17].
What’s the code? Veteran Aberdeen Republican legislator Al Novstrup is married to Katharine J. Novstrup, who comes from a family of Democrats and who as of this morning’s check is still registered as a Democrat. The resulting translation: Al Novstrup shows that Democrats are fine and upstanding fellow citizens, and any campaign attacks on candidates based solely on the fact that people who support them are Democrats are beyond the pale.
Remind me to send Kathy a postcard. And remind Pat, Al, and the rest of the GOP of this kindly embrace of Democrats come general election season when they start launching their own partisan attacks.