NOT THE SHARPEST KNIVES IN THE DRAWER: Write-In Campaign Spells Trouble For Murkowski’s Team
When erstwhile Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced on Friday that she would launch a write-in campaign (second item) she said that part of the effort would involve teaching voters the procedure for writing her name on the ballot, including how to spell it. It appears she needs to first educate her own campaign staff, reports RealClearPolitics:
The online ad that was posted on YouTube on Monday was originally titled, "Vote Lisa M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I Public Service Announcement," but the URL that flashed on the bottom of the screen at the end of the ad directed viewers to visit LisaMurkwski.com.
As of Monday night, that web site, which misspells Murkowski's name, featured a message disparaging Murkowski and promoting the candidacy of Fairbanks attorney Joe Miller, who defeated Murkowski in the Republican primary.
Once it realized the mistake, the Murkowski campaign pulled the ad, corrected the error, and reposted it under a different URL.
Before the spelling error began making the rounds on the blogosphere on Monday night, Murkowski spokesperson Steve Wackowski told RealClearPolitics that the ad was the work of volunteers, rather than paid professionals.
In the ad, the “teacher,” Mr. Davis, spoon feeds his students the answers that they then parrot back:
Mr. Davis: Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to learn how to vote for Lisa Murkowski. It’s as easy as two steps. Step One: Fill it in. Yes, Billy?
Billy: Fill it in.
Mr. Davis: Yes, Billy. Fill it in. Step Two: Write it in. Yes Jimmy?
Jimmy: Write it in.
Mr. Davis: Yes, Jimmy, write it in.
Filmed in black-and-white with a cheerful retro tune to mimic a vintage PSA, the ad comes off less an ironic wink to a sophisticated audience than an insult to the intelligence of the electorate – and it doesn’t help matters that Wackowski calls the creators of the ad – presumably, Murkowski voters - a bunch of amateurs.
The Stiletto proposes this mnemonic to teach those who want to vote for Murkowski how to spell her name accurately enough for their vote to count: “Scott McAdams is to the left, Joe Miller is to the right and there’s a mad KOW in the middle of the race.”
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