The Moran campaign has morphed from simple negativity and nastiness to outright lies (although actually, come to think of it, they did some of that before too). Now, with Bill Clinton coming to campaign for Terry McAuliffe, they're obviously in panic mode and lashing out. For instance, here's what we've got so far today, and it's still early! :)*Mo Elleithee tweets:
Here we go again! Moran strategist @JoeTrippi pushes discredited attack against Terry. Terry opposes oil drilling, Joe. Why mislead people?*Jerome Armstrong attacks the Democratic National Committee (led by Tim Kaine), which sent out a fundraising letter on behalf of Hillary Clinton, who Armstrong strongly supported in 2007/2008. Confusing.
*Brian Moran himself launches perhaps the brain-deadest attack of the campaign so far (close competitor: "fighter not a fundraiser") with this instant, faux-populist classic: "A business plan is about profiting, I'm about people." Riiiight, and "people" never want to "profit" in their lives, careers, and businesses? There's something wrong about earning a profit for the work you do? And since when is there something wrong with "business plans?"
*Speaking of which, you know who else was a big fan of "business plans?" That's right, Mark Warner, who as governor commissioned A Business Plan for Environmental Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
*Ironically, Brian Moran's campaign manager, Andrew Roos, helped elect Del. Governor Jack Markell in 2008, who issued something very similar to Terry McAuliffe's business plan - called A Blueprint for a Better Delaware" (a business plan for Delaware).
Apparently, the Moran campaign has concluded that outright lying, combined with lashing out against the Tim Kaine-led DNC and business plans (of which Mark Warner was a fan), is the best strategy to get Brian Moran nominated. As a McAuliffe supporter, I've got to agree: keep up the negativity and nastiness, Moran folks, and in just over 6 weeks, we Democrats will have our nominee. He just won't be named "Brian Moran."
