9/29/2004
Playing the Elian card
First there's the cynical, partisan use of 9-11 images, everyone expects that, but you'd think Mel Martinez really would know better than to try to play the Elian card. After his campaign called INS agents "armed thugs," he blamed his staff for `inappropriate' comments. (St. Pete Times version here.)
As both stories note, this is the second time he has had to distance himself from his own campaign. The other being his campaign's charges that archconservative Bill McCollum was ``antifamily'' and ``pandering to the radical homosexual agenda.''
But really, who's advising this guy? The instant you mention Elian Gonzalez, you lose nonCuban votes and make Cuban moderates nervous. The only people who likely to respond to this would be people already likely to vote for Martinez. Besides, wasn't Martinez in process of repackaging himself as a moderate? This sure won't help.
And blaming the staff is pretty weak damage-control because it strikes people as, well, kinda chickenshit.
As both stories note, this is the second time he has had to distance himself from his own campaign. The other being his campaign's charges that archconservative Bill McCollum was ``antifamily'' and ``pandering to the radical homosexual agenda.''
But really, who's advising this guy? The instant you mention Elian Gonzalez, you lose nonCuban votes and make Cuban moderates nervous. The only people who likely to respond to this would be people already likely to vote for Martinez. Besides, wasn't Martinez in process of repackaging himself as a moderate? This sure won't help.
And blaming the staff is pretty weak damage-control because it strikes people as, well, kinda chickenshit.
