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Going into the midterms, Democrats can be seriously grateful that Rick Scott is on the other side [1]
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Date: 2022-08-23
As The Washington Post reported earlier this week, the NRSC was forced to cancel $10 million in TV bookings in critical states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona. These spots are getting canceled despite the fact that Republicans secured heavy discounts by booking commercial slots early. Why are they canceling these spots after bragging about taking in a record $173 million in funding for this election cycle? Because … “the committee has burned through nearly all of [available funds], with the NRSC’s cash on hand dwindling to $28.4 million by the end of June.”
Where did the money go? It didn’t go into ads. Of the missing $145 million, just $23 million went to traditional ads on television, radio, and print. Another $21 million went to “text messages.” Which certainly seems like an extraordinary expense for something that is supposed to represent a huge cost savings by targeting messages to followers rather than blasting out ads over traditional mediums.
But even that $21 million may be more understandable than the next largest expense, which is $12 million in American Express credit card payments. Those payments went to … no one knows.
In the words of one Republican consultant, “If they were a corporation, the CEO would be fired and investigated. The way this money has been burned, there needs to be an audit or investigation because we’re not gonna take the Senate now and this money has been squandered. It’s a rip-off.”
From his mouth to the voter’s ears.
It’s not just the dollars that are concerning Republicans when it comes to the fall midterm elections. As the chair of the NRSC, Scott has been largely responsible for selecting which candidates would get the party’s backing in the primaries. Republicans just now seem to be waking up to the fact that Scott went out and recruited a stack of wild-eyed Scott-style fanatics whose connection to the real world is more than a little tenuous. When Republicans talk about being concerned by their weak slate of candidates going into the fall, Scott—and Donald Trump—are the guys most responsible for that slate.
If that’s not enough, Scott is continuing to demonstrate his disdain for dollars, with what Axios reports is a fabulous holiday in Italy. Scott is still pumping out his inane criticisms of President Biden, but somehow complaining about Biden going home to Delaware. x Another week of President Biden vacationing in Delaware vs. working at the White House.
If he loves to travel so much, I've got some suggestions as to where he should go next ⬇️ — Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) August 22, 2022 It’s not clear if Scott means the southern border of Sicily, or the tippy toe of Calabria. In any case, his statement just lacks that certain ghoul-in-the-street appeal when coming from a luxury yacht anchored in the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean. It begs the question: Is Vacation Voldemort putting this trip on his NRSC American Express? All of it is leading Republicans to complain that this Florida Republican con man is even worse than those other Florida Republican con men. And it definitely means that Republican chances to retake the Senate, which once seemed like a sure thing, are starting to feel softer than fine Italian leather stitched over custom pillows under a gentle Adriatic breeze. Fortunately for Democrats … Rick Scott is one of theirs. His failings represent an opening, but it could all be wasted if Senate candidates don’t have the funds available to snap up that ad space and other opportunities that Republicans are stuck drooling over from the sidelines. In particular, Democrats have great candidates in three critical seats: North Carolina: Cheri Beasley
Pennsylvania: John Fetterman
Wisconsin: Mandela Barnes Help them lock down their races, write the last chapter on Mitch McConnell, and turn Joe Manchin back into a face in the crowd by making a small donation to keep these candidates on the air. Even one dollar now will help “Turn these seats blue in ‘22!” Then we can all sit back and watch Democrats get things done, while Republicans try to extradite Rick Scott from his yacht. I hear that $12 million will even cover some crudité.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/23/2118325/-Going-into-the-midterms-Democrats-can-be-seriously-grateful-that-Rick-Scott-is-on-the-other-side
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