If Democrats escape political destruction in the 2022 midterms, they’ll owe it to awful GOP candidates, at least in part.
Take Pennsylvania, where GOP voters nominated a New Jersey TV star to represent them in the Senate, and an avowed Christian nationalist and QAnon-hugger to run their state government.
Mehmet Oz (photo, left) and Doug Mastriano (photo, right), those nominees, apparently know better than to cling to each other, even if they were inclined to, which they’re not (as detailed below).
Both are drowning in the polls; Oz trails by double-digits in some polls, to a Democratic opponent sidelined by a stroke, while Mastriano’s opposite number has built a comfortable lead in virtually all polls.
This is how Democrats will triump in Pennsylvania this fall:
NBC News observed that Oz and Mastriano “share little in common other than the support of former President Donald Trump,” are “poised to go their separate way this fall,” and “that’s what some state Republicans believe is best.”
Wait, what? The party insiders think their candidates for the two top offices on the ballot shouldn’t campaign together, or sing each other’s praises? When did this ever happen before? (Hmm, the last time somebody got indicted, or was caught with the other candidate’s wife?)
“I think they should keep separate,” Lou Capozzi, chairman of the Cumberland County Republican Committee, told NBC News. “They have different messages. There’s some people who are going to be receptive to Doug’s message. … And there’s going to be people that are receptive to Oz’s message.”
“Doug’s message” is that Pennsylvania’s state government should be run as a church. This is unconstitutional, and violates the religious rights of citizens who don’t share his interpretation of the Bible (or read the same holy book), but that doesn’t seem to slow Republican zealots these days, unless and until the courts step in, and even then it’s questionable whether he’d obey a court order. He doesn’t think Muslims have constitutional rights or should be allowed to hold public office, and was seen loitering outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while his fellow Trumpers invaded the place.
Oz, a carpetbagger who some claim doesn’t have a Pennsylvania address, has mouthed conventional GOP talking points, e.g. preventing Covid-19 by swallowing horse pills, denying CO2 causes climate change, opposing abortion rights, and promising to repeal Obamacare. However, he’s also alienated Republican voters by calling for an assault rifle ban, supporting universal health care, endorsing same-sex marriage, and condemning gay conversion therapy. Since Democrats don’t like him, maybe nobody will vote for him.
There’s a certain logic in these guys not clinging to each other and dragging each other down as they dog-paddle to stay afloat. Mastriano has to convince voters he’s not the extremist he is, while Oz has to convince them he’s the extremist he isn’t. Swimming together would be like an anchor and a rock trying to hold each other up.
Nevertheless, they’re stuck on the same ticket together, under the same party label, and for better or worse, “It’s an awkward marriage,” Morgan Boyd, a Republican county commissioner in Lawrence County, says. He argues “it would be difficult for the two campaigns to reconcile and get on the same policy message.” He decided to spurn Mastriano and support Oz. Visualize two guys on a sinking boat with only one life jacket … or Sophie’s choice … or whatever (choose your metaphor here).
On the other side, their Democratic opponents have joined forces and are coordinating their campaigns. This is especially helpful because their Senate candidate has been unable to campaign all summer, and is just now beginning to make public appearances. No matter; Pennsylvania’s voters at large appear poised to send a cripple to Congress so they don’t have to send Oz.
Oh, and did I mention that Oz is a Muslim?
Read story here.