Sunday morning toon

(And this time I actually got it posted on Sunday. Is life good, or what?)

This morning the Washington Post points out that, while prospects are looking fairly good for Democratic candidates right now, the GOP is sitting on a huge wad of unspent cash, and they're finally starting to write checks. And what will they be spending it on?

• A multi-media campaign highlighting their legislative accomplishments of the last session? [What, you mean like the horse meat bill this week?]


• A full-court blitz, turning this mid-term election into a referendum of President Bush and his war in Iraq? [Oh hell no!]


• Seizing the once-in-a-generation opportunity to use the next eight weeks educating American voters on the pressing issues facing our nation, and opening a Jed Bartlett-style national conversation on the direction we should be taking as a nation? [Stop! Stop! You're making milk come out of my nose!]

Here's your first hint: There's one more holiday between now and Election Day.

No help? Okay, here's one more hint, from Mike Cagle of MSNBC.com.

Yup, that's right. According to the Post:

Republicans are planning to spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final 60 days of the campaign attacking Democratic House and Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which this year dispatched a half-dozen operatives to comb through tax, court and other records looking for damaging information on Democratic candidates, plans to spend more than 90 percent of its $50 million-plus advertising budget on what officials described as negative ads.

The hope is that a vigorous effort to "define" opponents, in the parlance of GOP operatives, can help Republicans shift the midterm debate away from Iraq and limit losses this fall. The first round of attacks includes an ad that labeled a Democratic candidate in Wisconsin "Dr. Millionaire" and noted that he has sued 80 patients.

Can't blame them, I suppose. Going negative early is considered the most reliable way to take the initiative away from an unknown competitor (although it didn't do much for Lieberman, did it?). And it's not like they can point to their own legislative successes, since they've got bupkes. And besides, the party of Karl Rove really doesn't know much anymore except going negative and calling 50% + 1 a "mandate."

So roll your pants cuffs up, and don't wear anything labeled Dry Clean Only between now and November.