Faced with an electorate that is generally dissatisfied yet still overwhelmingly Democratic, Massachusetts Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown decided to call in renowned ferret opponent and terrorism ignoramus Rudy Giuliani. This could actually be quite a mistake on Brown's part.
After the 2008 presidential campaign, Giuliani went in the public mind from being the hero of 9/11 to being, well, what he always was: a pompous jerk with virtually no understanding of issues, who seems to divide the world into people he'd like to screw over, and people he talks to like they're six years old. Perhaps Brown has forgotten just what a disaster Rudy's campaign was.
The reason Giuliani could hurt Brown isn't so much because people don't really like him much, but because, having run for the GOP nomination for president, Giuliani's endorsement will serve to remind Massachusetts voters that Brown is a Republican. You know, those guys who want to grind government to a halt and fight against everything the guy Brown is trying to succeed (Ted Kennedy) stood for - those Republicans. And that's about the last thing he wants them to be thinking about. So go get 'em, Rudy!
--Paul Waldman
