Message, money and Tammy
- 25 Oct 06, 09:32 PM
You would have to invent if she didn’t already exist. One could not imagine a more convincing candidate for a party running on the biggest issue vexing American voters these days, the Iraq war.
Major Duckworth is a former Blackhawk pilot. Such was her commitment to her unit that she volunteered to serve one more time, against the wishes of her superiors. She has a winning smile, a terrific sense of humour, an intelligent manner and no legs.
She left them on the battlefield in Iraq two years ago when her Blackhawk was hit by a grenade. Yesterday I saw her manoeuvre deftly into a campaign meeting at the . Her new metal legs were festooned with the Stars and Stripes. Next to her was , the actor gripped by the irregular tremors of advanced Parkinson’s (close up the shaking seemed genuine enough, !).
They had come to talk not about Iraq but stem cell research, which I have discovered is one of the main issues motivating swing voters and moderate Republicans to turn their backs on Mr Bush’s party. His veto of federal funding for it has turned out to be a colossal own goal.
As Tammy told us, “I don’t just talk about Iraq" - the prostheses do it for her - “I am here to discuss other issues”. The room was packed and the free media cameras rolled by the dozen.
Contrast that with the campaign event at the Manzo restaurant held by her Republican opponent , affable father of four, lawyer and state legislator with 13 years' experience. It was dark and deserted.
But hang on - Peter Roskam may well win the seat being vacated after 32 years by Rep Henry Hyde. Mr Roskam still has $1m to spend. Tammy Duckworth only has $200,000, even though they both raised the same amount ($2.5m).
He also has the benefit of a dedicated get-out-the-vote effort that knows virtually every potential Republican voter in the 6th District of Illinois by name. Means may still trump message.
Matt Frei is the tv's senior North America TV correspondent.
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"Means may still trump message."
Roskum has a message as well, it just happens to be a conservative message that you disagree with.
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If Peter Roskam wins this seat, then it will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the pathetic state of the US political system.
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Your correspondent says that this is an example of "means trumping message." Yet there is no discussion of the message, just that Ms. Duckworth has served her country and lost a limb in the process. Well that is a credit to her patriotism, but it says nothing about what she believes about the war. And are a majority of her constituents not entitled to another opinion simply because they haven't lost a limb.
And of course your correspondent says nothing at all of her opponents message.
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Matt:
This is not a question of means over message. The candidates have raised approximately equal sums, but Major Duckworth has spent her pile of cash with too many days left to campaign.
This indicates that she has been playing catch up and gambled that more funds would become available if she could show that she could win. She has not caught up to Mr. Roskam. The new money has not appeared. She will now slip further behind without the extra spending advantage.(yes - her out spending Mr Roskam to date was her temporary advantage)
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You kind of forgot to mention that this is the same Roskam who so wittingly commented that Major Duckworth would "cut and run" from Iraq ... Roksam might have more money left in his "war chest", as they like to call them, but that's the closest he'll ever come to the real thing.
He better hope that Republican get-out-the-vote effort works, but his prospective constituents should hope it doesn't. With tact like his, who needs Rush Limbaugh?
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I find the article posed by the author somewhat perplexing. I was a Seahawk pilot just a few years ago. I served in the Persion Gulf during both conflicts (Iran-Iraq war& Desert Storm). I had at least 4 opportunities to die while DOING MY JOB which I volunteered for and several of my friends actually died. I knew the risk, as every other helo pilot knows when you strap on an aircraft without a parachute. Thats right people - no chute. So she did her job, so she wasn't so lucky. How does that make her qualified to represent Illinois. Where is the substance? Where is her experience? Is it all based on the fact that she is Asian and unfortunate. I am not moved by these arguments.
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