Starting the wave
by digby
I don’t know if 2014 is really going to be a big wave. And even if it is, I don’t know if it is anything but a normal part of the cycle. These second term midterms are often bloodbaths. But I certainly think that if the Republicans gain a bunch of seats it will be interpreted as something politically meaningful and that the wingnuttiest of wingnuts will take credit for it:
The Koch brothers’ main political arm intends to spend more than $125 million this year on an aggressive ground, air and data operation benefiting conservatives, according to a memo distributed to major donors and sources familiar with the group.
The projected budget for Americans for Prosperity would be unprecedented for a private political group in a midterm, and would likely rival even the spending of the Republican and Democratic parties’ congressional campaign arms.The group already has spent more than $35 million on ads attacking vulnerable Democrats in key Senate and House races, according to sources, including Sens. Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. The $125 million projection comes from a memo obtained by POLITICO, labeled as a “Confidential Investor Update” provided to major donors in March, but a source familiar with AFP called the figure a “very conservative estimate. We’re on track for more than that.”
The Kochs could spend a billion out of their own personal fortunes and still have 100 billion left. This is nothing. In fact, I’m a little bit surprised its so little. It’s probably a whole lot more.
So, get ready for a barrage of dishonest and misleading advertising. Where the quaint old grassroots Tea Party got to claim the victory in 2010, I’m going to guess everyone will give it to the Big Money Boyz in 2014. It’s all actually the same thing, of course. But the interpretation of election results is as important as the results themselves so it behooves the Democrats to think hard about how they want to spin this ahead of time. A loss could actually be spun positively if they play their cards right.
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