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Kasich Campaign Repeating the Mistakes of the Past

By The Pullins Group LLC

You would think that for all of the money that the John Kasich campaign is dropping on consultants, they would know not to keep repeating the past mistakes of GOP candidates.  Apparently not.

On the night of the May 2010 primary, incumbent Governor Ted Strickland launched his first television spot attacking John Kasich .  The ad can be viewed here.

Today, Strickland held a live webcast rally where he spent most of his time attacking Kasich's record on Wall Street.  A link to the full text of that speech is here.

Strickland admitted today that he was attacking Kasich early and often in order to define him before he can define himself. This is because most polls have shown that voters either don't know John Kasich or don't know enough about him to have an opinion. 

That fact alone should be ringing huge, giant alarm bells over at Kasich headquarters.  But it isn't.  Instead, the Kasich campaign has kicked off a 3 day bus tour with stops in hardcore GOP counties like Hancock, Marion, Delaware, and Knox. 

Really?  That's the strategy?  With most voters having no clue about who you are or what you stand for and the incumbent Governor kicking the crap out of you with paid and earned media, you decide to do a 3 day bus tour?  Through hardcore GOP counties.

Of course considering how our 2006 nominee finished, maybe these counties aren't as hardcore as we thought:



What I'm afraid of is that like Ken Blackwell in 2006 or Bob Dole in 1996, a moderate Democrat with substantially more campaign funds will be able to beat Kasich early with unanswered attacks.   A press release or a bus tour just isn't cutting it. 

The Kasich campaign needs to do much, much better.  And do it soon.

Full post as published by The Pullins Report on May 12, 2010 (boomark / email).