Renee learns lying and pomposity STILL work

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Renee Ellmers needs to pay a bonus to the consultant who came up with her reelection campaign’s TV ad. IT and ONLY IT can be given the credit for her reelection.

The level of mealy-mouthed dishonesty in the ad even raised questions from The News & Observer — a media outlet that has set the industry standard for bias and truth-twisting:

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers’ new TV ad is walking a fine line when it comes to her stance on marriage.

Ellmers, a freshman Republican facing three primary challengers, spoke out against North Carolina’s marriage amendment earlier this year, saying she would vote against it. But in the 30-second TV ad, the narrator says Ellmers “fights for traditional marriage.” (Watch above.)

Her spokesman said the same line earlier this year when acknowledging she’d vote against and doesn’t oppose civil unions. (“She has an will continue to protect and defend marriage at the federal level,” the aide said. More here.)

The statements draw a distinction at the federal and state level when it comes to banning gay marriage. But will voters see the nuance as genuine, or will they think she’s talking out of both sides of her mouth?

A friend of mine who worked polling places in the Second District on behalf of the marriage amendment was doubly appalled:

“I had people coming up to me praising Renee Ellmers for backing the amendment.  I explained to them that she had come out against it, and planned to vote against it.  They didn’t believe me because the commercial said she supported ‘traditional marriage.’  The folks on the other side have been using her as a poster girl for their cause.  Renee has successfully made people on each side of this issue believe she’s with them.  She’s the most impressive liar since Bill Clinton.  I bet Clinton is giving her a standing-o.”

The ad also told viewers that Ellmers had been “fighting against Barack Obama every day.”  Does that count voting for the debt ceiling increase and FOR the continuing resolution that allowed funding for ObamaCare to go through?   Those are things Obama wanted.  Doesn’t seem like you were fighting Obama on THOSE two days, Renee.

The ad also brags about her support for “job-creating” legislation.  A true conservative knows that government DOES NOT create jobs.

Renee also told our local prize-winning newspaper here in Moore County that she never really was “a Tea Party person.”    I’m sure that came as a shock to all of the Tea Party folks she embraced in 2010, and sought help from in personal and campaign matters.

Her ad also claimed that she was ranked as “the most conservative” Member of Congress from North Carolina.  (Given the crew we’re blessed with, that’s not saying much.)   That ranking came from National Journal — an establishment, centrist to left-of-center publication.  The Heritage Foundation – a flagship conservative institution in Washington — gave Ellmers  a ranking that put her in the middle of the pack in the North Carolina delegation and below the average score given to ALL GOP House members.  (We didn’t hear about THAT in Renee’s ad.) 

She ended up with 57 percent of the vote against three no-name Republicans.  She lost one of the two most important GOP counties in the district (Randolph) and performed underwhelmingly in Moore County (47%).  Ellmers has clearly not endeared herself to the residents of her new district.

She’s shown herself to be vulnerable against a well-funded NAME candidate.  (Three who can easily self-fund a credible campaign — one from Chatham, one from Wake, and one from Moore — had been considering a 2012 run. Her performance in the 2012  primary has all three seriously looking at 2014.)  

The goodwill Renee earned for ridding us of Bob Etheridge will run out soon. 

Renee, you can keep going on your current path — traveling around with your teeniebopper Young Republican entourage, hugging up to Boehner and Cantor, loading up on PAC money, and  ignoring a good chunk of your constituents.  Or, you could make amends and return to the agenda you ran on in 2010.

There are a lot of folks who have played the politics game that can tell you ‘What goes up, must come down.’  (For examples, see:  Gingrich, Newt;  Livingston, Bob; and Morgan, Richard.)  It’s just a matter of time.