Undaunted Dole Airs Second Ad

Undaunted by the barrage of criticism that her original ad garnered, Liddy Dole airs a second ad accusing Kay Hagan of ties to Godless Americans.

Dole "Should Be Ashamed of Herself"

GOP strategist Ed Rollins calls Elizabeth Dole's ad "despicable" and that she "should be ashamed of herself."



See this post to get more information on the original ad.

Modern "White Hands"

Elizabeth Dole's latest ad, where she suggests that her opponent is an atheist, is facing tough criticism from Hagan and leading North Carolina newspapers.

Dole’s ad has also come under scrutiny from local newspapers. The Charlotte Observer wrote in an editorial Thursday that it was the “modern-day version” of Sen. Jesse Helms’s (R-N.C.) “white hands” ad, which critics have condemned as a ploy to drum up racist fears about his 1990 Democratic opponent. The Greensboro News & Record wrote that Dole’s ad is “worse than dishonest” and called on her to pull it from the air.

Dole Not With McCain in North Carolina

Marc Ambinder points out how toxic the environment is for Republicans and especially for John McCain.

Who was conspicuously absent at John McCain's event in Cumberland Co. tonight?

Elizabeth Dole.

The county went for GWB in '04 -- the state hasn't gone for a Democratic candidate since Carter.

She didn't think that appearing with her nominee would help her chances to keep the Senate seat. Or she didn't go out of her way to get there.

This, again, is, North Carolina...

WH Helps Dole in Reelection Battle

The Hill:

The administration has announced that it is preparing a potential World Trade Organization challenge against subsidies it contends the Chinese government provides its industry, and trade officials are giving Dole the credit for bringing the issue to their attention.

Observers see the timing of the administration’s move as linked to Dole’s tough reelection campaign, given that industry groups have been asking the administration to look into the matter for more than a year. The administration announced the move in a letter sent to Dole less than two weeks before Election Day. (Emphasis added.)

Liddy Dole's Troubles

Salon has a great new article on Dole and McCain's problems in North Carolina. Here's an extract that paints a pretty clear picture as to why Dole is in trouble.

As for the incumbent, Dole seems to be running a much more somnambulant campaign. She dodged five proposed debates, passive-aggressively failing to commit to them rather than outright refusing. Voters are seeing her on her terms, not theirs — her campaign Web site doesn’t have a public calendar of events, and her Senate calendar is three and a half years out of date. While she was at the race Saturday, aides limited her to banal small talk with Salon — after she spoke with a local Associated Press reporter at the NASCAR media center, they hustled her off to the suites to mingle with the race’s sponsors and other donor types and said she’d try to call me later, which she didn’t. (They blamed the AP guy for taking too much of her time, but he said they actually gave him 10 minutes less than they promised him.)

Even at the race, though, Dole wasn’t as visible as Cindy McCain (even if she was nicely outfitted in a Bank of America 500 warm-up jacket). While McCain toured the pits and schmoozed with fans, Dole hung back and prayed with drivers before the race started. (There was a lot of prayer. “Thank you for allowing us to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth,” went the prayer read over the P.A. system just before the engines started. “We thank you for what you did 2,000 years ago on Calvary’s cross.”)

North Carolina Senate:

Dueling ads out from North Carolina, where Elizabeth Dole faces a tough challenge from Kay Hagan. (See summary of recent polling results after the video clips.) Hagan's ad is more effective than the pro-Dole ad put out by the Chamber of Commerce, but I'll let you decide for yourself.






Image Source: Real Clear Politics

Elizabeth Dole (R-DC)

An investigation by Media General shows how rarely Dole visited North Carolina while she was representing the state in the Senate. Truly shocking!

Documented Days Spent by Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina During Her First Term
2003 - 55
2004 - 34
2005 - 20
2006 - 13
2007 - 50
2008 (through Friday) - 97

Dole's going to be hit hard on this one.

DSCC Flexes Muscle in NC

Another well-made ad from the DSCC. For previous posts on the North Carolina Senate race, see Elizabeth Dole's New Ad: Arf.

Elizabeth Dole's New Ad: Arf

This article does a good job evaluating the veracity of the various claims used in the ad.

The Senate race in North Carolina is tight, no doubt about it.

After her last round of ads, Dole was able to open up a lead in independent polls. Can she do it with this one?

The last two independent polls showed Hagan with a narrow lead.

The DSCC has the resources to back Hagan. They’ve already reserved $6 million worth of ad time!

The NRSC does not have the resources to match. Elizabeth Dole has raised a sizeable chunk of change, but she has also had to spend heavily to run ads earlier this year.

Obama is running a strong campaign in North Carolina. His strength in the state will definitely help Hagan.

Dole is in for the race of her life.