Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Missouri and the Democrats

James Taranto is schmoozing with luminaries at the RNC, and runs into a candidate from Missouri in today’s Best of the Web:

We spent some time chatting with Bill Federer of Missouri, the Republican candidate for the seat currently held by Dick “Miserable Failure” Gephardt. Federer challenged Gephardt in 2000 and lost, 58% to 40%, but Gephardt is now retiring after his own miserable failure of a presidential campaign. Federer told us his opponent is Russ Carnahan, “the son of the governor who was killed in a plane crash.”

“If he was killed in a plane crash, how can he be running for Congress?” we asked.

It turns out the subordinate clause referred to the governor; this son was not on board the plane when it crashed. But it occurred to us that we were silly to ask the question anyway. After all, if the son who did die in the plane crash were to be elected in Congress, he would only follow in the footsteps of his dad, who won his 2000 Senate race three weeks after his death. In fact, Missouri hasn’t elected a live Democrat to the Senate since 1980, so a pulse may well be a political liability.

Mayor Daley (the dead one) would be proud.

Posted by Matt on 08/31 at 05:29 PM
(0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink