Sherwood's Knock-out Campaign Slogan: "At Least I didn't Hit Her"
Dear Republicans,
You know those "values voters" you love to appeal to every election cycle and then pretty much ignore the rest of the time? Well, if the Pennsylvania 10th district is any measure, they're just not that into you this year. And when you look back at the relationship and try to figure out where it went so wrong, you're going to remember how much work you put into propping up Congressman Don Sherwood. You're probably going to have second thoughts about sending so many of your top guys, including the Majority Leader, the President and the Vice President, to try to save his ass and his seat.
Sherwood, defender of Marriage, proponent of posting the Ten Commandments in public schools, is an admitted adulterer. As chronicled in Naked Republicans, A Full Frontal Exposure of Right-wing Hypocrisy and Greed, he got to Washington just a little too late to impeach Bill Clinton, but in plenty of time to find his place in the pantheon of horny hypocritical Republicans, led by the then-recently disgraced Bob Livingston, Henry "youthful indiscretion" Hyde, and of course, Newt Gingrich. It didn't take Congressman Sherwood long to hook up with a nice young woman roughly half his age.
All was going along just fine, presumably, until the day in the fall of 2004 when his young lady friend called 911 from the bathroom of Mr. Sherwood's Capitol Hill apartment to report that he'd assaulted her.
When the cops arrived, Sherwood claimed he barely knew the woman, and denied her accusation that during a massage, he suddenly began to choke her. Eventually, he admitted they'd had a five-year affair, but he continues to deny ever choking or otherwise assaulting her, and no police charges were filed. She did, however, sue him for five million dollars; they settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
In a tough situation like that, a Family Values guy has to be able to depend on his friends, and luckily for Mr Sherwood, the party didn't let him down. The Republican leadership rallied around their buddy, shoveling campaign funds his way. You know how friends will pass the hat for a buddy who's fallen on hard times through no fault of his own? Well, Denny Hastert, Roy Blunt, the whole gang sent him PAC money, some of it from the aptly named ROMP (Retain our Majority Program).
It wasn't enough. He trails his Democratic opponent Chris Carney by something like 9 points in the solidly Republican district. Carney has been hammering Sherwood for being a de-valued Family Values man, including commercials that feature Republican voters who express their disappointment with Sherwood.
It's forced Sherwood to run this apology. We aren't political strategists but it does seem to take the candidate off message, and that "at least I didn't hit her" isn't a great campaign slogan.
The Sherwood campaign today announced that Denny Hastert, who had been expected to fundraise for Sherwood next week, now has scheduling issues and can't make it. Ditto Republican Congressional Campaign Chairman Tom Reynolds. (The Carney campaign has been calling for Sherwood to cancel fundraisers with the "people who cover up the cyber-molestation of children" since the Mark Foley scandal broke). But Cheney was there for old Don last month, Majority Leader John Boehner was there last week, and the Scranton Times-Tribune reports that Bush is currently expected October 19.
If the President does campaign for Sherwood, the family values voters are going to have to understand once and for all that they and the Republican party really aren't BFF after all.
