Losing the debate, the voters, and moral compass

In the Dispatch today, it is pointed out

Days after national Republican Party leaders told Sen. Mike DeWine to either strengthen his attacks against Rep. Sherrod Brown or lose funding, DeWine came out swinging last night at a contentious debate.

It's getting pretty desperate. Probably more desperate after his "read my lips" blunder at the debate last night.

However, not deterred by the disgust of Blackwell's gutter tactics the signs are all there that DeWine is about to join him in the smear and innuendo game. As always it starts in the right wing echo chamber - Sherrod Brown Neglected His Children. Dripping with desperation and fine editing, as the article linked to has some things the right didn't reproduce

While Brown was secretary of state, the accusations remained whispers inside the capitol building. Mueller, however, ran radio and television ads featuring a dramatic reading of Larke's claims of fear and intimidation. It got to the point that Larke, who had remarried and was living in central Ohio, called on Mueller to stop airing the ad. She refused.

Larke being Brown's first wife. Brown of course handily won that election.

For a man who neglects his family, this is a passage they conveniently omit too

friends say his relationship with his daughters is to be envied. His oldest, Emily, attends Swarthmore College near Philadelphia; when he is in Washington, they frequently meet by train in Baltimore to catch Orioles games. He was driving on a snow-covered road to a church play with Elizabeth when he had his car accident. She was unharmed; he spent a week in the hospital. Fought has noticed Brown becoming "a little wistful" as his girls become women.

"I've raised my daughters," Brown says. "They're the most important thing in my life. It's not always easy as a single parent, obviously, but lots of people in this country are in that situation."

The last thing DeWine wants is Brown's daughters, Emily and Elizabeth coming out and defending dad from yet another Republican smear campaign - they are both very smart women, and shall we say - have faces for TeeVee. Mike DeWine has already gotten a pretty bad reputation this cycle for his campaign tactics.

I have to wonder if the right really want to get into this game at all. Divorce is a pretty common thing, and I have never heard of one that was a picnic. Even Saint Ronnie Reagan had a nasty one as I am sure did a whole bunch of Ohio Republican's.

If Mike DeWine is the decent guy he likes to portray he would ignore his DC masters and campaign with the decency, on the issues that Ohioans expect, and not join the sewer with his disgraced colleague running for Governor.

The next few weeks will tell us a great deal about the kind of man Mike DeWine is. So far it's not looking too good.