The Offer Hurt Absolutely Cannot Refuse
By Shaun Kenney | Sunday, October 17th, 2010 | PoliticsMaybe Jeff Clark is an avid reader of Bearing Drift after all?
Independent candidate Jeff Clark has laid down what you have to say is a fairly reasonable request: Debate Jeff Clark one-on-one, and should Clark not poll 25% immediately afterwards in a poll, Clark becomes Hurt’s #1 supporter.
How did Hurt’s campaign immediately respond to this no-brainer request?
When asked if Hurt would be willing to abide by Clark’s conditions and participate in a TV debate with the independent candidate, Hurt spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg did not directly answer the question.
“Congressman Perriello has voted with Nancy Pelosi over 90 percent of the time, and our campaign is focused on making sure we send Robert Hurt to Washington so that he can be a check and balance to the job-killing, big-spending Pelosi-Perriello agenda,” she wrote in e-mail.
Are you kidding me???
Is there no better way for Hurt to show the 4-6% of the 5th District who still doesn’t think Hurt is conservative enough that Hurt indeed is going to be every bit the Tea Party conservative he says he is?
This is the margin of victory. Should Clark endorse Hurt, Perriello’s chances at victory are nil.
On the other hand, if Hurt isn’t who he says he is… that’s what Clark is trying to discern in a fairly gutsy move on his part. It’s clear Jeff Clark wants out of the 5th District race, but for the right reasons and on his terms. Clark doesn’t want to play spoiler, but Clark doesn’t want the race to be a choice between bad and worse. Pretty gutsy, IMO.
This is one hell of an olive branch. Does Hurt have the acumen to reach out, take the challenge, and solidify his base in front of a ostensibly friendly crowd? Let’s hope so…
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Shaun Kenney is the Chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors, former Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia, and an active blogger since 2002. Shaun lives in Thomas Jefferson's backyard with his wife, six children, and a modest attempt at a farm in Kents Store, Virginia.
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26 Responses to "The Offer Hurt Absolutely Cannot Refuse"
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bearing Drift, Marcy Hernick. Marcy Hernick said: RT @bearingdrift: Web: The Offer Hurt Absolutely Cannot Refuse http://bit.ly/9iKqoK #va05 #vagop #rpv @RobertHurt [...]
shaun: let’s say that Hurt does indeed debate Clark & there is immediate poll taken (taken by whom? paid for by whom?) that shows Clark with 1% of vote in 5th.
and then let’s say that Clark leaps up & endorses Hurt.
how many of Clark’s supporters will then therefore go out & vote for Robert Hurt? some might vote for Perriello. some might not vote at all.
i would be surprised if Hurt debated Clark one on one.
Kelly, if Clark opens the door to endorsing Hurt and Hurt effectively tells him where to go, who do you think will change their minds? Hurt might even cause some of his luke warm supporters to jump ship. The more GOP front runners act like arrogant inside fixtures of power, the more alternatives that will pop up and split your vote.
Do your job or you will face competition.
As a Libertarian, I encourage more establishment country club RINOs to run and poo all over fiscal conservatives and Tea Partiers. They give us reason to run. Only the GOP can find a way to lose after what Obama/Pelosi/Reid have done. Quick! Snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
What a stupid stunt. Was this sprung on the Hurt campaign out of the blue? I bet it was. Clark knows he doesn’t have anywhere near 25% already. Who needs a televised debate and “instant poll” (by whom?) He doesn’t want to be the spoiler? That’s exactly what he doing with antics like this. Hurt needs to be focused on Periello, not an annoying gnat like Clark.
Britt: the anti-establishment crowd has so many good ideas, but don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.
I know many people who say they will never vote again for someone who currently holds political office. Great sentiment. But who runs against Webb? or Warner? an unknown? you have to be known enough to have a base-line name ID & to be able to raise money.
in the 2d, Rigell doesn’t hold political office, but he has money & has name ID from years of advertising on TV. those things are very impt.
Really Craig? Then this one day distraction would net Hurt a percent or 2 and permanently rid his campaign of that nuisance. Sounds like a deal to me.
Plus it would be a news story and just give Hurt the chance to further invite the small percentage to join him with their dignity intact.
But hey………..far be it for the elite to bother with such gnats.
Kelly, I would settle for an office holder that didn’t start the game with a “big government” tax friendly reputation that would force him to prove to us that he isn’t who we think he is.
@Kelley — it’s a good chance for Hurt to wrap up a loose shoelace, IMHO. I don’t think he loses independents and moderates by speaking to a friendly crowd who knows that Washington is screwed up, taxes are too high, and Perriello is part of the problem.
Clark agrees with all that. He might even ask some tough questions himself. Hurt can set the pace and convince the crowd… and Perriello is DONE.
OTOH, there are some risks. Hurt could say something really conservative that would anger independents. His internals could be showing him with that magical double digit lead and the fuse is just too long for Perriello to burt and get to a plurality by Election Day. Or Clark could go in with guns blazing and absolutely destroy Hurt… and pull off VA-05 version of a Nick Clegg on David Cameron and Gordon Brown.
I doubt that seriously. Conservatives need to get to know Hurt in a real way as he really is, and in a format that is comfortable. More to gain by engaging Clark in a friendly environment than there is to lose, IMO.
@Craig –
That’s the point. Clark isn’t going to get 25% after the debate, so this is a no-brainer.
If Clark cared, he would make the offer privately then say what he offered after the election if Hurt lost. Otherwise, this is just a publicity stunt – and a stupid one at that. Who dreams up these assinine plans? There are only 14 days left. Clark is a nobody in this election. And for those who say that Hurt is an establishment candidate, whatever that is, I remind everyone – Hurt won the friggin nomination. He is the party’s candidate. Enough of this tail wags dog crap by the tiny lunatic fringe. If Hurt isn’t conservative for you then vote for Clark – who has no chance of winning the damn election. And if Pierello wins re-election because of your idiocy then you get the government you deserve you arrogant, ignorant asses. Who the F do you people think you are – you Clark supporters? You people are are tickturds. Either help get Pelosi out of the Speaker’s office by voting for people who can win or live with the consequences of your idiotic decisions.
Lol. Apparently YOU have to live with the idiocy of Clark supporters if Hurt loses. Since you, Ron are referring to others as “nobody”s you sound like the arrogant one.
If you don’t need the nobodys like Clark and can’t bother accepting the offer, why your childish cussing?
The big government tax loving elite are having their parade of self-entitlement rained on. Your feet are held to the fire for fiscal irresponsibility and you don’t like it. I understand. Those damn “little people”!
We are 16 days away from Election Day and Clark is asking for this now? How is he not trying to play spoiler? Setting up a debate like this takes up time, energy, planning, and money. Who’s even going to conduct the poll? You can’t do both a legitimate debate AND a legitimate poll in under a week. This is a stunt. It’s distracting Hurt away from beating Perriello for an unknown quantity of support. Even if Clark polls lets say 5% and supports Hurt afterwards, that doesn’t exactly translate into a 5% boost for Hurt. While it may seem like a good concept, it should have happened a month ago. Not with 16 days left.
Smells like a trap or a coming episode of “Stupid Videos”. Why give an opponent free name recognition and press right before the election where anybody’s poll could end up at 25% to bust the deal?
As amusing as I think this debate would be, Hurt would be insane to participate in this. I understand where Shaun is coming from, but Hurt would not fare well in this debate.
Even leaving aside the fact that Hurt is not a very good debater (or, at least, he wasn’t one in his first debate with Perriello), Clark has something Hurt doesn’t that would give him a huge advantage: principles.
There is a reason the tea party folks were against Hurt in the primary – he is a soulless, professional politician interested only in getting elected, and he will say or do anything in order to do so. Everyone knows that. The calculation for Hurt is that GOP/Conservative activists in the district want to get rid of Perriello bad enough that they will hold their nose and vote for him in order to accomplish that.
Debating Clark and reminding these voters just how phony and hypocritical he is, even if in the end Clark “drops out” of the race, would be a pyrrhic victory, indeed, IMHO.
@Ron — OK, good point. Clark could have made this offer privately, too…
This would be like Catherine Crabhill offering to debate Rob Wittman 16 days out of the general and then offering her generous support if she did’t win 25% of instant poll immediately following (details not disclosed.) I hope Hurt smashes Periello and he can tell these Clark gnats to take a flying leap when it’s all over.
Wait a second Aznew! You mean Hurt can’t debate? He’s so inept he SHOULD be afraid to debate that nothing gnat? That Tea Party or “tickturd”(as Ron likes to call them above)candidate? Hurt had a hard time with Perriello too?
I know he has bad record that fiscal conservatives complain about. You mean he doesn’t have principles? But…..he’s a Republican and a nominee at that?
So, now he has a chance to unite the RPV and the Tea Party, but nobody wants to bite…….wow.
I thought Clark was the guy that couldn’t win.
Looks like the Democrats and the RPV picked the “right” guy to run against Perriello.
Yes. I thought Hurt was awful against Perriello the other night.
I don;t see what Hurt gains by debating someone to the right of him who will hammer away at the fact that he voted for tax increases, sought earmarks and is a not an outsider, but a more entrenched member of the professional political class that Perriello.
All for what? So a guy who might get 1-2% will drop out? Even if Clark did not drop out, I’m not at all convinced that the folks fixing to vote for Clark would go for Hurt.
Don;t get me wrong. I’d love to see this debate. I just think hurt would be nuts to do it.
Yes, all you Tea Party “gnats” go take a flying leap. The Elite in your district just told ya so.
See how they really think of you? It is a bad move to be talking about you like that, but they just can’t help themselves. They call Ron Paul Republicans, “Paultards”. They make fun of Jeff Frederick for publicly saying he doesn’t believe in the theories of Charles Darwin. Really they think little of most people. Too much self-worship.
@Craig –
Rigell debated Golden in VA-02…
http://bearingdrift.com/2010/10/11/rigell-golden-tea-party-debate/
Doesn’t look like that hurt Rigell one bit.
Yeah, Rigell always wins debates:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Virginia2RawFootage#p/a/u/0/PI9r4DtF2i0
@everybody. I do not live in the 5th district. I am not an elite. I do not belong to a country club. That said, I still think Clark is a gnat buzzing around playing cute political games when the focus should be on Periello, not some clown who will get 1-2% of the vote. The primary is over folks. Get over it. This is the General. The real thing. If you WHINOS want to blow getting rid of Nancy Pelosi, then go right ahead and vote for Clark. Then you can sit smugly back and say “we told you so.” In the meantime, you are either part of the problem or you are part of the solution. I was hoping the 5th would be a pick-up for the GOP but apparently this is not going to happen thanks to a few disgruntled tea party people. Hope you are enjoying yourselves. And I think there is something a little stronger than tea ya’ll have been drinking.
This is just as bad as Kenny Golden and the die-hard gnats in the 2nd district. Thank God I live in the 1st district and don’t have to deal with Catherine Crabhill anymore. We are just amused at the antics of Krystal Ball.
Clark doesn’t want to play spoiler indeed! That’s the biggest lie of all time. That is exactly what he is doing, and he is doing deliberately. Fie on him and his campaign. And oh, Hurt just isn’t “good enough.” I don’t you gnats have the least idea what serving in public office is all about. Why don’t you try it some time? I’ve been in those trenches and everything isn’t always just black and white, folk. At some point you have to GOVERN. Think about that.
@everybody. I do not live in the 5th district. I am not an elite. I do not belong to a country club. That said, I still think Clark is a gnat buzzing around playing cute political games when the focus should be on Periello, not some clown who will get 1-2% of the vote. The primary is over folks. Get over it. This is the General. The real thing. If you WHINOS want to blow getting rid of Nancy Pelosi, then go right ahead and vote for Clark. Then you can sit smugly back and say “we told you so.” In the meantime, you are either part of the problem or you are part of the solution. I was hoping the 5th would be a pick-up for the GOP but apparently this is not going to happen thanks to a few disgruntled tea party people. Hope you are enjoying yourselves. And I think there is something a little stronger than tea ya’ll have been drinking.
This is just as bad as Kenny Golden and the die-hard gnats in the 2nd district. Thank God I live in the 1st district and don’t have to deal with Catherine Crabhill anymore. We are just amused at the antics of Krystal Ball.
Clark doesn’t want to play spoiler indeed! That’s the biggest lie of all time. That is exactly what he is doing, and he is doing deliberately. Fie on him and his campaign. And oh, “Hurt just isn’t “good enough.” I don’t think you gnats have the least idea what serving in public office is all about. Why don’t you try it some time? I’ve been in those trenches and everything isn’t always just black and white, folks. At some point you have to GOVERN. Think about that.
after this election, I want someone to give me the Webster’s definition of elite, establishment politician. I think Ted Kennedy would be the poster boy for the term.
we have 15 days. go volunteer for Robert Hurt.
Shaun – we’ll talk about this on the podcast. Needless to say, I disagree with you for many of the reasons stated above.
An independent candidate has to be very special – more part of a movement or the formation of a party that legitimately will challenge the big two.
We don’t even remotely have that anywhere in Virginia right now. Therefore, Clark’s candidacy and, therefore, offer is irrelevant.
Credibility is being given where none has been earned.
okay to all here is what this story isn’t saying that Mr. Clarks press release did.
He offered this privately a number of times dating all the way back to July. He offered this and suggested holding the debate in September so that there would be plenty of time should he not poll at 25% for his name to be removed from the ballot and for his support of Hurt be publicly well known. This was not a surprise move this is a offer that has been privately on the table for sometime, he made it public so that Hurt maybe persuaded to engage in the debate by the public he wants people to see who Hurt is and hear what he thinks not what his handlers give him to think. Case in point the debate with Perriello was nothing but GOP talking points did anyone get to know him at all?
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