As they are wont to do, the Kansas City Star Editorial Board came out and hammered Kansas U.S. Senate candidate Kris Kobach for his intro campaign video.
See the video here:
The Star does something of a touchdown dance over the Kobach campaign, arguing that they were right all along during the Gubernatorial race. And they question his video props and seek to correct his grammar.
The Star claims Kobach didn’t lose because of their propaganda, but because of all of the errors and machinations Kobach made as Secretary of State.
Hmm. Well this is all debatable (and a little strangely defensive by the newspaper).
But the Star can’t resist getting particularly petty. They say, responding to Kobach, “Crichton didn’t need to be vindicated, which means cleared of suspicion.”
Well, as long as the Star’s Grammar Police are coming down on Kobach, let’s at least point out that “vindicate” also means, “show or prove to be right, reasonable, or justified.”
Which is neither here nor there, but simply a strange personal attack on something that doesn’t really need to be personal.
The Mess
Because the Kobach video, and the actual decision behind it, is a mess all on its own.
Why is he wielding a coffee mug?
Why is there a shot of him actually drinking from said coffee mug?
The coral, short sleeve, out in front of the BBQ grill shirt?
The “extremist” retort, “If I WERE one, I would tell you! But I am NOT.”
(For you The Office fans out there, we saw Andy Bernard seeping through. Just waiting for the line, “I went a little school called Harvard. Ever heard of it?”)
Kobach campaign, someone actually cleared all of this?
Someone specifically thought, “This is campaign gold!”
Look, you edit this down, and it’s not a horrible video.
Sure it reeks just a little too much of the “poor me, I was smeared by the media!” but it’s some basic raw meat for the conservative crowd who want their views confirmed.
But it also smacks of the kind of goofy mistakes Kobach made during the Governor’s campaign. It is a very mockable video that the independents won’t respond to positively. And while it could, in theory, help Kobach through a primary, it’s could help him lose the general.
You Go, KCStar!
But for those of you Republicans on the other campaigns who are cheering along on the Star’s editorial, don’t get too cocky.
You really think the Star is going to take your side if Kobach doesn’t win the Primary?
Ha!
The long knives will still come out. You’ll still be called a racist, a dummy and someone who hates The Children. Bank on it.
Oh, and in case you aren’t sure, just take a look back at the March 2019 editorial entitled, “A Mike Pompeo candidacy? Kansas doesn’t need the secretary of state’s kind of swagger”.
We will have some more critiques of all of the campaign videos, ads, brochures and the like.
But one quick tip: Don’t take a swig of coffee during your’s.
***
Could Be Big is part of the Patreon network, where we ask readers like YOU to become patrons to help keep this site running.
Please consider becoming a Could Be Big patron by clicking here.
