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Will Schumer-Soros “Breakwater” Stop Senate GOP Red Wave Again?

Posted on Sunday, October 20, 2024
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by Aaron Flanigan
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With GOP Senate candidates significantly ahead in West Virginia and Montana, tied in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and surging to within the margin of error in Arizona and Nevada, chances loom large for Republican control, and even domination, of the U.S. Senate for as much as a decade—but only if Republican candidates can successfully stop Democrats from doing what they did in 2022: Construct a last-minute “breakwater” in key states that throws back the GOP Red Wave.

The term “breakwater” comes from a RealClear study of the 2022 election by James Campbell, a professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, who showed how, in six to eight states, Democrats had created a barrier just high enough to hold back the Republican trend by leveraging mail-in ballots, mobilizing voters, and injecting huge amounts of ad money in the final weeks of the campaign.

The most potent of those steps was the last. Unprepared Republicans faced a firestorm of attack ads that made them defensive and took attention off the real issue of the campaign—the far-left voting records of Democratic Senate candidates, who, in exchange for not having to face a well-financed left-wing primary challenge, had agreed to vote in lockstep with progressives. This Democratic vulnerability — Trump has called it “the corrupt bargain”—was a dark money deal in which congressional Democrats, held hostage by the left, routinely put the liberal progressive agenda ahead of the views and wishes of their constituents.

But this vulnerability and the whole issue of the Democratic party’s takeover by the far left is one that D.C.-based consultants have steadfastly resisted exploiting. Trained in the Karl Rove tradition of avoiding any philosophical focus and never emphasizing the all-important conservative-vs-liberal comparisons, they prefer instead the role of omniscient campaign adviser who ingeniously finds some personal attack point in the opposition research files with which they can dazzle the political world and get some coverage from the political reporters that they so assiduously cultivate. Though the result here usually is far from felicitous as voters find off-putting the mean-spirited ads and attention is steered away from far more salient left-vs- right issues, ensuring that races are lost to starkly left-wing Democrats even in heavily red states.

The problem here is one of culture. Many of these adviser typesare former Hill staffers who entered the political consulting business with little experience, let alone expertise in public relations or advertising, minimal campaign experience, and no track record of electoral success. They survive by excelling at the Washington game of cultivating their patrons in Senate leadership, getting media mentions by criticizing other Republicans — including their own candidates or Donald Trump for their own failures — and arranging hit pieces with friendly journalists on those who question their practices and tactics. After the 2022 election, for example — which ended with the consultant class spending $40 million in Georgia but failing to stop the election of two decidedly left-wing Democrats — Republican Senator Rick Scott faced such attacks after criticizing the consultants’ methods and fee schedules. Like the GOP Senate leadership who favor them, these consultants are often accused of caring more about their hold on power and fees than winning GOP Senate seats. (Indeed, the Republican leadership under Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is again being accused of shortchanging Republicans in various states only because they fear that they will not support them for leadership positions.)

The good news, however, is the break from all of this led by one conservative group and two Republican senatorial candidates. Their efforts are providing a much-needed blueprint against Democrats’ attempts to hide their extremism with the usual smokescreen of attack ads against their opponents.

For example, Senate candidates Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Eric Hovde (R-WI), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) have been using terms like “extremist” and “liberal” to make the broader ideological case against their opponents. Sheehy, in particular, has directly confronted smear attacks by enlisting local ranchers in Montana to go on camera and criticize his opponent, Jon Tester, for accepting the defamatory help of national Democrats.

Especially effective has been a group called Frontier for Freedom Action—the same group that, in early September, triggered the anti-Catholic bigotry charge now dogging Harris and other Democrat candidates with a series of TV spots on that subject that ran in five Senate races. This set off a cascade of follow-up charges on the issue by Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump, and J.D. Vance and former Vatican Ambassador James Nicholson. All the is culminated last week with the political hit Kamala Harris took for not attending the iconic Al Smith dinner run by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

Now the group is countering this year’s Democrat attempt at constructing a breakwater to the Red Wave with hard-hitting TV and radio ads that although primarily featured in the Arizona Senate race that are a template for all other GOP senate candidate facing a similar flood of attack ads arranged by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and substantially financed by anti-American billionaire George Soros. The TV spot criticizes Democrat candidate Ruben Gallego for his “dark money alliance and corrupt political bargain” with a “Schumer-Soros smear machine” sponsoring millions in attack ads against Gallego’s Republican opponent, Kari Lake and then labels him “extremist liberal Gallego” who wants to become the “puppet senator ofSchumer and Soros.”

Trying to shame the media into doing its job, the TV spot also calls out the Arizona press for giving Gallego a “free ride” and features a stark screenshot of the front page of state’s main paper—The Arizona Republic— while demanding journalists press Gallego on his far-left voting record in Congress and his refusal to disavow Schumer and Soros as well as his “record of anti-Catholic bigotry.”

These ads have been successful doing the basic messaging and achieving the objective the GOP consultant class has never understood. The elements of which are:

1. Inoculate the voters: This new approach warns voters that Democrat ads are coming as part of the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent by lavishly rich progressives and special interest groups trying to save the Democrat candidate from having the public focus his or her own extremist left-wing voting record.

2. Putting Schumer and Soros on the screen. Making them the issue. And then, placing the Democratic candidate in the middle of them. The charge is that Schumer and Soros and the far left are holding the Democrats hostage since he would face a heavily financed left-wing primary challenge if he didn’t make a corrupt bargain and dark money alliance with them and agree to become their “puppet senator.”

3. Constructing a narrative that lets voters understand why the incumbents they usually vote for are not working for them but the far left: Because voters find it hard to believe that an incumbent they know and have been voting for is actually an extremist liberal, the ad explains to them why their own Senate candidate will actually vote against their own and their state’s interest since in a way they have no choice.

4. Putting the Democrats’ voting record on the screen. This one is easy:

5. Asking why Democrats won’t disavow their support from extremists like Schumer with his threats to the Supreme Court and attempts to abolish voter ID  

6. Or why won’t Democrat candidates disavow Soros with sponsorship of lawless prosecutors that have cost so many lives?


7. Bring up the failures to respond to the anti-Catholic bigotry problem of the Democrat Party.  All the key states have millions of Catholic voters and high numbers of Hispanics who have a historic recollection of Latin American government attacks on their religion.

8. Using the ‘Liberal’ and the ‘Extremist’ word.
The ads use the ‘E’ and ‘L’ words –words that are to American voters probably the worst in the political lexicon.

9. Staying on the offense. The ads show why candidates shouldn’t let attack ads and the hurt feelings of their family and friends force them into defensive ads that only tend to make voters suspicious a candidate is hiding something. Fred Thompson used to say the toughest part of running for office is the time spent on the phone explaining to your mom why the attacks against you aren’t true. After getting elected, candidates can run gauzy TV spots showing them making breakfast for the kids or playing with the family dog. They will also have six years in the Senate to show what pleasant people they really are. But the Schumer-Soros ads show how GOP candidates can keep the other side from controlling their campaign by making them defensive. This doesn’t mean that positive ads, particularly on issue positions, don’t have their place. Only that a principal focus must be the extremist liberal voting record,and the dark money deals with Schumer and Soros.

“Please steal our ad,” George Landrith president of Frontiers of Freedom Action has said to Republican Senate candidates about the approach his group has taken.

Good advice. Because If Republican candidates opt to do so into the final weeks of the 2024 cycle and make the “extremist liberal” label synonymous with the Democrat Party brand, they could smash apart the Schumer-Soros breakwater. And, in letting the Red Wave roll, they may find that their majorities in the House and Senate in January are far greater than ever expected.

Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.

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David Goodwin
David Goodwin
18 days ago

Schumer and Soros are two Commie SOCIALIST FROM THE SAME Tribe who use every dirty ploy to accomplish their PERSONNEL GAIN.

Leslie
Leslie
18 days ago

Soros needs to go back to his country of origin..Hungary I believe? Why come to the US and then try to turn it socialist like the country he left? And his son is even more radical! Schumer and Pelosi shoulder the blame for making partisan politics the worst they’ve ever been. I have come to believe that NO ONE in Washington is working for the people and haven’t been for decades now.

PLZ1123
PLZ1123
18 days ago

These Dems will throw money at to buy the election, they lie, cheat and definitely steal.
They also have laundered OUR money through Ukraine, China, etc. They are devaluing the American dollar in light speed time.

Alan Wood
Alan Wood
18 days ago

Bernie Moreno here in Ohio has done very good pointing out that his opponent, Brown is an ultra liberal. The Red Tide is coming!

anna hubert
anna hubert
18 days ago

How blind and brainwashed young democrats are .Allowing themselves to be led by ugly, stale, staid old man. Not much spirit there I would say,nor inspiration.Brainless, spiritless. puppets. Useless idiots . Serving the self serving and self centered relics.

uncleferd
uncleferd
18 days ago

Schumer has always been compromised. I recall his arguments when he was on the house judiciary committee, during the Clinton impeachment. Very discouraging.

Myrna
Myrna
18 days ago

It is a struggle for survival.

Martin
Martin
18 days ago

Another good article from AMAC. I am not paid by AMAC. However, this organization is good enough to suggest to the folks you know, to switch from AARP to AMAC.

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
18 days ago

Wonder how much Liz Cheney gets paid to appear with Kumbuya or she just doing it from the goodness of her black heart?

Bob L.
Bob L.
18 days ago

“Breakwater” – another term for election fraud.

Thinking
Thinking
18 days ago

The dems with the money from Soros, Black Rock, Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg and others of this ilk are buying the election again. Harris keeps screaming lies and smearing her opponent while having nothing of substance to offer America or its people. The election should not be about personalities but policies. Not about who can raise the most money. The name calling and grift that has come from the democrats from Biden Harris on down should be enough to turn the voters to policies. What have the democrats done but break this country in two and deeply in debt. Schumer, Pelosi, Obama are the dictators ruling the country. Doing the bidding of these elites and their policies. The psychological warfare they have waged since 2008 to destroy America is at stake in this election. There is nothing democratic about the democrat party, Harris or Walz or the rest of the powerful in Washington. What Harris with MSM keeps shouting about will happen under a Trump government is already happening now under Biden Harris. They want a global world, an America run as a communist state. Where the elites rule and the people become pawns and obey them. They will eliminate the constitution the Supreme Court. With 20 million invaders they have an army ready to take care of those that dare to disobey them. VOTE TRUMP VANCE our last chance to save America land of the FREE home of the BRAVE.

Philip Seth Hammersley
Philip Seth Hammersley
18 days ago

Quite frankly, ANYONE receiving money from Soros should be REPUDIATED! We need no pro-Nazi members of the House or Senate. Soros stated on “60 Minutes” that he did NOT regret helping Hungarian Nazis confiscate Jewish valuables!

SAMSON
SAMSON
18 days ago

Why are we letting soros interfere with our country? The man needs to be taken out.

spitfire?
spitfire?
18 days ago

Schumer ,Soros,Sanders,Rankin ,Nadler,not forgetting Barney Franks.All far left liberals if not downright COMMUNISTS/MARXISTS. And we wonder how people can be anti semitic?For the record,I love Isreal and Israely people,if I were young enough I would go fight with them. I still have Israely friends from wayback(Africa) They cannot fathom why Jews in the Democratic party act the way they do.

D G
D G
18 days ago

It’s already happening. Every page I bring up on FOX has a Harris ad on it. I delete the ad and answer the pop-up question “Why did you delete this ad?” I generally choose from the list of possible answers “Offensive”, “Irrelevant” or “Repetitive”. A message appears “We will try not to show you this ad again.” It’s a lie. Not only does the original ad not completely disappear, but the ad shows up EVERY time I visit a new FOX page.

David Millikan
David Millikan
18 days ago

Excellent article. They even have Communist China, Russia, Venezuela (biden imports oil from instead of using our oil), and Iran helping them by funding ACT BLUE for democrats. More election interference after Zelensky’s visit campaigning for Communist harris in Pennsylvania and UK sending 100 staffers to Swing States campaigning for Communist harris. The democrats are not for Americans and the United States. The democrats are only for themselves for power and control with the help of Soros who is a Nazis sympathizer and helped kill Jews.

Thomas A. Thomas
Thomas A. Thomas
18 days ago

Good and powerful articles, but I had to read it several times to understand the theme. I hold two masters degrees.
Mr. Trump explains everything simple although he uses unparliamentary words.
Please write the synopsis of the article at the end for the laymen to understand.
KISS ( Keep It Simple & Summarized).
Thanks

Horace
Horace
18 days ago

The establishment is going to lose.

Judy Ross
Judy Ross
18 days ago

You need to proofread these articles! The content is important and must be read, but after the first few mistakes, most people won’t take it as seriously as they should.
This summed it up: “Fred Thompson used to say the toughest part of running for office is the time spent on the phone explaining to your mom why the attacks against you aren’t true.” I’m that mom.

Robert Chase
Robert Chase
18 days ago

The dark money purchase of our elections must stop! We have government that increasingly represents non-electorate interests. Citizens are not the focus of the FED anymore. These global elite bad actors rule with their $$$. If our politicians truly represented us that evil control would be broken. People like Schumer would be out of business.

Mike
Mike
18 days ago

I urge them to give Pat Morgan in Rhode Island help. Small electorate, horrible democrat, senator shameless Sheldon Whitehouse running for reelection to go beyond 18 years in office even while trying to limit Supreme Court Judges to 18 years.

GMA
GMA
18 days ago

Too bad Soros is still around, yet, his son will act the same.

Pat R
Pat R
18 days ago

Can’t stand to look at or listen to either one of them (Schumer or Soros), and that goes for Obama too.

Bacon Nivison
Bacon Nivison
18 days ago

There is no way to even estimate how bad this will get. Globalism on the brink of taking over our economy, The demonicrats gaining access to the elimination of free speech, Hell, the entire First Amendment! As Dan Bongino pointed out this morning, nothing is more important than ignoring the “media” (propagandia). We already know, but our friends must be reminded.

Melinda
Melinda
18 days ago

It seems, I hope, that the younger crop of conservatives are more aggressive. Many have military backgrounds, which gives them a spine. JD Vance led the way, love that guy!

Paul Manning
Paul Manning
18 days ago

The Senate is extremely important. First, Congress successfully moved the 22nd amendment through in just 4 years to limit the Executive office to 2 terms and now Schumer is proposing term limits on SC Justices. He is setting up the legislative branch to be the most powerful of the three and able to dictate our lives for as long as they live. It’s about time that We the People reread the Constitution and try to understand the intentions of our founders before we find ourselves held helpless by the state.

D Law
D Law
16 days ago

The greatest challenge is Leader McConnell & the RNC, both of which have become anti Conservative in order to maintain the status quote. As we seen in the last election, popular conservative who could have won were shown the backhand, if not utter contempt, by both McConnell & the RNC. I stopped donating to the RNC years ago when they purposely helped a Democrat win in Virginia because they felt the conservative republican’s position on illegal immigration was too extreme. Socialist light republicans are not the answer to the problems we currently need to face in the USA.

Jeff Savlov
Jeff Savlov
17 days ago

Good points are made but one thing that has been ignored is their support for overturning the Constitution, how the Biden/Harris administration sat on their hands while the Democrat congress refused to legislate to secure our borders and work against inflation and joblessness. Biden/Harris were chosen by the Soros/ Schumer team because they would be easy to control and would follow their lead to force the country into their “New World Order”. Voters must be scared senseless and dragged kicking and screaming away for voting Democrat. The only permanent solution is to rid government of as many Democrats as possible.

Gloria
Gloria
17 days ago

We can know these people are lying, Communists/Marxists who really hate humanity (to quote from Elon) and have played dirty politics for years. Yet here they are again. It’s people;le who believe CNN and who think democrats means “good guys”. that vote for them;, along with their rigging the ballots, etc. So we continue to deal with these “good guys”, liars and dirty players because of MONEY. Their only concern is money and child sacrifice, both of which is Communist/Satanists. If the people in the U.S. cannot get their act together and vote for those who have integrity, and live according to the 10 commandments, then God will give us what we deserve.

Johnny Q
Johnny Q
18 days ago

The right will maintain the House and regain control of the Senate by 3 to 4 seats. Trump will win in a landslide. Let them waste their money.

Horace
Horace
18 days ago

Democrats have no as in “zero” chance of winning against Donald Trump. GOD says that and that is going to be the outcome of the Presidential election.

Tidewater
Tidewater
18 days ago

Political party, money for elections are all bad and need to be eliminated. Run on one’s character, morals, honesty, work from home state in a special setting where communications, technology, etc., is present to become a true representative and operate not with some dweeb telling you how to act and vote, Sign a contract with the people, eliminate influence but the peoples response to surveys for input, etc. remove money, jail Soros for interfering and any who assist him, etc. SEE “X” 10.21.24 for article on this.

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
18 days ago

Only with aid from DC Estd Republcan Uniparty types otherwise NO

mark
mark
18 days ago

what drivel

Joe Cogan
Joe Cogan
18 days ago

If you really think Chuck Schumer is an extremist, you’ve lost any contact with the real world.

LYNN WHITING
LYNN WHITING
18 days ago

The article above is some of the worst journalistic attempts at writing I have read. It is fraught with amateurish errors and ambiguities. The subject matter deserved much better!

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