Cook Reports Rates Grayson Race As Leans Republican

The Cook Report rates the Alan Grayson/Daniel Webster race as leans Republican.

Lean Republican. Like a bad disease, this race is so toxic thanks to Grayson that both parties wish they could quarantine it. And House Democrats, who point to Grayson’s self-funding capabilities as an excuse not to get involved, basically can. But for now, the preponderance of evidence suggests that Grayson’s scorched earth “Taliban Dan” attacks against GOP state Sen. Dan Webster are backfiring. Editorial boards have excoriated Grayson for taking Webster’s words grossly out of context by rolling footage of Webster saying “she should submit to me,” when Webster had actually warned husbands against that advice. As one Republican noted, painting Webster as anti-woman is a curious line of attack considering Grayson referred to a lobbyist as a “K Street whore” just last year.

Webster has wisely avoided being dragged into a brawl with Grayson, almost avoiding the incumbent like he is a rabid creature, while the NRCC is up with ads calling Grayson a “national embarrassment.” Although Grayson backers say the Democrat’s off-script antics win over angry independents, boring may be better in this case. While Grayson-commissioned polling over the summer showed him in the lead while multiple third party candidates were taking a sizable double digit share of the vote, more recent internal GOP polling shows Grayson’s numbers have tanked. The antagonist Grayson is to Republicans what Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is to many Democrats. The difference is that Grayson is running for reelection in a district and political environment tilted against his party.

As I said before, the "Taliban Dan" ad is a disaster. Grayson quoted Webster out of context. The ad quoted Webster saying, "Wives submit yourself to your own husband." Another Webster quote was: "Submit to me." Webster made the quotes at the Christian conservative Institute in Basic Life Principles.

Here is what Webster actually said.

"Have verses for (your) wife. I have verses for my wife," Webster said in an unedited excerpt provided by the Institute. "Don't pick the ones that say, 'she should submit to me.' That's in the Bible, but pick the ones you're supposed to do (laughs). So instead (laughs) that you'd love your wife -- even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it ... and, as opposed to wives submit yourself to your own husband. She can pray that if she wants to, but don't you pray it."

Another part of the ad that hasn't been mentioned is the blatant Islamophobia. The images of Muslims and burning of the American flag is not about to promote greater tolerance. The ad is pure fearmongering. This is coming from someone who doesn't want Dan Webster anywhere near Congress.