Don’t Be ‘Shocked’ by Vitter

8 Sep 2009 // Democrats are accusing Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter of using his public town hall meetings on health care to bash his only named opponent next year, Democratic U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon of Napoleonville.

The scenario seems similar to the old Claude Rains line in Casablanca before he is handed his winnings: “I’m shocked, shocked to find gambling going on in here.”

Should anyone be surprised that politics is being talked about by a politician? Vitter has unabashedly used the town hall meeting to criticize Melancon, His comments were even captured during a town hall meeting played last week on C-SPAN.

But Democrats say it is wrong that Vitter is using taxpayer-funded town hall meetings to engage in campaign activity. Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Chris Whittington recently filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee about the action.

Whittington noted that during at least one of his 20 town hall meetings, Vitter encouraged the crowd to “keep the pressure on” Melancon.

“Senator Vitter’s repeated attacks on his likely campaign opponent indicate these events were political and not official in nature,” Whittington wrote.

Even if Vitter did criticize Melancon at meetings, it’s likely to have little effect on the race. Vitter is playing to a home crowd at the events. Most of those complaining about health care are likely conservatives who will vote for Vitter anyway.

One woman who stood up to ask questions at the C-SPAN meeting used her time to criticize Melancon.

The back and forth between the two campaigns is just an example of the skirmishes bubbling up behind the scenes between the two candidates. Most of the fight is happening on the political field of the 21st century, the Internet.

Vitter recently created a new Web site, http://charliemelanconforsenate.com, which indicates the strategy that he will use to run against Melancon. The web site takes viewers to photos of Melancon and President Obama, who is not popular in Louisiana.

Melancon himself has not engaged in any back-and-forth with Vitter but he hasn’t had to. The Louisiana Democratic Party is doing it for him.

The party recently created its own Web site, http://www.doingavitter.com.

They label the site as a clearinghouse for information on Vitter’s record and a way to create an online community for Democratic activists in Louisiana.

The name of the site is a reference to a recent comment published in a Capitol Hill newspaper that described Nevada Republican U.S. Sen. John Ensign as using the same strategy as Vitter in handling his admission that he had an extramarital affair.

The reference was to the tactic that Vitter used in 2007 when his name showed up on the client list of a Washington prostitution ring.

Vitter was lauded by political strategists for laying low, taking the punches for a few months then coming back swinging on issues opposed by Republicans.

“That’s what he does, be out in front of issues that are very unpopular, leading the charge,” Baton Rouge pollster Bernie Pinsonat said.

Vitter says in one of his e-mails that Melancon voted against health-care amendments in the House, one in particular that would have eliminated the government’s plan to create a government-run health-care option.

Melancon voted against the health-care bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Vitter also opposes. Melancon also voted against the climate-change legislation that Vitter opposes.

Vitter has used campaign e-mails to also criticize Melancon for not holding any town hall meetings during the recess.

He notes that Melancon attended a $1,000 per person fundraiser in Donaldsonville.

“The Democrats’ reaction to these town halls across America is to try to shut down the debate and suggest that there is something out of bounds,” Vitter spokesman Joel DiGrado said. “Instead of trying to shut down free speech, why doesn’t Charlie Melancon have a least a single in-person town hall this month?”

As Claude Rains might say, voters should be “shocked, shocked” that as a politician, Melancon is spending some of his recess to raise money for what looks to be one of the nation’s most-competitive races.