Among the political blogosphere’s biggest liabilities is that a majority of those commenting on politics and public policy have never worked on a campaign, have never served as an aide to a federal, state or municipal lawmaker, and simply have no contextual understanding regarding their own misguided, uninformed opinions.
Moreover, most of these bloviators have nothing but bad things to say about everyone and everything. DCspectator goes out of its way to avoid gratuitously trashing politicians and others in the public spotlight. At least they’re out there as players — competing, winning, losing, contributing and making a difference one way or another.
That being said, there’s just one thing to say about the U.S. Senate “candidacy” of Kathleen Troia “KT” McFarland: Her campaign is a joke, and she’s made a fool of herself.
When KT first entered the race, it was somewhat interesting — a former Reagan Pentagon official, ostensibly with high-end, military and foreign policy credentials; someone who could conceivably debate Senator Hillary Clinton, an Armed Services Committee member, with credibility and legitimacy.
In fact, KT’s Reagan-era Pentagon credentials are largely bogus upon closer inspection. When her campaign claimed she was an author of Reagan’s “Star Wars” speech, well, that’s when the charade really began — and it’s been all downhill from there.
Where to begin w/ the Vegas lounge act comedy routine?
— McFarland failed to vote in numerous New York elections and had even missed voting for President Ronald Reagan in 1984, for whom she claimed to be an important Reagan Pentagon official;
— McFarland had occasionally voted at both her Southampton and Manhattan addresses in violation of state Election Law, which allows ballots to be cast from only address;
— There are several discrepancies in McFarland’s résumé and has falsely claimed to be the highest-ranking woman in the Pentagon at a time when two other women held higher-ranking posts.
And let’s not even get into her bizarre allegation that Senator Clinton “had helicopters flying over my house in Southampton today taking pictures.”
McFarland’s campaign is a laughing stock in Washington, and the only other statewide GOP ’06 candidate
she can be remotely compared to is Florida GOP Senate candidate Katherine Harris. But at least Harris has $10 million to work with, is a sitting member of congress, and actually has a real campaign — despite it’s incredible ineptitude. It’s somewhat ironic that Ed Rollins and Adam Goodman — two quality operatives — were Harris’s key consultants in Florida before flying the coup.
McFarland’s campaign? She doesn’t really go out in public, and while through a spokesman denounces negative campaigning, allows Rollins to appear on Hardball with Chris Matthews and other programs to trash her opponent, Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, in the worst possible way.
This goes far beyond “good cop-bad cop” politics, which is totally kosher and legit; but allowing Rollins and others to continue the bashing of Spencer’s personal life while proclaiming her opposition to negative campaigns shows her to be something quite the opposite of her former boss Ronald Reagan: a coward.
One can only hope NY Republicans give McFarland the hook, and send KT back to Southampton, Park Avenue, or wherever she claims to reside.
Al D’Amato is right: KT’s “a joke” and “a candidate in her own mind.”