Friday, October 08, 2010

Christine O'Donnell: 'I didn't go to Yale' in latest TV ad.



In her first TV advert, Christine O'Donnell hoped the voters of Delaware would be tempted to vote for her on the grounds that she was "not a witch."

Her second ad is insisting that "I didn't go to Yale", and using what she clearly hopes to be her catchphrase, "I am you":

"I didn't go to Yale, I didn't inherit millions like my opponent. I'm you. I know how tough it is to make and keep a dollar. When some tried to push me from this race they saw what I was made of. And so will the Senate if they try to increase our taxes one more dime. I'm Christine O'Donnell and I approve this message. I'm you."
And while it is true her opponent went to Yale, I am not sure if it is true that he "inherited millions".

The "inherit millions" line is a nasty attack, since Coons's family went bankrupt in the 1970s and was forced to sell their home, after which his parents divorced. His mother re-married, to Robert Gore, one of the founders of Gore-Tex, based in Delaware and where Chris Coons worked for several years. Since Robert Gore is still alive it's unlikely Coons has inherited anything from his stepfather.

Of course, O'Donnell - whilst spurning the notion of privilege associated with Yale - has attempted to claim that she was educated at Oxford University in England, so the point she makes by stating that she "did go to Yale" is obscure at best.

And attacking her opponent for where he got his money is surely risky, as there are allegations that she used her campaign funds in a way which was "clearly criminal".

She has clearly decided to attempt to turn her negatives into positives.

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