Michael McCaul Panics, then Blunders

It didn’t take long for Republican Michael McCaul (Texas-CD10) to show he’s not prepared for a tough re-election contest against his expected General Election opponent, centrist businessman Jack McDonald.   Wednesday, McCaul panicked after being criticized by the Lone Star Project for featuring divisive right wing radio host and de facto Republican Party leader, Rush Limbaugh, at a fundraising event .   Rather than ignore the report and concentrate on raising money, McCaul signed off on a Republican Party of Texas press release falsely alleging delinquent and unpaid sales tax liabilities by McDonald’s successful high tech company, Perficient.  A review of the facts shows that the Republican charges are false.  Perficient handled its sales taxes appropriately in every instance identified. (Source: The Austin American-Statesman, May 28, 2009) Now, rather than only taking heat from independents and centrist Republicans for cozying up to Rush Limbaugh, McCaul must explain why his campaign OK’d a false, cheap shot, negative attack.

Ready, fire, aim 

McCaul’s camp apparently lost its composure and fired before taking aim. As experienced researchers know, tax transactions by any company, particularly a large, successful corporation with many employees, are complicated and require careful examination. McCaul’s team either didn’t understand the transactions, or panicked when criticized for embracing Rush Limbaugh’s comments such as calling Iraqi War Veterans “phony” and saying he wants President Obama to “fail.” (Sources: The Rush Limbaugh Show, September 26, 2007  and  The Rush Limbaugh Show, January 16, 2009 )

Serial Screw-ups

It’s been a rough year for Mike McCaul and his political advisors. Repeatedly, he has embarked on one strategy only to quickly change course, made questionable tactical decisions and, most recently, authorized a wild negative attack that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

• Attorney General Jump: Early this year, McCaul tried to gather support for a run for Texas State Attorney General which, of course, immediately sparked speculation on who would run to fill his open seat. Clearly unsettled, McCaul hastily reversed course, said he had no intention of running statewide and oddly implied that his initial comments about running for AG were made by mistake. (Source: Austin American-Statesman, April 16, 2009 )
• 
  Limbaugh and McCaul
  Hush, hush on Rush: Faced with the prospect of a centrist, business-oriented Democratic opponent with the ability to raise funds, McCaul risked alienating independents and centrist Republicans in his district by bringing in Rush Limbaugh as a fundraising draw . In an odd and ineffective effort to somehow avoid media coverage of the bombastic Limbaugh, McCaul refused to disclose the location of the event unless an individual confirmed that they would contribute and attend. Ultimately of course, the event location – the exclusive home of auto racing mogul Tracy Krohn was discovered.
• Attacks without facts: Negative attacks and harsh criticism are expected in tough congressional races. Honesty, however, is expected too. Credibility is a critical commodity in a competitive campaign and should never be squandered. Michael McCaul’s reckless and false charges against Jack McDonald not only call into question the competency of his campaign, but its veracity as well.

McCaul makeover?

Michael McCaul  is quickly squandering the important advantage s of incumbency and running in a Republican leaning district. The election cycle is barely underway, and McCaul’s campaign has demonstrated instability , impulsiveness and a somewhat amateurish approach .   By contrast, Jack McDonald, even though seeking public office for the first time, appears to be running a focused and disciplined effort. Observers should watch to see if McCaul makes changes in his campaign team soon.