John Fund: Minute Man's Minute Is Up

From today's Political Diary:

Minute Man's Minute Is Up

Anti-immigration activists are touting the 14% showing of Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, in a special election to fill the House seat of Chris Cox, the Californian who resigned to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Gilchrist, who ran under the banner of the American Independent Party, will now face GOP State Senator John Campbell, a leader of anti-tax forces in the state, in a December runoff. Mr. Campbell won 46%, just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

While it's true that Mr. Gilchrist almost beat Marilyn Brewer, a former GOP state legislator who had been endorsed by John McCain and former New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman, Mr. Gilchrist's showing is unimpressive on close examination. Chuck Muth, a political consultant who works with candidates who oppose immigration, said Mr. Gilchrist was inarticulate on issues other than immigration and failed to raise money for his campaign. "Without that... he's dead meat on December 6," admitted Mr. Muth. "What a squandered opportunity."

-- John Fund

Ouch.

After embracing Jim Gilchrist's candidacy with such fanfare back in Gilchrist's glory days, Chuck Muth is pretty quick to skedaddle away from the car wreck.  With friends like these...

[By the way, Political Diary is a great deal. For $3.95 a month -- the price of a latte at Starbucks -- you get a month's worth of great political short takes and insider insight.]

Comments

[Phil Paule]

When a paid consultant leaves it usually means the campaign has not paid the bills or the candidate is such diffucult person to work with that it is not worth the money. In some cases it is both.

[Eldad Taylor]

When the rats start jumping ship it means the ship is about to sink.

Adios, Gilchrist.

[Phil Paule]

When Allan Bartlett leaves the Gilchrist campaing we will know it is over for sure.

I commend Mr. Gilchrist for running for public office and doing everything he could possibly do to keep the immigration issues before the voters. His original 15 minutes of fame (the Minuteman Project) was flipped into an additional 15 minutes of fame during this primary and he'll get another 5 - 10 minutes of fame in the December 6 election. He should use it wisely.

While the candidate has not been able to utilize his brush with fame for personal political advantage (unable to reach public office), he showed courage in running for office. He, unlike his opponent, did have the courage to appear at the candidate forums, met with voters and answered their questions. Gilchrist for the most part was a gentleman and his efforts were appreciated.

As to the effectiveness of the campaign, there is much to be said. Gilchrist didn't raise the money he needed, he didn't spend the money raised to tear down Campbell when he needed to. Money needed to be spent before all the absentee ballots were cast. The strategy of surviving the primary was flawed.

[Allan Bartlett]

The campaign needs a good swift kick in the ass right now. It's tough love or whatever you want to call it. I'm not abandoning any ships right now. We need to raise money to be effective though. The people are hungary for someone like Jim's leadership, but if they don't hear the message(lack of money) then they will stay home or vote for the soup guy.

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[juan campell]

pinche gabacho! You just wait until Decembre.

[Phil Paule]

Allan

Take some of your day trading skills and get your boy some $$$$

[Allan Bartlett]

Day trading=gambling....no thanks. Actually I some friends who are good day traders, but it is very hard to make $$$ on day trading alone. Now, selling S&P 500 options is another story. You get to make money when the market goes up, down, or sideways. BTW Phil, Jim just raised $200k in the last three weeks and the dough is rolling in from small donors across the country.

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[Gabriel Chapman]

No one expect Gilchrist to win. His sole purpose (IMO) for running was to bring attention to his issue, illegal immigration. The WSJ op-ed board is horribly pro-illegal, so Fund's input is par for the course.