Co-opting the Teabaggers in Kentucky

Nobody ever said David Williams was stupid. Evil, yes. Stupid, no. So when his gubernatorial campaign is threatened by the Central Kentucky teabaggers who almost cost him the primary, he doesn't get mad.

He buys them off.

And does it subtly enough to fool everybody. For a couple of days.

Media Czech on Friday:

Oh my.

FRANKFORT — Lexington Tea Party movement organizer Mica Sims has joined Republican James Comer’s campaign for state agriculture commissioner as state field director, the Comer campaign said Friday.

“Rep. Comer is the not only the best choice for this office because he is a life-long farmer but he’s the voter’s only choice as a valid candidate for this office,” Sims said in a release.

She is to coordinate the campaign’s statewide grassroots and volunteer efforts.

*****

“I am very excited to announce my team who will coordinate with my local organizations to ensure victory in November. These individuals have lots of energy, they are very well respected, and are all experienced in organizing successful campaigns,” Comer said.

So that really happened. Mica Sims is directing a statewide field campaign. Because of her experience running campaigns and how respected she is. Wow.

I've heard lots of rumblings about bad blood between David Williams and James Comer. This certainly makes those rumblings a little more interesting (Sims is encouraging teabaggers not to vote for Williams). And I'm not sure whether this hire means that Comer already knows he has won, or he's completely insane. I'm better the former, but who knows?

By Monday, the truth was starting to dawn:

When I wrote about James Comer's hilarious hire on Friday afternoon, I wrote it off as either one of two things:

#1: Comer thinks that he's already won, and it doesn't matter who he hires to do field.

#2: Comer has gone a bit mad in the head.

But additional quotes in the update to the story, plus quotes in Ronnie Ellis' story lead me to believe that there might be a third interpretation that is equally plausible:

#3: Comer made this hire with David Williams' and RPK's direct blessing (if it wasn't their idea to begin with) in order to buy out and shut up Mica and tea party criticism of Williams so that they don't hurt Williams' already not-great chances of winning this November.

It's easy to look at quotes like these and think it is spin, but there may be a larger truth here:

Comer said he talked to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican gubernatorial nominee David Williams and state GOP Chairman Steve Robertson about hiring Sims.

“None advised me not to get her,” he said. “They told me it was my decision.”

Robertson said the decision was Comer’s. “I know Mica has much enthusiasm for Jamie to win this race,” he said.

And:

Comer said he’d advised Williams, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and RPK Chairman Steve Robertson in advance he planned to hire Sims.

“Everyone is excited,” Comer said. “They are all supporting my campaign and they trust my political judgment.”

Scott Jennings, a spokesman for Williams’ campaign, confirmed Comer and Williams spoke earlier in the week and said Williams supports Comer’s campaign and thinks “he’ll make a great Agricultural Commissioner.”

Holly Harris VonLuehrte, an in-house counsel for RPK, also confirmed Robertson and Comer spoke about Sims’ hiring in advance. She said the two men are “close and meet and speak constantly. Steve is supportive of all (of Comer’s) campaign hires.”

And here's the kicker:

Sims said she won’t be involved in any other campaign, including the governor’s race, because her goal is to help Comer attract voters from both major political parties and the Tea Party. She said she doesn’t want to alienate any of them by speaking out about another race. She said she will coordinate grassroots and volunteer efforts across the state for Comer.

Bingo.

If I was a betting man, I'd say this was the grand bargain. Williams shuts up the criticism of him from the Moffett/tea party crowd that trounced him in the Golden Triangle this May, and Mica Sims gets a paycheck. Meanwhile, Comer will have another competent or at least remotely qualified staffer who will actually run his field, or it will be run out of the RPK. Everybody wins (except Williams most likely, just not as bad).

Regardless of whether interpretation #3 is correct, I would say that James Comer, much like Andy Barr last year, has some rather important questions to answer.