Whisper to a Scream
The Atlantic ran a story in its most recent issue about the tactics of Karl Rove, which is one part enlightening and one part saddening in how the level of political discourse has been lowered by such strategies. One of the tools in Rove's belt (and one that's been passed to other Republican strategists) is the whisper campaign:

Some of Rove's darker tactics cut even closer to the bone. One constant throughout his career is the prevalence of whisper campaigns against opponents. The 2000 primary campaign, for example, featured a widely disseminated rumor that John McCain, tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, had betrayed his country under interrogation and been rendered mentally unfit for office. More often a Rove campaign questions an opponent's sexual orientation. Bush's 1994 race against Ann Richards featured a rumor that she was a lesbian, along with a rare instance of such a tactic's making it into the public record—when a regional chairman of the Bush campaign allowed himself, perhaps inadvertently, to be quoted criticizing Richards for "appointing avowed homosexual activists" to state jobs.

This tactic is now being used quite overtly in the Senate race in Kentucky between incumbent Jim Bunning (R) and Dan Mongiardo (D). A brief review: Jim Bunning was supposed to easily quash his Democratic rival, but his behavior on the campaign trail has become more and more erratic over the last few months, making some wonder about his mental health. He's also avoided public debates with Mongiardo, skipping one entirely and appearing via satellite feed from Washington DC in another (where he used a teleprompter). All this has led to a very tight race in Kentucky and the possibility of an unexpected pick-up of a Democratic Senate seat.

Neither the Kentucky Republicans nor Bunning will say anything about the state of the candidate's health, which has fueled the fire even more. And they don't have much to say about Bunning's Senate record, as this endorsement for Mongiardo from the Louisville Courier-Journal notes:

Sen. Bunning, on the other hand, has shown scant leadership or creativity.

Little, if any, important legislation becomes law because of his efforts.

And on a wide range of issues — from unquestioning support of the misadventure in Iraq to the fiscal irresponsibility that is producing record deficits — he has simply been a me-too presence in support of whatever Mr. Bush wants.

So what can the Kentucky Republican's do to prop up the hopes for their candidate? Turn to the Gay Card:

A top state Republican called Demo-cratic U.S. Senate candidate Dan Mongiardo "limp-wristed," and another GOP state legislator said she questions whether "the word 'man' applies to him" in speeches during Sen. Jim Bunning's campaign bus tour yesterday.

Both state Senate President David Williams of Burkesville and state Sen. Elizabeth Tori of Radcliff denied they intended to raise questions about Mongiardo's sexual orientation -- though Tori later said that if any listeners thought she was referring to his sexuality, "so be it."

[...]

At the Elizabethtown stop, Tori, the state Senate majority whip, said "I served with Dr. Dan -- let me tell you he is not a gentleman. I'm not even sure the word 'man' applies to him." The comment drew laughter and applause.

In a telephone interview last night, Tori repeated her comment and volunteered, "The remark is a little ambiguous, isn't it?"

Tori said that she doesn't consider Mongiardo "a man" because he "has never taken one step to help us on a major issue" in the state Senate. "All he does is whine."

She said that to many people, being a "man" means "being in control, being a leader."

"I don't know anything about his sex life," she said of Mongiardo, who is unmarried. "I didn't say it that way." But, Tori added, "It's up to the person who hears it to decide" what the remark means.

[...]

Bunning and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is travelling on Bunning's statewide bus tour, refused to comment on their colleagues' remarks last night. Both senators noted that they hadn't made such comments themselves.

"Other people are speaking the truth about Daniel Mongiardo on this bus trip. I'm trying to speak about what Jim Bunning has done," Bunning said.

Williams began using the term "limp-wristed" at the start of the tour on Monday, when he also described Mongiardo as a "switch hitter who doesn't know whether he's on left or right."

When asked what he meant then, he said,"there's no sexual connotation." Republicans have painted Mongiardo as a liberal masquerading as a conservative.

Frankly, I'm speechless.