DCCC Targets Barletta

With its first spot of the general election cycle, the DCCC has purchased time for a Scranton-area ad targeting Lou Barletta.

It sounds as though the ad will hit Barletta as being a candidate voters can't trust because of his previous positions and close ties with President Bush.

Said DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell, "Lou Barletta is trying to mislead voters and we will not allow him to undergo an extreme makeover about his strong support of President Bush’s failed economic policies, tax cuts for the rich, and privatizing Social Security."

Although Kanjorski wasn't on the original list of 31 candidates getting a boost from the DCCC, it appears the DCCC has made a commitment to Kanjorski with the ad that will begin airing today.

You may recall that Kanjorski already launched his own ad back in June and was the first House Democrat to do so.

Once we get the ad or a transcript, it will be posted.

UPDATE: The Politico has a more detailed story and describes the tone of the ad better.

“Barletta supported George Bush’s failed economic policies,” the ad says. “Barletta even helped lead Bush’s campaign in Pennsylvania. And both have supported privatizing Social Security, putting our retirement at risk.”

The narrator closes: “Lou Barletta – he may be George Bush’s friend, but he’s no friend of the middle class.”

UPDATE II: An AP story on the ad puts the total cost at $150,000 over the three week period.

Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said, "It's pathetic that Kanjorski is such a corrupt and inept politician that the DCCC has to go on the air before Labor Day with a two-week ad buy to try and save his bacon."

Hanretty's statement takes offense to the early timing of the ad likely due to the fact that the the NRCC doesn't have enough funds to start its own ad war this early on. At the end of May, the DCCC had $47 million on hand while the NRCC had only $6.7 million.

Barletta will have a hard time funding his own ads against Kanjorski. Both candidates have produced ads, but the biggest difference was that Kanjorski had enough money to get his on TV while Barletta was left producing an Internet only ad.

The 11th District marks one of the few seats that Republicans can take back this election cycle so their mobilization of resources to the region will likely play a pivotal role in constituents deciding to dump a 20+ year incumbent.

UPDATE III: Transcript from Roll Call:

"George Bush has a friend in Pennsylvania — Lou Barletta. Barletta supported Bush’s failed economic policies, Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent. Barletta [even] helped lead Bush’s campaign in Pennsylvania. And both have supported privatizing Social Security, putting our retirement at risk. Lou Barletta. He may be George Bush’s friend. But he’s no friend of the middle class."