Next Target of Club for Growth Ads?

As you’ve probably heard, the Club for Growth, a fairly extreme supply-side organization, launched ads against Olympia Snowe of Maine and George Voinovich of Ohio. The ads are in response to the two senators saying they would not back, and would in fact actively oppose, a tax cut over $350b. Said Steven Moore, president of the Club for Growth, in what appears to be an ongoing bid to become the Harry Belafonte of the right: “These Franco-Republicans are as dependable as France was in taking down Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.” The ads even picture Sen. Voinovich in front of a French flag (Snowe’s ad may also have a French flag; I haven’t seen it), scenes of victory in Iraq, and the like, before concluding with a message imploring Senator Voinovich to back Bush’s plan.

And yesterday, the markets reacted favorably when Bush said “I think Alan Greenspan should get another term.” While he was eventually won over to the initial Bush tax cut after initially appearing skeptical, as recently as February of this year Greenspan voiced concern over deficits (see here too) and tied deficits to higher interest rates. In mid-2002, Greenspan also expressed opposition to further tax cuts. Can we really have a Franco-Republican in charge of the nation’s money supply?

AB

UPDATE: TBogg has a post up on the “still stupid” Greens and their inability to relent on the claim that Republicans and Democrats are just alike (apparently, their heads have remained up in the sky, or perhaps up some less pristine place, for the last 2.25 years). As the Salon story TBogg quotes indicates, the Greens plan to target Progressive Democrats like Barbara Boxer in an attempt to run them out of office make them run to the left. TBogg concludes that “It’s gotta be the hemp. I blame it on the hemp…..” What does this have to do with Steven Moore and the Club for Growth? Well, CFG does have one redeeming virtue: like the Greens, they target moderates in their own party for primary challenges, in this case attempting to make them tack hard right. Also like the Greens, CFG really only ends up hurting the causes they care about. There’s only one possible implication for rational Greens: stop donating to the Green Party and start giving to the Club for Growth.

UPDATE: On Wednesday, Greenspan said, “The president and I have not discussed this, but I greatly appreciate his confidence. If President Bush nominates me and the Senate confirms me, I would have every intention of serving.”