Coming into the shotgun season, Dick Cheney's image ratio was upside down an average of 35% favorable to 48% unfavorable with the trend getting worse.
No one knows exactly how the gunshot wound story will play over the long term, but my guess is that Cheney is going to become radioactive.
Guilt by association works, and should definitely be practiced.
The GOP made effective use of Hillary Clinton as a liberal boogeyperson in southern states in the last cycle, even though her slightly negative image ratio nationwide is close to 50-50.
Even if Cheney recovers his reputation, which I believe has been permanently damaged, he can be used to rally and hold the base.
Suppose, for example, that Holy Joe wins his primary but comes out of it limping. Cheney's picture in an ad or brochure should be enough to straighten out your liberals. Do you want this monster as the tie-breaker in a 50-50 Senate? I'm no fan of Joementum, but the Cheney argument could bring me around.
If my guess is correct, however, the American people have made a judgment on Dick Cheney, and it's not a flattering one. We should tie him around the neck of every GOP incumbent like a bad-smelling, dead seabird.
The standard way to represent this is with a picture of the local candidate jerked around by strings with Dick Cheney as the puppet-master. This can be done with strings and grommets on 65 lb vellum bristol so that the district's children can play with it.
Another thought is to mail out a toy rifle with the slogan, "protect yourself from the GOP." or "this time, shoot back." At standard mail rates, the postage cost--the largest expense of a mailer--is not much higher than for a postcard or brochure, and you'd be surprised how many toy rifles you can afford if you shop around.
Still another idea is to get a photo of a guy with shotgun wounds. You may think this too nasty for direct mail, but wait until you see what the GOP throws at you.
The basic idea is, the GOP is dangerous to your health.
I'd like to know how you think local candidates can exploit Cheney's burgeoning unpopularity.