Senator McConnell is running a web ad attacking his opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, because a company she has part interest in, is in “bad standing” with the Secretary of State’s Office. Grimes is, of course, Kentucky Secretary of State. The implication is that the company has done something wrong.
The ad only works if people have no idea what it means for a company to be in “bad standing” with the Secretary of State. A company is in “bad standing” if it failed to file its annual report. And the annual report is a one page form letter, which can be filled in and filed on-line, along with a $15 fee. If the form is not filed and the fee not paid, the company is listed as in “bad standing.” That’s it. No finding of any wrongdoing. And the company can easily correct the error by filing the annual report late, along with the fee and a small penalty fee.
The ad only works if people don’t know what’s going on. So McConnell is relying on the ignorance of the voters. And that is a textbook example of condescension.
