Ohio GOP "social conservative coordinator" attacks with gay innuendo

Gary Lankford, the Ohio Republican Party's newly hired "social conservative coordinator" and a "Christian home school headmaster," has sent out an email attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland, in which his church attendance, work ethic, voting record, and marriage were assailed, and a website questioning whether Strickland is gay was linked.

Mr. Lankford's e-mail to social conservatives linked to a blog entry at pullinsreport.blogspot.com that called Mr. and Mrs. Strickland's relationship "bizarre" and claimed a Blade article about their decision not to have children implies "the Stricklands are both gay."

Strickland called the charges "preposterous" and "not factual." The Ohio GOP has "condemned the message and said they disciplined Mr. Lankford but did not fire him." Of course they didn't. Because he's doing precisely the job he was hired to do.

The e-mail surfaced shortly after the campaign of U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine (R., Cedarville) launched a television ad - produced by the agency behind the "Swift Boat" campaign against 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry - that flashed terrorist mug shots and a smoking World Trade Center to underscore criticism of Mr. DeWine's Democratic opponent's record on national security.

I spy a party who can't possibly win on the issues.

(Via BladeWire; crossposted at AlterNet PEEK.)