Not the most unified of tickets

Here's a sign that there is trouble with your political party. Jeanine Pirro is running for Attorney General of New York as a Republican, after earlier abandoning what even I would have to say was a pretty uninspiring campaign for the US Senate nomination. Despite moving over to what was supposed to be a better race for her, she remains far back in the polls and is struggling to build momentum in the race:

"Her campaign tried to change the subject yesterday, rebroadcasting a 30-second television advertisement that stressed Ms. Pirro’s record as a former district attorney of Westchester County. . . The ad ran upstate this summer, but a Pirro aide said the campaign would now 'saturate' New York City television markets with it."

Here's the ad (click on the first video). The problem? The first three words out of Pirro's mouth are, "Like Eliot Spitzer . . ." For non-New Yorkers, Eliot Spitzer is the current Attorney General, but also the Democratic candidate for NY Governor.

Now, I suppose some would argue that Pirro mentions Spitzer since he is the sitting Attorney General, and wants to show that she has a similar background, etc. Of course, a gadfly might suggest that her invoking of his name is a desperate attempt to associate herself with the guy who's leading the Republican nominee by 46% in the above linked poll, regardless of the effect on the rest of the ticket or the party itself.

So, who bears responsibility for the situation the NY GOP finds itself in, where it looks likely to get swept in all statewide races come November? Well, here is at least a place to start.