June 21, 2010 10:46 PM UTC

At Least He's Not Your "Tea Party" Candidate

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• by: Colorado Pols

Our friends at the Washington Post reporting, a swift and embarrassing crash for the once-bright prospects of Arizona GOP Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth–do you think shilling for a “free government money” traveling scam might be a problem for a “Tea Party” candidate? Uh, yes:

Hayworth’s campaign explains…that his involvement with the group started and ended in 2007 — a hint at just how bad this looks for a small government challenger to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He’s seen in the video adding credibility to the enterprise, framing it as a way to take power back from a rapacious federal government.

“This is something you should take advantage of,” says Hayworth. “Why leave it to the big boys on Wall Street or even the business owners on Main Street? Bring it to your street, to your home. Come to one of the National Grants Conferences.”

Opponent John McCain moving in for the kill, writes AZ/DC:

[McCain spokesman Brian] Rogers said, “J.D. Hayworth lent his name and the credibility of the U.S. Congress to an obvious rip-off scam — as demonstrated by the actions of the 24 attorneys general across the country, the Vermont attorney general, and KVOA-Tucson’s investigative report exposing NGC’s fraud. Senator McCain obviously never did that.”

Could you pick a more hilarious way to alienate yourself from anti-“big government” activists if you tried? Did it come with a free government issue Sham-Wow?