The special election to fill the House seat vacated by now U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is heating up, and now Rush Limbaugh is in the mix. Limbaugh appeared as the centerpiece of a recent mailer sent out by the New York State Democratic Committee (NYSDC) on behalf of Scott Murphy.

On the front of the piece, there is a picture of the de facto leader of the GOP toting one of his most buzzworthy quotations - “I hope Obama fails!” Underneath this is the subtle yet jabbing conclusion: “(Somebody wants you to stay home on March 31st…)”

If this were 2008, you would expect to turn over this mailer and find a picture of Jim Tedisco - Murphy’s Republican opponent - with his armed draped over former President George Bush’s shoulders. Now, you expect Tedisco to be pictured with Limbaugh, Chairman Michael Steele, Republican Whip Rep. Eric Cantor, or any number of Republicans who have said outrageous things in the last two months. But no.

Flipping over the mailer, you are surprised to find out that the piece is FOR Scott Murphy. The black and red ominous tone exists on both sides of the mailer, including the flip side of the Limbaugh quotation which totes a picture of Murphy and President Obama.

With bold red text and black backgrounds you would think this was a negative mailer, through and through. The NYSDC missed the mark on what could have been a very powerful mailer. Keeping the Limbaugh side the same, but lightening up the Murphy side would give the impression that the fight is between the right (light and optimistic) and the wrong (dark and ominous). What I have just described is a classic “comparative piece.”

Why did the NYSDC fail to do what U.S. House races do across the country every two years? Beats me.

See the mailer below, pictures from WaPo’s Cilliza: