Astroturf Early, Astroturf Often

Now comes more compelling evidence that an astroturf campaign on Sen. Collins' behalf is underway: A tipster directs me toward the letters section of Sunday's Portland Press Herald, where we find two letters of interest.

The first, by Jason Lavoie (second from the top), has the exact same first sentence as the Kettell letter. We're talking word for word. And Lavoie's second sentence duplicates almost exactly the second sentence of the Roundtree letter.

(Naturally, Lavoie is--you guessed it--active in Maine Republican circles.)

Another letter, from Andrew Hughes (third from the bottom), mixes and matches. But he's also working from the same template.

So it's now safe to say that this isn't just a couple college Republicans firing off missives to their local papers.

The bottom line? There's a concerted Republican effort going on, eighteen months out, to trash Rep. Tom Allen. (That, and the Maine newspapers are doing a poor job of policing their letters pages.)

But here's the question: Why are the supporter of a popular incumbent taking cheapshots at a lesser-known opponent a year-and-a-half before election day?

If you answered, "Because they're confident and upbeat" then I've got a friend in Nigeria with a business proposition that might interest you...

UPDATE: It's worth taking this opportunity to mention that news tips are always welcome. E-mail them to collinswatch [at] aol.com.