Last Tuesday, US Senate candidate from Delaware, Christine O’Donnell delivered one of the biggest upsets of the year. No sooner did she do this, all hell broke loose. Vicious attacks have been flying at her nonstop.
While we would have expected such attacks from the left and their complicit media buddies, it is very revealing to see the attacks that are coming from the GOP establishment.
Never before have I witnessed such blatant examples of Sore Losers. Her defeated Republican opponent Mike Castle leads the pack. His refusal to endorse O’Donnell was just the first example of bad form. Castle continued to flash his Sore Loser credentials by blaming Sean Hannity and other conservative talk radio hosts. Give me a break! His vote for Cap and Trade probably had more to do with his defeat than anything else.
Right on the heels of Sore Loser Castle is Karl Rove. Has this guy no shame? One of the very reasons why Republicans were shown the door in 2006 and 2008 was because of the very brand of conservatism Rove championed in the Bush administration. So for Rove to carry on the way he did on Hannity over O’Donnell’s victory was just shameless.
Memo to Rove: Your political instincts are yesterday’s news. A new political narrative is being written as we speak. The old playbook no longer applies. The days of stacking the House and Senate with anyone so long as they have a R after their name (quantity vs. quality) is over. The people have spoken (repeatedly).
Finally on the Republican side is Charles Krauthammer. I am quite dismayed by his comments on O’Donnell. Krauthammer is one of the people whose opinion I seek out. However, Krauthammer has been showing an elitist streak that I find less than appealing. I first noticed it with his opinions on Sarah Palin and now with Christine O’Donnell. Does O’Donnell have a steep climb to win in Delaware, yes she does, but to dismiss O’Donnell the way Krauthammer did is just so short sighted.
Regarding O’Donnell herself, I don’t believe she is the strongest candidate the Tea Party could have backed. That being said she has two big things working in her favor. First, she is not the establishment. This is important because the establishment (both on the left and the right) has failed the nation. Ten percent unemployment, sky high record deficits and no respect for the will of the people all add up to the establishment being an undisputed failure. Christine O’Donnell, despite her witchcraft comment, and other past comments, has something the establishment doesn’t have … clean hands. O’Donnell had nothing to do with the unemployment rate, nothing to do with these crazy deficits and nothing to do with the tone deafness in Washington. Add to her favor the fact that she is willing to stand against all of those things and her candidacy no longer looks so kooky.
The other thing working in O’Donnell’s favor is the fact that she is a woman battling against many foes. In American culture there is always something unpleasant about ganging up on a woman. Right now Christine O’Donnell finds herself fending off attacks from both the right and the left. Worse yet, those attacks often seem so over the top. It is almost like she is being held up to a much higher standard. Where was all these criticism about nuttiness when Al Franken ran for the Senate? I think if the left, the media and the GOP establishment continue in their fever pitch to discredit O’Donnell, they will turn her 15 point deficit in the polls to a 15 point lead, because Americans love to root for underdogs.
In the end, I think if O’Donnell takes Palin’s advice and concentrates on communicating to the people of Delaware rather than the national media, she might be able to raise herself in the polls. Senate races are local races. In the end it is only the people of Delaware who will decide her fate and should they elect her, they will be the only people she has to answer to.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: NPR
Via: News Reel Blog
Via: Michelle Malkin
Via: The Right Scoop
Via: Breitbart TV
Via: Fox News
Via: Delaware Tomorrow
Via: Politico
Via: Politico
Via: The Hill