Greetings from the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit, where Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is scheduled to speak later today. I ran into FRC head Tony Perkins a few minutes ago and asked him how O'Donnell came to be on the program.
"Karl Rove helped me do it," Perkins said.
"Huh?"
"Karl Rove helped me do it," Perkins repeated. "When I saw him attack her on the night of the election, I decided I wanted to have her come and speak."
Perkins says he was particularly interested in O'Donnell because the FRC was the first big national organization to endorse her. "That primarily was driven by her opponent," Perkins says, referring to Republican Rep. Mike Castle. "The establishment put such a bad candidate on the field, and she rallied conservatives."
"The reason those in the establishment are coming unhinged over her election is that their political models don't work in this cycle, when you factor in the tea parties," Perkins continues. "They can't figure that out, and it's causing them consternation." A brief pause. "And I want to increase their frustration."
Showing posts with label Christine O'Donnell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christine O'Donnell. Show all posts
Friday, September 17, 2010
Pat Buchanan asks, "Is the Republican establishment losing it?"
Is the Republican establishment losing it?
Is the party leadership capable of uniting a governing coalition as Richard Nixon did before Watergate and Ronald Reagan resurrected in the 1980s?
Observing the hysteria and nastiness of Karl Rove and the GOP establishment at the stunning triumph of Tea Party Princess Christine O'Donnell, the answer is no.
This party is not ready to rule.
Consider. In its grand strategy to recapture a Senate that George W. Bush and Rove lost in 2006, the GOP Senate leadership endorsed all its own caucus members for re-election, if they chose to run, then picked out all its favorite candidates for the open and Democratic seats.
Conservatives and tea party activists, however, had other ideas. They began to pick their own candidates. And, again and again, the Senate's chosen were rejected in favor of tea party challengers who had the endorsement of Sarah Palin or South Carolina's Jim DeMint.
Arlen Specter was rejected by the Pennsylvania GOP and left the party. Rand Paul routed Sen. Mitch McConnell's man in Kentucky. Charlie Crist was challenged by Marco Rubio in Florida. Crist, too, departed. Sen. Bob Bennett was denied renomination in Utah. Sen. Lisa Murkowski lost her primary in Alaska to a little-known fellow named Joe Miller.
But Delaware was the stunner. Rep. Mike Castle, a former two-term governor who had been winning elections for 40 years, was a certain victor in November.
Challenger O'Donnell, however, ended all that.
Yet, though her conservative credentials are far superior to those of Castle, O'Donnell was made the object of a wilding attack by National Review and The Weekly Standard, Charles Krauthammer, who lashed out at Palin and DeMint for "irresponsbility," and Rove, who on Sean Hannity's show went postal as soon as the returns came in.
Now, on paper, O'Donnell is a far tougher sell in Delaware than is Castle. But her defeat is not certain. Not in this volatile year.
And what is the justification for the savagery of the attacks on her, from her own?
My take:
To answer Pat's question, it isn't just the ruling class Republicans who are unnerved by Christine O'Donnell's capture of the Senate nomination in Delaware. The ruling class political alchemists, such as Karl Rove, are in the same predicament.
What's the predicament? Furious that the federal government grows bigger, more powerful and more voracious through one presidency after another, grass roots voters rallied to the insurgent Tea Party and challenged party-anointed candidates, as Buchanan notes.
If this continues, political passion will replace the slicing and dicing that the well-paid Rove types practice for a living.
Journalists in Washington, especially, rely on the slicers and dicers for leaks, tips and advance word on new polls and findings of interest to news consumers who follow politics closely. In other words, other livelihoods also are at risk if the slicers and dicers lose their central place in the candidate selection and election process.
The result is an all-out assault against Christine O'Donnell, whose smiling face represents a significant new threat to the slicers and dicers and their media allies.
Is the party leadership capable of uniting a governing coalition as Richard Nixon did before Watergate and Ronald Reagan resurrected in the 1980s?
Observing the hysteria and nastiness of Karl Rove and the GOP establishment at the stunning triumph of Tea Party Princess Christine O'Donnell, the answer is no.
This party is not ready to rule.
Consider. In its grand strategy to recapture a Senate that George W. Bush and Rove lost in 2006, the GOP Senate leadership endorsed all its own caucus members for re-election, if they chose to run, then picked out all its favorite candidates for the open and Democratic seats.
Conservatives and tea party activists, however, had other ideas. They began to pick their own candidates. And, again and again, the Senate's chosen were rejected in favor of tea party challengers who had the endorsement of Sarah Palin or South Carolina's Jim DeMint.
Arlen Specter was rejected by the Pennsylvania GOP and left the party. Rand Paul routed Sen. Mitch McConnell's man in Kentucky. Charlie Crist was challenged by Marco Rubio in Florida. Crist, too, departed. Sen. Bob Bennett was denied renomination in Utah. Sen. Lisa Murkowski lost her primary in Alaska to a little-known fellow named Joe Miller.
But Delaware was the stunner. Rep. Mike Castle, a former two-term governor who had been winning elections for 40 years, was a certain victor in November.
Challenger O'Donnell, however, ended all that.
Yet, though her conservative credentials are far superior to those of Castle, O'Donnell was made the object of a wilding attack by National Review and The Weekly Standard, Charles Krauthammer, who lashed out at Palin and DeMint for "irresponsbility," and Rove, who on Sean Hannity's show went postal as soon as the returns came in.
Now, on paper, O'Donnell is a far tougher sell in Delaware than is Castle. But her defeat is not certain. Not in this volatile year.
And what is the justification for the savagery of the attacks on her, from her own?
My take:
To answer Pat's question, it isn't just the ruling class Republicans who are unnerved by Christine O'Donnell's capture of the Senate nomination in Delaware. The ruling class political alchemists, such as Karl Rove, are in the same predicament.
What's the predicament? Furious that the federal government grows bigger, more powerful and more voracious through one presidency after another, grass roots voters rallied to the insurgent Tea Party and challenged party-anointed candidates, as Buchanan notes.
If this continues, political passion will replace the slicing and dicing that the well-paid Rove types practice for a living.
Journalists in Washington, especially, rely on the slicers and dicers for leaks, tips and advance word on new polls and findings of interest to news consumers who follow politics closely. In other words, other livelihoods also are at risk if the slicers and dicers lose their central place in the candidate selection and election process.
The result is an all-out assault against Christine O'Donnell, whose smiling face represents a significant new threat to the slicers and dicers and their media allies.
With disapproval of both parties high, O'Donnell positioned well
The day after Christine O'Donnell and the Tea Party won the Republican nomination for Joe Biden's old Senate seat in Delaware (triggering the wailing and caterwauling of professional Republicans), Battleground released its September 2010 poll. The timing is perfect.
Christine O'Donnell ran against both political parties, really, and that seems in perfect sync with the American people. Although this respected poll shows that Americans incline toward the Republican Party over the Democratic Party in the November election, consider the percentages of Americans who disapprove of the job each of these are doing: Congress (66% disapprove and 47% disapprove strongly), Democrats in Congress (57% disapprove and 43% disapprove strongly), Republicans in Congress (59% disapprove and 38% disapprove strongly), and President Obama (49% disapprove and 38% disapprove strongly).
A perusal of the responses to other questions in the Battleground Poll reveals a profound mistrust of all of Washington.
Christine O'Donnell ran against both political parties, really, and that seems in perfect sync with the American people. Although this respected poll shows that Americans incline toward the Republican Party over the Democratic Party in the November election, consider the percentages of Americans who disapprove of the job each of these are doing: Congress (66% disapprove and 47% disapprove strongly), Democrats in Congress (57% disapprove and 43% disapprove strongly), Republicans in Congress (59% disapprove and 38% disapprove strongly), and President Obama (49% disapprove and 38% disapprove strongly).
A perusal of the responses to other questions in the Battleground Poll reveals a profound mistrust of all of Washington.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
As ruling class Republicans sulk, O'Donnell runs and Palin lurks
Here are some bedrock facts that received no shrift at all in the hullaballoo over Christine O'Donnell's decisive capture of the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Delaware.
Led by stalwarts such as Karl Rove, Charles Krauthammer, a posse of writers for National Review and Senate Republican leaders, the anti-O'Donnell coalition came down squarely on the side of Mike Castle, whose RINO (Republican in Name Only) credentials are impeccable.
Castle, who is Delaware's sole representative in the House, even voted for the cap-and-trade bill, which, in the midst of a long and relentless recession, would have imposed new costs on American manufacturers and further reduced exports.
This is not vaporous economics. It is bedrock. Establishment Republicans preferred Castle, whose vote could, at some future date, enact cap-and-trade, a thinly conceived scam that would enrich corporations such as General Electric, which have bet the farm on a green future even though the scientific evidence underlying the green movement continues to fade toward irrelevance.
In other words, the Republican establishment was willing to gamble on a RINO who has signed on to a social engineering scheme whose purpose is to further empower government and force Americans to drive cars they don't want and live the way government bureaucrats say they should live.
Delaware's voters gave the ruling class Republicans the response they deserved. Her name is Christine O'Donnell. If the ruling class Republicans don't wise up soon, they will get another answer they won't like. Her name is Sarah Palin.
Led by stalwarts such as Karl Rove, Charles Krauthammer, a posse of writers for National Review and Senate Republican leaders, the anti-O'Donnell coalition came down squarely on the side of Mike Castle, whose RINO (Republican in Name Only) credentials are impeccable.
Castle, who is Delaware's sole representative in the House, even voted for the cap-and-trade bill, which, in the midst of a long and relentless recession, would have imposed new costs on American manufacturers and further reduced exports.
This is not vaporous economics. It is bedrock. Establishment Republicans preferred Castle, whose vote could, at some future date, enact cap-and-trade, a thinly conceived scam that would enrich corporations such as General Electric, which have bet the farm on a green future even though the scientific evidence underlying the green movement continues to fade toward irrelevance.
In other words, the Republican establishment was willing to gamble on a RINO who has signed on to a social engineering scheme whose purpose is to further empower government and force Americans to drive cars they don't want and live the way government bureaucrats say they should live.
Delaware's voters gave the ruling class Republicans the response they deserved. Her name is Christine O'Donnell. If the ruling class Republicans don't wise up soon, they will get another answer they won't like. Her name is Sarah Palin.
Republican establishment is at sea and a movement is afoot
It is not enough now to elect candidates who lean rightward of Obama. We need people who understand that trillion-dollar deficits and socialized medicine are not inconveniences. They are not annoyances. They are not setbacks. They are not unpleasantnesses. They are not regrettable episodes. They are not divergent views, odd turns, eccentricities. They are not even outrages and atrocities. THEY ARE IMPOSSIBILITIES.
Only candidates who understand that the only answer to "yes, we can" is "no, we cannot" are worth fielding. That is the whole point of sideswiping the political process with a third-party non-party wrecking crew who hold their teacups with monkey wrenches. The Republican establishment is asea and a movement is afoot. This is all coming to a head in November, when we will see who is really ahead and, derivatively, what lies ahead. (Plenty of lies ahead in the campaign, that’s for sure.)
The biggest winner of all is Sarah Palin, who has been tarred by our feathered friends as the ultimate in unelectable.
Only candidates who understand that the only answer to "yes, we can" is "no, we cannot" are worth fielding. That is the whole point of sideswiping the political process with a third-party non-party wrecking crew who hold their teacups with monkey wrenches. The Republican establishment is asea and a movement is afoot. This is all coming to a head in November, when we will see who is really ahead and, derivatively, what lies ahead. (Plenty of lies ahead in the campaign, that’s for sure.)
The biggest winner of all is Sarah Palin, who has been tarred by our feathered friends as the ultimate in unelectable.
GOP backs off, allocates token amount to Delaware's O'Donnell
A statement from the NRSC chairman, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex.:
“Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee – and I personally as the committee’s chairman – strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O’Donnell in Delaware.
“I reached out to Christine this morning, and as I have conveyed to all of our nominees, I offered her my personal congratulations and let her know that she has our support. This support includes a check for $42,000 – the maximum allowable donation that we have provided to all of our nominees – which the NRSC will send to her campaign today.
“We remain committed to holding Democrat nominee New Castle County Executive Chris Coons accountable this November, as we inform voters about his record of driving his county to the brink of bankruptcy and supporting his party’s reckless spending policies in Washington.
“In the weeks ahead, we will decide where to best allocate additional financial resources among the large number of competitive races at stake this November. While it’s not in Republicans’ interest to advertise our spending strategy to our opponents, it’s worth noting that just yesterday, the NRSC’s first independent expenditure ad aired in support of Dr. Rand Paul’s campaign in Kentucky, where we firmly believe that he will win in November.
The mention of the committee’s advertising for Rand Paul is key to the entire announcement. The message is that the NRSC has no problem backing anti-establishment conservatives, but it probably doesn’t want to spend millions backing O’Donnell, whose personal problems are just too great. The $42,000 donation is something, but the NRSC’s role in Senate races is usually much greater than donations to a candidate.
This should be viewed as an attempt to quell a rebellion among the base.
“Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee – and I personally as the committee’s chairman – strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O’Donnell in Delaware.
“I reached out to Christine this morning, and as I have conveyed to all of our nominees, I offered her my personal congratulations and let her know that she has our support. This support includes a check for $42,000 – the maximum allowable donation that we have provided to all of our nominees – which the NRSC will send to her campaign today.
“We remain committed to holding Democrat nominee New Castle County Executive Chris Coons accountable this November, as we inform voters about his record of driving his county to the brink of bankruptcy and supporting his party’s reckless spending policies in Washington.
“In the weeks ahead, we will decide where to best allocate additional financial resources among the large number of competitive races at stake this November. While it’s not in Republicans’ interest to advertise our spending strategy to our opponents, it’s worth noting that just yesterday, the NRSC’s first independent expenditure ad aired in support of Dr. Rand Paul’s campaign in Kentucky, where we firmly believe that he will win in November.
The mention of the committee’s advertising for Rand Paul is key to the entire announcement. The message is that the NRSC has no problem backing anti-establishment conservatives, but it probably doesn’t want to spend millions backing O’Donnell, whose personal problems are just too great. The $42,000 donation is something, but the NRSC’s role in Senate races is usually much greater than donations to a candidate.
This should be viewed as an attempt to quell a rebellion among the base.
GOP establishment takes a drubbing; Karl Rove drubs himself
It was an amazing bit of television. Almost instantly followed by an amazing bit of scoop.
Mere minutes after Fox News had reported the victory of conservative activist Christine O'Donnell over Establishment Congressman Mike Castle in the Delaware GOP U.S. Senate primary, former Bush Deputy Chief of Staff and Fox News consultant Karl Rove was in place on Sean Hannity's TV show to analyze.
Or…well…something.
The normally rational and analytical Mr. Rove had vanished. In his place was someone who looked like Karl Rove, sounded like Karl Rove…but spoke like the last guy out of the hoped-for-victory-party of the landslide losing candidate for Register of Deeds in NoPlaceville, Texas.
What on earth was Rove thinking? He was bitter, angry, cutting, demeaning, mean-spirited…and those were the nice things he had to say about O'Donnell. It's as if the scene were 2000 and an aide to the just-beaten-by-George W. Bush Senator John McCain took to the Hannity show and said:
"Well, Bush has had a drinking problem, has p….ed off any number of friends, reporters and others with his drunk-as-a-sot rich boy behavior, and that doesn't count that everybody knows he's dumb as a post. Which is why they gave him that baseball team as a favor to his father, and he dodged time in Vietnam because his father had the whole thing fixed. So this victory will be a problem for Republicans. Not, Sean, that we're bitter over this loss."
I have no idea what Karl Rove was thinking when he sat down in front of the Fox cameras to speak with Hannity. But I know this.
All by himself Karl Rove has just given Christine O'Donnell a huge leg up on this election. In seconds he has made her look like what Americans absolutely love -- the underdog who has been unmercifully unfairly treated by the powerful and well-to-do. AKA: What we call here at The American Spectator the Ruling Class. Or, if you prefer, The Establishment.
And now, Carl Cameron of Fox News is reporting the National Republican Senatorial Committee will not be helping the official nominee of the Delaware Republican Party for the United States Senate in her Senate campaign.
So, in other words, having helped the losing incumbent Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, the losing incumbent Robert Bennett in Utah, swallowed hard at the victories of Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky, the NRSC will not be helping O'Donnell because she beat the pants off a liberal Establishment Republican Congressman?
If this is true, there is but one question:
Is the Republican Establishment suicidal?
Mere minutes after Fox News had reported the victory of conservative activist Christine O'Donnell over Establishment Congressman Mike Castle in the Delaware GOP U.S. Senate primary, former Bush Deputy Chief of Staff and Fox News consultant Karl Rove was in place on Sean Hannity's TV show to analyze.
Or…well…something.
The normally rational and analytical Mr. Rove had vanished. In his place was someone who looked like Karl Rove, sounded like Karl Rove…but spoke like the last guy out of the hoped-for-victory-party of the landslide losing candidate for Register of Deeds in NoPlaceville, Texas.
What on earth was Rove thinking? He was bitter, angry, cutting, demeaning, mean-spirited…and those were the nice things he had to say about O'Donnell. It's as if the scene were 2000 and an aide to the just-beaten-by-George W. Bush Senator John McCain took to the Hannity show and said:
"Well, Bush has had a drinking problem, has p….ed off any number of friends, reporters and others with his drunk-as-a-sot rich boy behavior, and that doesn't count that everybody knows he's dumb as a post. Which is why they gave him that baseball team as a favor to his father, and he dodged time in Vietnam because his father had the whole thing fixed. So this victory will be a problem for Republicans. Not, Sean, that we're bitter over this loss."
I have no idea what Karl Rove was thinking when he sat down in front of the Fox cameras to speak with Hannity. But I know this.
All by himself Karl Rove has just given Christine O'Donnell a huge leg up on this election. In seconds he has made her look like what Americans absolutely love -- the underdog who has been unmercifully unfairly treated by the powerful and well-to-do. AKA: What we call here at The American Spectator the Ruling Class. Or, if you prefer, The Establishment.
And now, Carl Cameron of Fox News is reporting the National Republican Senatorial Committee will not be helping the official nominee of the Delaware Republican Party for the United States Senate in her Senate campaign.
So, in other words, having helped the losing incumbent Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, the losing incumbent Robert Bennett in Utah, swallowed hard at the victories of Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky, the NRSC will not be helping O'Donnell because she beat the pants off a liberal Establishment Republican Congressman?
If this is true, there is but one question:
Is the Republican Establishment suicidal?
Monday, September 13, 2010
Conservative O'Donnell leads liberal Castle in DE GOP primary
The Castle-O'Donnell Delaware Senate battle concludes tomorrow, perhaps not a moment too soon.
In a new poll by the folks at Public Policy Polling Conservative activist Christine O'Donnell is now leading liberal Republican Congressman Mike Castle 47-44, within the margin of error.
Conservatives are having a royal shoot'em up over this. The latest being a hit piece in the Weekly Standard by John McCormack smacking Christine O'Donnell over a lawsuit she filed against the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
In a new poll by the folks at Public Policy Polling Conservative activist Christine O'Donnell is now leading liberal Republican Congressman Mike Castle 47-44, within the margin of error.
Conservatives are having a royal shoot'em up over this. The latest being a hit piece in the Weekly Standard by John McCormack smacking Christine O'Donnell over a lawsuit she filed against the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
