…but I’ve been constantly distracted, but then I saw her in My Fedora proving she has excellent taste.
In all seriousness Christine O’Donnell is a first rate candidate, a proper conservative who will actually vote that way. My fellow Examiner writer Angel Clark on the ground says this:
In the special election for Joe Biden’s vacated Senate seat, late last week, Rasmussen Reports revealed a result that may be surprising to some who considered Republican candidate Christine O’Donnell’s March 10th announcement a long shot. In the Rasmussen poll, O’Donnell fared better than her Democrat challenger Chris Coons. The most recent polling has Christine ahead in the Senate race over Coons 41% / 39%.
But the naysayers claim she can’t win. Stacy McCain who has some experience covering an election that a republican “couldn’t” win hits an important point that people are ignoring:
Castle’s 2007-08 ratings (20 and 28, respectively) by the American Conservative Union marked him as one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress. His establishment backers have argued that the best Republicans can hope for in Delaware is to elect a RINO whose voting record makes Charlie Crist look like a raging right-winger. As one O’Donnell supporter told me, “Castle is Delaware’s answer to Dede Scozzafava,” referring to the liberal GOP candidate who quit last year’s 23rd District special election campaign in New York and endorsed the Democrat.
Let me remind you all why Dede would have been even worse that Bob Owens the promise breaker we ended up with:
The moment Dede votes with Pelosi that bill becomes “bi-partisan” by definition. The fact that it is only one republican will make no difference, the MSM will trumpet it as “bi-partisan”. When ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCBET wants to talk to a republican on an issue SHE will be the one they call. She will become the face of the republican party that will be pushed and lionized. She will be the reason why “conservatives need to back off”.
The reality of all of these things will not matter, the media will push them as if it was true. If you don’t believe me look at how they treat Olympia Snowe, Look how they treated Chuck Hagel, Look how they treated Chris Shays and of course look at how they treated McCain when he wasn’t running for president. Republicans who attack republican positions are always welcome in the limelight.
It would be almost as bad with Castle. If the democrats hold congress (unlikely) or the senate (highly possible) he will play the role of Dede. If however we win the house (almost certainly) and/or the senate (much less likely too many seats) then he will be the “brave republican that breaks ranks”. He will be the next Hagel on every show when they need a republican Senator without a conservative.
Also consider this Angel also points out that in 2008 she managed to get nearly 40% in a democratic state in the best year that Democrats have seen in decades. That’s better than Kennedy’s last opponent did in Massachusetts. And like the Scott Brown election this time the foe is not a state icon
Two years later a lot of voters would love a “Do over” of 2008. A Christine O’Donnell candidacy would give Delaware votes an actual do over and believe me they would do so with relish! Particularly if Stacy loans her my hat long term.
This is our best ever chance to advance true conservatives to power. If we pass up this chance we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.
Update: Stacy has a new article up as we speak
As with the primary fight for the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial nomination that turned Nikki Haley into an overnight political superstar, conservatives in Delaware have the benefit of backing an indisputably telegenic candidate. O’Donnell, a 40-year-old communications consultant who worked for the Republican National Committee during the glory days of Haley Barbour’s chairmanship in the mid-1990s, has the kind of 100-watt smile that lights up a room. But she’s not just a pretty face, either, having demonstrated her gritty determination two years ago when she sold her house and invested her life’s savings in an against-all-odds challenge to Biden, who ran simultaneously for re-election to the Senate while campaigning as Barack Obama’s running mate.
Stacy also quotes Captain Ed reminding us of the importance of this election for another reason, the lame duck card…
Delaware now has to fill the rest of Biden’s term (after an interim appointment expires), and that gives this race a twist. The winner of the general election will not take office in 2011, but immediately after Election Day. That means if a Republican can beat Democratic nominee Chris Coons, they have the ability to block any lame-duck session shenanigans by Harry Reid.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a stead conservative holding that extra vote? Wouldn’t you like that extra piece of insurance? I would.
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