Posts Tagged ‘republican primaries’

I’ve been meaning to write about Christine O’Donnell for a while…

Posted: July 27, 2010 by datechguy in elections, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , ,

…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.

Liz Carter wins Ga-4 primary

Posted: July 21, 2010 by datechguy in blogger for hire, elections, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , ,

Good news and good judgment in Ga-4 as Liz Carter wins the republican primary without a runoff she will face Hank Johnson who also won outright.

Given the demographics this won’t be an easy fight but even more dramatic than the difference between the two on the issues is the difference in energy. Liz Carter is one of the hardest working campaigners I’ve ever seen and will work even harder (if that’s possible) on the general election than she did on the primary. Hank Johnson has missed debates and forums and there are questions concerning his health, (how valid those questions are varies with who you are talking to).

Liz Carter seems to be the perfect candidate at the perfect time. A tireless worker willing to engage any voter and fight for her message at a time where the policies of the left are the least popular.

Anyone who thinks she can’t win this thing should go down to GA-4 and see what I saw. It won’t be easy but she can win this and it will take some serious effort by the DNC and Johnson to prevent her from doing so.

There is no faster way to gain respect from the MSM and the left

Posted: July 9, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
Tags: , , ,

…than to be a republican who is going after republicans:

Inglis said he was shocked during the health care votes as he watched protesters jeering Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who was beaten as a leading civil rights activist in the 1960s.

Yes because Lewis’ situation 40 years ago means that he must never be criticized particularly by mere voters.

And of course we know there must be only reason why republicans could be against president Obama don’t we:

Inglis, 50, who calls himself a Jack Kemp disciple because he has emphasized outreach to minorities as the late Republican congressman did, thinks racism is a part of the vitriol directed at President Barack Obama.

“I love the South. I’m a Southerner. But I can feel it,” he said.

Ah racism, that must be it, there can be no other reason to oppose the president. No word on what he thinks the cause for the beating of Ken Gladney by an SEIU thug was. We know it can’t be racism since apparently the NAACP doesn’t think he isn’t black enough.

Take a look at memeorandum and you will see the left cheering like a bunch of drunks at a strip joint as he vents his anger against the base. I wonder why he is so upset?

In his primary runoff against prosecutor Trey Gowdy, Inglis failed to break 30 percent, an improbably low result for a sitting incumbent not embroiled in scandal. emphasis mine

Boy he is even less popular than the democratic party!

He says he doesn’t know what he will do after the election. If he keeps attacking the republican base he is sure to get a job as a commentator for MSM after all they are almost as popular as he is.

The gay marriage ruling a game changer in Ga-4? UPDATED

Posted: July 9, 2010 by datechguy in elections, internet/free speech, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

I had already given my appraisal of Ga-4, but this Gay Marriage ruling is a gamechanger. I’ve already declared Liz Carter the stronger candidate on the republican side. Her position on Gay Marriage wasn’t going to hurt much, economics was the issue and her gay marriage position wouldn’t matter in the house.

Now almost certainly another push will come for a constitutional amendment and Carter’s vote goes from unimportant to critical. With Cory Ruth a Black minister on the ticket some conservatives already had pragmatically decided he was the best choice to oppose Hank Johnson in a majority black district. Now this ruling gives social conservatives a reason to defect. Ruth would also put black ministers on the spot. They might support Johnson over Carter but they would have a very hard time endorsing Johnson over a black minister who opposes gay marriage.

If the election was this Tuesday rather than next Tuesday it might have been too late to hurt Carter, but Ruth will have a full week to play this up. It is his best chance to pull this off. This is where the mettle of both candidates will be tested. Can Carter hold on? (perhaps) Will she flip flop (not a chance), does the youthful Ruth have the killer instinct to use the advantage that he has just been given? (no idea) And can Victor Armendariz use this to take enough votes who might defect from Carter who might not like Ruth to force his way into a runoff? (very unlikely)

If you asked me yesterday to bet money it would have been Liz all the way. Today, I just don’t know, if it was Massachusetts Liz would still win. In Ga? This is where all the hard work and goodwill she established before this ruling is put to the test. This is WHY you put in that work and fight so hard. You can’t match on every issue so the strength of personality makes a ton of difference.

On the democratic side it’s the same. Johnson was going to win it in a walk but he has supported Gay Marriage right along so unless he flip flops Vernon Jones has the same opening that Cory Ruth does, and it’s my impression that Jones has more of a killer instinct than Ruth. Will it be enough? I just don’t know.

In a general election Carter v Johnson the dynamics would not change, but Ruth vs Johnson would really be tough for the democrats. What black minister wants to risk their congregation and living to endorse a candidate in favor of gay marriage when the alternative is a fellow black minister?

If Jones pulls it off then he plays this card against Liz to counter the character issue. From everything I’ve heard about Vernon I don’t know if it would be enough

It sure isn’t going to be boring.

Update: I talked to Liz Carter this morning. She confirmed that her position on marriage remains unchanged. In her opinion this is a 10th amendment issue and the Federal government has no business dictating to individual states on this or any other issue not constitutionally prescribed (obamacare anyone?). The 10th amendment grounds on which this ruling is based is consistent with her position. There is no better year to be running on this idea.

It would be very easy to change or clarify a position to head off a potential problem. We have seen pol after pol to this and conservatives are sick and tired of it. It is really refreshing to see someone unwilling to play that game. That’s a sign of integrity, rare in a pol, but not surprising to anyone who has spent any time at all with Liz Carter.

While I’ve been back in Massachusetts she has continued to work hard picking up some solid endorsements. She has also continued to make inroads in the black community taking the campaign directly to them. It’s really hard to demonize a person that you have made a personal impression on. This is where retail politics pays off big and will likely still pay off. Tip O’Neill always said “All Politics is local”. Liz Carter has learned this lesson well.

Update 2: Of course it is easier to take advantage of a new issue with the base if you aren’t advocating moving Haitian refugees to the US en masse to congress.

Older Entries
Newer Entries