Chris Christie: Delaware “missed opportunity” for the Senate

Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the Senate race in Delaware was "a missed opportunity" for his fellow Republicans to pick up the seat long held by Democrat Joe Biden.

Tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell won the GOP nomination in an upset over moderate Rep. Mike Castle. But she lost the general election Tuesday to Democrat Chris Coons.

Christie says he was proud to have endorsed Castle.

O'Donnell ran a nontraditional campaign that opened with a TV ad saying "I'm not a witch." National Republicans had hoped the race would help them win the majority in the Senate.

Christie told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "I think Delaware was a missed opportunity to have a really good U.S. senator." 

I am going to have to disagree with my governor on this one.   First, Christine O’Donnell was a weak candidate.  Sorry to say it but it is true.  As a Tea Party candidate, the left, the GOP establishment and the media was going to play pile on.  We saw it time and time again throughout this election.  So, when Christine O’Donnell’s turn for the assault came along, she should have been prepared. She simply could not handle the onslaught.

That being said, Mike Castle was the wrong man for the times.  From now to 2012 Republicans are going to have to face some very tough votes in order to bring spending and the deficit under control.  In order to pull that off, every Republican and a few Democrats will be needed in the Senate.  Time and time again, we have seen liberal Republicans like Mike Castle, foil GOP plans by failing to live up to conservative principles.  Both Republicans and the nation cannot afford such fickleness now.

So while Chris Christie may believe that it is important to have another R on the team, the reality is that the quality of the R’s in the senate matter more. 

Perhaps a strong willed man like Chris Christie could keep wayward senate Republicans in check; but I have little faith in Mitch McConnell doing so.

You can see the full video of Chris Christie on Meet the Press at The Right Scoop.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Associated Press

Via: The Right Scoop

Attack of the Sore Losers, Part 3: Mike Castle testing the waters for write-in vote

Man, some people simply cannot take “NO” for an answer. Where was this attitude when it came time to vote against Cap and Trade?

Politico: Rep. Mike Castle is planning on polling a potential three-way Senate race to test his chances as a write-in candidate, a Delaware Republican tells POLITICO…

The GOP source did not have specifics on when Castle’s team would conduct the poll, but viewed it as a practical step even if the nine-term congressman was unlikely to re-enter the race…

Delaware GOP National Committeewoman Priscilla Rakestraw said she has fielded dozens of calls over the last 48 hours, mostly from Democrats, about a potential Castle write-in campaign.

“They want to organize a write-in campaign. I’m stunned. Obviously, they don’t like their option of voting for Chris Coons. I pass them along to Mike Castle’s organization. I think they are waiting for a nod from Castle,” Rakestraw said. 

Um, methinks those Democrats are more interested in splitting the Republican vote than they are about voting for Castle over Coons.  Allahpundit at Hot Air, sees three possibilities from a Castle write-in bid.

[...]Here’s the irony: If you think O’Donnell’s numbers against Coons are already so grim that she stands no real chance of winning — and most O’D supporters do not think that — then it’s a no-brainer that you should want Castle in the race. Worst-case scenario is that he and O’Donnell split Republicans and Coons manages to hold onto enough Democrats to squeak to victory, but then a Coons victory is how things look at the moment anyway. Bad-case scenario is that Castle manages to pull enough Dems from Coons and Republicans from O’Donnell to win the seat himself, in which case the GOP is a step closer to a Senate majority. Best-case scenario, obviously, is that Castle and Coons split the Dems and O’Donnell squeaks through on the strength of conservative supporter.[...]

No matter how you look at the potential outcome, Castle, like Crist and Murkowski, are far more interested in keeping their jobs, than serving the people or supporting their party.  These three would run as stone cold socialists if it guaranteed them one more term.  Hopefully, Delaware conservatives will stick with O’Donnell and tell the self serving Castle to keep on walking.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Politico

Via: Hot Air 

Some thoughts on Christine O’Donnell

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