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The Spectacle Blog
Over at Riehlword and on Mark Levin's Facebook page are marvelous pieces defining much more than Delaware's suddenly heated fight between Christine O'Donnell and Mike Castle.
O'Donnell is taking flak for this or that, this alleged misstatement or that bad radio interview. Including from this piece over at NRO by the estimable Jim Geraghty. And, just posted, is this from my wonderful TAS friend and colleague Quin Hillyer.
Taking flak from good conservatives or, as Mark Levin puts it, conservatives who are more Republican than conservative. Not, as Seinfeld might say, that there's anything wrong with that! And quite specifically let me make sure we understand Quin Hillyer is not included in my estimation of who is not really conservative. Anyone who knows Quin knows in an earlier life he told Edmund Burke to get on the stick with that French Revolution book, not to mention he still grouses about Wendell Willkie. Mr. Hillyer is many things….short on conservatism is not one of those things.
If I may say respectfully, this kind of thing is both terminally old when it comes to attacks on conservatives and, frustratingly, enduringly typical from -- yes -- some on the right.
Somewhere it always seems there's a need to refresh on the savage attacks on Barry Goldwater or Ronald Reagan or, to be current and with no need to refresh, today's Sarah Palin. Heck, why limit this to running for office? Attacks by conservatives on more prominent conservatives occur these days with the same certainty as the attraction of gin to tonic. Google names like...oh...say...Limbaugh, Rush and you'll get the idea.
These attacks are so utterly, utterly predictable although I'm sure that a Palin or O'Donnell still finds the sensation amazing as the arrow enters between their shoulder blades.
So let's take a second to see just how deeply normal if crazy this business has been over the decades.
The conservative is accused by his or her fellows of being: unstable (Goldwater), an extremist (Goldwater, Reagan, William F. Buckley, Jr., Palin), an un-informed lightweight (Reagan, Palin), personally irresponsible with finances (Reagan and O'Donnell), saying something utterly stupid in this interview or that public appearance (all of the above) -- and don't forget the ever dependable cry of racist/race-baiter or race something-or -- other (all of the above plus pick-your-favorite talk radio host).
Until the Delaware primary, it is now Christine O'Donnell's turn to feel that startling arrow-in-the-back sensation that comes with this.
Conservatism is not a candidate. It's a movement. Based on a set of rock-solid principles. The fight always is to move the ball forward. The quarterback of the moment is…Fox News Alert….always flawed in some fashion. We could and can pick endlessly at the quarterback who is on the field. The real question is …now and always….are we moving the ball? Elections will be won. They will be lost. The objective is to move the ball.
Christine O'Donnell has the ball. Mike Castle plays for the other side wearing the Republican jersey. Which is why he wants the ball. This confuses many -- as it is designed to do.
But Riehlworld and Levin have both gotten it right. Not, alas, Brothers Geraghty and Hillyer, the latter of whom will doubtless soak my head in the nearest gin-and-tonic come holiday season when we share our traditional TAS glass.
These moments bring to mind that scene from the 1987 film Moonstruck where Cher smacks the smitten Nicholas Cage across the face and bellows: "Snap out of it!"
Well said.
I've never actually confused Levin with Cher before, but under the circumstances….
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More Blog Posts by Jeffrey Lord
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/09/03/christine-odonnell-defended
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Special Feature
Better that we become a nation of choosers rather than beggars. Our symposium on choice from the May, 2012 issue:
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Mad Hatter| 9.3.10 @ 2:06PM
Jeff says, "Attack conservative O'Donnell? Unfair!
It's no snap confusing Mark L with Cher.
GOP's not invincible,
When they're wrong on principle.
She moves the ball, but Castle's in air!"
ncatty| 9.3.10 @ 2:16PM
It is this simple: Mike Castle will vote with Al Franken and O'Donnell won't. Why is this a difficult choice?
O'Donnell is a nut| 9.3.10 @ 2:53PM
I am curious, did Mike Castle vote for or against Obamacare? Did he vote for or against the stimulus?
I wish people would get through their thick skulls that O'DONNELL DOESN'T HAVE A F#%@!ING PRAYER IN THE GENERAL. You are not going to get a rightwing conservative elected in DE. It is not going to happen. I am getting sick and tired of people who think it is more important to purge the party of RINOs than to elect moderates who will help give the Republicans an governable majority. Voting for O'Donnell is a vote for Coons, period. And there is quite simply no way it can be argued that Castle will vote with the Democrats more than Coons will. Castle votes with the Republicans more often than not. The same obviously can't be said of Coons, a man who will rubberstamp the Dem agenda. DELAWARE IS NOT IDAHO OR UTAH.
Statements that Castle is really a Democrat should be called what they are, asinine. And as the gay rumor mill that she clearly is involved with demonstrates, despite her laughable and pathetic protestations to the contrary, she has no integrity or sense of decency. I hope she gets crushed so she can get the message, once and for all, that no one wants anything to do with her anymore. She needs to crawl back under the rock from whence she came.
SoCon| 9.3.10 @ 3:24PM
Why so nasty? You sound like a typical liberal bully.
Warrior| 9.3.10 @ 3:37PM
Scott Brown was unelectable in Mass. Rick Scott had no chance against the GOP favorite Bill McCollum in Florida. Chris Christie a Republican could never beat any Democrat much less Corzine in true blue New Jersey. Hope your RINO joins the unemployed.
Chris| 9.3.10 @ 2:23PM
Agree with all, but who schedules a 6am call like that for a candidate without at least making sure she has had a cup of coffee?
Fire that campaign manager!
O'Donnell is a nut| 9.3.10 @ 2:43PM
Ace over at Ace of Spades has an excellent article that eviscerates the "O'Donnell is a good candidate" nonsense. O'Donnell is one of the most pathetic candidates I have ever seen, period. Furthermore, she has about as much chance to win in the general in DE as she would in an election for House in San Francisco. Castle votes Republican more than he doesn't which is saying a lot, given the state from which he hails. Claiming he is no different than a Democrat is just plain stupid.
It is becoming more and more obvious by the day that the Tea Party people care more about purging the party of RINOs than they do electing a governing majority. O'Donnell can't win. Morevoer anyone with a shred of decency would have abandoned her after the ridiculous "Castle is having a gay affair" and "Castle is going to leave the Senate so Beau Biden can have his seat" nonsense that was obviously started by her campaign despite her pathetic denials to the contrary. Even Erick Erickson at Red State has stated he won't support her anymore. And consistent with his stupidity and shrillness, he says he wants Coons to win instead of Castle.
zeep| 9.3.10 @ 3:09PM
Why should conservatives, much less, republicans, listen to you when you sound like a liberal nutjob? You would probably say this same stuff about Mike Lee, Sharron Angle, and Marco Rubio. Get lost man/woman.
Nick| 9.3.10 @ 3:17PM
Castle is a stinking liberal snake.
He is either a moron who believes in the bogus "peak oil" theory, or he is a corrupt-o-crat who, a la algore, is hoping to get even more rich on Cap-n-Tax.
Stop spewing your lies about Miss O'Donnel. You sound like the "Forehead" Begala.
Warrior| 9.3.10 @ 3:40PM
Voting Republican does not make you a conservative. McCain, Specter, Collins, Snowe all vote Republican more than they vote Democrat and look where it has gotten us.
Nick| 9.3.10 @ 3:28PM
Thank you Mr. Lord for defending Miss O'Donnell. Finally, some rational rhetoric and logic are brought to this debate.
When are conservatives going to learn the "he's the only one that can win" argument is bogus. They're the first ones to be shocked when a S-P-E-C-T-E-R turns traitor, a Hagel slams his own party, or a Grassley squishes.
Teflon93| 9.3.10 @ 3:28PM
Isn't it funny how many ostensible conservatives claim that conservatives---who outnumber liberals 2-1 in this country---can't win general elections and therefore do not deserve our primary support when liberals always elect the most left-wing candidate available in Democrat primaries?
Get out of the Beltway once in awhile. Conservatives win when they run on conservatism. They lose when they listen to libs and run as mushy moderates.
I'd rather see the GOP run staunch conservatives and lose some districts than run a bunch of power-hungry RINOs and lose the principles the party stands for.
Steve| 9.3.10 @ 3:33PM
Other than Obamacare, Castle and Harry Reid's voting records are virtually the same and Castle has said he will vote against trying to undo Obamacare. What more do you need to know?
Teflon93| 9.3.10 @ 4:44PM
We need to know who goes to Castle's dinner parties in D.C. That's apparently all some Fauxcons care about.
sue| 9.3.10 @ 3:43PM
mike castle is Delawares spector.he is a cap and trade vote immediately(Day after special election) and he refuses to appeal the obama health debacle...vote the bum out. christine will vote no on cap and trade and push to repeal obama care ....thats big...GO CHRISTINE
Nick| 9.3.10 @ 4:13PM
71 YEAR OLD Castle is also against the God-given right to self-defense and the American 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms.
SoCon| 9.3.10 @ 4:31PM
I don't get it. Why does Castle pretend he's a Republican when he's clearly a LIBERAL Democrat?
Ugh!
Nick| 9.7.10 @ 1:31PM
SoCon,
Because RINO's are complete opportunists, i.e. Michael Bloomberg and Arlen S-P-E-C-T-E-R.
Tim*| 9.3.10 @ 5:38PM
This is Arlen Specter "Lesser Evil " Apologetics again.
Delawarian Republicans go to the Primary Polls on September 14th .
Kendall | 9.3.10 @ 7:58PM
This country is in a whole heap of trouble because of dimwits who put party above principle. Far more of them are Dimmocrats than the Republicans, but all of them contribute to the corruption of the political process. Mike Castle is just another politicians, concerned more about his election than he is about doing the right thing. Any politicians who voted for cap and trade, based, as it is, on the fraud of a global warming crisis, is either a simple-minded fool or a self-serving political hack. That should be a litmus test of electoral suitability. Castle fails that test, and O'Donnell passes. It's time to flush these phony Republicans down the drain to political oblivion. Go Christine!!!
Mimi| 9.3.10 @ 9:46PM
If the Republicans win big this November...It will be thework and energy of the Tea Party!....Here the Repub's eat off that table...All a smiling.....But all worried about Ruling Class Power and stab the Tea Party candidate with...she's not good enough stuff and put their Conservative principles on hold. Whoa...Top Dogs quit biting the hand that feeds you. You ..BOYS are gonna miss all those white haired Pro-Life ladies calling the masses and knocking on doors all over towns in this great country....WAKE-UP! GO CHRISTINE!!!!
Molyuk| 9.7.10 @ 2:48PM
Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans nearly 2-1 here in Delaware. If O'Donnell wins the primary, Coons will kill her in the general election. If Castle wins the primary, he will win the general election. Anyone who says differently knows nothing about Delaware politics.
Do I wish Delaware were more conservative? Yes. Do I wish Castle were more conservative? No: if he were, he'd be unelectable to statewide office.
Wildgoose| 9.7.10 @ 11:10PM
The democrat base won't show up in November because its an off-year election and they're dissapointed with Obama and the Majority in Congress. Charged up conservative Republicans will carry O'Donnell to victory in the general. End of story. Take-a-hike-Mike!
Mike| 9.7.10 @ 3:12PM
To be honest, if we had a quality candidate, a man with a background like Joe Miller, or a voting record like Toomey, or a business record like Ron Johnson, I would roll the dice, hoping that a quality conservative candidate would be able to at least make an impression. But O'Donnell is incompetent, she is not a strong enough candidate to win, she will just annoy Del voters. Castle is our ONLY option, bring up a better candidate in 2-4 years and we can try again, but she ain't getting any of my money.
Wildgoose| 9.7.10 @ 11:27PM
She doesn't need any of your money, she has the Tea Party. I'd say she's got enough "quality" for me, look at her platform, it's the opposite of Mike Castle. She may have some imperfections, that makes her human, the only reason you know about them is because of the slimy Castle campaign and the traitorous backstabbing of the Del GOP. Get above the distractions and stay focused on the issues that really affect Americans, out of control federal spending, the economy, looming Cap and Trade, ObamaCare, immigration. O'Donnell is strong enough to win if enough people realize the failed policies of Obama/Reid/Pelosi and throw their support to a real conservative. There will be a conservative tidal wave this November, and O'Donnell will be riding on it.
Mike| 9.7.10 @ 3:13PM
To be honest, if we had a quality candidate, a man with a background like Joe Miller, or a voting record like Toomey, or a business record like Ron Johnson, I would roll the dice, hoping that a quality conservative candidate would be able to at least make an impression. But O'Donnell is incompetent, she is not a strong enough candidate to win, she will just annoy Del voters. Castle is our ONLY option, bring up a better candidate in 2-4 years and we can try again, but she ain't getting any of my money.
Nick| 9.7.10 @ 3:44PM
Miss O'Donnell is only considered a "nut-job" and "incompetent" by stinking liberals who hate conservatives.