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The Spectacle Blog
Okay, I’m getting tired of my friend Jeff Lord taking shots at conservatives who do nothing other than report straight, incontrovertible facts about Christine O’Donnell. John McCormack’s article about O’Donnell’s lawsuit against the good folks at ISI is nothing but straight news reporting. The facts are that Ms. O’Donnell’s personal history is full of the sorts of questions that would make conservatives howl if she were a liberal instead of a conservative. There ARE things that matter in choosing a candidate in addition to raw ideology. Character does count. And not EVERY battle between a conservative and a moderate is a choice between the country class and the ruling class. Sometimes it is a matter of avoiding the choice of somebody who has no class, in the sense of no classiness. And there are plenty of other good reasons why conservatives may not support the candidate who happens to be the most outspokenly conservative candidate in the race. Doing so does not make one a traitor to the conservative cause. Indeed, the reasons for supporting some other candidate, or for staying neutral, could very well be rooted in very conservative sentiments, conservative reasons, conservative judgment, and conservative practicalities.
It is no sin to support Christine O’Donnell. It is a sin against Reagan’s 11th Commandment, rightly understood, to take pot-shots at fellow conservatives who refuse to support her. And it is passing strange that somebody who sues one of the most important conservative organizations in the country (ISI) should be so rabidly supported by so many conservatives. It does not necessarily hold that the enemy of my friend is my enemy, but it does hold that the enemy of my friend is, on the face of things, of dubious status as a friend herself. ISI is the friend of conservatives everywhere. And as far as I know, ISI isn’t prone to lying about its own record — its educational status, its debts, its past electoral history, etc. It therefore behooves conservatives to be very wary of someone who HAS repeatedly engaged in such falsehoods while suing an organization that has proved friendly for nearly 60 years. And it bleeping well is entirely acceptable for conservatives to choose not to endorse such a person. Other conservatives who do endorse her should stop attacking the motives or outlook of those who don’t endorse her, and instead spend their time making whatever case they can for her, on her own merits, without accusing the non-endorsers of being RINOs or elitists or any other name disreputable among conservatives.
Can it.
View all comments (43) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/09/13/re-poll-odonnell
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Chris B. | 9.13.10 @ 3:20PM
Hear, hear !Good on ya, Quin !
In the immortal words of the great Dale Peterson, "We're Republicans. We should be better than that " !
WL| 9.13.10 @ 3:29PM
I agree with the basic premise of your argument...however I do have two things are really hard to get past...
1. The way this "reporting" sure does look to be in c-l-o-s-e coordination with the javelins coming out the the good old establishment repubs....WHO GOT US OBAMA......I'm just saying...might just be a tell...
2. I have always been a "best horse in the race" type of voter and voted for the REPUBLICAN becuase they are better than the Democrats....
However, these "Castle Type Republicans" WILL NEVER EVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER get my vote AGAIN!!!!!!!!!
ONCE AGAIN...FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON"T UNDERSTAND....
VOTING FOR THE O'DONNELLS of the world DID NOT GET YOU OBAMA....
THE CASTLE'S DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Margie| 9.13.10 @ 3:35PM
You are correct and I fully agree. That's why it's of utmost importance to vote in the Primaries for the conservative Repubbies!!
darcy| 9.13.10 @ 7:32PM
I LOVE your passion, WL.
And I agree with you 100%.
The Castles are power-sharers, not OPPOSERS; they are echoes, not choices. HIT DELETE ON RINOS.
Scott | 9.13.10 @ 3:30PM
Amen.
Tim*| 9.13.10 @ 3:34PM
Class My Ass !
The liberal Americans for Democratic Action last year rated Castle the most liberal Republican in the House, voting the group's views 55 percent of the time.
This is why Jim DeMint , Sarah Palin , The NRA and We ,Tea Party Rebels Support Christine O'Donnell .
Olliander | 9.13.10 @ 3:39PM
Let's hope whoever wins tomorrow is supported by a unified Republican party. We need to win the general election--not just in Delaware, but in KY, in NV, etc.
The DC Republicans are really pissing me off. What happened to the "hands-off-during-primaries" policy?!
Idiots...
Tim*| 9.13.10 @ 3:39PM
The Club For Growth Exposes Castle .
Castle scores a horrendous 43% from CFG for 2009. Again, since his announced Senate bid he has been much more conservative than previous years. In 07 and 08 he earned a 35% and 26% respectively. In every year, Castle has had the most liberal voting record of any member of the 175+ Republican caucus. So in 2008, when Arlen Specter scored a 44%, Mike Castle scored a 26%! The CFG ratings give us more of an idea of how much of a statist the member is than the ACU.
Purple Lips| 9.13.10 @ 3:52PM
I suppose the race will come down to whether the Delaware voters will vote for a Sluts and Nuts, or a RINO. My money is on the RINO. Castle will then go on to lose in the general election, but not before the RNC wastes millions on his campaign.
Sorry, Quinn, the WS writer belw his credibility when he referred to Castle as a Moderate. That is akin to saying Lady Gaga is a virgin.
Patriot| 9.13.10 @ 3:58PM
You saying Castle is a whore? Now, that's something I can agree with!
Geoffrey Browning| 9.13.10 @ 4:05PM
I disagree with Quin at times, but he is without question a man of integrity, and this post is spot on. Kudos for calling out Jeff Lord on this. Not every battle is ruling class v. country class. This whole episode makes me think of a coming conservative crack-up, but I hope cooler heads, like Quin Hillyer, prevail.
Great work Quin! Very smart piece, and pretty brave too.
Tim*| 9.13.10 @ 4:09PM
Castle's The Slut With Nuts...... then again Castle has repeatedly voted , " Hey Fellow RINO's hold my nuts ."
Patriot| 9.13.10 @ 4:16PM
Jeffrey Lord is also beyond reproach, and he doesn't have Beltway Insider Fever like Quin. I'd take Lord over Hillyer any day of he week.
Quin| 9.13.10 @ 4:26PM
Beltway Insider Fever is a malady I have NEVER suffered from. I was criticizing the first Bush -- from the right -- when he was popular. I was criticizing the second Bush -- from the right -- when he was popular. I was criticizing Tom DeLay from the right when he was popular among fellow conservatives. I supported Hayworth over McCain, Hoffman over Scozzafava, Lee over Bennett, Buck slightly over Norton (although I didn't write about that one, so you'll need to take my word for it), and the conservative candidates right on down the line. I have a 30-year history of fighting the Beltway establishment. Patriot falls prey to my friend Jeff Lord's mistake of belittling the motives or outlook of those who disagree. Or, worse, name-calling, as in "Beltway Insider Fever." Note that I have not once insulted or criticized those who support O'Donnell. There can be an honest difference of opinion. And even those who support O'Donnell ought to have enough intellectual integrity to admit that there are a number of elements of her record that could give honest conservatives pause about supporting her. My advice is for conservatives not to cannibalize each other over this race -- or ever, for that matter.
Tim*| 9.13.10 @ 4:41PM
O.K. Quin !
Now tell AS Readers about Castle's Liberal Record.
You're Up !
Patriot| 9.13.10 @ 4:50PM
You're in denial, Quin.
BD57| 9.13.10 @ 4:37PM
Attacking Quin's motives is an extraordinarily cheap shot and intellectually lazy.
NVA Patriot| 9.13.10 @ 6:42PM
We're not attacking motive - we're watching action and the different standards applied. ODonnell receives personal attacks and anal exams of record. Castle is elevated to moderate sainthood with no examination of record - seems odd to me.
Amazes me that the men of principle are quick to cast principle aside at the prospect of controlling committees by proxy in the Senate, where committee control is infinitely less important than in the lower house.
To all the Odonnell opponents - why are you not discussing the positions of the two candidates? It seems Castle has no skeltons in his closet but the nuts and sluts attack on Odonnell is fair game? Hmmmmm
BTW for all those 'pramatists' telling us conservativess to be strategic, answer this - Who takes Castle's seat when he vacates it - R or D? Controlling the lower house is much more important this cycle than the upper chamber, yet if we promote Castle to a Senate seat we lose the House seat. How is that pragmatic? And more importantly, how will Castle vote in the Senate - his record indicates something different.
Last - if we listened to the likes of Quin and is cadre of pragmatic elites, we would not have Rubio, Buck, Rand Paul, Joe Miller, nor would Feingold be in trouble. I think the grass roots seems to operate much sharper than our illustrious Beltway crew.
As has been said all day on the Radio - We HAVE HAD IT. NO MORE RINOS - they are more destructive than Dems. Dems are honest in their desire to destroy. RINOS are nothing more than pale imitations of Bendict Arnold.
Brooke| 9.13.10 @ 6:52PM
I'm still annoyed with Quin for the numerous cheap shots he took at Sarah Palin over the last 18 months.
BD57| 9.13.10 @ 9:29PM
"Beltway Insider Fever" isn't a substantive comment, it's a cheap shot.
Brooke| 9.14.10 @ 12:39AM
Not if it's true, brown-noser.
BD57| 9.14.10 @ 1:30PM
VERY mature, Brooke .... now finish your lunch, take your tray back & get back to class; Miss Brown won't have you holding up the whole 5th grade while you play on the computer.
Broke| 9.14.10 @ 2:54PM
Are you Miss Brown-noser and why are you wearing knee-pads for Hillyer?
Hank Archer| 9.13.10 @ 4:17PM
If O'Donnell wins, Castle goes third party.
Interested Conservative| 9.13.10 @ 4:25PM
Just like the "principled" RINO dirtbag Murkowski.
Thief!| 9.13.10 @ 6:12PM
Hey - pick a different alias - I was the original "Interested Conservative" around here.
Thief!| 9.13.10 @ 6:14PM
And in Quin's spirit, I don't appreciate using a vulgarity which others might attribute to my alias.
Aside from that, Hank Archer makes an interesting point, which would actually allow O'Donnell to win fairly easily - a 3-way split would very much favor the most conservative candidate in Delaware.
Interested Conservative| 9.13.10 @ 6:45PM
Provide proof and I'll think about changing it, Thief!
Interested Conservative| 9.13.10 @ 10:16PM
The Webmaster knows.
Interested Conservative| 9.14.10 @ 12:40AM
Oooooooh, I'm so scared! Tool.
Interested Conservative| 9.14.10 @ 11:54AM
Have another, on me. Maybe you'll calm down.
Sane Interested Conservative| 9.14.10 @ 2:52PM
Another what, Thief!? You make no sense.
NVA PAtriot| 9.13.10 @ 6:44PM
Probably not - he can't get any other job - he runs to hold his Congressional seat I think. He does all he can to destroy ODonnell - probably endorsing the Dem Senate candidate.
albert constantine, jr.| 9.13.10 @ 4:29PM
Certainly the vitriol does not benefit conservatives, but it is bears mentioning that the vitriol did not originate and is certainly not limited to the O’Donnell camp. From what I have read so far, Mr. Lord, who does support O’Donnell, has been reporting on those on the right who have been critical of her. Mr. Levin, as is his shtick, has been somewhat more harsh. Thus far, in opposition, I have seen the ghost of William F. Buckley quoted, and a re-hash of the same claims about financial responsibility, litigiousness and resume inflation. While the Weekly Standard does present a MacCormack interview with Mike Castle that does review his record, I do not see the same level of scrutiny to Castle’s personal life and conduct and the conduct of his staff. I believe that Mr. Lord’s earlier work on Mr. Castle’s avoidance of the tough election in 2008 is the only one that probes this facet of his record. I do believe that character matters. My lifelong experience and familiarity with the politics of Delaware gives me insight into the character of Mike Castle that I do not have to draw from the internet or media (like I do with Ms. O’Donnell, who is relatively new on the scene here, but receiving a lot of generally critical coverage lately). From my standpoint, these are a wash. That leaves the issues. My review of the record is that her views are much more in accord with mine than Mr. Castle’s. If a majority of those voting in the Republican primary concur, she will win on 091410. If not, then Castle will. I have, however, refrained from trumpeting my disappointments with Castle (other than his stands/votes on issues important to me) because I understand that should he be the victor in the primary, I don’t wish the bullets I used in the primary to be used against the Republican candidate in the general, thereby making Castle less electable should he be victorious in the primary. Those who have opposed O’Donnell have not been so restrained. I do not believe that O’Donnell is unelectable in Delaware, though much of the conservative criticism does seem to erode her chances. I fear much of it leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy, giving the critic the hollow satisfaction that comes with being able to say “I told you so”. I have yet to hear anyone from the Castle camp suggest that they would support O’Donnell should she be victorious. I would like it if everyone was more gracious. I am not surprised when they are not. I’ve usually found though, that when I wish others to cease a certain kind of behavior, I speak with more authority when I myself have not engaged in the same behavior, or at least stopped first.
Siegfried X| 9.13.10 @ 5:00PM
Part of the problem is that we won't have independent analysis of issues such as the lawsuit and the vandalism claims by the time of the election.
Also, we are not always given the choice between two saints. In fact the RINO leadership trained us to "vote for the lesser of two evils".
I agree with others here that the information dump has been mostly one-sided, and some of the allogations are about normal behavior. I don't see any evidence that O'Donnell has used private detectives (or other sources) to dig as deep on Castle. She likely would if she had the time and money but my point is not to have a double standard where we judge her more harshly because of the available information.
Finally, TAS and many of its columnists supported "I was never a maverick" McCain, who (post-Vietnam) told more lies and had worse character than any politician I ever saw. So considering that Arizona just re-nominated McCain, I can't see why some lies would be a disqualifier for O'Donnell.
Oldefarte| 9.13.10 @ 5:09PM
Fact [unless press accounts are lying, which is possible]: Castle voted FOR Obama's stimulus and cap & trade legislation! Again, if true, then any/all taxpayer-voters in Delaware SHOULD VOTE FOR O'DONNELL, period!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Siegfried X| 9.13.10 @ 5:10PM
During the past few years the 11th commandment was badly abused by the RINO leadership to censor the party into silence, and we can't ever go back there again. We can't ever have a candidate like McCain whose record was totally passed over in the nominating process, covered up by endless puff P.O.W. stories.
The conservatives are just waking up and retaking their party, and they won't be silenced.
The biggest failure of character and ethics has been for the Republican Party to continually lie to its membership by faking right and then ruling left(-wing). It is wrong to take someone money and vote, and then not provide the promised results.
Siegfried X| 9.13.10 @ 5:13PM
Ronald Reagan ran some of the toughest primary campaigns in the party. That's because he knew what many of us forgot, that if we don't battle the RINO / Rockefeller Republicans every day, then they will take over the party. The 11th commandment was about below-the-belt attacks and poor losing, not a message not to primary.
Siegfried X| 9.13.10 @ 5:19PM
It also should be remembered that most of the personal attacks here on the web come from Democratic trolls, not Republicans or conservatives.
Yosemeti Sam| 9.14.10 @ 12:43AM
" ... And it is passing strange that somebody who
sues one of the most important conservative
organizations in the country (ISI) should be
so rabidly supported by so many conservatives...."
" ... rabidly...."?
I'll have you know I've had my shots!
And BTW - who said "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice".
Ken (Old Texican)| 9.14.10 @ 7:12AM
Quin,
I just can't help going back to when the Repubs threw Christine into the grinder against Biden, but now shun her. Tacky Tacky.
Patriot| 9.14.10 @ 11:30AM
Not much 'class' in the ruling class, is there?
WL| 9.14.10 @ 12:24PM
Hmmmm....
Any of you guys ever wonder why the New Yorks, Trentons, Detroits, Las Angeles, New Orleans...etc etc etc which have been kept in the ditch by Liberal Democrats for years.....KEEP ELECTING DEMOCRATS??????????
I am sort of feeling that way about our side now...
The Establishment Republicans keep getting votes against insurgent conservatives...when THEY GOT US INTO THIS MESS.....
NO, they are not socialist marxists...
BUT, their FAILURES cleared the way for em.....
When will we really get it? If we don't...and elect these "fragile majorities" built on Castle type Republicans....as yourself....WILL THE NEXT OBAMA THEY PRODUCE....BE WORSE????