Well, Christine O’Donnell has lost in Delaware, sad to
say. And so, as my friend John Tabin has observed
here @AmSpec, I owe him a lunch at
the Palm. Well, what is there to say other than:
Congratulations, John!
Several things, actually, warrant a mention, I
think:
(1) I always
acknowledged that an O’Donnell victory would be a difficult, uphill
climb. It depended upon a GOP tsunami which never really
materialized. Yes, the GOP did well in this election, but not
nearly as well as I had expected they would do when, back in
September, I made my wager with Tabin.
Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman, for example, both lost in
California. Ditto John Raese in West Virginia. And, as I write, Pat
Toomey is in the midst of a true cliffhanger in
Pennsylvania.
(2) GOP
primary voters in Delaware were right to repudiate Mike Castle and
to opt for a more conservative candidate who better represents
their values and beliefs. Castle was too liberal and too selfish.
He had a sense of entitlement, which is all too typical of many
lifelong pols.
(3) The GOP
and conservative establishment — led by ringleader Karl Rove —
were wrong to savage Christine O’Donnell. Their vicious attacks on
her served to undermine her candidacy and made it very difficult
for her to win this race. Shame on them.
(4) Christine
O’Donnell deserves praise and recognition for entering the
political arena. She demonstrated real grit, courage and grace
under fire. She had the courage of her convictions, which is more
than can be said for many Republicans.
Why, for instance, didn’t Rep. Peter King run for the
Senate in New York? He would have been the GOP’s most formidable
candidate, but declined to run. Ditto Rudy Giuliani for governor.
You have to be in it to win it. Yet in all too many instances, the
GOP’s heavyweight candidates refused to run.
(5) Republican
candidates especially must demonstrate gravitas and a
serious-minded sense of purpose. O’Donnell was never able to do
this. She was portrayed and viewed as a public-policy lightweight,
and this cost her the race.
True, there’s a double standard here. Lefty candidates can
be bona fide lightweights (incumbent Democratic Senator Patty
Murray ((D-WA)) is a prime example), and the media give them a
pass. This isn’t fair or right, but it’s reality. Republican
candidates have to pass a gravitas test that the Dems don’t have to
pass. Deal with it, GOP — or lose.
(6) Generally
speaking, if you’re the issue in a campaign you will lose. To win,
you have to make your opponent the issue. O’Donnell was the issue
in this campaign; and so she lost.
And it didn’t help matters when, inexplicably and
foolishly, O’Donnell decided to tell voters that she is not a
witch. You don’t tell voters what you’re not; you talk
about what you are. You talk about your opponent. You
define him and put him on trial. Therein lies
victory.
