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Did NRSC Sabotage Christine O'Donnell with "Witch Ad" Unauthorized? [EXCERPT & COMMENT]
FORBES Magazine ^ | August 11, 2011 | Adam Geller (with commentary by me)

Posted on 08/11/2011 7:41:47 PM PDT by Moseley

EXCERPT FROM FORBES MAGAZINE:

She says she never wanted to make the ad - which was prompted by questions about a statement she had made on a late-night talk show years earlier - and was surprised when it showed up on the Internet. She blames an insistent media consultant but also her own inability to put her foot down.

"It was a wrong-headed move, made for all the wrong reasons, but it was mine," O'Donnell writes in "Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again." The book is scheduled to go on sale Aug. 16. The Associated Press purchased a copy on Thursday.

Soon after, she hired Davis to produce ads for her campaign, based on the recommendation of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. O'Donnell writes that Davis pushed her to film the "I am not a witch," commercial, even though she made clear she was deeply uncomfortable with the idea. Even then, she says, she never intended to use the ad. According to O'Donnell, her hand was forced only when the ad was leaked and posted on the Internet.

"It was a wrong-headed move, made for all the wrong reasons, but it was mine," O'Donnell writes in "Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again." The book is scheduled to go on sale Aug. 16. The Associated Press purchased a copy on Thursday.


(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Delaware
KEYWORDS: 2010; christineodonnell; delaware; nrscdirtytrick; romneydirtytrick; witch
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To: bwc2221

Why? Because I am against candidates like Sharon, Christine and Palin types?

I am certainly more interested in winning elections and expanding our majorities in the long term by convincing the majority of the electorate that our way is the best way for this country and them.


41 posted on 08/11/2011 9:10:49 PM PDT by indianrightwinger
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To: indianrightwinger

You are saying she was a bad candidate when she beat a political powerhouse. Someone who defeats an entrenched political figure obviously dis something right.

She campaigned very effectively in the issues. She became a ‘bad’ candidate because the left took a random clip from a comedy show 12 years before, and many on our side undercut her. She probably would have had a hard time winning in a blue state anyway, but never had a chance.


42 posted on 08/11/2011 9:16:25 PM PDT by ilgipper (political rhetoric is no substitute for competence (Thomas Sowell))
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To: Moseley
O'Donnell was never a shoo-in to win in heavily Dem Delaware, but did have a good chance to win against the slimeball the Dems had.

From the very moment she won her primary, Tokyo Rove and the establishment RINOs shot her chances down, it took McConnell and the boys two or three days to even start giving her any assistance, and it was obvious that was very grudging. Her individual contributions in the first couple days was greater than most other Senate candidates; the enthusiasm she brought with her was very high, and guess what? The NRSC and the crony GOP did everything in their power to shoot that down....and succeeded.

When the general election rolled around shortly after her nomination, she was far behind because of the nonsupport and awful campaign advice from her establishment handlers.

This didn't just effect a single senate seat, it set the tone for the entire voting in the entire country! Delaware's polls closed a 6PM, at least two hours before any other in the country, and the result of her loss was chortled loudly by every MSM outlet, which set the tone for the rest of the country. Although the races for the house were strongly in our favor, at least four closely contested Senate (WV,CO, WA and AK, and perhaps NV and CA) seats went to the Dems by very close margins, and I believe were influenced by this early loss. IF, and this is a big IF, Christine had pulled off a narrow victory, the GOP could well be holding the Senate Majority today... Or, if there had been a "too close to call" in this race for a couple more hours, Rease in WV would have likely won, setting the tone for the races in the west, and the GOP would likely have between 49-51 seats there. Big difference.

Yep, the senate GOP establishment types managed to weasel out of having to take responsibility for doing the right things in the 113th congress, all right. Thank God the TEA parties were strong enough to, with Sarah's valuable help, take over the house and give our country a chance to survive until the 2013 change of power!

43 posted on 08/11/2011 9:17:53 PM PDT by fantail 1952 (They don't make 'em like Reagan any more. Now it takes a woman to do a mans job!)
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To: ilgipper

If she was not ready to compete and win in a Blue state with her baggage, why did she enter and compete in the primary? I hope we don’t encourage people to enter our primaries just to prove a point to our own party folk. I hope they are in it to win it and have the actual ability to win it all the way.


44 posted on 08/11/2011 9:24:06 PM PDT by indianrightwinger
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To: fantail 1952
but did have a good chance to win against the slimeball the Dems had.

No one who loses any election by 17 points ever had a chance to win.

45 posted on 08/11/2011 9:34:49 PM PDT by Strategerist (There is only so much stupidity one man can prevent - Andrew Marshall)
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To: tlb
I’ve spent the last 20 minutes or so browsing old FR O’Donnell threads from before the election. The disconnect from reality seen in them is just as bad as I remembered.

They're basically all the Catherine Harris for Florida Senate threads, cubed.

The best part was all the fabricated "internal polls" that supposedly showed the race was close, posted, I suspect, by fundraiser shills.

46 posted on 08/11/2011 9:37:39 PM PDT by Strategerist (There is only so much stupidity one man can prevent - Andrew Marshall)
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To: Moseley

Of course. The NTSC wanted O’Donnell to lose. Angle too.


47 posted on 08/11/2011 10:06:23 PM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: indianrightwinger
why did she enter and compete in the primary?

You have the history backwards, good sir. Christine O'Donnell expressed an interest in running in December 2008 on her website, told the radio station WDEL on February 13, 2009, that she was considering running, and filed her official Statement of Candidacy on March 20, 2009, with the Federal Election Commission. That form is not due right away.

It was not until around October 2009 that Mike Castle decided he wanted to bump Christine O'Donnell off.

Christine O'Donnell did not enter the race against Mike Castle. O'Donnell declared in March 2009 and was the only candidate in the race throughout 2009.

Mike Castle decided he wanted to jump in -- remember he was already in a safe U.S. House seat. But the tea party groups revolted because they found Castle (politically) revolting.
48 posted on 08/11/2011 10:47:55 PM PDT by Moseley (http://www.defenseforvirginia.com/odonnell.html)
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To: tlb
She had zero appeal outside her base.

Not true. In the Summer of 2010, Christine O'Donnell was polling ahead of the Democrat Chris Coons.

You point out that Delaware's voter registration is 29.4% Republican, yet Christine O'Donnell got 40% of the vote.

Delaware is registered 293,000 Democrats to 183,000 Republicans. Yet in the Summer O'Donnell's polling -- not internal polling, either, but independent -- was AHEAD of Chris Coons.

That would require O'Donnell to attract a significant number of Reagan Democrats and Independents.

It is true that 19% of registered Republicans voted for some other candidate, not for their own nominee, according to exit polling (when protesting RINO's would be likely to say they opposed the nominee). So the sore loser contingent in Delaware is at least 19%.

Let's note: ISN'T IT THE MIKE CASTLE CAMPAIGN THAT NEVER RUNS OUT OF EXCUSES??? Christine O'Donnell beat Mike Castle. Yet the sore loser class keeps trying to attack Christine O"Donnell to make excuses for their humiliating loss in the Republican primary.

Stop making excuses. Your guy Mike Castle lost. The Republican voters of Delaware rejected him and you. Grow up.
49 posted on 08/11/2011 11:02:40 PM PDT by Moseley (http://www.defenseforvirginia.com/odonnell.html)
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To: Moseley

The disconnect I mentioned is well illustrated in your post. Elections aren’t held in the summer.

What a shame the election was held in the fall, and not before people remembered why they didn’t like her the first time she ran for senate in the prior election.

btw. Not everybody registered actually votes.

>>> The Republican voters of Delaware rejected him and you. Grow up.

Note what happened with O’Donnell and take your own advise. But you won’t of course.


50 posted on 08/11/2011 11:15:13 PM PDT by tlb
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To: Moseley
I entirely agree with her quote: "It was a wrong-headed move, made for all the wrong reasons, but it was mine,"

She made it where she was with her own team, she should never have allowed a different team to come in. And she never should have made that commercial.

I remember when that ad came out, and how hard it was for some supporters here to defend the ad, although try they did.

I felt the same way about George Allen in 2006, that he was betrayed by his campaign staff, but in the end, we hold candidates responsible for the people they hire.

51 posted on 08/12/2011 7:14:16 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: Hunton Peck

I suspect that this book and the stories we will here from it are the prelude to her running for something, maybe the congressional seat currently held by a democrat?


52 posted on 08/12/2011 7:16:49 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: GOP_Muzik

I don’t think the witch ad was the way to go. But if she was going to play with the witch ad, she could have started exactly like she did, dressed in a witch costume. Then she could have taken off the hat and black cloak, been dressed in something bright and cheery, moved over to a bright background shot, and said what she WAS, which is a strong fiscal conservative who was ready to solve the problems facing our country.


53 posted on 08/12/2011 7:18:57 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: ilgipper

That in itself should earn our respect. That was a race where I felt it was better to defeat Castle than to win the seat. I know that’s not the consensus opinion, but at some point it’s better to let the other side get blamed then to give them “bipartisan” support.


54 posted on 08/12/2011 7:21:24 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: Moseley

A Rassumusen Reports poll showed her with a 2-point lead over Coons on 7/14/2010, within the margin of error, and with 20% uncommitted. That’s the only standard polling firm poll I can find that shows O’Donnell beating Coons, but I’m guessing you have better sources. Could you post links to the multiple polls showing she was beating Coons?


55 posted on 08/12/2011 7:27:28 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: CharlesWayneCT

I don’t know what her plans are, and don’t care all that much. My point is that, whatever her level of responsibility may be for the ad, the important thing is that we all learn from her mistake in trusting a RINO.


56 posted on 08/12/2011 7:43:14 AM PDT by Hunton Peck (See my FR homepage for a list of businesses that support WI Gov. Scott Walker)
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To: CharlesWayneCT
I don’t think the witch ad was the way to go. But if she was going to play with the witch ad, she could have started exactly like she did, dressed in a witch costume. Then she could have taken off the hat and black cloak, been dressed in something bright and cheery, moved over to a bright background shot, and said what she WAS, which is a strong fiscal conservative who was ready to solve the problems facing our country.

Wow. Isn't it amazing how much smarter the average conservative is than self-proclaimed experts like TV guru Fred Davis? That would have been 1000 times better than what the suppoesd best in the business came up with. If you listen to Fred Davis' interview talking about the ad he sounds like a nut. Hint: Watch the end of "America's Sweethearts" when the big legendary movie director goes off the deep end. Then think Fred Davis.

The one thing even more incredible than the "witch" TV ad is the possibility that anyone might ever hire Fred Davis ever again for anything.


57 posted on 08/12/2011 8:50:34 AM PDT by Moseley (http://www.defenseforvirginia.com/odonnell.html)
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To: tlb
Elections aren’t held in the summer. What a shame the election was held in the fall, and not before people remembered why they didn’t like her the first time she ran for senate in the prior election.

The theory was that O'Donnell had no appeal outside her base. That is obviously not true. In order to be 2 points AHEAD of Chris Coons in the Summer, with Republicans being only 29% of registered voters in the State, is for O'Donnell to be attracting not only most or all Republicans, but a significant number of Democrats and Independents as well.

Then the RINO herd started to attack her and sabotage her ,and her numbers went down.

So we know whom to blame.
58 posted on 08/12/2011 8:53:55 AM PDT by Moseley (http://www.defenseforvirginia.com/odonnell.html)
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To: CharlesWayneCT
That in itself should earn our respect. That was a race where I felt it was better to defeat Castle than to win the seat. I know that’s not the consensus opinion, but at some point it’s better to let the other side get blamed then to give them “bipartisan” support.

I am in 100% agreement. Castle would have been a disastrous Senator for our side. He would not be a reliable vote and instead would have joined the McCain/Snowe wing of the party that loves to not only vote poorly, but also undercut our side in the media battle. Castle in the House could not do any damage because it is majority rules. In the Senate, the left most Republicans control the agenda.

For that, O'Donnell deserves gratitude for moving the state party to the right a few ticks, and also deserves a little respect for beating the guy.

59 posted on 08/12/2011 2:47:35 PM PDT by ilgipper
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To: Moseley

They MORE than tried to disrupt her campaign...http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2763956/posts


60 posted on 08/15/2011 6:33:24 PM PDT by DEConservative (We Retired Mike in 2010...up next is Carper in 2012)
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