Posted on 09/15/2010 7:29:11 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Tea Party upstarts rock Delaware and New Hampshire. Mark McKinnon on a GOP establishment on the run, what voters want—and the coming Republican identity crisis.
Voters grabbed their pitchforks Tuesday night and came over the ramparts. The revolution has arrived. Republican primary voters Tuesday night in key contests in Delaware and New Hampshire and New York sent a clear message, in case anyone had missed it up until now: If you are part of the establishment, you better grab your goodies and get out of the castle while you can.
Tea Party upstart Christine O’Donnell upset Mike Castle in the Delaware GOP primary. In New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte, the establishment candidate, is battling for survival and was holding a slim lead Wednesday morning over Ovide Lamontagne in the Senate race there. Voters in both places voted with their hearts and not their heads, with passion more than pragmatism—as the losing candidates were considered far more likely to win the general election.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (the Establishment) has now backed eight losing candidates. In other words, this grass-roots anti-establishment wave actually threatens the GOP’s chances of taking control of the Senate.
The attacks on O’Donnell were personal; she was “nuts.” The attacks on Castle were on his record; he was too liberal for some. The bitter GOP battle in Delaware for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden was a doozy. But it was a proxy war between the Tea Party and establishment GOP writ large in this small state.
O’Donnell, the perceived outsider, ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2006 and 2008. In this race, she was backed by some in the Tea Party movement and by both former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who were attracted by her social and economic conservatism. Though she did not have the compelling personal bio of other welcome GOP upstarts like congressional candidates Joe Miller of Alaska, Sean Duffy of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah or Marco Rubio of Florida, O’Donnell’s more conservative platform positions appealed to those on the right wary of Castle’s commitment to the cause.
O’Donnell’s other major endorsements included The National Rifle Association, The Susan B. Anthony List and radio host Mark Levin. But with no public record and an imperfect and troubling personal record, the marketing consultant and activist became an easy target for fair and unfair personal attacks by the local Republican establishment and national conservative media.
As the mood in the country became less patient, Rep. Castle’s popularity dropped. A survey by Public Policy Polling last week showed O'Donnell leading Castle 47 percent to 44 percent for a dead heat. But in a hypothetical general election poll conducted over the past month, the uncontested Democratic candidate Chris Coons trailed Castle but led O'Donnell.
The sound and the fury in Delaware are not signs of a party in disarray — they are signs of an engaged electorate who want to make a statement. GOP voter turnout was much higher than expected. While a RINO head mounted on the wall may be a trophy, a RINO seated in a chair in the Senate could have helped make a Republican majority. But voters were unwilling to settle.
By electing O’Donnell, voters in Delaware proved the Tea Party is now more than a movement — it’s become the driving force and voice of Republican voters.
Delaware is undeniably a blue state. Though Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) won the GOP nomination easily, President Barack Obama won over 62 percent of the popular vote here in 2008. Registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans by roughly 329,000 to 179,000. And the state bird is even the Blue Hen Chicken – not an actual breed but a nod to the cock-fighting spirit of the state’s Revolutionary War heroes.
With only three counties and one congressional district, the state’s population of 885,122 is less than the city of Detroit. So why does Delaware matter to the GOP?
Because some of the questions yet to be resolved continue to drive a dilemma within the party. Who are we: Establishment, Tea Party or moderates? Who is our voice: Gov. Palin and Sen. DeMint? Or establishment types like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)? Or even moderates like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)? How will we vet candidates for 2012: For purity or practicality? Whose opinion matters more: That of the pundits, the politicians or the people?
Delaware was the marquee race, but in a quieter GOP race for Senate in New Hampshire, DeMint-backed attorney Lamontagne faced the Palin-backed year-long front-runner, Attorney General Kelly Ayotte. The Tea Party vote may have been split here. Lamontagne was leading late in Tuesday evening, but the race is too close to call as of Wednesday morning. The tight battle reflects the high-octane energy among GOP voters.
And in New York, Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino beat out the establishment candidate, former Rep. Rick Lazio (R-NY), for the GOP nomination for governor. Paladino is not a professional politician, an apparent advantage in this election cycle, and he is known for speaking his mind. He will face a tough fight against Democrat Andrew Cuomo.
Tuesday’s results still do not provide resounding resolution — other than the people rule, and the people ain’t happy with the keepers of the castle. The other answers may not come until November, or perhaps 2012. What will be interesting is to see how this tension between the establishment and the revolutionaries in the Republican Party plays out post-November.
--- As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono.
Time has come for us to take over the term “Politically Correct”. It’s time to make Washington “Politically Correct” but in our terms.
GO CHRISTINE--GO CHRISTINE--GO CHRISTINE--GO CHRISTINE--GO CHRISTINE--GO CHRISTINE
DONATE http://www.christine2010.com/
When Obama was elected, people were looking for a savior... with the mid terms looming, it is looking more and more like people are getting it, it is “We The People”.
We had a Republican majority in Congress and a Pubbie in the White House, and what did we get? Obscene bailouts, runaway spending, and new Federal entitlement programs.
dude,, what you said! Exactly,,,
Another hilarious MSM laugher. This article is using the DNC talking points that Tea Party candidates are going to lose in the general elections. And that voters don’t vote with their heads. Well it would be stupid to vote for and support a Rino if they vote for all Obama agenda.
Obama is the most leftist president we have had in history. Any Republican voting for Obama agenda is not mainstream as America has rejected Obama. So I wouldn’t call the big government rino establishment Republicans “moderates” but rather “leftists”. As such America wants nothing to do with them because they know the more Rinos the more chances of failing to reject Obama agenda and failing to pass Conservative Agenda.
Just more liberal spin from the media and the DNC and the Rino RNC.
There are two steps in the act of taking power within a party. First, you have to show that the base can push out the estabilishment in the primary process. The Tea Party Express has done this.
The second step is to show that you can push out the other party in the elections. The spin that the GOP establishment is pitching is that conservative candidates are not electable. However, if they do win in this election, the establishment will be shown that their strawman of electability is false and that conservatives (the base) wins when they are motivated to vote as in broken glass voters.
This is not a leason that is easily learned by people who have spent the last 20 to 40 years focusing on an ever shrinking “middle”. What they have been basing the tactis on is no longer a signifcant part of the electorate. But old habits die hard.
We are now entering the era of motivating the base, and evangalizng the cause of capitalism, conservatism and smaller government. This will be the go forward strategy to win elections. No longer will compromising your position to trim off a handful of voters be the “smart” play. That is because you will piss off the base and lose votes on the back side. Maybe not on the current election, but certainly on the next primary.
No more compromising just to win the election. Real conservatives or nobody. Our “electable” Republican candidates have done so well for us. not.
The most important message to send to career politicians is “YOU’RE FIRED!” Unless they fear for their jobs, nothing will change.
Did anyone else catch Tanya Acker on SeeBS asserting that Republicans want to repeal the Civil Rights Act? Good grief can't someone call her a liar publically?
Everytime someone says stuff like this on national TV and gets away with it, we lose.
First they laugh at you (remember how much fun they had with teabagger and astroturf??)
Then they ridicule you( Remember how they crucified Palin, Bachmann, Beck, et al)
Then they fight you (Going against conservative candidates in the PRIMARIES, not endorsing the PEOPLES candidate after the primaries, Supporting Crist as the R and then he switches to an I when he STILL cant beat Rubio? Other races where this has happened as well!)
THEN YOU WIN! (looks like thats all thats left to do :) , and the establishment knows this.
Keep moving, keep fighting, never give up never give in never! never! never! NEVER!!!!
Ecrasez l’infame!
Uh oh. publically == publicly...
OMG. Have you got THAT right! It's time we cleaned house and brought the words "Freedom" and "liberty" back in style.
My $100.00 to Christine is in the mail.....
I get the distinct feeling that we are living in a politically historic time that will be looked back at as a major turning point (for the good) in America, much like the Reagan Revolution, if not much more so.
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