Posted on 11/05/2010 11:35:02 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
(VIDEO AT LINK)
From Morton Kondracke: “The people who got slapped the hardest in this election — besides Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama — are Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin. Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin are responsible for the fact that the Senate did not go Republican. They’re the ones who are responsible for Christine O’Donnell. They’re the ones who are responsible for Joe Miller in Alaska. They’re the ones who are responsible for Ken Buck in Colorado. They’re the ones who are responsible for Sharron Angle in Nevada.”
Republicans picked up 6 seats. That was their best showing in 18 years.
And Kondracke is whining about it?
First he is math challenged.
Republicans needed 10 more seats on Tuesday. They picked up 6. He blamed Palin and DeMint for not taking 3 more. That would have left them 1 shy.
Apparently Morton Kondracke is under the impression that Democrat Scott McAdams will win in Alaska. Foolish. Scott McAdams conceded. It is between Republican Miller and Republican incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski. So there is no loss there.
Yes, Christine O’Donnell ruined the chance for a pickup in Delaware. That would have been Seat No. 7.
In Colorado, Ken Buck upset Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton to face incumbent Senator Michael Bennet. The only outside force that could have tripped Ken Buck was Tom Tancredo’s third-party run for governor. It was a case in that Senate race of a weak state party, good candidate. I really think that is a stretch by a mile to blame Palin or DeMint cost anyone anything in Colorado.
As far as Nevada goes, Sue Lowden was a good candidate (Danny Tarkanian could not get elected to the state Senate) but she still would have faced the president, the SEIU and the powers of the sitting Senate Majority Leader. I said all along, Reid would pull this off. Reid won by 5. I don’t see Lowden doing much better than that.
Left out of teh equation is Rand Paul. Despite people like Morton Kondracke calling the man crazy, Doctor Paul took Kentucky by 12 points.
To put that in perspective, moderate Mitch McConnell won Kentucky by 6 points in 2008 — a state McCain/PALIN took by 16 points.
Moderate Jim Bunning won by 2 points in 2004 on the coattails of a 20-point win by President Bush.
Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin did not cost Republicans Connecticut or Washington state or West Virginia or California. Winning those 4 would have given Republicans the Senate. Who do we blame for that? John Cornyn?
It is foolish to be looking at the cup as empty when it is three-quarters full.
The rest of Morton Kondracke’s analysis has some merit. Palin quitting her job as governor of Alaska will remain an albatross. There is a reason her pony appears to be 7 points behind Lisa Murkowski in Alaska.
What disturbs me about Morton Kondracke is that he is ignoring the elephant in the House:
That is the big news. Republicans had their best mid-term in 72 years and took back the House. The inability of a Washington pundit to see what is in front of him greatly amuses me.
Its clear we could have picked up 2 more seats.
This crap is all the establishment slobs have to throw around as reason for their existence. What they leave out is that all of the candidates they loath are with us because they won a majority of votes within their party, and they probably would have won their general elections if the establishment pukes had done the honorable thing and supported them. What the bums are really whining about is their having to submit their fates to voters. After all, they are elites. ...All this nonsense about qualified candidates, worthy candidates, compromising, RINO candidates is stupid. If the Clymers of the GOP were any good, they would run as the Democrats they are. Now that the election is over, and Republicans have made huge gains, the Republican establishment is doing what it does best. They are attacking conservatives.
She is hardly a quitter.
That line about her being one, is about as dumb and desperate as it gets.
I used to be in the "She's a Quitter" camp. But after watching this Alaska election, I realized that Alaska didn't deserve her.
I cut Mort’s liberal piece of garbage off back in 1986. I suggest you don’t waste a second more with this guy. He is a snooty jerk at best. That will rarely agree with you. Hardly anyone watches him compared to talk radio. Don’t waste your time.
“With that said, the loss of Miller in Alaska, doesn’t show well on Palin. No two ways around that. It looks bad.
As for Buck in CO. Nothing to do with Palin. Everything to do with the top of the ticket there and the GOP having NO real candidate for Gov. Tancredo cost us, because he brought people out just to vote AGASINT him....which ended up costing Buck at least a couple % pts and the min. (Enough that he very likely wins).
As for DE. I was glad just to see Castle out of there. The guy was garbage. I’d rather Coons be there. As for O’Donnell she was an awful candidate that was immature to boot. Her immaturity came off more and more.
NV. Simple case that Angle did not make that race entirely about Reid. She had to make herself part of it. Her Vs him. That is why we lost. If she would have left herself out of it and simply nationalized that race....we win. Can we blame that on Palin. Of course not”
Four great points.
I would also add that undoubtedly Murky let it be known that she would still caucus w/GOP if she won as part of secret deal not to strip her of her committee positions. So that leaves three to get.
No matter what the polls showed, ousting a sitting majority leader was always going to be a tough nut to crack. Especially one who could use unethical, if not illegal,
strongarm GOTV tactics.
COD is probably the one glaring mistake. However, despite what was said, I really doubt that they were going to give up Biden’s seat w/o a fight.
It doesn't show well on Alaska.
I used to love watching McLaughlin browbeat Mort-on for his stupidity. Mort isn’t watchable without somebody else there to correct all his gaffes.
Good, then we are on the same team over this issue.
Boy, there's a news flash ....
>>Yes, Christine O’Donnell ruined the chance for a pickup in Delaware.<<
NO, it was “Friar Tuck” Karl Rove and his merry men of mischief - the DE GOP, Mike Castle and all the RINOs who supported the bearded Marxist.
Now they’ve stared anew on the most powerful political figure who isn’t even in office. No more! I have had enough of the attacks on women candidates - both inside AND outside the GOP. Now I fight back.
Rove, go eat another truck. Kondrake - who/who cares?
“With that said, the loss of Miller in Alaska, doesn’t show well on Palin
It doesn’t show well on Alaska.”
You can spin this anyway you like, but the three candidates SP spoke most about - Miller, COD, and Angle - all lost. Yes, SP was probably responsible in large part for Haley and Martinez winning, and SP had a good record overall, but these losses didn’t help her.
Well Sarah is still learning, she will learn from this. All in all, I think she’s doing much better than I would have given her just a few months ago.
And those seats would have got us what?? Cover for Obama?? Compromise? Getting things done? Republicans blamed ? CO'D and Sharon Angle were hardly the ideal candidates but Co'D blocked a RINO.
RINO Scott Brown was a critical vote at the time to block Obama-care(yes he made passing a Obama-care bill more difficult and unpopular,). Mike Castle was not critical for anything.
Power struggle apparently.
Amen, brother.
Next thing somebody is going to say that Dick Morris was wrong on a prediction !
I believe a goodly number of very political Dems voted for Murkowski in AK, knowing McAdams didn’t have a chance. Dem Senator Begich made a statement a day or two before the election that a Miller loss would be devastating for Palin. I would speculate that the Murkowski camp was to some degree in cahoots with Begich to get Dems to write in her name. The idea was to have Palin look bad, period.
Morton Kondracke is a blithering buffoon.
Not according to the exit polls. But who knows?
None of this really would have made much difference. The Republicans needed 19 seats, not 10, to defeat the filibuster, which is the only thing that matters in the Senate.
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