Posted on 11/07/2010 5:30:46 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), the conservative kingmaker who backed a number of tea party candidates heading into Tuesday's elections, said that it's "a very silly thing to say" that tea party candidates cost the GOP control of the Senate. Delaware Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell (R) "was so maligned from Republicans that she didn't really have a chance," DeMint added. On health-care overhaul, DeMint said that de-funding the law must come first - something that he said is possible with Republicans controlling the House. "We can slow the implementation of it or delay it and then replace it in 2012 with a real plan," DeMint said. He added that the next Republican running for president "needs to run on complete repeal" of health care reform.
Asked whether there may be a showdown with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) over earmarks, DeMint said that "We're not gonna have earmarks, so it's silly for some senior Republicans in the Senate to try to block it." DeMint also said he won't vote to increase the debt ceiling unless it's combined with some path to balancing the budget and repealing health care reform.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) also appeared on the program. Christie said that it's time to "put up or shut up" for the GOP and that "the public's going to be able to smell real quickly" whether Republicans are credible in their call for reforming government spending. Christie, who endorsed Rep. Mike Castle (R) in the Delaware Senate primary, also said that Delaware "was a missed opportunity" for the GOP. Christie said that he's not running for president in 2012, and joked about the possibility of being selected as the eventual presidential nominee's running mate. "Can you see me as somebody's vice president?" Christie asked....
(Excerpt) Read more at voices.washingtonpost.com ...
Then, what does it take to be a Senator? I thought they represented us... If so, wouldn't they be from us? I am sure you have what it takes to be a Senator, being an American who meets the age requirements. But you don't put yourself up for office because, well, because you have family commitments, work issues, maybe health problems, whatever. But your are qualified to serve. Why are you against someone else that offers to serve? Really, do you want an elistist? What do you want in a Senator that you don't see in yourself?
so, you don’t think Christine O’Donnell’s loss had anything to do with Christine O’Donell? or the voters of New Hampshire maybe just a little bit? Maybe even Bill Maher?
Fair enough, I shouldn't have implied that you did.
He wouldn’t have embarrassed conservatives because he never claimed to be one in the first place. He’d be just another boring RINO in a blue state, like Kirk or the Maine sisters.
Castle lost the primary and never got close to running in the general. Own up and admit that he didn't have what it takes to win. He was an embarrassing, miserable failure.
I want someone who can articulate and defend conservative values and ideas. Conservative senators must be able to make our case. If they can’t be taken seriously, it will hurt the entire movement.
She had as much of what it takes as Coons did. Karl Rove and the RINO republicans killed her chance’s.
They represent their electorate and do you honestly think that Christine O'Donnell represented the majority of the New Hampshire electorate?
and what with the RNCC not helping a Renee Ellmers in Conn race. She also just happens to be a Tea Party candidate.
RNCC apparently not interested in recount.........so she’ll get “al franken’ized” in a blue state.
“Delaware Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell (R) “was so maligned from Republicans that she didn’t really have a chance,” DeMint added”
I agree, to an extent. When she beat Castle in the primary, she was the official GOP candidate for Senate. At that point, you support the candidate the voters of your party chose, whether you like them or not. Keep your concerns private and support the candidate in public.
But it is also fair to say O’Donnell wasn’t an ideal candidate, and was facing pretty long odds to begin with. Unlike Sharon Angle in Nevada, O’Donnell wasn’t a relative unknown. The voters had had their say on her twice before, and both times she was rejected by staggering margins. Add in the other factors (statements made in her youth, iffy finances, etc.) and you’ve got a pretty tough road to victory.
So run. You do a pretty good job of what you want to see in a Senator. I'd vote for you just for being able to do that. And I thought Christine did an excellent job too. So both of you are qualified in my view. That being the case, why are you against her? She is just like you except she volunteered to serve.
Make no mistake. The MSM will now tout ODonnell on TV as much as possible because they understand this. They will suggest she is just like Palin. They will suggest she does represent the GOP/Conservatives (when she does not).
Just goes to show that -R is not your friend.
They tried that with her daughter Bristol and her ex-boyfriend Levi Johnston. They even tried to smear her Down Syndrome infant, remember? Didn’t seem to work. She’s Teflon like President Reagan.
I do give her credit for running when nobody else stepped up to the plate. I probably would have voted for her if I lived in DE. But I can also say after the fact and looking forward, that she would’ve been a liability for conservatives in 2012 and that her loss was for the best. We just can’t afford to make these mistakes again. If the GOP and the Tea party, doesn’t get their act together by 2012, Obamacare will become permanent.
It was my contention from the day after COD won the primary that her success or failure would be highly dependent on whether she could bring Mike Castle and his supporters on board. Obviously she was not successful in that endeavor.
And that had little to do with her quality as a candidate and everything to do with spite and ill will of Castle supporters and having their noses bent out of shape that upstart COD had the nerve to beat their man. Many of them didn’t have the decency to stay home but voted for Coons. End of story. Traitors.
Not sure why we have Republicans here saying that Coons is more qualified to be a senator.
DeMint is so right! We need to put pressure on these guys to get the best leadership possible in the House. The issue of Hensarling and Bachmann is a toughie because both are very good conservatives. But I do agree with some who say Michelle pulls a lot of antics. She Sometimes sounds like a whiner on C-span. She’s a great conservative, and I sent her donations for her re-election, but the whining is not very complementary, turns me off. I think Paul Ryan is right, that Hensarling is a better ‘idea’ person.
I supported O’Donnell. Hoped she would win. It was just too steep a mountain to climb in a state like Delaware. Couldn’t we have found a better candidate to run against Castle?
Castles lack of support, the DE GOPs lack of support, Rove and the neocon attacks after the general - all hurt.
What hasn’t been mentioned very much at all was how much Obama helped and Biden helped by going to Delaware.
The Black Female turnout was huge. 14% of voters were black females. 11% of the population of Delaware are black females.
That’s strong turnout. And they voted for Coons 95%. A huge margin of votes there. 21% were non white Democrats and they went for Coons 95%. Take out those 21% non white Democrats, and Christine wins - she had more votes than Coons with those who are not non white Democrats.
If the turnout wasn’t stronger than whites (typically blacks don’t vote as regularly as whites) and if Coons didn’t get 95% of blacks, the election would have been a lot closer, and things like Roves anti Conservativism wouldn’t matter as much.
If you’re accepting that Castle should be run against, but should’ve been beaten by a “better” conservative - why is there thought at all about other states, equally liberal, or unconservative, where there was an election and no one seemed to care at all.
Maryland, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, New York, New York.
We lost all of those places. Those aren’t special states where Conservatives can’t win. If they are, Delaware is too.
Good candidates could have won there, possibly. Those weren’t tea party picked candidates, Sarah Palin candidates, those were the GOP establishment picks, they all failed.
Let’s talk about those 6 GOP failures, not just that Christine couldn’t win against the media and the RINOs and neocons in the GOP and Obama and Biden and even Coons. Coons has a lot of flaws as a candidate, but to some, Yale Law is a qualification, and those people tend to be moderate elite Republicans, Country club Republicans, etc.
The GOP basically didn’t run a race at all in those 6 states. Why not? Too busy tearing down Christine, Karl?
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