WVA also voted for the "compassionate conservative" Bush in 2000 and 2004 - and then McCain in 2008. It's clearly a state trending Republican. It's entrenched Dem incumbent Senators have hung on, but now that one of those Senate seats is open the liberals are having a hard time holding it because the state is moving to the right.
Delaware on the other hand has voted for Bill Clinton in 92, Bill Clinton in 96, Algore in 2000, Kerry in 2004, Obama in 2008. This is a deep blue state and shows no evidence that is it moving in any other direction but left. Castle is the kind of Republican that can win a statewide general election in Delaware, COD almost certainly can't.
Trying to compare WVA and Delaware is silly, and you should know better.
So I really don’t see how supporting COD is such a silly idea. Sounds to me like they are scared that people are more interested in supporting tea party folks than their hand picked establishment candidates.
I'd expect all Republicans to support her as she is the nominee, but don't get your hopes up. Your welcome to argue otherwise, but come election day I think you'll find she loses by around 10 points. It's just not going to be that close and no matter how much you wish it were otherwise - Delaware is a liberal voting state.
But who knows, I would love to be wrong. Perhaps a real tsunami election will end up rolling from Delaware to California - one that makes winners out of written-off underdogs like COD. It could happen that way. I don't see it in the polling data yet, but who knows.
Your reasoning comes from inside the beltway. And that is why the GOP will never understand WV. They never come here, talk to the people, build support, support the candidates. Primaries are usually unopposed. They always assume that we will always vote dem. Every now and then, some stategist says “Omigosh, we might be able to win a seat in WV!” Then they hold us up and say WV is a battleground and trending Republican. Kinda stupid after you’ve seen it the first couple times.
I remember last time Senator Byrd ran for reelection. Hugh Hewitt read the GOP talking points to all of his listeners and declared that Byrd’s seat was guaranteed to go Republican. That Byrd was so mired in scandal that he was guaranteed to lose. The stupid thing was, no GOP candidate had even declared to run against him yet. It was nothing but talk. Not even good propaganda. Byrd did not even campaign (he spent NO money) and still won with over 70% of the vote.
WV might vote Raese in, but it will have nothing to do with supporting the establishment GOP. They are not well liked here. We are just so sick of Obama that we do not wanna give his camp any support whatsoever. Perhaps the people in Delaware feel the same way.
You never did name the last GOP senator from WV.
In politics, business, projects, and any other sort of group endeavor, attitude determines your reality a large percentage of the time. In tight competitions, attitude makes all the difference in the world.
Attitude is contagious, whether optimistic or pessimistic.
Optimism creates energy and momentum, and attracts resources to your team effort.
Pessimism creates depression and resistance, and drives resources away from your team effort. It is poison.
O'Donnell will win, even in Delaware.