This is exactly the wrong thinking. Angle came very close to unseating Reid what hurt her in the end was his ground game, plus he was able to make a strong showing among Hispanics. I personally don’t doubt a good degree of funny business occurred in NV but that is something we have to face as reality. The important take away is that money and ads alone can’t counter what a superior ground game can produce. Sharron Angle for a so called “Fringe Candidate” performed better than McCain and she mopped the floor with Reid in their last Debate. I don’t think that is half bad myself. Winning is what matters but one does not produce ‘top tier candidates’ by magic. If we want to defeat Bob Casey we need to get started now.
The problem with the GOP is that they constantly look for a rich money laden blank slate candidate even though there is no evidence that such candidates lose any less handily. I think we have good examples of how to counter the media and run solid conservative campaigns even with ‘flawed’ candidates coming out of 2010. Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, and Ron Johnson won even though they were considered Tea Party candidates. All hold fiscal and social views very much in line with Sharron Angle, Ken Buck, and Joe Miller. Rubio’s campaign in particular which I am very familiar with grew steadily with work from grass roots dissatisfaction with Charlie Crist from nothing to a power house. No one thought he had a chance in the beginning. He had little money and nascent support but he worked tirelessly and won people over without alienating them.
The key race I think should be looked out particularly closely is the FL Governor’s race. Rick Scott had more baggage than anyone and he was unabashedly conservative, he had taken on both the Clinton and Obama administration over health care and had faced an onslaught by the Clinton administration which led to his lose of his position at HCA a company he had built over allegations which were eventually settled over medicare billing irregularities. How did he win? One might say it was the money but one would be wrong. Meg Whitman spent 160 million and was trounced by an elderly Democrat retread and though Florida and California Democrats are much different the key difference with the Rick Scott race was a laser like focus on the issues and an uplifting simple conservative message in “let’s get to work”. Linda McMahon was another candidate who wasted a lot of money. Money makes a key difference but we need to get it through our heads that hard work and clear conservative message is how we win and with that we will not win every time but districts and states can be shifted. Look at Allen West who won in a district that has in the past had a Democrat advantage and voted for Gore, Kerry, and Obama.
Don’t forget Allen West and Renee Ellmers!