Posted on 02/17/2012 5:38:17 AM PST by Kaslin
As Santorum surges, and the GOP look for an alternative to Romney- any alternative- it’s fitting then that I reflect back on one of the few losses the GOP suffered in 2010 races. Harry Reid versus Sharron Angle was battled out mostly in and around Las Vegas at a time when I was an activist there.
That race is one of the reasons why the Democrats managed to hold on to the US Senate in 2010.
If Newt Gingrich- or Santorum- expects to be hanging tough with the other presidential hopefuls by March, they’d better be willing to prove that they're no Sharron Angle- or Barack Obama.
Obama needs no introduction. But it’s worth noting that Obama- who once upon a time was expected to be an also-ran to “inevitable” nominee Hillary Clinton- was elected with an assist by a partisan press corps; a press corps which challenged him on nothing and was anxious to buy the hope hype he dealt in. Instead of helping Obama, all it has done is enable him to fall back on sloppy habits of partisan rhetoric when nothing else works.
And “nothing else working” is a common condition for our budgetless, jobless, recoveryless president.
So, when all else fails he scolds and campaigns and demands.
It worked in the past.
The press corps’ painful subjectivity back then has contributed to three doleful years of a guy refusing to learn how to be president while on the job.
Angle, you’ll remember, was the GOP nominee who went up against Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada because she was the alternative to Sue Lowden, Nevada's Barbie, to Romney's Ken. Angle went on to badly lose the race in the Silver State, even as other conservatives, in other states, swept all before them.
Angle lost because, while she is a very fine person, she wasn’t prepared or disciplined enough to run for the United States Senate. She wouldn’t learn how to be a nominee on the job.
She once told a group of Hispanic kids that they “look a little more Asian” to her than Hispanic. Cue ABC News.
Why she should have been talking about anything other than unemployment in a state that led the nation in joblessness during that campaign made her “look a little more stupid” to me and also, apparently, to voters too.
She refused to learn on the job and voters we’re turned off. Her campaign, like Obama’s presidency, was sickening to watch because the mistakes she made were predictable and repeated habitually. She, like Obama, never learned.
Both Angle’s candidacy had and Obama’s presidency have a Jackass: The Movie quality to them.
Newt Gingrich, surprisingly, seems to be having similar difficulties in making the transition from an also-ran to a contender, albeit a long-shot contender.
He’s certainly had some attention, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Everyone likes the idea of a Bold America, but a moon colony as Newt has suggested is something Moonbeam California Governor Jerry Brown might propose.
There are three things that happen when you campaign for a major policy position. And only one of those things is good.
The press, punditry and public can hear you accurately off message; or they can hear you inaccurately off message; or they can hear you accurately on message.
And guess who is responsible for the outcome?
The candidate. That’s who.
Communication is part of the politics of leadership.
Clearly Newt’s campaign was not ready for the immense scrutiny and the intense discipline that comes with being the big kid in the sandbox.
So here’s a suggestion for all candidates not named Romney. For any questions asked up until you secure the nomination, the proper response is:
"That's a good question. But I think the thing most Americans are concerned about is why Mitt Romney and Barack Obama socialized medicine while the country is facing grave financial problems. They ought to be fixing our debt problems, not adding to them.”
No matter what the press asks the candidates, they should just answer that. And only that, so help me, God.
You can tell a great deal about candidates by how they campaign. Or won't.
And the last thing the GOP needs is another candidate not disciplined enough to be the nominee.
And the last thing the country needs is another president not ready to lead.
The real problem is a Moonbeam Electorate.
Santorum’s campaign has figured out he can’t resist answering any and all questions put to him, especially those concerning social issues. So they’ve had him pull out of the Georgia debate. A very smart move.
I think it is interesting that they discuss running for election. Sharon Angle was a first time state wide candidate. Romney only ran 1 time state wide. Newt has never ran state wide and Santorum had ran 5 state wide election. He had 4 successful runs. I believe running a nation wide race and not having a state wide success is very difficult and I believe some think it is easier than it actually is. One thing is true. This race is not quite over. The debate next week will decide a lot. Super Tuesday will decide a lot. MIchigan will decide a lot. We have some valid tests coming up soon.
It wasnt just the Asian/Hispanic comment (on camera) . Angle while on camera also said that the unemployed on compensation have been spoiled.
Some here may love that comment but if you want a candidate to run for Senator in the state that has the highest unemployment and forclosure rate in the country by telling the NV voters she needs that they are ‘spoiled’, then you really must want Democrats (Reid) to win.
Video: 'Angle: Unemployed are "Spoiled"; It's not my job to fight for Nevadans' jobs '
She also thought that hiding from unfriendly interviews would save her, it did not.
NV State Senator Sue Louden would have made a fine Senator and would have had a much better chance of beating Reid than Angle did. I have seen Louden interviewed many times and she is much more likable and comes off much less flakey than Angle did.
Having Reid win bought Republicans nothing. Obama has still made Republicans 'own' all congresses failures.
Newt could be pounding on the "grave financial problems" imo. Santorum was part of this problem.
I was just going to post the comment you have here. Yes, so many voters are too uninformed to be casting votes period.
Never thought of that/
SHarron Angle sure is better than outright Marxists
That is going to be a realproblem.
California RE-elected “Governor Moonbeam”
A doofus that was thrown out of office last time, and had admitted he was clueless after he got into office last time... and had the actual nickname “Governor Moonbeam” ... GOT RE-ELECTED
I think Obama could promise ACTUAL moonbeams and some people in this country would still vote for him
Didn’t read the whole thing but I’m guessing there is no mention of dingy Hairry Reid having the union vote in his pocket or the massive vote fraud.
Yeah you’re right, there is no mention of dingy Harry Reid’s having the Union vote in his pocket and therefore the massive voter fraud
Romney ran statewide twice— as the 1994 US Senate nominee for the GOP and as the 2002 GOP gubernatorial nominee. He also ran nation-wide in the 2008 presidential campaign, seeking to be the GOP presidential nominee.
There were two main reasons why 2008 Obama won:
(1) The late Teddy Kennedy---a Dem icon---galvanized the Dems behind Obama---he and Caroline K happily campaigned with him. Teddy even warned the Clintons to back off when they tried to expose the real Obama.
(2) Establishment GOP ran THE dumbest candidate (besides Dole). Looking back, McC musta been warned by Teddy, as well (/sarc). On broadcast TV, McC berated a GOP supporter for daring to suggest Obama was dangerous. McC said we should not be "afraid" of an Obama presidency.
And the dumbest--Ohaha told Joe the Plumber he was going to redistribute the wealth (classic Marxism)--but McC said nothing WRT what this would mean in a capitalist-driven republic.
McC touted his "debating skills"--but his nos sank into oblivion after the debates.
===================================================
Possibly voters see another McC in the sinking Romney?
Funny...
What current candidate do we know who promised us that his stellar ‘debating skills’ would substitute for an actual campaign and whip Obama into tomorrow and then later told us he cant win in a debate with someone that ‘lies’ ? (Hey Newt, Would Obama lie?)
Maybe I better not name him...LOL.... codename Moonbase LOL
Not true. He ran a against Ted Kennedy in 1994
Sounds silly, doesn't it? GOP "wise men" say we need another "moderate" to beat Obama. McC was a doormat candidate, and from their point of view, that is ideal. Easy to elect (they say) and easy to control when and where it counts, like TARP.
I never thought of JFK as a “Moonbeam,” but in retrospect I guess he was. “Moon and back safely.” Har!
One of the late President Nixon’s favorite quotes was the one attributed to Fredrick The Great who said ...”The best way I know to punish a province is let it be governed by a philospher” Fritz was of course refering to Marx and Engels who were around at that time.
How Ransome’s comments in Townhall “No More Moonbeam Preidents” contorts that theme curiously by using the Angle race as an example. Ransome excludes the mentioning of late “surge” of curious ballots by Reid forces and selecting all the Angle gaffes as examples of dumb campaigning by of course an anti abortion candidate. In doing so Ransome supports the Ehgenics issues contention of dividing the Republicans as advanced by Obama who truly believes he will win by using it . .
Angle was a damaged candidate from the get-go. She went from being a promising Congressional newcomer in 2006 to a has-been multiple loser with just a whiff of nutjob by 2010. I warned folks as much as possible that Angle would manage to make the impossible possible, that she could reelect the most unpopular political figure in Nevada, Dingy Harry Reid. Literally any other nominee running could’ve beaten Reid.
What happened with her ? It was basically the 2006 primary race she made when the NV 2nd CD opened up when Jim Gibbons ran for Governor. She was unquestionably the most Conservative candidate (had my endorsement, and that of many other FReepers) and had come off a prior stint in the NV Assembly. In the race with her was Dawn Gibbons, Jim’s wife (whom also served in the Assembly), the most liberal in the primary, and Dean Heller, a statewide elected figure, slightly more moderate than Angle, but with no particularly objectionable record.
We knew it would end up a close race between Angle and Heller, and indeed it was, with a very narrow win for Heller. Unfortunately, this is where promising newcomer Angle turned into a world class sore loser. She started making bizarre public claims of voter fraud that were thoroughly unsubstantiated. The fallout from it damaged Heller’s candidacy (despite his innocence) and in a district that was the most Republican in the state, Heller only barely managed to keep the seat for us.
Angle continued to persist in allegations that there was some massive conspiracy against her (when it was, in fact, that her mouth and ego that were her biggest enemy). She never quite stopped running for office and decided to take on a RINO who was a longtime State Senate leader in the 2008 primary, the infamous Bill Raggio (who himself had been as aspirant for national office almost 40 years earlier against Democrat U.S. Senator Howard Cannon). She managed to blow this race as well (despite Raggio’s clearly needing replacing).
This should’ve been the sign that she was better off staying out of politics, but no, she decided coming off two botched campaigns, she’d set her sights on taking out Harry Reid. In what was a truly remarkable display, she managed to hoodwink Tea Party supporters into believing she was some fresh and new candidate rather than a perennial loser and office-seeker (who had managed to piss off a great deal of the NV GOP in the process, the very folks she would absolutely need to take out Reid). Of course, as I predicted, she managed to lose the general (even as the undamaged GOP nominee for Governor, Sandoval, walloped Reid’s son — a premier example of party ticket-splitting).
Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, when Sen. Ensign resigned in 2011, Gov. Sandoval’s appointment of Congressman Heller to the seat necessitated a special election for NV-2. Angle threatened to enter the race and essentially demand she be nominated (or she would raise all hell and ensure a Democrat would take the seat, as she almost successful did in 2006, and did with Reid in 2010).
Angle should be a singular warning for Conservatives and Tea Party types to always do a thorough check of their political background and public record before daring to nominate them for office (high or low). It’s not like it wasn’t there to be seen.
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