You make some good points, but I think you’re tarring some good people in your generalization. O’Donnell is far more impressive than given credit for, and it literally would have been a disaster to nominate Castle - since he was nothing more than a Specter or Jeffords or Crist in the making. And you make some valid points on Sanford - who is a sad case.
I asked friends of mine in SC why people support him, and they all say he is very likeable, dynamic, and happens to be able and willing to take on liberalism fearlessly - something we need badly. Too bad he is so bizarre and has tried to revive his career way too soon.
This woman was a basketcase. There is just no way around it. She had so many personal issues, including having attempted to sue a conservative organization for gender discrimination (for millions of dollars), sketchy financial problems, etc, that she just wasn't fit to be a candidate.
Not only that, despite all the carping she and others did about Republicans not rallying around her in the 2010 general election, she herself lost a Republican primary and ran a 3rd party write in campaign in 2006. So much for the party discipline and sticking together that she clamored for when she needed the votes as the GOP nominee.
I do understand Castle was a RINO squish and a walking turncoat. But winning the Senate in 2010 was really important. As is, we can't put Obama on the spot and make him veto anything because the Senate kills everything the House sends over. Votes for the leadership are essentially the most important thing a congresscritter or Senator does, and McConnell (weak as he can be) is vastly better than Reid.
I asked friends of mine in SC why people support him, and they all say he is very likeable, dynamic,
Yeah, well, he's probably going to lose. And conservatives in this district may have been in the mood to forgive, but nominating Sanford was a stupid mistake.
“O’Donnell is far more impressive than given credit for, and it literally would have been a disaster to nominate Castle....”
You are right about Castle, but it was equally disastrous to nominate O’Donnell. People like her have issues that are important to them that are not important to the electorate, and in some cases those “personal issues” are counterproductive to being elected (Can you say Todd Akin)? While religion was an issue for Romney, he tried not to make it so which is more than can be said for the failed candidates that have been mentioned in this thread.