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Last Night's Winners And Losers In Media And Politics
Riehl World View ^ | September 15, 2010

Posted on 09/15/2010 7:04:36 AM PDT by La Lydia

Byron York at the Examiner: Christine O'Donnell gives GOP establishment a thumpin'. It's not every day you win the Republican Party's nomination for a seat in the U.S. Senate and the Republican Party tells you to get lost. But that's exactly what happened to Christine O'Donnell here Tuesday evening. Sore losers, perhaps? Oh, you bet. But I'll focus below on the media angle. Last night, along with Christine O'Donnell and Mike Castle, there were winners and losers in media, as well. If blogs and other new media outlets were winners, I'd argue that our established beltway media were the big losers here.

Many of us, including me, probably didn't really believe Christine O'Donnell could pull it off. But what have we mostly been reading and discussing, if not fighting against, for two weeks? NRO, The Weekly Standard (TWS) and others published every negative bit of information on Christine O'Donnell they could get their hands on. That in turn told us O'Donnell was bound to lose. Only, a funny thing happened on the way to Delaware's election booths. Evidently, no one outside of the Beltway was reading our largest beltway-based, Right-side publications. Stacy McCain has a new item up at the American Spectator - This Changes Everything.

DOVER, Delaware -- Christine O'Donnell did not merely defeat Mike Castle in Tuesday's Senate primary. She beat the Republican establishment, both nationally and in Delaware, and she beat a veritable army of naysayers who said she couldn't do it.

O'Donnell also beat a vicious negative attack campaign into which her Republican opponents dumped every bit of trash they could find. Yet this had no apparent effect on the Tea Party-backed, Sarah Palin-endorsed candidate, who won with 53 percent of the vote to Castle's 47 percent.

As workers cleaned up late Tuesday night at the Elks Lodge here that hosted O'Donnell's victory celebration, longtime state GOP activist Vance Phillips said: "This changes everything."

I spoke to another high-level GOP source myself last night. He said, "I thought it would at least be close. Conventional wisdom is out the door." Until recently, much of our political conventional wisdom was formed within the beltway, was it not? However, with so much new media today, that may no longer the case.

Man, it must really suck to be in the DC-based media today, as they wake up to face their limitations in reaching the men and women of Delaware - and in essence, of America - the very people who make the difference by showing up at election booths....


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conservatives; progressives; rinos; sorelosers; teaparty
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To: La Lydia

We the People are starting to take responsibility for vetting candidates directly. Wait ‘til all of DC figures out that with modern communications and alternative media...there’s no need for “power brokers” or lobbyists.

It will really just start to get ugly then...


21 posted on 09/15/2010 7:20:04 AM PDT by mo
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To: jagusafr
I don't have a category for myself, but I became disillusioned with the Republican establishment when I realized that President George W. Bush--whom I had wholeheartedly and enthusiastically supported--had no intention of halting illegal immigration, in violation of his oath of office and official responsibility to uphold U.S. laws.

Then his reckless spending came into focus. And his expansion of federal entitlements.

Then I began to realize how sclerotic and self-serving the political establishment in Washington really is.

Democrat politicians are far worse than Republican politicians, and I cannot imagine ever supporting a Democrat, but the entire Washington political establishment is a big part of what's wrong with the United States.

We would come out better throwing darts at a telephone book to select our political leaders than allowing these professional politicians to continue to parasitize us so...professionally.

22 posted on 09/15/2010 7:22:30 AM PDT by Savage Beast ("True evil has a face you know and a voice you trust." Greg Iles. "True Evil")
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To: jimbo123

turdblossom has always been history to me, I hope more people run from him.


23 posted on 09/15/2010 7:23:32 AM PDT by 09Patriot (your freedom to be you, includes my freedom to be from you.--Wilkow)
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To: La Lydia

Email from DeMint-—

Last night, conservative Christine O’Donnell won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Delaware. This is a major upset and I wanted to thank each of you who stepped up to help her in the final days of this campaign.

As you know, Christine believes deeply in balanced budgets, constitutional limits, and individual liberty. These are the principles of freedom that are the backbone of our great country, and we desperately need to restore them by electing new leaders to the Senate like Christine.

We have won a great victory in Delaware but the fight has just begun.

You see, the establishment in Washington is so upset by Christine’s victory, they are throwing one of the biggest political temper tantrums we’ve seen in a very long time.

Everywhere you turn, some know-it-all Beltway insider is throwing in the towel, saying they won’t do anything to help Christine defeat the Democrat in November. These phony Republicans apparently prefer to elect a liberal Democrat to fill the seat over a principled conservative.

In fact, media reports indicate that national Republicans have decided not to invest money to help Christine win in November. They believe that because she is conservative, she cannot win the general election. This is not true. Americans living in Delaware love their country and they’re not stupid. They know our nation is teetering on bankruptcy and economic disaster. Now they have a clear choice between a Democrat who will continue the the failed Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda and Christine O’Donnell who will help us save our country.

This is very disappointing but it’s not all that surprising. The establishment said Pat Toomey was too conservative when we backed him over Arlen Specter. They were wrong. Toomey now leads in the polls. They said the same thing about Marco Rubio, Ken Buck, Rand Paul, Sharron Angle, and Joe Miller. Yet they were wrong about them too. They are all positioned for victory in November.

If there is one thing we have learned this year, it’s that we cannot count on the leadership in Washington to elect the kind of leaders our nation needs. We’re going to have to engage the process and do it ourselves.


24 posted on 09/15/2010 7:24:04 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
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To: jimbo123

Yeh Rove really stepped in the doo doo last night. He should have stayed above it but like the rest of the elites he just had to pile on. Now he just looks like another party hack. My respect for Rove took a nose dive last night. All of the RHINO’s have got to go.


25 posted on 09/15/2010 7:25:29 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2
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To: italianquaker

I dont know if this was posted anywhere but i heard rove worked for the castle campaign and he tried to get the tea party to lay off castle and not support christine. fortunately the tea party told him to FO


26 posted on 09/15/2010 7:26:09 AM PDT by 09Patriot (your freedom to be you, includes my freedom to be from you.--Wilkow)
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To: Hodar

So what are we going to call the new party? The Republican establishment types seem determined to cause one to come into being. They don’t seem to understand it, though.


27 posted on 09/15/2010 7:26:24 AM PDT by arthurus (Read Hazlitt's "Economics In One Lesson.")
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To: Right Cal Gal

“Rush and Levin must be popping some serious champagne corks today”.

Some of us have freeped that we are interested to hear Rush and Sean today on their buddy, Rove. Will they refrain from commenting or do the right thing: lambast him, like the rest of us, for his serious lack of judgment last night.
What are your predictions?


28 posted on 09/15/2010 7:26:34 AM PDT by Mountain Mary (Ryan/Bachmann 2012)
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To: La Lydia
Biggest winners? We the People

Biggest Losers? Weekly Standard/establishment/Beltway GOP ala Rove, Barnes, Kristol, Krauthammer, peRINO, Bennett, et al.

29 posted on 09/15/2010 7:26:52 AM PDT by Jane Long (America, while you were sleeping the Socialists took over.)
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To: concerned about politics

At this point, opposition by the establishment Republicans may be the boost that O’Donnell needs.


30 posted on 09/15/2010 7:28:17 AM PDT by arthurus (Read Hazlitt's "Economics In One Lesson.")
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To: Mountain Mary

Mike Church was elated this morning he was very happy rove stepped in it. i dont care what rush or hannity thinks , they are pretty much watercarriers...take the founders red pill people. Mike did say hannity’s radio show might be interesting to listen to


31 posted on 09/15/2010 7:29:17 AM PDT by 09Patriot (your freedom to be you, includes my freedom to be from you.--Wilkow)
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To: arthurus

We are Conservatives, right? Wouldn’t calling the party something with the name Conservative make sense?

The RNC has betrayed the voters to belong to the party. I have no tolerance for betrayal by party leadership - we call the shots .... NOT THEM. These jerks work for us; I suggest we wholesale fire the entire party leadership. Replacing one group of idiots with a group of people who actually care about the principles the party was founded on should take all of 15 minutes.


32 posted on 09/15/2010 7:29:27 AM PDT by Hodar (Who needs laws .... when this "feels" so right?)
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To: concerned about politics
"NEVER trash your own parties canadate BEFORE an election. It gives the opposition all the talking points they need."

You betcha! And the Democrat cheerleaders were spewing quotes on the Democrat Propaganda Machine's TV broadcasts faster than they could push the instant-replay button.

33 posted on 09/15/2010 7:29:46 AM PDT by Savage Beast ("True evil has a face you know and a voice you trust." Greg Iles. "True Evil")
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To: Midtowngirl

They tell us voting for a third party candidate is like voting for a Democrat when voting for the Republican is like voting for a Democrat.


34 posted on 09/15/2010 7:31:00 AM PDT by arthurus (Read Hazlitt's "Economics In One Lesson.")
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To: Jane Long

We across the nation now must step in and help in every way we can to help out in Delaware.... America is setting and gearing up for real change!


35 posted on 09/15/2010 7:31:48 AM PDT by Republic Rocker
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To: Former Proud Canadian

I will be sending money!


36 posted on 09/15/2010 7:33:18 AM PDT by Obadiah (I can see November from my house!)
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To: MNJohnnie
Biggest loser? Karl Rove who ended his career last night in a fit of ego centric spite.

BINGO!

Never thought Rove would qualify himself for the following designation...

... but he managed to cinch it, last night.

37 posted on 09/15/2010 7:34:03 AM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle ("If you're not fiscally AND socially conservative, you're not conservative!" - Jim Robinson, 9-1-10)
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To: concerned about politics

That’s what I’ve been saying, but it goes much deeper than that.
It’s not just about teaching th Tea Party a lesson, but protecting their own scam like villains right out of Scooby Doo.

The RINO overlords put themselves in power by herding Republicans like cattle. Telling naturally conservative voters that they need to put RINOs such as themselves in power, because only a RINO can win.. Even though they never do in the end.

Now, if O’Donnell does as well as the loser RINOs, or heaven forbid, actually succeeds where legions of RINOs have failed, then the RINOs’ whole claim to power will be exposed for the lie that it is. No longer will Republicans be cowed into empowering RINOs. The RINOs will be out of arguments, and out of power.

And that is the real reason why they have no choice but to destroy O’Donnell’s chances in November.


38 posted on 09/15/2010 7:34:34 AM PDT by counterpunch (Life in Prison: The RINO compromise to "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death")
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To: MNJohnnie
Biggest loser? Karl Rove who ended his career last night in a fit of ego centric spite

Too bad for him he is not young, blonde and female, else he would be ok at Fox. Dana will get her own show soon.

39 posted on 09/15/2010 7:36:28 AM PDT by itsahoot (We the people allowed Republican leadership to get us here, only God's Grace can get us out.)
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To: jagusafr; mom-7
Have either of you ever donated to the RNC in the past? The reason I'm asking is I suspect the money that's gone to the party rather than directly to the candidates has always run a little more "Rockefeller Republican" than conservative.

I've never given to the RNC and over the years, but I have given many times to conservative (Republican) candidates.

I'd like to think that Rove's performance last night would cut the GOP funding off at its knees, but I suspect it won't really have much effect since most of the GOP donors probably agree with him in the first place.

40 posted on 09/15/2010 7:37:21 AM PDT by old and tired
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