Tea Party Snatches Defeat From The Jaws of Victory

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Laughing Man**

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100915/el_yblog_upshot/tea-party-victory-endangers-gops-goal-of-retaking-the-senate

In the biggest electoral surprise of the night, conservative activist Christine O'Donnell defeated longtime GOP Rep. Mike Castle in Delaware's Republican Senate primary. Castle, a moderate who once served as the state's governor, had been so favored to win in November that his decision to run had reportedly influenced Democrat Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, to abandon plans to seek his father's old seat.

But with O'Donnell's come-from-nowhere win Tuesday night, top Republicans in Washington now see virtually no chance the GOP will be able to pick up the Delaware seat this fall. As a result, they admit their already slim chance of winning back Republican control of the Senate is likely dead.

"It's hard to see a path for us," one senior Republican official, who declined to be named while discussing party strategy, told The Upshot. "Never say never, but it has become much harder for us after tonight."

According to Public Policy Polling, just 31 percent of Delaware voters believe O'Donnell is "fit" to hold office. She trails Democrat opponent Chris [see forum posting rules] by 16 points, according to the latest PPP survey. On Tuesday night, the National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a tepid statement of congratulations to O'Donnell, but a GOP official told Fox News the party has no plans of putting money into the race.

Still, O'Donnell's surprise victory was significant win for the Tea Party Express, which spent $250,000 at the last minute to boost O'Donnell's campaign. Since the first primaries in early spring, she's the eighth tea party-endorsed candidate to defeat an establishment-backed GOP contender in an election cycle that has been dominated by voters choosing change over experience. Two weeks ago, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski lost her primary race to Joe Miller, who was backed by Palin and the Tea Party. Other surprise tea party wins among Senate candidates this year include Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky. In Florida, Marco Rubio was also endorsed by tea party activists, although he's tried to move toward the middle since winning the primary last month.

The difference between O'Donnell and other tea party-backed Senate candidates is she's running in a state that traditionally elects moderates. O'Donnell, a perennial candidate who once argued against masturbation on a MTV special, is not likely to move toward the middle, as Rubio has, and she doesn't look to benefit from the same anti-incumbent wave that's driven Angle's poll numbers against Harry Reid in Nevada. That's the key reason why national Republicans are so loathe to embrace O'Donnell's candidacy. Not that she cares.

"They have a losing track record," O'Donnell told CNN Tuesday night. "If they're too lazy to put in the effort that we need to win, then so be it."

Well, looks like the Repubs shot themselves in the foot with this one: From guaranteed seat, to trailing by 16 points. Ouch.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
...Seriously? The forum filters that? What if there's a thread about cute baby racoons?

**Frazzled**

We'll see in November won't we.

**Kilkrazy**

I would have expected a split right wing vote to let the Democrat through the middle, which didn't happen.

If repeated more widely, this means the Republicans will have to form a coalition with the Tea Partiers.

I don't see that as being a fundamentally bad thing for them unless it causes the less loony-right members of the part to defect to the Democrats.

**MasterDRD**

I like how his last name is filtered... XD
Also, hey conservatives f***ed up once again... Am I supposed to be surprised about this?

**Frazzled**

You say they did. Again we'll see. The Tea Party types are now gaining ground against their Democratic opponents. Delicious.

Skulls for the Insurgent Throne! Frazzled cares not from which party the blood flows!

**reds8n**

I appreciate that there's far too many spankers in politics perhaps, but.. really ?

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/15/odonnell-lie-jews/

err... okay.

I appreciate this is somewhat of an anomaly but your politics enthralls and horrifies me at times.

**Frazzled**

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68E55P20100915

**Albatross**

Reds8n wrote:I appreciate this is somewhat of an anomaly but your politics enthralls and horrifies me at times.

Agreed. I wouldn't trust a Tea Party candidate to mow the lawn without breaking a window, never mind holding public office.

**Frazzled**

Albatross wrote:
Reds8n wrote:I appreciate this is somewhat of an anomaly but your politics enthralls and horrifies me at times.

Agreed. I wouldn't trust a Tea Party candidate to mow the lawn without breaking a window, never mind holding public office.

Silly rabbit, hard working Mexican and Central American workers mow the lawn. Tea Party candidates run for office.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/09/16/2010-09-16_stop_mocking_the_tea_party_if_anyone_is_nuts_its_the_elites_and_incumbents.html

Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703743504575493953591176476.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

**Gorgeous Gary Golden**

No link, I will not stop mocking the Tea Party, for anyone who would actually want Sarah Palin as a figurehead for their cause, is very likely apeshit crazy.

**Frazzled**

Thats ok. Its statistically highly unlikely you'll be voting anyway college boy!

Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703743504575493651785072296.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion

**Manchu**

I am strongly suspicious that there is no such thing as the Tea Party.

**GalacticDefender**

Teabag party lol

**Kilkrazy**

**Ahtman**

CHANGE PLACES!

Wait...Glenn Beck: real life Mad Hatter?

**Grignard**

Kilkrazy wrote:I would have expected a split right wing vote to let the Democrat through the middle, which didn't happen.

If repeated more widely, this means the Republicans will have to form a coalition with the Tea Partiers.

I don't see that as being a fundamentally bad thing for them unless it causes the less loony-right members of the part to defect to the Democrats.

this is because people here are continuing to paricipate in identity politics rather than choosing for themselves how they feel about one paricular issue or one particular canidate.

**Major Malfunction**

reds8n wrote: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/15/odonnell-lie-jews/

err... okay.

I appreciate this is somewhat of an anomaly but your politics enthralls and horrifies me at times.

Oh... we've proved a jaded liberal smart ass comedian can play logic trap on a sincere, truthful individual. Yay.

I love that libs hate someone for wanting to tell the truth and being sincere. Tells a lot about you.

**gorgon**

Kilkrazy wrote:I would have expected a split right wing vote to let the Democrat through the middle, which didn't happen.

If repeated more widely, this means the Republicans will have to form a coalition with the Tea Partiers.

I don't see that as being a fundamentally bad thing for them unless it causes the less loony-right members of the part to defect to the Democrats.

Maybe I'm misintepreting you, but this was only the primary and not the general election. So the Dems will probably win that seat given that a Tea Partier is the GOP candidate and Delaware is generally on the moderate side. This is the real dilemma for the GOP.

The Tea Party also hurts the Dems just because they're mobilizing and energizing the righties while the lefties are mostly sitting around sulking. Unless the Dems can demonize the Tea Partiers enough to scare their voters to the polls, of course. So look for a lot of that and more wonderful politics in the days leading up to the general election.

**Monster Rain**

I will be voting for Sarah Palin.

I don't much care for her politics, but the apoplexy it will cause in so many people if she wins will be more entertaining than I will even allow myself to consider.

Palin 2012

**reds8n**

The Green Git wrote:
reds8n wrote: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/15/odonnell-lie-jews/

err... okay.

I appreciate this is somewhat of an anomaly but your politics enthralls and horrifies me at times.

Oh... we've proved a jaded liberal smart ass comedian can play logic trap on a sincere, truthful individual. Yay.

I love that libs hate someone for wanting to tell the truth and being sincere. Tells a lot about you.

Yes, it says, seeing as she's been caught out lying several times since then anyway, that it was an incredibly dumb thing to say or even attempt to claim to say.

In case you haven't noticed God-- any of them -- doesn't appear and magically show a way out situations, a person who claims that this does happen is delusional, and not a good choice for a politician then.

pfftt.. you can do better than that !

**dogma**

The Green Git wrote:
Oh... we've proved a jaded liberal smart ass comedian can play logic trap on a sincere, truthful individual. Yay.

I love that libs hate someone for wanting to tell the truth and being sincere. Tells a lot about you.

If you can be trapped by logic, then you aren't sincere or truthful; pretty much by definition.

Logic doesn't lie.

**Grignard**

The Green Git wrote:
reds8n wrote: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/15/odonnell-lie-jews/

err... okay.

I appreciate this is somewhat of an anomaly but your politics enthralls and horrifies me at times.

Oh... we've proved a jaded liberal smart ass comedian can play logic trap on a sincere, truthful individual. Yay.

I love that libs hate someone for wanting to tell the truth and being sincere. Tells a lot about you.

Yah, I dont know anything about this woman, but that comment was nothing more than using a pre prepared statement that is really only applicable with sixty years of hindsight to criticise someone's belief in order to disparage them personally, demean thier religion, and make sure everone knows who the smartest guy in the room is.

It is a moral belief, and I doubt she really sat around and tried to fabricate oddball situations that would make a black and white beleif not work.

I dont particularly like him, or anyone who seems to need to be nasty, snide or condescending to other people all the time. Whatever happened to just being nice to people?

**Monster Rain**

I don't see how logic applies to that question about Nazis. It's purely emotional.

**Orkeosaurus**

I'm guessing this Keyes guy wouldn't like Kant?

**Nurglitch**

Logic is barren. It must be fertilized by intuition. Fertilized vigorously, and with passion.

Plus intuitions gotta cuddle it afterwards and make bacon.

**Major Malfunction**

reds8n wrote: In case you haven't noticed God-- any of them -- doesn't appear and magically show a way out situations, a person who claims that this does happen is delusional, and not a good choice for a politician then.

So.... when the lib says he believes in the Diety then we wink and know he's just playing to the ignorant to get votes and understand he's not deluded.

But when someone sincere is a Believer then we mock and ridicule. They must be nuts to *really* believe in God.

Got it. Check.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Grignard wrote:I dont particularly like him, or anyone who seems to need to be nasty, snide or condescending to other people all the time. Whatever happened to just being nice to people?

What you said. Bill Maher is human vermin. For all the cries of hate speech and feigned outrage at conservatives, the likes of Maher spout some of the move vile venom on the air. Wishing people dead, openly wishing bodily harm, rape, etc. on them and then attempting to play it off a a "joke", etc. is just them showing their true colors.

As a man thinks, so is he.

**Orkeosaurus**

While I would think higher of someone with sincere religious beliefs than with unsincere beliefs, I do think that you really aren't going to be a good public servant if you consider religious faith to be a valid substitute for having an actual plan. Even thought this may not have been in a political context, it shows an unwillingness to confront difficult issues, and that's something that will undoubtably carry over where the rubber meets the road.

I mean, Green Git (or other conservatives), if Obama had made some sweeping statement, and had it been shown to logically lead to undesirable conclusions, and had Obama then dodged the issue entirely with some empty rhetoric about how the American people want change and how his logical problem will be solved by the spirit of brotherhood, wouldn't you be among the first to call him out on it?

It's the same thing, really. It's one thing to have faith in God or "faith in the American people", it's another to try and have it act as a substitute for the contradictions in your own set of beliefs. The later is just lazy, and I'm sure there are plenty of people more willing to put in the effort.

**reds8n**

The Green Git wrote:

So.... when the lib says he believes in the Diety then we wink and know he's just playing to the ignorant to get votes and understand he's not deluded.

Only if one is so deluded or consumed by a prior conviction that overrides any attempt at rational sanity.

..oh..

I'm sure there are people who play the religion.. or indeed any card to attract votes, support, donations etc etc, pretty much anything. On each and every side of the political spectrum.

If a "lib" had said the same I would find it equally preposterous and amusing, but, you keep on believing whatever it is that keeps you warm at night.

Bill Maher is human vermin...... As a man thinks, so is he.

..okay...

**dogma**

Monster Rain wrote:I don't see how logic applies to that question about Nazis. It's purely emotional.

There are three ways to read it:

1. Appeal to emotion.

2. Forced choice.

3. Both.

I'm going with option 3, myself, given that its difficult to imagine any response to "Are you harboring Jews?" that isn't either an honest response, a lie, or an excuse to search your house. And I'm pretty sure "God tells me that there is an honest way out!" is an excuse to search your house.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

The Green Git wrote:
So.... when the lib says he believes in the Diety then we wink and know he's just playing to the ignorant to get votes and understand he's not deluded.

But when someone sincere is a Believer then we mock and ridicule. They must be nuts to *really* believe in God.

Got it. Check.

No, they must be insincere in order to abdicate all responsibility with respect to the question at hand.

I also find it highly dubious that you're presuming the person in question to be sincere.

The Green Git wrote:
As a man thinks, so is he.

So, what does that say about you?

**Ahtman**

To paraphrase Alan Alda in The West Wing:

Arnold Vinick wrote:I don't see how we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious test to get in this government. And I want to warn everyone in the press and all the voters out there if you demand expressions of religious faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to. They won't all lie to you but a lot of them will. And it will be the easiest lie they ever had to tell to get your votes