Posted on 10/18/2010 3:34:47 PM PDT by IbJensen
With Delaware’s Democratic Senatorial candidate Chris Coons maintaining a commanding lead over his Republican counterpart Christine O’Donnell, the Tea Party favorite cannot help but turn to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for more help. What’s ironic, according to ABC News, however, is that O’Donnell’s message to the national GOP is “strangely mixed,” as she is both fighting them and asking for their help.
ABC News reports, “At the debate at the Wilmington, Delaware Rotary Club, O’Donnell ended her closing statement not with a message of party unity, but with one of defiance: ‘If you want a senator who has had to fight her own party and is still fighting her own party,’ she said, ‘please vote O’Donnell for U.S. Senate.’ ”
With Republican politicians in the minority in Delaware, holding just two of nine statewide offices, O’Donnell’s decision to draw a line between herself and the GOP during the debate was perhaps a smart one. However, post-debate polls show very little change in the numbers.
A University of Delaware Center for Political Communication poll conducted just prior to the debate showed Coons with a 21-point lead over O’Donnell, 54 to 33 percent. A follow-up poll done just after the end of the debate showed a mere 2 percent of likely voters changed their views.
However, the Rasmussen poll, conducted on Thursday, October 14, shows Coons with only an 11-point lead over O’Donnell, 51 to 40 percent.
Regardless, O’Donnell finds herself in an uncomfortable position just two weeks before the midterm elections, prompting her to turn to the very party from which she has attempted to separate herself.
During an interview with “This Week,” O’Donnell indicated that she needed help from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She said, “We’re hoping that the National Republican Senatorial Committee will help us. But it’s two and a half weeks left and they’re not.”
Delaware Online adds, “O’Donnell pointed out that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is spending in Delaware on Coons’ behalf. The DSCC has been running ads for weeks highlighting O’Donnell’s past financial problems and allegations raised in a complaint by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C.”
According to ABC News, however, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has already donated $42,000 to O’Donnell’s campaign, the legal maximum that can be donated.
Likewise, the chairman of the NRSC has indicated the Committee’s support of O’Donnell shortly after she defeated Representative Mike Castle in the Republican primary: “Let there be no mistake: The National Republican Senatorial Committee — and I personally as the committee’s chairman —strongly stand by all of our Republican nominees, including Christine O’Donnell in Delaware.”
Additionally, Chris Bond, spokesman for the NRSC, rebutted the notion that they have not been assisting O’Donnell’s campaign. “The NRSC has been in constant communications with the O’Donnell campaign, and our political director recently spent a day on the ground meeting with her staff, the focus of which was how to best spend the millions of dollars she has raised in recent weeks.”
One thing is for certain. Raising money has not been a problem for O’Donnell, who has raised more than $3.7 million since she won the primary. O’Donnell’s campaign has “enjoyed a 2-to-1 cash advantage over Chris Coons,” reports Bond.
However, O’Donnell recognizes a failure in getting out the message on Coons’ negative record, including his Marxist leanings.
While O’Donnell’s position appears precarious, according to Anthony Martin of The Examiner, “there is a reason to believe that the polls are wrong:”
“First, O’Donnell’s fundraising has outpaced that of Coons 2 to 1. This is in spite of the fact that both the state and national GOP establishment have refused to support O’Donnell. The Party elitists, who are dominated by RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) insisted, even to the point of being obnoxious, that Mike Castle should be their candidate. And even when he lost to O’Donnell, the Party bigwigs still refused to accept the will of the people.
Second, it is clear that internal, non-publicized polling done by Democratic operatives shows that Coons is in trouble. If this were not the case, then the Democratic Party elitists would not be bringing out the big guns to the state to stump for Coons … and to bash O’Donnell relentlessly. Obama and Biden both traveled to the state to campaign for Coons — a sure sign the candidate is not as far out in front as the public polls suggest.”
Campaigners for both candidates seem to recognize that Delaware’s Senate seat will likely be the determining factor in which party will have control of the United States Senate.
Coons notes, “I don’t think there’s a scenario where the Republicans take control of the United States Senate if I’m successful in this Senate seat. And I’ve been told that’s a critical strategic concern for folks who are looking at this race from outside.”
Despite this proclamation, Bond issued a news release stating, “We’re treating the Delaware Senate race the same as we would any other Senate race. We’re going to look in this last few weeks where our resources are best applied.”
O’Donnell is not a grifter.
She has put everything on the line in this race.
Mrs. exit82 and I made our sixth donation last week, and we got the same letter.
If the NRSC released some money and ran an ad campaign for her, she wouldn;t be needing to ask for more money.
We here in DE really appreciate all that Freepers and others axcross the country have done to give to her.
But she will vote against Cap and Trade, and that benefits everyone.
She is running against Coons, Castle, Obama, Biden, the Democrat Party and the GOP Party, Karl Rove, Charles Karuthammer and many others.
I have seen her up close many times—she is the real thing.
She says” We are in this to win and to win big!”
In older days we called that moxie.
Now we call it guts.
There are easier ways to make a buck and to glom off of others.
This is the third campaign I have seen her in. And she is the same Christine.
This time, she wins, they lose.
The NRSC needs to send money to the races that the Republican candidates are behind or even but have a decent chance at. Right now those states are West Virginia, California, Illinois, Washington, and Delaware. Right now the GOP can easily pick up 7 seats, but to take control of the Senate, they need to take three of the five seats above. It will not be a working majority because of all the RINOs, but it will be enough to control the agenda and force votes on things the Rats will vote against.
If by ‘backing’ means giving money to COD, I disagree. They better help her in a different way, like technical assistance on how to do GOTV efforts effectively. Giving money to Miller, however, is a must. He only raised $1.1m so far.
Christine O’Donnell vs Bearded Marxist tuesday 8am...9:30am
WDEL.com Go Christine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[I just donated again]
I agree. Not only NRSC, I believe. Individual donors too, have to give their money to those other races.
Why is COD bellyaching for more NRSC money if she has truly raised between $2.4 and $3.7 million since the primary?
I am in DE and there are not a lot of COD commercials; and the witch ad did not garner good reviews; subsequent attack ads much better. Still, something is not adding up:
1. Her consultants are either walking off with all the money; OR
2. She never raised the money she claimed she did.
With $2.4 million, COD ads should be drenching the DE airwaves out of both the Philly and Salisbury markets.
For the record, I am encouraging everyone I know to vote for COD, and I previously was a strong Castle supporter.
Is that you Coons?
No, just a concerned citizen who feels that this election is too important for the future of America to be approached frivously. This country needs the Tea Party movement to be serious, not tilting at windmills or wasting energy and resources on a “crush.” I’m sorry to burst your bubbles, but O’Donnell is a windmill and a lot of good folks have developed a crush on her. Like a misdirected teenage infatuation, the fantasy may feel good for a while but when fantasy meets reality it often is a painful revelation.
Why would Obama and Biden be going to stump for Coons in DE if he wasn’t in trouble?
Why would Coons even bother debating her if he was really 15-20 points ahead.
Think!!!!!!!
What we need to do is form the “FReedom Polling Company”, do our own poll that shows O’Donnell in a dead-heat, and then stand back and watch as the Dems burn every dime they have and maybe the NRSC get’s off it’s butt.
Why are the RATs the only ones pulling dirty tricks?
In the Dhims’ eyes, COD is a poster girl of everything wrong (anti masturbation, witchcraft, etc.) with Tea Party-backed Republican candidates. By keeping stories about her on national media, they’re using her to portray other Tea party-backed candidates in a same stroke.
There is an equally compelling argument that Obama wanted to come to DE so that he could associate himself with a campaign that won in November.
Remember: BO is already going to face a definite primary challenge from his left with Howard Dean; and Hillary might not be far behind if the economy doesn’t improve.
So I ask again: where are the ads? $2 million+ can purchase a ton of radio and TV ads - and they are not happening.
She needs to get the money to play this on a continuous
loop on November 1st and 2nd. It’s hypnotic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHpud3QmLzM
Her attack ads are better. The Ken Buck ad can be adapted for COD. The Mourning in America 1-minute ad is superb.
So, with $2.4 million in hand, where are the COD ads?
I haven’t seen the Ken Buck ads. I’ll check them out.
I had sent a contribution to Christine, and today I got a letter from her campaign asking for more. It’s urgently needed. I’ll send her a check - I’m rooting for her like crazy.
Is this new, or a replay of the debate?
I disagree. She has people to pay, whether it’s advisors or her commercial makers. Paying stations to run the commercials is a seperate expense. She’s not sitting on the war chest, I assure you.
Between the Palin bashing and O’Donnell bashing, and comparing FR to the “Spanish Inquisition” when it comes to rinos, it isn’t surprising that you keep making digs at O’Donnell, or that you manage to work in digs at Palin while doing it.
To quote you.......” Honestly, the virulent anti-RINO contingent on this board is beginning to resemble the Spanish Inquisition. I half expect Stalin-esque show trials to commence for cadre found insufficiently supportive of Sarah Palin or suspected of harboring a Neo-Christian under his bed. Thune strikes me as the kind of fellow who can bridge the Establishment and Insurgent Right and attract a lot of moderates, too. If the Insurgents shoot this horse before it even gets to the gate they’re going to frighten most of the other contenders back in the barn. Please all of you folks auditioning for the role of the Tea Party’s Torquemada, chill out.”
Between the Palin bashing and O’Donnell bashing, and comparing FR to the “Spanish Inquisition” when it comes to rinos, it isn’t surprising that you keep making digs at O’Donnell, or that you manage to work in digs at Palin while doing it.
And your point is exactly? If your accusation is that I am not particularly fond of mindless populism, even when many of the issues raised by the mindless populists are on point, then I am guilty as charged. As fun as it may be to support the populist pitchfork brigade when we are angry at elites, it doesn’t make for very good strategy or tactics, much less policy. I don’t know about many people on this board, but elections are important to me. They affect my country, my community, my business, my family and my livelihood. And when it comes to things as important as these, I like to win and hate to lose. So, it discourages me when otherwise right minded people who collectively could effect change get caught up in populist rhetoric, fall in love with hopelessly flawed candidates and engage in rank demogoguery. I’ve seen knaves and demogogues come and go in my lifetime and in the pages of history since the Athenian democracy. Believe me, it never ends well.
So go ahead and write your check to Ms. O’Donnell. It will do no harm. But, Ms. O’Donnell has done and will do more harm to this little movement of concerned citizens speaking out against the travesty that is our federal government than you can imagine, and that is a darn shame. It deserves better.
Thanks for making this point so I didn't have to. The Dems had abandoned the DE senate seat as the “rino” Castle was a shoe-in. Ms. O'Donnell was a gift laid on Obama’s lap on a silver platter. He isn't going to take the chance that Coons, if anything an even worse candidate than the GOP nominee (except without the 20 year paper trail of dissembling, unpaid bills, bogus law suits and all around giddy weirdness) could figure out a way to blow this. Obama is simply making sure that the seat stays in his pocket and lays the markers so he can take a modicum of credit on Nov. 2. I wouldn't spend next month's mortgage payment on a check to the O'Donnell campaign under the assumption that she's a commercial or two away from pulling this off. But if it makes you feel better, go for it: after all Coons is almost as weak a candidate as Miss “I am You,” whatever that means.
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