Will The GOP's Greatest 2010 Defeat Be Courtesy Of The Tea Party?

Mother Jones:

Could the tea party's greatest triumph mark the biggest Republican loss this election cycle? Throughout the primary campaign season, the movement's tussles with the GOP have resulted in the rise of Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, and Joe Miller--all tea party-backed candidates who upset the establishment Republican favorites in their respective Senate GOP primaries. And despite this internal squabble, the GOP seemed to be increasing its chances of taking over the Senate, as all had a good shot at winning in the general election. That was until tea partier Christine O'Donnell suddenly surged in the Delaware Republican primary against Rep. Mike Castle.

Read the whole story: Mother Jones

Comments

[1murillo]

09:24 PM on 09/14/2010

This is a poor post. And it is based on poor suppositions. The GOP hasn't been increasing its chances in taking over the Senate. It has always needed an extraordinarily high victory rate.
Angle was never the best choice to beat Reid - in fact, Reid's early weakness has only dissapated with time as Angle continues with her extreme self. Paul and Miller are from states that were already GOP - the seats were very strongly GOP - never did their candidacies improve the GOP's chances because the states were already Republican.
And O'Donnell is merely - if she beats Castle - another in the long line of tparty favorites that weaken the GOP's chances in November. Along with Rubio and Buck, the takeover by the GOP, however slim a chance that ever existed, has only been getting increasingly slim.
DE might still go Republican, but there's absolutely no way that O'Donnell is the early favorite over Coons.
Perhaps the tparty groups helped the Democratic Party by besting GOP candidates in the primaries, yet the moment it was done (the first time) the GOP had to reorganize itself to spend time and money in previously unintended places. Word is that the GOP might not send money to DE if O'Donnell wins.

[prodemlib]

07:01 PM on 09/14/2010

oh, please, oh, please, oh, please!

[RiceStarz]

06:44 PM on 09/14/2010

Very important repost...Important Repost...WARNING! URGENT! HEY PEEPS! I just returned from trying to vote in NYC. My name was not on the roster though my husband and daughters name was. I voted in 08 and 09, so there was no reason for my name not to be there save for shennanigans. I had to go through all sorts of gyrations and forms to fill out. There were also probs with the new polling stations. Please, everyone make sure that your registration is up to date and that you are on the rolls before November. This GE is going to be a nightmareand I have no doubt that the repugs are planning to manipulate the votes nationwide.

[CJCalgirl]

12:59 AM on 09/15/2010

Rice, Thanks for the 'heads up'! And FANNED!

[KOSMOCITIZEN]

05:33 PM on 09/14/2010

the only explaination i have for these people who predict GOPtake over in November is that they try to create the perception among the ignorant that the teapartiers run as a third party...
so if they not happy with the GOP they will vote for teaparty ...the GOPTEA..
It is a trap...

[SPQR1775]

06:20 PM on 09/14/2010

agree the Tea Party is the GOP and that is why the DEMOCRATS NEED TO CALL THEM OUT and let everyone know they are 1 and the same!

[BlueSkyPilot]

04:27 PM on 09/14/2010

I just read one of the signs from 9/12 rally that she should have used for her campaign.

"Washinton, Keep you hands out of our pockets! We can stimulate ourselves!"

[conscioushope]

04:20 PM on 09/14/2010

One lump, or two?

[larmarch5]

04:14 PM on 09/14/2010

Can we please just call it what it is? The Koch Party.

[rgateman]

04:40 PM on 09/14/2010

Koch's Suckers!

[LMKay66]

04:08 PM on 09/14/2010

I don't consider a tea party triumph a loss for the GOP because bagger candidates are Republicans. They are the far right fringe that has driven the GOP further to the right than I've ever seen it, and right now disgruntled people are motivated to vote for baggers because they mistakenly think they are going to be getting something different than incumbents. They're going to be getting the same old obstruction and Washington gridlock. When the GOP lost in 08, many Republicans said they thought their party had to become more moderate to win future elections. I thought that was correct. However that isn't what happened. If baggers can't beat Dems in November, then, yes, that means a GOP defeat. But that remains to be seen.

[rgateman]

03:35 PM on 09/14/2010

Welcome to Apocalypse Downs!
Announcer; Aaannnd they’re off (their rockers)… whizzing out the gate, and it’s Sarah ‘Failin’ Palin on the inside rail railing away about anything by a length and a half followed by Michelle ‘Batcrap Crazy’ Bachmann with the biggest set of goggles ever, with Sharron ‘don’t ask I don’t know’ Angle-can running on the far right outside rail taking blind swipes at onlookers with a sword followed by reporters and Virginia ‘What the Faux’ Foxx still whizzing at the gate and now heading back to the Longworth House Paddock for the certifiable loons and Christine ‘reborn virgin’ Odonnell riding Misterbaiter withan electic western style saddlehorn! As they approach the halfway point its Palin pulling up and quitting for Laska, Bachmann zig-zagging wildly past into the MN06 post (BOINK!), Angle-can still flailing wildly on the far right outside the rail trying to get some traction with her hood that slipped over her eyes! At the finish it’s Batcrap Bachmann by a track and a half wobbling all alone past the teabag circle receptacle followed by the virgin Odonnell on Misterbaiter with Angle-can still looking for traction! All tickets are void.

[CJCalgirl]

01:02 AM on 09/15/2010

rgateman, I love horses, please let's make it a dog race!

[Billar]

03:25 PM on 09/14/2010

To be a Tea Party member you are not allowed to touch yerself impurely. Lol that leaves me out!

[Handyman2]

03:27 PM on 09/14/2010

Yeah, brought to you by the party that want Government out of our lives, except our "privates" lives.

[DallasMike]

02:56 PM on 09/14/2010

Whats the point of taking over the Senate if it is just going to be filled with Olympia Snows and Susan Collins. The GOP ran a moderate and he got beat by a community organizer.

[Handyman2]

03:01 PM on 09/14/2010

You mean McCain, the "maverick', "non-maverick", "our economy is sound" guy? Who added Sarah the Bridge to Nowhere supporter / non supporter / Governor / Non-Governor person to his ticket?

[SkelDaddy]

03:23 PM on 09/14/2010

Why did they suspend the campaign, again?

[Cookie100]

03:36 PM on 09/14/2010

fanning all you guys. More & more new people on this site, the more my heart feels assured, things are going to turn around. With an educated populace that starts voting in their own best interests, these people will continue to melt. Things are changing fast folks, and I love it!

Palin/Beck 2012
Romney/Palin
Palin/Angle
Beck/Hannity
Any of them would be great! Scott Brown or Tim Pawlenty who cares, losers are losers and they'll all lose.

[Was Not Born To Follow]

03:25 PM on 09/14/2010

Had they ran what the far right is now refering to as a "true conservative" then President Obama would have won by 80%.

[omobob]

02:13 PM on 09/14/2010

Said the Democratic Party, " We love the smell of a split conservative ticket in the morning. Smells like.........victory".

[picaman]

02:08 PM on 09/14/2010

The only viable candidate that the GOP could hope to put up against Obama is Colin Powell. The tea party fringe and their GOP advocates are rapidly putting an end to that notion. Are they still bringing posters of Obama as a cannibal with a bone through his nose to the rallies?

[rgateman]

03:39 PM on 09/14/2010

I don't think Colin wants to have all his Iraq lies gone over again or the torture stuff either showing how he was a team tr@it0r.

[ZaneDavid]

10:57 PM on 09/14/2010

that crossed the line.

[zelduh]

03:44 PM on 09/14/2010

Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama.

[VietVet67]

02:00 PM on 09/14/2010

I wonder how the TPers are doing in their recruiting of Blacks and Jews?

[NoNameNoLastName]

02:09 PM on 09/14/2010

Blacks, they have two. They were mentioned a few weeks ago here in HP. One of them was the "leader" of the Black TP movement, which makes the other one the "follower."

Not sure about the Jews, though.

[VietVet67]

02:15 PM on 09/14/2010

http://wolbbaltimore.com/national/lyoung/tea-party-wants-to-diversify-organization-by-recruiting-blacks/#more-1119881

Good luck recruiting Hispanics.

[rgateman]

03:42 PM on 09/14/2010

They thought they had one but it turned out to be a teabaggers 40 year old son living with mom wearing a beanie with a propeller. none so far.

[omobob]

02:16 PM on 09/14/2010

Also popular with the Hispanic Community. Not. Between the Tea Party and the Republicans who have they not isolated?

[Fenarkleman]

01:55 PM on 09/14/2010

She is as inspiring as Atlee Hammaker at the 1983 MLB All Star Game.