Jim DeMint: Christine O'Donnell Would Have Won If She Hadn't Been 'Vilified By The Republican Party'

Conservative champion Sen. Jim DeMint believes that the loss of unsuccessful Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell could have turned out differently if not for the dirty deeds of the GOP.

"I think if Christine had not been so vilified by the Republican Party when she first won the primary, she might have had a shot at this," DeMint told the National Journal in a recent interview.

It's no secret that the GOP -- notoriously Karl Rove -- was guilty of stoking the flames of self-doubt following O'Donnell's shocking victory over Delaware Rep. Mike Castle, who had looked to be a shoo-in to win the Senate seat.

But DeMint refused to put the blame directly on Rove, a symbol of the Republican establishment that O'Donnell appeared happy to be publicly at odds with.

"No I'm not talking about anyone in particular," DeMint said when asked about the Rove-O'Donnell tiff. "I think the fact that we didn't have Castle endorse her after he lost the primary, it just divided the Republican vote."

That's not quite the same tune that Christine O'Donnell had this week, however, when she tried to explain her failure to defeat Democrat Chris Coons.

"If [NRSC chief Sen. John Cornyn] and Karl Rove had said, look, she is articulate on the issues as many people after watching our debates were able to say...there was verbal support they could have offered as pundits, so to speak, that they chose not to for whatever reason," O'Donnell told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday.

While DeMint appears content trading barbs with the larger "Republican Party," he, unlike O'Donnell, didn't want to take his criticism much further.

"I think it would be a mistake to criticize what happened in Delaware because Republicans gained a number of seats because of the citizen activism of the tea party," DeMint told the National Review. "So, you've got to take the good with the bad."

Comments

[LooseCaboose]

10:00 PM on 12/19/2010

De-breath-Mint is a cracker extraordinaire. Christine is a complete fraud and even if all you do is play Oui and Cell Text your backwards wearing hat brain away, you still be smart enough to see through her facade. The Mint Man is a Big Tent Revivalist who believes that if he says it - that's the truth.

[chaapai]

02:32 PM on 11/20/2010

wow, that's either really discounting the wisdom and the sanity of the Republican party, or just plain scary. Either way you look at it.

witch or not...
m@$+uarb@+0r or not...
denier of evolution or not...
mice with human brains or not...

Christine was a DEEPLY flawed candidate. If Mr. Demint cant see that... what does that say about his leadership ability? She appealed to the lowest common voter who supported rhetoric over logic. There was no way that she could have won. That goes double for Sharron Angle.

It's one thing to support the opposing candidate or party, but its completely another thing to claim that these two candidates were a viable, reasonable choice for voters. The only saving grace in my eyes is that some of the Republicans did bash them. It shows that maybe there is hope for this country.

[barrycourage]

08:35 PM on 11/18/2010

What an insult to the intelligence of thoughtful voters in Delaware.

[JoeBoy254]

01:49 AM on 11/12/2010

Thank God that they did vilifey her.If she was elected she would have had to go to Oz to get a brain.

[ZeraLee]

03:43 PM on 11/07/2010

Trowing blame and making excuses come easily to them, but pointing fingers is a little harder when they cannot point at the Democrats or the media. They'll probably get around to pointing fingers ant them anyway.

[KatieAnnieOakley]

01:24 PM on 11/07/2010

Ms O'Donnell's campaign imploded on itself. Every. Single Time. she opened her mouth yet another disaster spilled out. She was her own worst enemy....

And, on a side note, Jim: quit dying your hair that strange brown that fades to orangy-reddish-brownish. It's not becoming... there's nothing wrong with going grey... when you're a man.

[Callah]

12:41 PM on 11/07/2010

Well old Jim...
if she had actually a high school civics class worth of Governmental education
and had planned for a career in politics,
instead of spending the entire 1990s in some Fundy cloud of denial,
and most important, keep her loonie-tunes opinions to herself....
that might 'ta worked, huh?

[Icantbelieveher]

11:56 AM on 11/07/2010

If only the GOP hadn't pointed out what an idiot this women is, she might have won!

Seriously?

[Jim bob]

11:32 AM on 11/07/2010

I wonder if it ever occurred to Jim DeMint that it would be bad for the country and for his party if she was a senator? Probably not. Who cares about that, if you're Jim DeMint.

[murphysgirl]

11:02 AM on 11/07/2010

Christine O'Donnell is the reason why she didn't win..DeMint was licking his chops for more Senate wins for a chairmanship role to elevate his propoganda.

[offred]

10:48 AM on 11/07/2010

Senator DeMento, don't denigrate the wisdom of the majority of Delaware voters. O'Donnell is not equipped to be an effective senator for the state of Delaware. Don't blow what little credibility you have by supporting a dingbat at the expense of the intelligence of Delaware voters.

[SallyShears]

10:07 AM on 11/22/2010

1. "Senator DeMento" is absolutely perfect and 2. he actually still has some real credibility?

[nypapajoe]

10:47 AM on 11/07/2010

No! She was the master of her own ignorant propaganda and immature demeanor! She was not qualified to run for the Senate! She has no previous political experience and no real formal educational background to deal effectively with the demands of the job! Even the angry ignorant masses counldnt help her! How the others got in you wonder, but reality will prevail in the long run because nothing is going to chance! The political arena stage is set for the next act that of 2012, nothing else matters to the republican incumbents, Nothing! So tea baggers prepare for a "Shelacking" cause it's coming! You have been Punked and scammed again by the best con artist and lobbyist of the business community!

[blue53]

10:06 AM on 11/07/2010

C Street is winning this war. Biblical law and biblical capitalism will surprise a lot of people who stayed home on Tuesday. Think you are angry now--just wait.

[offred]

10:49 AM on 11/07/2010

With Republicans gaining power, the rest of us will suffer from battered wife syndrome.

This is shaping up to be a nightmare.

Lindsay Graham is pushing yet ANOTHER preemptive war, this time in Iran, and Texas governor Rick Scott wants to dump Medicaid in Texas, which means the blue states will be flooded with a wave of Medicaid refugees who leave Texas in search of medical care for the poor elderly, infirm, and disabled. No doubt Perry plans to dump busloads of these people over the Texas state lines so they become someone else's problem.

Welcome to the Republic of Gilead. (See "HandMaid's Tale" entry in Wikipedia.)

[Callah]

12:35 PM on 11/07/2010

Yep....That's what I thought too. FnF for a book all, women especially should read....and think about.

[Chucktheman]

10:04 AM on 11/07/2010

She may have won if she had not opened her mouth. She may have won if she didnt claim to have attended Colleges she hadn't. She may have won since her major was constitutional government, if she actually knew what the first amendment was.(she didn't know) She may have won if she could have named Any current Democrat that held the office of Senator. (she could not). She may have won if she were remotely qualified. (she isn't). That excludes all the things she said before her campain. Add to that she had the Paladino effect, she continued to prove she was unfit by opening her mouth. She had a chance to cruise in on dissatisfaction like the rest of the conservatives did, but she blew it on her own. I not glad any of them made it. Now they will continue to blame... the other guy. That's what they do.

[cceras]

10:39 AM on 11/07/2010

Your assessment is right on! Sadly, it worked like a charm here in Wisconsin.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

07:49 PM on 11/13/2010

she might have won if she had made
 agreat sacrific to satan..say the heart of glenn?

[henrypapillon]

09:39 AM on 11/07/2010

If only she hadn't been a witch !