Republicans Will Win, If You Let Them

According to a recent AP-GfK poll, Americans may not hold Democrats in high regard, but their view of Republicans is even worse. Only 38% approve of Democrats in Congress, but that is better than the 31% the Republicans can muster. And 59% expressed dissatisfaction with the Dems, but the figure for Republicans is 64%. President Obama may not be polling all that well, but, you guessed it, Republicans get even lower marks.

The reason why Republican candidates may gain seats, and we have been hearing this for a while, is that their base, especially the Teabaggers, is more fired up, and thus more likely to vote. Perhaps, though I have learned to be wary of the memes the mainstream media throws out. And I am detecting a slight shift away from this script, in part because Dems seem to be coming out of their stupor and are connecting a few dots.

We'll see, though it is beyond me how any Democratic voter cannot feel motivated, especially after watching someone like Sharron Angle or Christine O'Donnell speak. Never mind how some Dems have disappointed you. Look at the alternative. And you say you are going to sit this one out because Obama and Company have not addressed all your concerns? Give your brain a chance.

The supreme irony is that if progressives and moderates sit out this election, the people the public regards most unfavorably, Congressional Republicans, will be the ones that win. And it will all be because Teabaggers and other right-wingers bothered to vote, and the rest of us did not.

Christine the Crook?

Christine O'Donnell has received a lot of press attention ever since she beat 9-term Representative, Mike Castle. To say the coverage has been harsh and incredulous would be an understatement. The latest making the rounds is her admitted dabbling in witchcraft.

Yeah, whatever. That is like calling some guy a prophet just because he is prophesizing some shit will happen. And the astrologer divines your future, too, huh? No prophets, no witches, only those claim so.

For me it is a bit beside the point. What matters for her is how voters, especially the Republican right, will perceive all this. Many will not like it, though Republicans have a way of forgiving the wayward if they wrap themselves in enough Jesus talk.

I will let conservatives decide how hysterical they want to get on the witchcraft stuff; remember, she didn't join a coven. What is more interesting is what Karl Rove, of all people, aired publicly regarding O'Donnell's past. He says he is troubled by all the gaps in her background, especially her inability to explain employment, income sources, disposition of debts, etc. That didn't prevent him from coming around, in a matter of hours, and endorsing her. Guess those concerns were all cleared up.

Others are not so forgiving. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported on Sept 20 they filed complaints with the Delaware U.S. Attorney's Office and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against O'Donnell. CREW alleges that O'Donnell misused campaign funds, lied about expenditures to the FEC, and thus committed tax evasion. As Melanie Sloan, CREW Executive Director states, "Christine O'Donnell is clearly a criminal, and like any crook she should be prosecuted...Ms. O'Donnell has spent years embezzling money from her campaign to cover her personal expenses."

Yikes, that's pretty serious stuff. Of course, that doesn't make it true just because people at CREW allege it. But when even Rove publicly disavows a fellow Republican, those are some serious red flags on that woman. And since CREW's action is a legal complaint, O'Donnell will not be able to blow it off so easily.