Are You A Good Witch Or A Bad Witch?

Christine O'Donnell upset the GOP establishment candidate for the Delaware primary in the Senate race last week.  The establishment candidate, Mike Castle, was a nine term member of the House who supported abortion, gun control, cap and trade, and did not support repealing Obamacare.  A virtual unknown in the race several weeks ago, Sarah Palin's endorsement rocketed her past Mike Castle with six points to spare.  Unfortunately, that's when the trouble started. 

Mike Castle ran negative campaign ads against O'Donnell but it is when she won the primary that the national media starting repeating the same set of talking points.  One Mike Castle ad that has found new life in syndication claims that O'Donnell "owes $11,744 in back taxes and penalties," and "was sued by Fairleigh Dickenson University for unpaid expenses." The ad goes on to say O'Donnell, "defaulted on her mortgage," "ran up huge campaign debt and left vendors and staff unpaid," and "used campaign donations to pay her rent."

Back in 1999 while on Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect", O' Donnell said, "I dabbled into witchcraft. I never joined a coven."  She continued, "I hung around people who were doing these things. I'm not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do.  One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar, and I didn't know it. I mean, there's little blood there and stuff like that. We went to a movie and then had a little midnight picnic on a satanic altar." 

To overcome this perception, O' Donnell should be going on every interview she can while being prepped for the tough questions she will inevitably get.   Unfortunately she seems to be passing up early chances to change the tone and her campaign is suffering.

Unlike Sharron Angle or Rand Paul, this "Tea Party" candidate looks almost completely unelectable.  Whether religious people take offense to the witchcraft statement or the nonreligious just find her too kooky, she has an almost impossible uphill battle.  Although many in Obama's cabinet also have large unpaid tax bills, it is a bigger deal for someone who is pushing fiscal restraint.

I disagree with her opponent, Coons, on more substantive issues and her win could be the 51st Senate seat so I must say that despite all this I will likely vote for her.  If it was anything short of that level of importance, I would likely vote 3rd party.

Although the Tea Party can do great things, we must remember the rule given to us by the great William F. Buckley, "Support the most conservative candidate who is electable."  The Tea Party must not assume its own enthusiasm is enough to elect candidates, especially in the Northeast.