Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

An O'Donnell victory today would be the final nail-in-the-coffin of the painful 22-year reign of state-department style real politik of moderates in the republican party.

This era began on January 22 of 1989 when a CIA bureaucrat took over the executive branch from Ronald Reagan and continued through years of 3 Bush presidencies with their soft-glove Rovian compassionate conservatism (non-conservatism). Conservative victories through this time were few and includes basically just a few tax cuts, a vigorous, pro-active (in some cases) foreign policy, and welfare reform. Also, not to be forgotten were some important judicial nominations after some early missteps by Bush 43. As crucial as these victories certainly were, or defeats were legion and we've lost a significant amount of ground in our fight against encroaching socialism. We must turn this tide. We must start by reclaiming the Republican party as a vessel to enact our ideas and preserve our freedoms. We begin by electing Christine O'Donnell in Delaware today. The message is more important than the candidate.

GLORY!!!!!

I'm sorry but O'Donnell may be the "better" conservative but she is a flake. I don't care one way or another who wins today but given her behavior and outright fabrications she has proven to me that she is not firing on all cylinders ...
She is NOT who I would choose to represent me no matter how pure her conservative credentials ...
she will be clobbered in the general ... this utopian ideal that we can have 50 or 60 DeMints in the Senate is just a variation on Hope and Change ...

please step back and realize that you are aglining yourself with Reihl and Levin and their vicious attacks on Powerline and various other bloggers. If this is the sort of support that O'Donnell generates I'd would questions just what sort of group you are getting in bed with.

We do have standards and principles. The rule is we support the most conservative candidate that is actually electable in a state in order to have the MOST conservative senate. We don't get this by excluding moderates in liberal states. This is so we can do things like repeal Obamacare. Following a purity test is the sure fire way to get 30 very conservative irrelevant senators and more liberal legislation. Cap-and-Trade is not going to come up over the next 2, 4, and perhaps 6 years. Castle is not going to effect those policies, he will vote with Republicans more often when they are in power, but we need to get into power.

It's not about having a small majority right now! It is about 60+ seat majority in 2012! Please don't ignore this fact!

I have a feeling neither side is backing down. We're playing right into the Dems hands...

@Ghost @MikeHinton -- This primary could have been about ideas and where we want the country to go. But instead Castle supporters turned it into a referendum on CoD's mortgage, college degree, etc. Castle should have debated her, defended his ideas and record, and it he chose, attack her record face-to-face.

"this utopian ideal that we can have 50 or 60 DeMints in the Senate is just a variation on Hope and Change" - The Ghost

What? That makes no sense. Are you saying that its not possible so we shouldn't even try for it?

Your accusation that she is a 'flake' is a red herring and is not all that accurate. I didn't hear from all you smart people two years ago - about how unfit she is for government - when she was running against Biden. And just exactly how high is your standard for behavior of elected officials now?

I'd take her winning the primary and losing the general any day over Castle winning the republican primary. Credit where credit is due, liberal Republicans are responsible for our stunning defeats of 2006 and 2008 and are directly at fault for Obama being our current president. The only thing we can count on Castle to do is to deliver a vote for the democratic agenda when needed.

BTW, I'd go with Levin any day over squishy Paul at Power Line Blog, though I would've expected less inside-beltway attitudes from John. Paul started that fight.

"We begin by electing Christine O'Donnell in Delaware today." -quiznilo

This is just the primary. She won't be elected "today." :) I hope she wins today AND in November, but we need to remember that she hasn't won the seat - yet.

Polling forcasts last month showed she had no chance against Castle. Current polling shows a dead heat. Current polling shows she can't beat the Dem opponent in November. We've got over 40 days until Nov. 2. The poll numbers will change.

I believe that even blue Delaware is seeing the light on the current Dem agenda and our economic destruction. Give the people of Delaware a chance to decide. If they have a clean election, and see the destruction that is the Obama/Reid/Pelosi agenda, they will choose O'Donnell.

Not electable in Delaware, you say? Perhaps. However, she is the best candidate for turning our country around, for helping Delaware to be represented by a Conservative.

Also - last time I checked, there is no "sanity test" for a senator or representative. That "flake" smear applies to most of the currently sitting Dems in the Senate - not to mention the House! Need I name names, after all the clownish videos we had to witness while Obamacare was being pushed and crammed down our throats? Reality check.....focus on ISSUES, and the FACTS, not meaningless smears. We MUST fight against this elitist ruling class establishment, whether Dem or Repub. It is what is taking our country down!

So.........step back and breathe, people. O'Donnell was chosen 2 years ago as a viable Republican candidate. She is no less qualified now; it is just the Ruling Elite who want "one of their own" in the seat. Should Castle win the primary today, then he will be the more Conservative choice between him and the Dem candidate. Let's wait to see what the good people of Delaware say at the ballot box today.

Sums up my thoughts on the matter, though I do respect the other side of the debate.

Seriously. When did it become candidate first, ideas second?

Hey Professor, if you want to stop the GOP from being a "Party of Whatever," you'd better start throwing some roadblocks in the way of the potentially successful GOP Senate candidates in Connecticut, Illinois, California and elsewhere because they're never, ever going to be as conservative as that pair which so many of your commenters love to hate, McCain and Graham. It's going to be RINO heaven down there in DC whatever happens in Delaware.

So is that your goal here? To cleanse the Republican Party of everyone who doesn't rack up a 100% ACU score. If sor, you'd better be prepared to settle for 10 Senators, because that's how many have 100%.

All you need to know about the insanity of the O'Donnell at all costs crowd you have uncharacteristically joined is summed up by the first commenter above who dumps both Bushes into the RINO camp. If he actually knew anything about Ronald Reagan, he'd have to dump him too.

Hey, one more thing, Professor: the logic of the O'Donnell crowd -- that's you, Riehl, Levin, etg al. -- means you will have to oppose Scott Brown in the GOP primary two years from. If you think this crowd you're aligning with won't do that, think again. Some, er, flake or other will challenge him, denounce his "RINO" record (he's racking one up already), cast a net for all "true conservatives, and screw the pooch.

I wish I'd read this piece of commentary first, before I commented on your later post:

"But instead Castle supporters turned it into a referendum on CoD's mortgage, college degree, etc. Castle should have debated her, defended his ideas and record, and it he chose, attack her record face-to-face."

Whereas, I suppose, you're perfectly fine with O'Donnell's supporters spreading the meme that Castle had a gay affair. And that he planned to leave the Republican Party at the first chance after he took his Senate seat. Neither of which was ever substantiated, whereas Castle's charges about O'Donnell were all TRUE.

So, is that the kind of "conservative" you want representing Republicans? If so, congratulations, but you can count this lifelong Republican OUT, at least for this race.

John, I will oppose Scott Brown in the GOP primary if there is a more conservative candidate to vote for. I realize that principles are foreign concepts, but your kind's lack of them is the reason this country is in the mess its' in.

If we're going to get Copperhead policies to betray the country, then why give them "bipartisan" cover?

Here's the difference between a Dem, a RINO, and a TeaPartier: We read that the feds spent $800,000 on an AIDS campaign in Africa to persuade men to wash their nasty bits after sex. RINOs would OK the program if it only cost $350,000. A Tea Partier would not spend a red cent on the water, the soap or the obligatory instructional video. When one has the guts to say, "Cancel the program!", we've turned a corner.