Fiorona, Angle, O'Donnell, Whitman, McMahon and Maybe Miller.. - New England Patriots Forums

***DarrylS*** · 11-03-2010, 04:38 AM

All of these candidates used tons of money and all have failed except for Joe Miller which is still up in the air.. tons of money from outside sources, and in Cal and Ct. tons of their own cash.

Thought for sure Reid was done, Boxer was part of the liberal package that would be ousted, McMahon would win over Blumenthal.. but none of this happened, these elections were perhaps the "loudest" and got the most national coverage..

Despite the overwhelming win for the Republicans, what went wrong here???.. in the case of O'Donnell and Angle it was obvious as they were about 4.5 cans short of a six pack. The personal money spent by Fiorona, Whitman and McMahon was obscene...

Is Palin's involvement the "kiss of death"???.. as much as many things are obvious, these races will be studied for a while. She will reign triumphant as the queen of the right, while from afar not sure how much she actually helped any of these candidates... despite her pontification of her POV.

OTOH Cicilline won in RI, despite a strong run with huge backing by big money for Loughlin.. BTW Cicilline is openly gay, and have to give the Republicans credit as they lied about a bunch of stuff, but never played the gay card obvertly. Barney Frank beat Sean Bielat, Deval Patrick comes out on top... an overall interesting night.

One thing that is obvious is the need for Campaign Finance Reform as the money spent by the Corporatists was obscene... however, any hope of any real reform will never happen as congress has a very obvious conflict of interest.

***Nikolai*** · 11-03-2010, 05:20 AM

McMahon is a joke. A lot of Connecticut Repubs I talked to stayed away from the polls for that race, or, at the very least, had a hard time voting for her. It was a terrible race, and it appears that there have been irregularities in the polling. Connecticut politics really do suck.

I'm surprised Angle didn't win, though from what I understand, she's another moonbat.

Did anyone actually think O'Donnell had a chance? I perceived her candidacy as a push to get national exposure. No way was Wilmington going to vote for her, and as goes Wilmington, so goes Delaware.

***DarrylS*** · 11-03-2010, 05:45 AM

I agree that these candidates were not the best, but the obscene amount of money spent and the associated "noise" and follow along media was very interesting..

Amazed that a very vulnerable Reid survived...

Patsfanin Philly · 11-03-2010, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarrylS

I agree that these candidates were not the best, but the obscene amount of money spent and the associated "noise" and follow along media was very interesting..

Amazed that a very vulnerable Reid survived...

Not surprised at all. You still have to put viable candidates out there and Angle and O'Donnell were not exactly the "sharpest tools in the shed"...
(**For the record if Chris Coons suddenly appears as a ferret or 12 inches high today, I may come back and edit this post for my own self-preservation)
This is a lost opportunity for the Republicans as those two seats should have been solid Republican pickups giving them close to 50 and with Joe Manchin of WV voting with them on many issues, a near majority....
While California is the bluest of blue and a Fiorina or Whitman victory would have been an upset of major proportions, it appears that in the Senate at least, the Democratic firewall on the west coast held. In the House, it was a major rebuke with 60 + seats picked up by the Rs, even more than 1994 and the most in over 50 years....Wow!!! I was flipping between MSNBC and Fox to see their reactions.......
For many people the defeat of the Tea Party candidates is seen as relief in that it acts as a stop on the Sarah Palin bandwagon. No longer seen as tantamount to victory, a Palin endorsement is no guarantee and less people are beholden to her in 2012, thankfully.

***Patters*** · 11-03-2010, 06:03 AM

That great about Cicilline, and I'm certainly proud of MA for continuing its historic mission of being a progressive state, even when much of the country wants to look backward.

Also, I am glad that those who tried to buy their office lost. I read not too long ago that something like 85% of candidates who try to buy elections with their own money lose. I think that's a nonpartisan number. I think most Americans find something distasteful about a rich person without a record of public service trying to buy a position of power.

That said, you're right about the need for campaign finance reform, but it's not going to happen now becaues the current formula favors the Republicans, who can block such reform. I think it's very important that Obama use the bully pulpit more effectively to try to educate people so that they don't make a mistake again and vote for Tea Party loons.

***DarrylS*** · 11-03-2010, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patsfanin Philly

Joe Manchin of WV voting with them on many issues, a near majority....
For many people the defeat of the Tea Party candidates is seen as relief in that it acts as a stop on the Sarah Palin bandwagon. No longer seen as tantamount to victory, a Palin endorsement is no guarantee and less people are beholden to her in 2012, thankfully.

Had forgotten about Manchin..

Really think that the Republicans have to think about what role Palin is going to play for them, as her divine intervention did not bode well for many of the people that she supported...

OTOH Palin is a loose cannon, and not sure anything can slow her down and her very mixed messages... perhaps in the next cycle if candidates shy away from her and her bombasity, it may give her a message..

***DarrylS*** · 11-03-2010, 06:12 AM

David Corn(I know he is biased) has a pretty good middle of the road article...

And 2010's Biggest Winner Is? | Mother Jones

Quote:

The secret and unlimited flow of dollars into congressional campaigns this year is largely unprecedented—at least since campaign finance reform was implemented following Watergate in the 1970s. Almost half a trillion dollars have been spent so far by outside groups—with about one-quarter of that coming from dark-money groups that don't disclose donors. And it's not just a Republican phenomenon. Unions and Democratic-leaning advocacy outfits are playing the game. Still, the advantage goes to the GOP. Of the outside groups not connected to either political party, those supporting Republicans and opposing Democrats have so far spent $119.2 million, and those supporting Democrats and opposing Republicans have dumped $73.8 million into races. This split is dramatic, but there's another factor to consider: Much of the pro-Democratic money comes from large membership groups (including the SEIU and the National Education Association), yet much of the pro-Republican money originates from a small number of millionaires (or billionaires). Consequently, fat cats have gained even more disproportionate influence.

Patsfanin Philly · 11-03-2010, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarrylS

Had forgotten about Manchin..

Really think that the Republicans have to think about what role Palin is going to play for them, as her divine intervention did not bode well for many of the people that she supported...

OTOH Palin is a loose cannon, and not sure anything can slow her down and her very mixed messages... perhaps in the next cycle if candidates shy away from her and her bombasity, it may give her a message..

Manchin was only elected to fill out Robert Byrd's term and he has to run again in 2012, in a state that opposes health care reform and would be crippled by cap and trade...
Palin was likely hurt by all the tea partiers who lost and maybe it will sober some of her supporters ( yup you betcha) into realizing you need a strong smart candidate to win, which is what happened by and large in the House, but less so in the Senate.

***DarrylS*** · 11-03-2010, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patsfanin Philly

Manchin was only elected to fill out Robert Byrd's term and he has to run again in 2012, in a state that opposes health care reform and would be crippled by cap and trade...
Palin was likely hurt by all the tea partiers who lost and maybe it will sober some of her supporters ( yup you betcha) into realizing you need a strong smart candidate to win, which is what happened by and large in the House, but less so in the Senate.

Once again borne out by Palin backing Raese, and making several trips to West Virginia.. she could not rally the "Mountain Momma's"