We Have A Winner!

It's time to Break It Down!

This year's mid-term election is shaping up to go down in history as one for the ages. As usual, in order to maintain a reasonable handle on the claims and counter claims of the various candidates, one would do well to keep http://factcheck.org/ and http://snopes.com at the ready. But as the SNL (LivSaturday Night Live) phrase goes, “Really,” the depths of devolution and despair brazenly displayed by some candidates this season is, well, shocking! In fact, there are a few instances, which the only things more unsettling than the candidates’ pronouncements are the fervor, passion, and apparent genuine sincerity with which their supporters defend them, and in some cases, their erstwhile indefensible assertions.

In the 2008 Presidential Campaign, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin distinguished herself as a media magnet with a unique ability to coin a phrase and garner attention from the press, and an often spellbound public. Mrs. Palin, who stepped down early from her position as Governor, is not a candidate in 2010. It is widely debated whether she will run for President in 2012, in the meantime, her influence is apparent across the country. She has affected numerous races through endorsements, fundraising, and appearances at rallies.

Moreover, her legacy is evident in the rhetoric of several candidates. So much so, until, it is only fitting that the candidate who most embodies Mrs. Palin’s “spirit and spunk (as her most fervent supporters might call it), should be recognized for the accomplishment. I’ll return to that later.

A myriad number of candidates qualify for inclusion in this post, by virtue of their public pronouncements. I will note a few, to provide a baseline upon which to frame the discussion. These candidates are noteworthy for the way in which they stand out in a crowded field:

• Jan Drinkwine Brewer, Governor, Arizona
Governor Brewer, running against State Assemblyman Terry Goddard to retain her seat, has uniquely qualified to be included in this conversation. In July, the Governor claimed, audaciously, on local television, "Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded." Washington Post, July 9, 2010

This revelation seemed to catch the local media by surprise, as they had no knowledge of such events. After numerous efforts by local news outlets to persuade the Governor to tell them what she knew and when, about these mysterious beheadings, the Governor finally relented and told them what she knew…that it didn’t happen.  I am not sure whether her maiden name offers any clues here. 

• Sharron Ott Angle, Nevada Assemblywoman, candidate for U.S Senate
Mrs. Angle is challenging Harry Reid, current Senate Majority Leader for his Senate seat. Late last Friday, in a meeting with a group of Hispanic students at Rancho High School in Las Vegas, during which she intended to quell concerns about an ad that prominently featured three Hispanic men as shadowy, threatening figures, she responded. First, she suggested that maybe the men in the photo weren't Hispanic at all. She went on to say, "You know, I don’t know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me. I don’t know that. To make it clear just how hard it can be to tell who is Latino and who is Asian and who is white, I’ve been called the first Asian legislator in our Nevada State Assembly. NYMag.com, October 2010

It would be interesting to poll the members of that student group to see if any of them bough that. I can’t fathom what it might have been like hearing her say that. In reading it, the almost inescapable feel is that has to be the most thinly veneered spin imaginable. But I digress; next!

• Joe Miller, candidate U.S. Senate, Alaska

Mr. Miller is facing Scott McAdams, a Democrat for the Alaska Senate
seat currently held by Lisa Murkowski, who succeeded her father, Frank,
who when he became Governor of Alaska, appointed her to his vacated
Senate seat. Yeah, it’s like that! Murkowski is also running for the seat
as a Write-in Candidate. She was defeated in the Republican Primary,
largely because Sarah Palin endorsed and raised funds for Miller.

Miller has taken positions on a number of issues that diverge not just from
Democrats, but from those of most Republicans as well. For example, he
believes:

1. There should not be a federal minimum wage (The federal minimum wage was established by the Fair
    Labor Standards Act in 1938)

2. Federal powers should be scaled back to only those listed in the Constitution

3. Federal unemployment insurance is unconstitutional

4. Social Security should be phased out

5. Medicare should be eliminated

In Joe Miller’s version of limited government, it is easy to see a trend of retrenchment of many of the protections that the average American has been taught to think of as God-given and inalienable rights. The ones above are just a few of those that have been articulated already. Think about that for a moment.

• Carl Paladino, Republican nominee for Governor of New York


Mr. Paladino is facing-off against Andrew Cuomo, currently, New York State Attorney General. He has carved a niche fro himself by becoming a wealthy businessman in that state that includes the epicenter for world-wide commerce. Along with his can-do spirit has come a flair for controversial statements, positions, and actions. Mr. Paladino has:

1. Promised to "take a baseball bat to Albany" -- the state capital

2. Railed against plans to build an Islamic community center near ground zero in lower Manhattan -- even 
    suggesting that the state take control of the area through eminent domain

3. Steadfastly opposed abortion, even in cases of incest and rape

4. Rented property to Planned Parenthood (The center provides services including the RU-486 pill, which 
    Planned Parenthood calls "medication abortion.")

5. Staunched opposed homosexuality

6. Rented property to gay bars

7. Sent pornographic and racist e-mails

All-in-all, Mr. Paladino has demonstrated that he is fully capable of articulating high standards for others to follow. At the same time, if reports are accurate, he has also shown that when his own financial interests are at stake, he knows when and how to be, shall we say, “flexible.”

OK, those have all been interesting, cute; even compelling samples of what has made Campaign 2010 noteworthy for its zaniness factor. From headless bodies that did not exist, to Hispanics who looked Asian to a certain Senate candidate, to proposals to turn back the clock, to being trapped in a “Deal or No Deal” spin cycle, it’s all stuff that will make you say Hmm. But, if Sarah Palin is the Gold Standard, it takes more than that to earn the Prize.

The final candidate stands out, not just because of the “quality” of her body of work, but because of its depth, volume, and frequency of newly added layers and improved features. Just when you think you seen the zenith, new vistas emerge.

• Christine O’Donnell, candidate for Senate, Delaware

Ms. O’Donnell is vying against Democrat Chris Coons for the seat currently held by Senator Ted Kaufman. Mr. Kaufman was appointed to serve in former Senator Joe Biden’s seat until a 2010 Special Election. He is not seeking election to a full term.

O’Donnell has garnered an impressive array of endorsements, including that of the Tea Party Express, which called her a “strong voice for conservative constitutionalist principles,” the Susan B. Anthony List, the National Rifle Association, the Family Research Council, Sarah Palin, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin.

Ms. O’Donnell has amassed quite a list of assertions, positions, and general statements, open for consideration by the voters of Delaware, the pundits, and the group she proudly refers to as, “We the people.” The list includes, but is certainly not limited to the following:

1. “Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?" Coons-O’Donnell Debate, October 19, 
    2010, Widener University School of Law

2. “America is now a socialist economy. The definition of a socialist economy is when 50% or more your
    economy is dependent on the federal government." - Campaign Speech

3. “A candidate said several years ago, 'I'm not concerned the reason you vote for me as long as you vote
    for me.'" - Press Conference, in response to a reporter asking if she'd send out bikini photos to gain
    votes.

4. “You know, these are the kind of cheap, underhanded, un-manly tactics that we've come to expect from
    Obama's favorite Republican, Mike Castle [..] Mike, this is not a bake-off, get your man-pants on." -
    Talking Points Memo regarding Castle's allegation that she illegally coordinated campaign activities with
    the Tea Party Express. (Ms. O’Donnell appeared to imply Castle is gay, but denied that point. However,
   an ad company that previous worked with O’Donnell created ads along those lines.  O’Donnell later
   had to distance herself from the company and disavow the ad)

5. “American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with
    fully functioning human brains." - Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor, 2007

6. “During the primary, I heard the audible voice of God. He said, 'Credibility.'" - News Journal, 2006

7. “I dabbled into witchcraft. I never joined a coven." / "One of my first dates with a witch was on a
    satanic altar." - Politically Incorrect, 1999

8. “I would have become a Hare Krishna but I didn’t want to become a vegetarian. And that’s honestly the
    reason why. ‘Cause I’m Italian, and I love meatballs. - Politically Incorrect, 1999

9. “You can't masturbate without lust." / "I'm a young woman in my thirties and I remain chaste." - MTV's
    Sex in the 90s, 1996

10. “It is not enough to be abstinent with other people; you also have to be abstinent alone. The Bible says
      that lust in your heart is committing adultery, so you can't masturbate without lust." - MTV Interview

In the past, I have created Top Ten Lists for a variety of posts. This is not represented as the Top Ten; just ten things Ms. O’Donnell has said during the course and context of her public life, including this Senate campaign, a previous Campaign for the Senate, and earlier. She is funny, she is charming, she is quick-witted; she has a level of media savvy that many observers underestimate. Ms. O’Donnell certainly holds a number of views that many of her fellow citizens deem “unconventional.” And yet, she has found a way to strike, consistently, a resonant chord with a “certain segment of the American population.”

Yes, it is clear, “We Have A Winner!” Christine O’Donnell has shown that she has the mettle, grit, determination, charm, dynamism, intellect, and world view to be deemed a Sarah Palin-in-Training, 2010. Congratulations!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_O'Donnell

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/19/odonnell-gets-coons-for-constitutional-law-101/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/27/christine-odonnell-craziest-quotes_n_718328.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Krishna

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_A._Coons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaufman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widener_University_School_of_Law

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101902501.html?wpisrc=nl_pmheadline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Brewer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070902342.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Goddard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharron_Angle

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/sharron_angle_tells_hispanic_s.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Reid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Miller_(Alaska_politician)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_McAdams

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Murkowski

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Paladino

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cuomo

http://www.factcheck.org/about/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20019924-503544.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101004/el_yblog_upshot/alaskas-joe-miller-states-opposition-to-federal-minimum-wage

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/17/carl.paladino/index.html

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/carl_leases_to_abortion_clinic_BiaEmJzmSgnQONtOxZUR1H

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/post_293.html