There is no I in team and there is no "we" in establishment. The establishment is about one thing and one thing only: their power. Their hunger for Senate committee chairmanships, their hunger for clinging to the status quo of crony centrism, their hunger for career politicians who hold seats so long they forget what it was like to be one of the little people was on glaring display leading up to tonight's Delaware GOP Senate primary. They talk a good game against big spending government, but history shows they stumble over whether to call out aye or nay on the floor when it actually comes down to punching in their votes. The people are speaking and they don't like it. Too friggin bad.
The arguments that broke out in the blogosphere over the O'Donnell - Castle race proved two things. Some are not ready to embrace the new landscape (and would rather back a RINO to win instead of having courage) while others are enjoying success as the numbers are growing in the movement for Constitutional commonsense conservatism. For O'Donnell to win by that much of a margin in blue Delaware proves that stinking thinking is what really has been keeping Republicans from winning all along. Afraid she can't win in the general? Negative, defeatest, stinking thinking.
It's time for the GOP to step up and become the party of optimism, of faith and of an enthusiasm for victory that we have not seen since the last anti-establishment candidate, Ronald Reagan, showed them how it was done. Put up the money, GOP. Back O'Donnell. Anything less would be childish, take your ball home, nonsense.
The selfish concerns and bitter "what's in it for me" attitude displayed by the GOP establishment leading into tonight was a shame, but the victory washes that away. They are dinosaurs now. They can stop faking conservatism and get on board with the real thing or they can become extinct.
The Democrats hold 60 seats (two independents caucus with them). The GOP needs to win 11. Current odds say we can take 8. The establishment thinks we could have taken 11, but now cry that O'Donnell blew that chance. Blew that chance? The campaign for the general election has just started. Look at how she beat Castle. You don't think she can beat Coons? Castle was a RINO. Imagine what she can do to a liberal.
If Castle had won, it would have meant nothing. It would have made it a token seat, a numbers padder for the GOP in November. If the GOP was serious about taking the Senate they'd be looking more long term. To really win the Senate, you need 60 seats, not 50 and 1/2. Technically, if Castle had won and the GOP took 51 seats, we'd really only have 48. Do you remember Snowe and Collins? And, committee chairmanships? They would be nice. But this is about more than just self-aggrandizing power for party heads. It's about setting up the table now and then serving the main course in 2012 on the coattails of the Republican presidential winner.
On the other hand, we MUST win the House in November. I've said since day 1, if we don't win the House, it would be a severe defeat. By winning the House and setting up the Senate for 2012, we can still stop the Obama agenda and prepare ourselves to govern in 2012. If we do win the Senate outright in 2010, gravy. Blaming O'Donnell in advance is bitter dregs and not becoming of a party that means it when it says it wants to win.
We moved the ball tonight.
Sarah Palin took out another RINO. Watch and learn. As Charlie Daniels would say "that's how you do it, son."
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