I am driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas today for the big Tea Party rally.
(I have gone to Vegas for parties before, but this one will end before 5am and will involve less debauchery.)
I will also be at the rallies in Barstow and Los Angeles, and possibly even San Diego and Yuma, Arizona.
As Election 2010 kicks into mega-overdrive, it would be helpful if this political blog actually covered the election. I did not want to be in a state of perpetual campaigning like the president, but in the last couple week, campaigning is understandable.
Today I will focus on the U.S. Senate.
While I want every single Republican to win, there are a few races that are the most important to me. In some cases their is an emotional investment due to a personal connection. In other cases it is ideological. In some cases there are intangible factors.
Republicans are poised for victories, but if we get full of ourselves we could still screw it up. Complacency cannot happen. Except for Jim Demint in South Carolina, nobody is safe.
Here are the races I care the most about in no particular order, and people we must support.
Sharron Angle, Nevada: Harry Reid must go. I have met the man personally, and he was gracious to me. His staff was ultra-professional in dealing with me. I wish the person I saw would have been how he treats others. He is just too mean-spirited.
Also, Nevada leads the nation in bankruptcies and unemployment. It happened on his watch.
(Democrats only like that phrase when applying it to Republican Presidents.)
Harry Reid could not even remember his closing remarks in his last debate. Normally that would be meaningless, but given the cruel way he mocked Sarah Palin for writing notes on her hand, he deserves the same treatment. He is a bully, and it is time for the bully to leave.
I have done a couple of events with Sharron Angle. She is a lovely human being. For those who do not share her views on social issues, so what? This election is about economics. Those who attack her inexperience seem to give a free pass to Barack Obama.
Sharron Angle will return dignity and decorum to the Senate.
Mark Kirk, Illinois: Mark Kirk is a good man. I have met him personally. I do not even care who his opponent is. It does not matter. He has made some mistakes on the campaign trail, but his record is spectacular. He is an expert on defense systems, and one of the best friends Israel has. I was not happy with his cap and trade vote, but it did not become law, so no harm, no foul. He is very moderate, but he is as good as it gets on foreign policy and security.
Carly Fiorina, California: I did not support Carly in the primary. I backed Chuck DeVore. Like a good soldier, I immediately fell in line. I have been very critical of Carly, but she has one major thing in her favor. She is not Barbara Boxer.
Barbara Boxer is a scourge. She is the worst combination of politician, and an equally detestable human being. I have met her, and she is as awful as she comes across. Ask Boxer supporters why Dianne Feinstein votes exactly the same way as Barbara Boxer, yet Feinstein receives none of the hostility. Feinstein coasts to victory while Boxer struggles. Boxer is a prime example of an ideological bigot. She claims to be for women, but has no problems attacking Republican women or defending liberal misogynists in the most vile manner.
Lastly, she has been a dreadful Senator. I disagree with Feinstein, but her reputation is that she works hard. Boxer has sponsored only 3 bills in 18 years. She is Maureen Dowd and Helen Thomas rolled into a giant ball of meanness and incivility. She takes any criticism of her and makes it out to be an attack on all women, which is a lie. The Senate may have hope for decency and dignity if Boxer is fired.
Christine O’Donnell, Delaware: I backed Mike Castle in the primary, but am solidly behind O’Donnell. No, I am not backing her because she is hot (although she is). Maria Cantwell is hot but I would not back her.
I am standing up for Christine O’Donnell because she is being destroyed in one of the worst cases of ideological bigotry in the last…well few days. The left wants her to be destroyed, and squishy Republicans refusing to back her should be ashamed. As a former Castle supporter, this gives me more credibility. The abuse of this good, decent, lovely human being must stop.
Anybody who voted for Obama can shut up about the experience card. Liberals love to claim that every problem from athlete’s foot to foreclosures happened on the previous president’s watch. They should take note that not one bad political catastrophe occurred on Christine O’Donnell’s watch. Her opponent has gotten in the gutter. Again, a vote for Ms. O’Donnell is a vote for civility.
Rand Paul, Kentucky: I am in shock writing this. For weeks I have said that the only Republican candidate I have trouble backing is Rand Paul. Then I saw what a gutter rat his opponent is.
Ron Paul makes me ill. Rand Paul is better on Israel than his father. Rand Paul is hopelessly wrong about the war. However, as a junior senator with little influence in foreign policy, he will not lead an isolationist revolt on his own. On economics he makes sense. There is not a single Republican that makes me as nervous as Rand Paul. Yet his opponent will just bring more poison to the Senate. Rand Paul, for all I disagree with, is a gentleman.
For those noticing a theme here, it is that I am willing to put aside certain policy differences when the choice is between a good person and a bad person. The Democrats in the races cited above are just bad people. They are part of the slash and burn politics of destruction that has to end.
(Exempting Illinois, where I just love Mark Kirk. That is a vote for him, not against his opponent.)
Florida, Marco Rubio: Forget the Democrat. The Meek may inherit the Earth,but not the Senate seat. I am backing Marco Rubio because Charlie Crist left the Republican Party. I liked Charlie Crist. I have met him. He is a good guy. He was a good governor, although Jeb Bush was so phenomenal that Crist started ahead and failed to screw it up. Once he left the party, he lost my support.
A cautionary note to Republicans…if Crist wins, we should immediately try to welcome him back into the fold like we did with Bob Smith in New Hampshire awhile back. Better to have him caucus with us than the Democrats. Rubio winning prevents this problem.
Another cautionary note to Republicans…Rubio is up by 20, but if either Meek or Crist drops out, all heck could break loose. This race is not over.
Joe Miller, Alaska: He won the Republican primary election, and Lisa Murkowski is refusing to leave the stage gracefully.
(Liberals thrilled by her staying in the race should remember how they felt when Joe Lieberman took down Ned Lamont.)
The Republican voters made their choice, and I respect that choice. If Joe Miller loses, it will lead to more independent candidates refusing to respect primary results, putting their own egos above the party. They have a right to do it, but that does not make it right.
Rob Portman, Ohio: His opponent is irrelevant. Portman is simply a fabulous conservative on economic and budgetary matters. He is smart and fair. Yes, he can be boring even by Ohio standards, but governing is not sexy. Portman is serious, capable, and well prepared to be a Senator.
Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania: Toomey is a solid conservative, but the real issue is that Joe Sestak is a J-Street supporter who mas made some terrible anti-Israel comments.
Mike Crapo, Idaho: He is ahead by 44 points. I met him and liked him personally.
Jay Townsend, New York: He is not Charles Schumer. That is enough. Kirsten Gillibrand is like Dianne Feinstein. I disagree with her, but do not well up with anger. Charles Schumer has a history of bullying people, and his anti-gun stances are dreadful. It still bothers me that he beat one of my all time favorite Senators Al D’Amato. I would say more, but Schumer is 25 points ahead.
Roy Blount, Missouri–He is a good conservative, and Robin Carnahan seems to have an entitlement mentality. Her father’s tragic death (rest his soul) brought sympathy to the family, but her mother squandered that good will (Democrats have a habit of this, see Paul Wellstone funeral for details) by bashing John Ashcroft after he had been so gracious to the Carnahan family. Robin Carnahan has taken too many cheap shots for my tastes.
Jim DeMint, South Carolina–I know it seems silly, but there is always a chance that his opponent will be mistaken for the other Al Green, who sang “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” with Annie Lennox. Everybody likes that guy. Barring that confusion, DeMint will be fine.
Dino Rossi, Washington–I have never met him or Patty Murray. While Murray is very liberal, I have not heard her engage in the same left-wing rage as her California counterpart. This race is a dead heat, and my support for Mr. Rossi is policy based. He was cheated out of the governorship, so Republicans should be prepared to bring an army of lawyers and poll watchers to Seattle to prevent this fraud again.
Dan Coats, Indiana–I met him personally, and at the time he seemed to be finished with politics. Yet a sense of duty has brought him back (liberals complaining about this should remember Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey. People have a right to return). Coats is a good man and a good conservative.
Richard Burr in North Carolina, John McCain in Arizona, and Chuck Grassley in Iowa all appear safe. I have met McCain personally. I know that McCain and Grassley are staunch Israel supporters. Richard Burr is a solid conservative although North Carolina senators are often endangered. Complacency cannot happen.
To the rest of the GOP nominees, you have my support. Good luck.
eric
“Sharron Angle will return dignity and decorum to the Senate.”
OMG. That is too funny.
Sharron Angle is part of the lunatic fringe of the GOP, with a personal reputation that completely belies your prognostication. She would be an embarrassment to the state of Nevada.
“I have been very critical of Carly (Fiorina), but she has one major thing in her favor. She is not Barbara Boxer.”
That seems to be about the only thing Fiorina has going for her. boxer talks a good talk, but she has always been a rather ineffectual senator. Just the same, I prefer an ineffectual decent human being to the worst sort of corporate lowlife that Fiorina represents. And again, your notion that Fiorina would help restore “decency and dignity” to the US Senate is completely belied by her personal reputation at HP. Boxer may be a rabid partisan, but she’s in favor of destroying American jobs.
“Rand Paul, for all I disagree with, is a gentleman.”
This is belied by thin-skinned reaction to the press and his opponent. A “gentleman” can take the heat. Paul is like an angry, insecure adolescent – and his politics match his personality. Anyone who supports a screwball like Paul has truly thrown their care for their country out the wondow for the sake of partisanship. Paul is the most screwball, lunatic fringe of all the Tea Party insurgents. He would be a deeply useless embarrassmment for Kentucky.
Rubio, who now appears to be winning, is a disaster for Florida. He represents everything that hurts this state. Christ is and has been good for Florida, all in all. I hope, when it comes time to actually vote, that people realize what a horrid choice Rubio is, how a vote for Meek is simply a vote for Rubio, and like me, they vote for Christ.
Joe Miller is yet another lunatic fringer. A vote from him is a vote for a lunatic idiot. I hope Alaskans make a more mature vote.
I’m not a fan of Portman, but at least he’s not a fringe extremist.
Pat Toomey will be another Santorum – and if he wins, another one-termer.
Townsend is moot.
Blount is a rabid partisan. The Carnahan family deeply care about Missouri. Voters would be ill-advised to vote for Blount. he does not represent Missouri’s inetersts. Carnahan does.
Green is moot.
JMJ
Oops!
“…,but at least she’s not in favor of destroying American jobs, unlike Fiorina.”
JMJ
“OMG. That is too funny.”
Whats really funny is Harry Reid.
Hes the one whos come this far only to be contested very well by a woman whom you claim to be a joke/embarrasment….
If by your logic this typical generic response of yours is true….
it doesnt say much for Reid when the race is neck in neck with a 3 point error margin.
If the people are finding more comfort in those you call idiots its time to look at what you did wrong.
Do you understand that ?
Corporate low lifes huh ?
How stupid is that ? God forbid someone actually run a company in this country without Jersey painting horns on their heads.
Grow up
Well, Micky, Reid is unpopular on both the Left and the Right. Had the GOP nominated a more mainstream, “right of center,” candidate – and it didn’t have to be an “establishment” candidate, just a sane one – Reid would be sure to lose. The only reason the election is close is that Angle is a screwball. The voters of Nevada are not thrilled with Reid, and wanted a viable choice, and instead they have this screwball alternative. Don’t be surprised if she loses. Also remember, it’s not that Reid is too far “Left,” as the Left is just as frustrated, if not more, with him as the Right. If Reid had been a more effective Leader, he’d be a sure winner no matter what right now.
Obviously you don’t know anything about Carly Fiorina. I’ve been in the corporate world and have known many good people there. People like Carly Fiorina would not be among them. Her behavior at HP was #1 a failure, #2 very unpopular, and #3 scummy as all heck. She’s an example of everything that’s wrong with corporate America today. Another “Chainsaw Al.” She’s anti-American, and a perfect example of the “corpoate lowlife.”
JMJ
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