Virginia, NJ, Christie, and the GOP vs tea party
There was more going on in VA than people know.
Inside a green billionaire's Virginia crusade " The sum is more than three times the investment that’s been previously reported, and it nearly matched what the Republican Governors Association, the largest GOP outside spender, put into the Virginia governor’s race."
INFURIATING! "In 2009, the RNC spent $9M to win VA by 17 points. Looks like it'll have spent $3M in 2013 to lose by a hair."
WMAL: Reince Priebus defends RNC support for Cuccinelli, Mark Levin calls in and FIRES BACK at Priebus "Levin charged that Priebus has showed up in this last weekend of the election to position himself to talk about his great ground game if there is a victory or criticize the candidate if they lose. Otherwise, he said the RNC is nowhere to be found."
The Sabotage Republicans - Ken Cuccinelli was betrayed by the Establishment. "In fact, one of the real problems here - as exemplified by the Cuccinelli defeat - is that moderate Republicans not only refuse to pull together. They go out of their way to sabotage the conservative.
Say it again? That word is sabotage. Betrayal. The Establishment GOP goes out…of…its…way to sabotage. Spelled s-a-b-o-t-a-g-e.
Let’s name some names here, shall we? Present and past to illustrate the point."
"The GOP Establishment will find a way - quietly or not so quietly - to sabotage the conservative nominee if there is a conservative nominee in 2016. This is what they do. They did it to Barry Goldwater in 1964, they tried to do it to Ronald Reagan in 1980 with liberal GOP Congressman John Anderson. Anderson who lost in the primaries to Reagan, running as a third party candidate in a deliberate attempt to sabotage Reagan. Anderson failed - but it wasn’t for a lack of trying."
There was more to Christie's NJ win than the obvious, too.
Chris Christie Is About…Chris Christie "But it isn’t only about the hug.
When Christie had the option to appoint a replacement after the death of Frank Lautenberg, he passed on making a Republican appointment. He had the option of having the election for a replacement with the regular election in which he was running again for Governor on Nov. 6. Again, he passed on this option, an option that would have greatly increased the possibility of a Republican winning the seat with some coat tails from Christie.
So instead, Cory Booker ran against Steve Lonegan in a special election (costing thousands extra) in October. Booker won, although Lonegan closed, as information about all Booker’s falsehoods began to tumble out. Imagine if there had been another month of campaign…
Why did Christie do this? In order to make his victory as big as possible to maximize his presidential chances"
Chris Christie: Looking Out for #1 Pays Off "Chris Christie may have gotten his wish and broken 50% -- indeed it looks like he coasted to a landslide of around 60% -- but it was hardly a Republican and certainly not a 'conservative' victory when all 24 of the Democrats in the New Jersey state Senate were re-elected, even as Christie won his much sought after personal landslide.
Far from being a model of how Republicans should govern and campaign to win nationally, Chris Christie’s re-election proves three things: Chris Christie’s brand of 'all about me' politics has no coat tails and means certain defeat for the larger conservative agenda"
Christie, Cuccinelli and the real divide in the GOP - Newt Gingrich is likely to have insight here, as he was responsible for Republicans winning in the 90s (&all the things for which Clinton gets credit), only to be betrayed by the current Speaker.
"The campaigns that ended Tuesday night didn't illustrate the moderate-conservative divide within the party so much as the divide between representatives of reform and those of a failed status quo, between the future and the past."
"In my new book 'Breakout,' I draw a distinction between 'prisoners of the past' and 'pioneers of the future.'"
Gloves Off: GOP Establishment Goes After Tea Party "The National Republican Senate Committee, the GOP campaign arm responsible for Senate elections, has decided to use its political power to block consulting firm Jamestown Associates from receiving political work from GOP candidates or incumbents.
Jamestown's 'sin' is working with the Senate Conservative Fund, an organization that supports conservative candidates for the US Senate."
Levin Blasts GOP Establishment: They 'Neither Win nor Fight' "Levin said 'the truth is the members of the Republican old guard are all but useless. They wake up and engage when their own re-election is threatened and their precious hold on power is challenged. They are dug in, petty, and self-serving. They have no strategy or principled vision.'"
Glenn Beck: Why Bother Voting at All if GOP Keeps Pushing Christies and Romneys on Us?
Inside a green billionaire's Virginia crusade " The sum is more than three times the investment that’s been previously reported, and it nearly matched what the Republican Governors Association, the largest GOP outside spender, put into the Virginia governor’s race."
INFURIATING! "In 2009, the RNC spent $9M to win VA by 17 points. Looks like it'll have spent $3M in 2013 to lose by a hair."
WMAL: Reince Priebus defends RNC support for Cuccinelli, Mark Levin calls in and FIRES BACK at Priebus "Levin charged that Priebus has showed up in this last weekend of the election to position himself to talk about his great ground game if there is a victory or criticize the candidate if they lose. Otherwise, he said the RNC is nowhere to be found."
The Sabotage Republicans - Ken Cuccinelli was betrayed by the Establishment. "In fact, one of the real problems here - as exemplified by the Cuccinelli defeat - is that moderate Republicans not only refuse to pull together. They go out of their way to sabotage the conservative.
Say it again? That word is sabotage. Betrayal. The Establishment GOP goes out…of…its…way to sabotage. Spelled s-a-b-o-t-a-g-e.
Let’s name some names here, shall we? Present and past to illustrate the point."
"The GOP Establishment will find a way - quietly or not so quietly - to sabotage the conservative nominee if there is a conservative nominee in 2016. This is what they do. They did it to Barry Goldwater in 1964, they tried to do it to Ronald Reagan in 1980 with liberal GOP Congressman John Anderson. Anderson who lost in the primaries to Reagan, running as a third party candidate in a deliberate attempt to sabotage Reagan. Anderson failed - but it wasn’t for a lack of trying."
There was more to Christie's NJ win than the obvious, too.
Chris Christie Is About…Chris Christie "But it isn’t only about the hug.
When Christie had the option to appoint a replacement after the death of Frank Lautenberg, he passed on making a Republican appointment. He had the option of having the election for a replacement with the regular election in which he was running again for Governor on Nov. 6. Again, he passed on this option, an option that would have greatly increased the possibility of a Republican winning the seat with some coat tails from Christie.
So instead, Cory Booker ran against Steve Lonegan in a special election (costing thousands extra) in October. Booker won, although Lonegan closed, as information about all Booker’s falsehoods began to tumble out. Imagine if there had been another month of campaign…
Why did Christie do this? In order to make his victory as big as possible to maximize his presidential chances"
Chris Christie: Looking Out for #1 Pays Off "Chris Christie may have gotten his wish and broken 50% -- indeed it looks like he coasted to a landslide of around 60% -- but it was hardly a Republican and certainly not a 'conservative' victory when all 24 of the Democrats in the New Jersey state Senate were re-elected, even as Christie won his much sought after personal landslide.
Far from being a model of how Republicans should govern and campaign to win nationally, Chris Christie’s re-election proves three things: Chris Christie’s brand of 'all about me' politics has no coat tails and means certain defeat for the larger conservative agenda"
Christie, Cuccinelli and the real divide in the GOP - Newt Gingrich is likely to have insight here, as he was responsible for Republicans winning in the 90s (&all the things for which Clinton gets credit), only to be betrayed by the current Speaker.
"The campaigns that ended Tuesday night didn't illustrate the moderate-conservative divide within the party so much as the divide between representatives of reform and those of a failed status quo, between the future and the past."
"In my new book 'Breakout,' I draw a distinction between 'prisoners of the past' and 'pioneers of the future.'"
Gloves Off: GOP Establishment Goes After Tea Party "The National Republican Senate Committee, the GOP campaign arm responsible for Senate elections, has decided to use its political power to block consulting firm Jamestown Associates from receiving political work from GOP candidates or incumbents.
Jamestown's 'sin' is working with the Senate Conservative Fund, an organization that supports conservative candidates for the US Senate."
Levin Blasts GOP Establishment: They 'Neither Win nor Fight' "Levin said 'the truth is the members of the Republican old guard are all but useless. They wake up and engage when their own re-election is threatened and their precious hold on power is challenged. They are dug in, petty, and self-serving. They have no strategy or principled vision.'"
Glenn Beck: Why Bother Voting at All if GOP Keeps Pushing Christies and Romneys on Us?