No sooner had the AP called the Delaware primary than the Republican Party formed into a circular firing squad and let loose on itself. The moderate wing of the party, in a fashion that has typified their reaction to electoral defeat, began pointing the finger at conservatives and tea party members, claiming their meddling led to the nomination of a candidate they believe will lose the general election (If you have any doubts, take a look at the comments in the Delaware election results thread over at Hot Air). But this is an unfair characterization of what occurred in Delaware, as well as states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In fact, so called moderate candidates around the country have been rejected for the simple fact that they’ve been absolutely unappealing.
If you are serious about maintaining control over the party, than stop fielding terrible candidates. The term RINO has been thrown around quite a bit lately, but candidates like Mike Castle unquestionably typify the term. He was red meat for conservative insurgents since day one, and once they smelled blood it was only a matter of time before they pounced.
He was as unappealing to Delaware Republicans as he was to Republicans nationally, and it showed in the results of Tuesdays primary. Had the contest been close, you might have been able to argue that endorsements by national figures like Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin put Christine O’Donnell over the top. Considering however that she won handily, that argument just doesn’t hold water.
Again and again, we hear the so called moderates and the Washington establishment complaining about the effect of the conservative insurgency, and again and again their candidates go down in electoral flames. It’s about time that they quit their crying and take a closer examination of the choices that they’re presenting to the electorate. Candidates like Castle just aren’t going to cut it.
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