The Other McCain

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Christine O’Donnell’s Not a Witch, But They’re Gonna Burn Her Anyway

Posted on | December 30, 2010 | 19 Comments

What to make of reports that former Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell is under federal investigation for campaign finance violations? Her campaign manager Matt Moran is quoted by ABC News:

“The anonymous source seems politically-motivated and may well be tied to the ultra-liberal, George Soros-financed, former Sen. Biden staffer-run CREW [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington] complaint,” Moran said.
The left-leaning watchdog group filed complaints with the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office and Federal Election Commission in September alleging the Republican candidate misused campaign funds.
“These charges are already being addressed with the FEC,” he said. “We are confident that they will be resolved in the New Year, and put an end to the frivolous sensationalism regarding this matter.”

Moran’s got a point. The FEC usually handles campaign-finance investigations in a quiet manner and it is seldom much of a headline when the FEC imposes a fine. More importantly, nine times out of 10, violations are only really newsworthy when they involve the winner of an election. The American Spectator‘s Aaron Goldstein asks: “If O’Donnell is under federal investigation shouldn’t the FBI apprise O’Donnell before they tell the AP?”

The attempt to inflate this investigation into a big story — top of Memeorandum — via leaks prominently featuring anonymous Delaware Republicans most likely represents the state GOP’s desire to drive a stake through O’Donnell’s political heart. It’s spiteful and pathetic.

The Delaware Republican Party is a ridiculous joke, and state GOP chairman Tom Ross is the punchline. But O’Donnell does herself no good by responding with conspiracy-theory accusations.

UPDATE: Dan Riehl chews the Weekly Standard‘s John McCormack a new one and points out that Melanie Sloan of CREW has clear ties to Democrats.

As to Dan’s accusation that I was “link-whoring” with my disparagement of conspiracy-theory explanations: O’Donnell’s worst enemies have always been Tom Ross and the state GOP insiders. So for her to say that Democrats were the ones pushing the FEC investigation — and to make it sound like “Joe Biden’s out to get me” — sounds nutty.

That Democrats may be wanting to clear a path for Beau Biden to take over for Chris Coons in 2012, OK. That both Republicans and Democrats may therefore have motives to bury O’Donnell, OK. But for the candidate herself to be saying this stuff . . . well, it’s just too Nixonian.

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Category: Christine O'Donnell, Delaware

Comments

  • http://thepagantemple.blogspot.com/ ThePaganTemple

    They obviously think they can do the same thing here they accomplished by forcing Sarah Palin to resign her post as Alaska governor. In this case, unless they really do have something legitimate on O’Donnell, they would be well advised not to mess with her. If the Tea-Parties are capable of raising enough money to help her beat Mike Castle like a red-headed step-child, they are certainly capable of raising enough money to fund a lawsuit for harassment, and making it stick. Soros and his crew need to be run out of here on a rail, along with anybody in the Delaware GOP that is involved with this. But I would settle for a multi-million dollar settlement and a public bitch slap, not just for here but any other time they try this crap. Granted it wouldn’t be as much fun as dousing their sorry asses with kerosene and setting them on fire, but one must deal with modern limitations the best one can.

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  • RC

    Doesnt your story pretty much speak to, at least, the roots of a conspiracy? As mentioned above, the attack against Palin demonstrated the bad guys could us the system to trump up charges that would give the impression of wrongdoing and immobilize the target.

  • Formerly known as Skeptic

    As they say, “Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re NOT out to get you.”

  • Tennwriter

    What’s she supposed to do instead, then? She’s not talking about Freemasons, right? OK, then. Small conspiracies involving like-minded people happen all the time.

  • Bradley

    Conservatives do themselves no favors by defending this joke of a candidate. I completely understand not backing Mike Castle, but to rally around this con-woman is absurd.

    Don’t get suckered in by every huckster that spouts off bumper sticker slogans. We need “adults” to represent us in our fight against liberals.

  • http://dad29.blogspot.com/ Dad29

    Whaddddya mean, “conspiracy”?

    Both (D) and (R) in Delaware are seemingly involved; there is no ‘there’ there–as you point out–and since the MSM’s running with the story….

    Walks, quacks….I towt I taw a ConspircacyCat.

  • Davod

    Lawfare (and ratbag propaganda) at work.

    Bradley: You really need to get past your dislike of O’Donnell and look closer at process.

    The problem in Delaware was simple – The Delaware Republican Party and Congressman Castle, the losing Republican primary candidate, refused to support the winner of the primary.

  • Davod

    The real issue is how to replace the leadership and management of the Delaware Republican party.

  • Anonymous

    O’Donnell may truly be off her gourd, but small States breed small town politics. I wouldn’t be surprised if Biden was out to get her, what the heck else would he do with his time?

  • http://thepagantemple.blogspot.com/ ThePaganTemple

    Oh crap people, why would Biden care, she’s no threat to him. If anybody’s out to get her-and I think he is-it’s Mike Castle, not Biden. Sloan just provides a convenient cover. All of Delaware is basically one sleepy little southern town, and O’Donnell has drove through the speed trap one time too many.

  • http://flyovernotes.blogspot.com/ Tully

    These accusations are mostly from previous seasons and were public knowledge since before the primary, and are a good part of the reason some of us would NEVER consider her a credible candidate. To be sure she’s being politically sandbagged, but sympathies are bound to be limited when she supplied both the sand and the bags in a pattern running consistently back through three runs at high office. People were bound to notice.

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  • Tennwriter

    Just like we do ourselves no favors defending Palin?

    Honor is valuable in and of itself, and one of the complaints of the Conservatives from years gone by was that we left our wounded on the field. You rescue your wounded warrior (which intimidates the enemy, encourages other warriors to give it their all, is the right thing to do, and allows the rescued warrior to have a couple years of getting it back together again to be useful somewhere else).

    Honor is something that is out of fashion, and poorly understood by me, but I think it would be a good thing to bring it back.

  • Quartermaster

    CO was not a good candidate, but given the opposition there was little choice but to vote for her. Hopefully she has ended RINO castles political career. If she did, then good on her. For that reason alone she deserves the support of all people of good will. Hopefully that includes you Bradley.

    You are a person of good will aren’t you Bradley? Or might you be a Castle supporter?

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

    Well, the Boston Herald story is sourced to the attorney of a person interviewed in the probe, not the FBI. The FEC has limited powers to investigate spending, any potential criminal information goes straight to the FBI.

    Frankly, the stories about O’Donnell’s ideas about campaign spending were out there well before the primary. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s illegal – she can pay herself a salary (until she wins an office), and lots of expenses can be covered.

    As I said after she collected her first million $ windfall of fundraising, conservatives were sending money to her instead of to more winnable races, and she would end up with money in the bank and a paying job for the next few years on it.

    But in itself, none of that is illegal. Separating suckers from their money is a time-honored tradition in America.

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