The Voters Have Spoken...

It's not at all surprising that the left is up in arms about the recent electoral upset in Deleware that nominated conservative underdog Christine O'Donnell as the state's Republican US Senatorial candidate. After all, she soundly rousted the 40-year veteran Congressman, Mike Castle (also a popular former Governor for the state) a politician frequenly wooed by the entrenched establishment powers in Washington. The decisive victory underscores the power and effectiveness of the Tea Party movement in activating their base and the vibrant anti-incumbant sentiment that has old-guard elements in both parties shakin' in their boots.

What is surprising is that after the fact, conservative pundits and party leaders came out swinging as well. A cacophany of high-profile, so-called "conservative" Republicans like Karl Rove and even the revered Charles Krauthammer, not to mention a thundering herd of no-name talk show hosts, quickly repudiated the candidate and castigated Tea Partiers for selecting and "unelectable" Senate candidate.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the Republican establishment was rocked by the upset. But I am rocked by the aftershock. Since when do we, WITHIN the party, so disrespect the clearly stated will of the majority of voters at the local level who chose their preferred candidate fairly under the legal and ethical terms of engagement?! It smacks of the same kind of intellectual snobbery and elitism that has become the hallmark of the American left. In effect, "You idiots! Just look what you've done." Democrats, however, are wise enough to shut up and show solidarity despite their internal discord.

The nature of INTERNAL party politics is that the debate comes BEFORE the election, not after the fact. Once the candidate is selected it's time to unite behind him or her, regardless of how dissatisfied you, personally, may be. The only appropriate response is, "the voters have spoken. Now how do we win?"

I'm not sure whether the backlash in this case (and others like Charlie Crist in FL or Joe Miller in Alaska) is a mere yelp by the wounded establishment in the GOP, or whether it reflects the need for some pundits to be seen as "fair minded" or impartial commentators. Perhaps it's a self-protection reflex for those fearful of being associated with the ignorant, trailer-trash, racist, religious zealot image of "right wing tea-baggers" that has been painted by the mainstream media; never mind the fact that such a creature is effectively a myth within the movement.

What I am sure of, is that such disunity and self-abuse is of no constructive value to the conservative cause, to the Republican party, to the candidates who won, or to the voters who courageously stepped up to the plate and pulled the lever to make an unconventional choice. Their action, when all was said and done, reflects exactly the kind of courage and activism in the electorate that is required in our republic to keep it vital, participatory, and FREE! It should be embraced, not condemned by the party leadership and the party faithful.

Liberals and the Democrat Party will prey upon this weakness and pry open the fissure while their own candidate, Chris Coons, a self-avowed Marxist and fellow Black Liberation Theology Anti-Capitalist (along with BHO) will go unscrutinized by the liberal media. Conservative pundits should be using their airtime to expose Coons for who and what he is--not to denegrate the Republican candidate and her supporters with petty complaints, demoralizing and dividing the base.

We've seen some of this same kind of Republican self-abuse in Nevada where greenhorn, Palin-backed Sharron Angle is taking on the formidable Goliath of the Senate, Harry Reid. An even more egregious example of this self-defeating behavior is on display in both Florida and Alaska. The candidates themselves, in a nauseating show of arrogant self-importance, have chosen to continue their races on their own, either as third-party or write-in candidates after primary voters soundly de-selected them from the ballot. I can almost hear Ursula bellowing, "You poor unfortunate souls! You dare oppose me?!"

It's time for Republicans to unite behind the candidates the people have chosen--whether you're enamoured with them, or not. If you want to armchair quarterback, do it after the general election when it's too late to do any real damage. You'll save yourself the embarrassment of being wrong, or be able to revel in "I told you so's" if you're proven right. But don't make your gloomy prophesies self-fulfilling! No candidate will please all the people. Each will be too conservative for some, too liberal for others, or have weaknesses that opponents will try to exploit. However, they ARE the people's choice. We can get behind them now, or let the Democrats dictate who our representatives will be and in what direction our republic will move. I'm not a staunch partisan. But I am a pragmatist. That's two-party politics in America and that's rational.