"I dabbled into witchcraft." Quote NOT by Obama. - Page 6

Originally Posted by Wormhole



Dear Christine, as a rule if you say you're not a witch don't have your handlers dress you up like one and don't dye your hair black using campaign funds.

Originally Posted by FormerLurker



You Betcha!

Originally Posted by BR



SEE!

Originally Posted by BR

Oh laugh a little would ya? It amused me so I thought I'd pass it on. Lighten up. Your response is lame...raise the bar...you're slipping...

Originally Posted by BR

I'd go with the latter. Pound some NyQuil and go to sleep.

Were she still a witch, Christine O'Donnell no doubt would have put a hex on Wolf Blitzer then and there.

The CNN host, moderating the long awaited Delaware senatorial debate Wednesday night, was trying to get the Republican nominee to talk about her 1998 statement on the Bill Maher show that "evolution is a myth."

"Do you believe evolution is a myth?" Blitzer asked.


"Do you believe evolution is a myth?" the moderator repeated.


"What do you believe?"


"Why is it irrelevant? Voters want to know."


The answer, though, was obvious: Of course she believes in evolution; she is a product of evolution herself. She has evolved from a very odd woman who spoke about the evils of masturbation and of mice with fully functioning human brains and of her experience in sorcery (but she didn't join a coven!).

She was, inevitably, not as bad as the cartoonish image that has emerged in recent weeks. And her opponent, Democrat Chris Coons, was dull and substantive, making himself an easy mark. He kept using the word "frankly" and complaining about how little time he had to refute O'Donnell's statements.

Still, even the highly evolved version of O'Donnell retained its ability to say and do embarrassing things. She read from her opening statement by moving her index finger down the page. She wore an expression that suggested she was trying not to laugh.
And she was easily flummoxed -- as when Blitzer asked her: "What would you cut in the federal budget? And don't just say waste, fraud and abuse, because everybody says that."



O'Donnell also had some trouble figuring out where to place a zinger she had prepared for Coons. She delivered it, awkwardly, when he was actually defending her against "discussion in the national media about things my opponent has said or done that I frankly think are a distraction."



If SNL does do another O'Donnell sketch this week, script writers may be drawn to her assertion that "when we withdraw from Iraq, we need to make sure that there are benchmarks in place."




It wasn't clear from his face what the bearded Blitzer thought of this exchange, but O'Donnell seemed to go out of her way to tweak the studiously neutral moderator. She told viewers that she had refused Blitzer's requests for an interview, and when Blitzer posed the fair question of what she would do about people who refuse to buy health insurance and then use the emergency room, O'Donnell informed the moderator that he was "using scare tactics to make people support this health-care bill."

Blitzer using scare tactics? This was an unorthodox charge. But O'Donnell is not an orthodox candidate. She warned of a collapsing dollar and American economy. She kept track of her opponent's time ("it says 'stop,'" she informed him). And she dismissed an earlier IRS lien against her as bogus and "all the more reason why we need to reform the IRS."

Yes, O'Donnell has evolved from her witchcraft days, but she still knows how to stir the pot.

Originally Posted by MJ1970

Frankly she gave the correct answer on that evolution question. Her beliefs on that subject are irrelevant to how she would perform her job as a Senator sworn to adhere to and uphold the constitution. Sadly, it doesn't sound like there were any relevant questions like that being asked.

I can see now that this is shaping up to be "Sara Palin, Part 2." The media is in full "Gotcha Mode" with her.

P.S. Regarding the attempt at a gotcha snark from Coons when he said "I suspect you meant withdraw from Afghanistan" in response to the Iraq withdrawal point. Maybe she did actually mean Afghanistan, but someone needs to remind Coons (and perhaps other Democrats) that we're not exactly out of Iraq yet (except in some twisted, Orwellian definition of "out" offered up by the Obama administration.)

She entered the debate as an underdog. After weeks of media frenzy over her comments on masturbation and witchcraft, she seized the opportunity to look calm and serious, and criticise her opponent's record.

Ms O'Donnell portrayed herself as an average citizen with financial struggles and a concern for the economy.

But she stumbled repeatedly over questions on foreign policy and the law, and appeared uncomfortable when quizzed on social values.

Ms O'Donnell's sassy, everyday-girl appeal couldn't obscure the lack of detail in her responses.

Nor could it compensate for her dumbfounded silence when asked to name a recent Supreme Court ruling she disagreed with.

But that might not matter in this election. She successfully touched on the talking points that have proved to resonate so powerfully with conservatives - repeatedly referring to the constitution, railing against "Obamacare" and accusing Mr Coons of being a Marxist.

Some call this "dog-whistle politics" - these kind of references hit a pitch, and speak a language that supporters hear differently, and respond to more strongly, than other constituencies. Ms O'Donnell appears to have mastered the technique.

Even though Mr Coons is 19 points ahead of Ms O'Donnell in the latest polls, the Democratic party isn't acting as though it has got it in the bag.

President Obama and Mr Biden will campaign there on Friday, in an obvious nod to the importance of the seat.


But the US electorate is in an unpredictable mood, and - even with all her controversies - Republicans, it seems, have not yet given up on Ms O'Donnell.

Originally Posted by MJ1970

Frankly she gave the correct answer on that evolution question. Her beliefs on that subject are irrelevant to how she would perform her job as a Senator sworn to adhere to and uphold the constitution. Sadly, it doesn't sound like there were any relevant questions like that being asked.

I can see now that this is shaping up to be "Sara Palin, Part 2." The media is in full "Gotcha Mode" with her.

P.S. Regarding the attempt at a gotcha snark from Coons when he said "I suspect you meant withdraw from Afghanistan" in response to the Iraq withdrawal point. Maybe she did actually mean Afghanistan, but someone needs to remind Coons (and perhaps other Democrats) that we're not exactly out of Iraq yet (except in some twisted, Orwellian definition of "out" offered up by the Obama administration.)

Originally Posted by Wormhole

We are also IN Japan, Germany (more troops than Iraq), Saudi Arabia (which caused 911) and ........ In your opinion are we still at war with all these countries.

NEWARK, Del. (AP) Suddenly, Christine O'Donnell doesn't want to talk about values and religion.

The Republican Senate nominee from Delaware, who said four years ago that she heard the "audible voice of God" encouraging her to run for office, is shying away from the evangelical views that built her career as a television pundit and conservative activist.

Trailing badly in the polls, O'Donnell has bobbed and weaved recently on her previously bold and provocative positions that are sure to alienate the all-important centrist voting bloc in politically moderate Delaware.

"What I believe is irrelevant," she said under the bright lights of a nationally televised debate Wednesday when asked if she still believes evolution is a myth and schools should be teaching creationism as science.

The tea party favorite is walking a delicate line, trying to avoid a third straight losing Senate campaign by maintaining the enthusiasm of her evangelical base while not scaring off the centrists who see such views as extreme.

On gays in the military, she said Wednesday that the decision should be left to the Pentagon declining to state her personal view but making clear that "I don't think that Congress should be forcing a social agenda onto our military."

Similarly, she characterized her opposition to embryonic stem cell research as more of a scientific objection than a religious one, arguing that adult stem cells are more valuable for research, a view not held by the many scientists who say embryonic stem cells are the most versatile and promising. She also gave an indirect answer about her opposition to abortion even in the case of rape or incest, calling it a "scare tactic" and saying rape and incest account for less than 1 percent of abortions.

O'Donnell hasn't always been so quiet.

Over two decades as a cable news commentator and evangelical activist, she has characterized homosexuality as a psychological disorder and called evolution a myth. She once said her opposition to using human embryos in stem cell research was the reason she ran for Senate the first time in 2006.

She told The News Journal of Wilmington during that campaign that she was initially reluctant to get into politics because she knew it would require diluting her views.


She added: "During the primary, I heard the audible voice of God."

As recently as February, she emphasized the importance of values issues as she rallied conservatives to back her upstart primary campaign against moderate Republican Rep. Mike Castle, a former governor who was heavily favored to win the GOP nomination.


O'Donnell's stunning upset over Castle has drawn strong national interest because it is seen as a key test of tea party strength in a general election. Like other tea party-backed candidates, O'Donnell has softened her rhetoric, and not just on social issues.

Asked Wednesday about comments in a 2006 debate that China has a "carefully thought out and strategic plan to take over America," she backtracked and said she believed she was misquoted, ignoring the existence of a recording of the debate in which she is clearly heard making the remarks. On education, she now says she wouldn't go so far as to eliminate the Education Department, despite saying last month that the country should "begin to repeal the role of the federal government" in education.

The 41-year-old Republican says her beliefs on some of her most unusual positions such as opposing masturbation have matured and that her religion doesn't drive her politics.


Her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, said that does little to clear up her views.

Originally Posted by MJ1970

That's exactly what I was saying. Bravo for you on your reading comprehension and deductive reasoning!!!

Originally Posted by jazzguru

"It means all the world to us to know that there are prayer circles out there and people who are keeping the spirits clean around us."

Who said it?

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Michelle Obama.

Originally Posted by Wormhole

The US is at war with Germany and Japan right and someone in the past told us these wars were over, that's so cool.
Did George know about this when he published?

Originally Posted by Wormhole

The US is at war with Germany and Japan right and someone in the past told us these wars were over, that's so cool.
Did George know about this when he published?

Originally Posted by MJ1970

Are you really going to keep digging here and bringing further attention to your idiotic comment?

Originally Posted by Wormhole

Idiocy is my thing, I am a complete idiot. Why again are you responding to my post?

Originally Posted by FineTunes

WASHINGTON -- Republican Senate hopeful Christine O'Donnell of Delaware may be trailing in the polls but she's strongly outpacing Democratic rival Chris Coons in fundraising.

O'Donnell took in nearly $3.8 million in just over a month as she pulled off her stunning upset in the Sept. 15 GOP primary - more than 10 times what her campaign had collected during her entire campaign previously. The money came from all corners of the country and included many small donations.

She said in a finance report Wednesday that after spending $1.2 million, she had $2.6 million in the bank for the final month of the campaign.

Coons collected $1.3 million for the same period. He spent $1 million and had $1.3 million left.

NEWARK, Del. The surprising campaign of Republican US Senate hopeful Christine ODonnell has charmed Tea Party conservatives, energized voters of both parties, and transformed the traditionally buttoned-down world of Delaware politics into a noisy carnival of witch costumes and intense national media attention.

But the candidate, hounded by an old admission she dabbled into witchcraft, has not built confidence among mainstream Republicans that she can win what the party had once considered theirs for the taking: the Senate seat held by Vice President Joe Biden for 36 years.

ODonnells stark rightward positions and her history of bizarre statements, replayed on television and the Internet, have alarmed many voters. Now, Democrats are confidently pushing back.

The Democratic candidate, Chris Coons, enjoys a healthy lead in the polls. An average of recent polls aggregated by the website Real Clear Politics showed Coons up by about 18 points, at roughly 55 percent to 37. The seat is open; Ted Kaufman, who was appointed to replace Biden after the 2008 elections, is not running.

For Republicans, the battle to assume control of the Senate could pivot on Delaware. GOP candidates are running well in other contested races across the country, but the partys quest for 10 seats and a chamber majority will be extremely difficult without a win here.

With only tepid support from the GOP establishment, ODonnell has tried to reach out directly to the voters. But her electability continues to be undermined by a series of embarrassing past statements on videotape, such as her effort in the 1990s to curb masturbation. She also once claimed to have classified information about Chinas secret plan to take over America and has questioned the science behind evolution. Her witchcraft revelation came during an appearance on comedian Bill Mahers former talk show in 1999.

Hundreds of ODonnell and Coons supporters demonstrated side-by-side for hours before the event on a sunny afternoon. People from both camps wore pointy witch hats and carried brooms. Tea Party fans chanted against socialism next to gay rights advocates waving rainbow flags.

Members of the Wicca faith who call themselves witches took issue with ODonnells TV ad.

Even though Coons is doing well in the polls against ODonnell, Democrats are not taking a victory for granted. President Obama and Biden appeared at a Coons fund-raiser yesterday, which had the dual purpose of raising money and highlighting ODonnell as the face of the 2010 Tea Party wave of candidates.

ODonnell fans maintain she can catch Coons. Despite trailing in the polls, she revealed yesterday that her campaign has collected about $3.8 million in donations many in small amounts from across the nation since her primary win, far outpacing the contributions to Coons.

But even if she cannot beat Coons, many supporters say they would rather lose the election with a candidate they like.



To the GOP establishment, however, this was supposed to be about sending Republicans to Congress and controlling the agenda. Many in the party are still trying to fathom ODonnells stunning rise: from being belittled by Tom Ross, the states GOP chairman, as someone who could not be elected dog catcher before the primary to becoming their standard-bearer after it.


Coons supporters like to say their candidate has done a good job as county executive and that he is not Christine ODonnell.

Former Delaware Senate Nominee Christine O'Donnell is Jay Leno's big Wednesday "get" on NBC's "Tonight Show." Conan O'Brien's big "get" that night: Jon Hamm. Jay wins -- that night, anyway....

NBC: MEET THE PRESS - DeMint: GOP sank Christine O'Donnell

Sen.
Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), the conservative kingmaker who backed a number of tea party candidates heading into Tuesday's elections, said that it's "a very silly thing to say" that tea party candidates cost the GOP control of the Senate. Delaware Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell (R) "was so maligned from Republicans that she didn't really have a chance," DeMint added.