From The Hill:

…Reid said Coons would have won even if Rep. Mike Castle (R) had prevailed over O’Donnell.

“I’m going to be very honest with you — Chris Coons, everybody knows him in the Democratic caucus. He’s my pet. He’s my favorite candidate,” Reid said…

Thanks, Harry, I had been a bit worried that we wouldn’t pull it off in Delaware.

Not worried any more.

Last night’s primary results put the seal of victory on an amazing political story. Starting out as just a few people gathering here and there in March of 2009, the movement has grown to the point where it has now de-facto captured the Republican party and is set to place an indelible stamp on American politics on November 2nd.

It should be recalled just what has happened. Back in March of 2009, the liberals treated the TEA Party with scorn. It was just a few die hards who couldn’t accept the New Order of the Obama Administration. As it grew from strength to strength, the dismay on the Democrat side grew and developed in to a white-hot hatred of the movement.

Meanwhile, over in GOP-establishment land, things weren’t going much better. There was some thought that the movement could be co-opted by the establishment and used as a mere fund-raising and GOTV adjunct to the RNC. But then the TEA Party showed itself unwilling to take orders and it started knocking off one establishment GOPer after another, ending with last night when the Establishment’s man in Delaware was crushed by an overwhelming turnout among Delaware voters…these voters having not turned out for a GOP primary before, and seemingly quite willing for a fundamental change…not just a change from “D” to “R” after the candidate’s name.

Officially, Democrats rub their hands with glee – sure that an internecine battle is coming where the GOP will tear itself apart. They are short of the mark, as usual – the battle has already happened, and the TEA Party won. To be sure, there are still some Establishment types out there who will provide fodder for this Democrat meme, but the fact of the matter is that the grassroots of the GOP has gone TEA Party, and is insisting upon genuine change…and is willing to face defeat in this or that race if that is what it takes to get the Establishment out of power.

The polls show increasing GOP strength heading in to November. Reports are that Democrats are pulling the plug on their efforts in blue Pennsylvania as Toomey, a TEA Party favorite, starts to run away with the Senate race there. In spite of what you hear in the MSM, the fact is that Democrats are working a political triage, trying to figure out whom they can save from the wrath of the voters.

What will happen on November 2nd is unknown and unknowable at this point. All signs point to strong GOP gains – but the particular number of seats gained is less important than the fact that the political times are a-changing. The TEA Party has revived support for constitutional government, balanced budgets, an end to political gamesmanship. Come what may on November 2nd, that reality will remain – and will carry over to 2012 and beyond.

From The Hill:

A Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) campaign source confirmed to The Hill late Tuesday that the longtime congressman will not be endorsing Christine O’Donnell.

The Tea Party-backed O’Donnell defeated Castle for Delaware’s Republican Senate nomination.

After the stunning primary loss, Castle’s campaign also said the longtime congressman is not interested in waging a write in bid this November.

In Alaska, Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is contemplating an independent write in campaign after she lost to Tea Party backed Joe Miller in the August GOP primary.

Its like these people just can’t get over the fact that they were passed over by the people. Murkowski and Castle are becoming emblems of all that is wrong with the GOP establishment.

What this points up to is a need for a party rule change – something we’ll have to do at the Convention: make it so that primary challengers are encouraged, and make is so that the State and national party groups are neutral during the primary, and back whomever the nominee is. That would essentially make it so that there no longer is an establishment-backed candidate to be huffy when they lose.

From Fox News:

Florida GOP Senate nominee Marco Rubio has jumped to a 16-point lead over independent Charlie Crist, according to the latest Fox News poll, as Republicans make gains across the country on dissatisfaction with President Obama’s agenda…

At this point, only a surrender by the Democrat – withdrawing from the race and endorsing Crist, would give Crist a chance. And even that would be dicey as at least some of Crist’s voters would shift to Rubio in such circumstances. Seems that people don’t want RINOs in or out of the Republican party these days.

The Ruling Class had better beware – the people are coming for you.

With 81% of districts reporting, O’Donnell is leading Castle 54% to 46%. In 2006, O’Donnell got 2,505 primary votes out of 14,386 cast. So far, she’s gotten 26,102 out of 48,312.

UPDATE: With 98% reporting, O’Donnell 53.2%, Castle 46.8%; she wins…Total turnout so far, 56,973.

UPDATE II: Just for comparison, the 2008 GOP Presidential primary, heavily contested between McCain, Romney and Huckabee had a turnout of 50,237. People in Delaware are on fire, it would seem.

UPDATE III: Rumor is that the NRSC will not back O’Donnell in the general election…meaning they won’t spend any money there. A monumentally stupid move by the NRSC. They don’t have to spend much, but they should make the bow to the party base which has chosen O’Donnell. This smacks of spite, if true.

Interesting:

…The latest Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection poll, sponsored by SHRM, conducted September 9-12 among 1,001 adults, finds that 58% favor a proposal that would allow workers under age 55 to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts that would rise and fall with the markets; 28% oppose this proposal. Majorities across all age groups – except for those 65 and older – favor this proposal…

Shows that there is a willingness to look at new ideas in this matter – though, of course, it is hard to get to action as Democrats will just lie like a rug about what is happening. Democrats don’t want to give up their lie about Social Security…it provides a nicely dependent class of voters who can be relied on to vote Democrat.

But the GOP does have an opening here. By moving carefully and firmly towards test programs and other baby-steps, we can prepare the public mind for, first, partial privatization and, eventually, full privatization. Ultimately, it is the only way to solve our debt crisis and to save a social security which has become demographically unsustainable.

Leon Wolf is displeased with Meghan McCain’s book, Dirty, Sexy Politics:

…It is impossible to read Dirty, Sexy Politics and come away with the impression that you have read anything other than the completely unedited ramblings of an idiot. This being a professional website for which I have a great deal of respect, I searched for a more eloquent or gentle way to accurately phrase the previous sentence – but could not find one…

…On the whole, I am simply not a talented enough writer to express how truly horrible this book was. The last line of the book implores readers not to let Meghan “pick up this torch alone.” I can honestly say that I was encouraged throughout to pick up a torch in order to burn my copy of Dirty, Sexy Politics, even though I was reading it on a Kindle. There is no reason that anyone who is not getting paid to review this book should ever, ever spend money on it. If you simply must have large doses of poorly-written fictional tripe written by a narcissistic person who hates conservatives and everything they stand for, read Mike Lupica instead. At least he’s smart enough to know which side he’s on.

That’s gonna leave a mark. I’ve read some books like that, too – where they are just so bad that you are positively embarrassed for the author.

Its hard to he harsh to a fellow writer – even bad fellow writers who write stupid things. But it is a bit easier to be blunt with people who only got their book deal because of who they are. Hopefully this will prove a good lesson to publishing houses that if you are going to try and cash in on the untalented, hire a ghost writer.

Today we’ll find out if O’Donnell or Castle wins the Delaware GOP Senate primary. As it stands, it is all over but the shouting as far as the primary election goes. The votes will soon be cast, it is unlikely that a number significant to change the result will switch from one side to the other right here on election day. What will happen tonight is as written in stone as anything can be in politics. Personally, I think that O’Donnell will win – and I think in a year like 2010, someone like O’Donnell can win, even in Delaware.

Of course, I could be wrong – all of the O’Donnell supporters could be wrong, at least in that sense: we might be backing a loser in the general election where, if we had backed Castle, we would have been backing as sure a winner as you can get. Furthermore, Mike Castle, victorious, just might be the 51st GOP Senator – while a GOP Senate majority is still highly doubtful (no more than a 50/50 shot and maybe less, from what I can see), taking away Delaware from the Democrats just might be the final win we needed to do it.

Because of all this, many conservatives are backing Castle, even though he’s so liberal that if he were running even in a moderately red State like Virginia, he’d be a Democrat because he’d have zero chance as a Republican. Allahpundit over at Hot Air links to a video clip of Charles Krauthammer being rather upset with Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint for backing O’Donnell over Castle. The point being made is that we must stop and roll back Obama policy, and this will require a GOP Senate majority.

I have the greatest respect for Krauthammer, but I think in this he is dead wrong. So are all the conservatives who are arguing that we must back Castle. In fact, I hold that for a conservative to back Castle is a tremendous mistake – a political mistake, not just an ideological mistake.

It is, first off, not a 100% thing that Castle would win. True, his lead in the polls is strong – but once the Democrats get after him and he proves himself just a squishy, me-too version of the Democrat with a couple of alleged small government caveats, no one can really say how it will come out. Other than to point out that when faced with a choice between the real thing and a weak copy, people tend to choose the real thing. If Castle won’t fight on principle, then it merely becomes “please like me” campaign…and a good campaign by the Democrats can derail that.

Secondly, it is not a certainty that O’Donnell will lose. Certainly, polls show her behind, but being behind after a bruising primary fight is not unusual. If she wins, that mere fact will prove her a formidable candidate – taking on the establishment and winning always has a great appeal. Doubly so in 2010 when the establishment (left and right) is in such disrepute. It is, additionally, a bit of political cowardice to say that the political message must be strictly tailored to what “experts” say the people of a district or State are like. The job of being a politician is to be a leader – to challenge the people and move them along a desired path. If all we GOPers are doing is playing along with a lazy, big government propagandized electorate then we’re failing in our task. One thing certain in 2010, if O’Donnell wins, the people of Delaware will have a real choice to make…and even if they end up choosing the other side, at least the seeds of conservatism will be planted in the heart of blue America.

Third, and most importantly, to win a GOP Senate majority with Mike Castle as the 51st GOP Senator may prove fatal to the GOP. If he’s the only person keeping a majority of the Senate from voting with Obama policy, then we’re doomed…because he will be swayed to cross the aisle and extend the hand and work together in a bi-partisan manner…all of which are just code words for “do what Democrats want”. The electorate appear set to award power to the GOP in November – but they are doing so not out of love for the GOP, but provisionally, and only if the GOP does the right thing.

If starting in January we are boldly challenging the President and liberalism in general and demanding strict, constitutional government, big spending cuts and meaningful reform, then we Republicans will be earning the trust of the people, and the will give us even more power in 2012. If, on the other hand, are are scuttling our side and making deals with Obama and his Democrats, then the people will be convinced – and forever – that the GOP isn’t worthy of support.

The TEA Party is just two steps away, at any moment, from founding a new political party…and it would immediately rip away at least 100 GOP House member and 20 Senators, thus giving it a national base from which to expand, first at the expense of the GOP, secondly at the expense of allegedly “moderate” Democrats. The Republican party has a chance, once again, to become the repository of the trust of the people – the party of the middle class and working poor. The party of the republic; the party of the Declaration of Independence. We can do this – but we can’t do it by giving ourselves a RINO majority which will then cut us off at the knees.

In this year of 2010 when all things are going our way, it is the time for us to be firm – not to try and run up the score. Better 49 Senators we can rely on than 51 who will break our hearts. 2012 and 2014, those are our years not just for a GOP Senate majority, but for a massive, constitution-amending, conservative GOP Senate majority. We should be happy with 48 or 49 Senators after November…between now and 2014, if we do right by the people, we can add 20 more to that number…along with a huge House majority, and a Republican President, and a solid majority of the States governed by Republicans. Then we’ll have to power to undo liberalism…

Or, we can fret that we might not get to 51 in 2010, and thus go chasing after yet another Arlen Specter who will take our money, take our work and take our votes…and hand them over lock, stock and barrel to Obama and his Democrats when it matters the most.

I prefer the hope for the future as opposed to the fears of the present – I vote for a reformed America, and I work for the conservative majority which will bring it about.

UPDATE: From Ed Morrisey – “Castle is almost the reductio ad absurdum of RINOism.”

UPDATE II: On the other hand, Doc Zero endorses Castle.

Main thing to take away from this – there has been a lot of bitter name-calling over this and that is just stupid. If anyone wants to launch a bitter, political attack on some one, then do so against the nearest Democrat.

UPDATE III: “If the GOP retakes Congress and doesn’t immediately take on the Tea Partiers’ top issue, the national debt, they face a backlash that could cost them the support of the movement—whose expectations are sky high.”

Precisely – and why we daren’t go with Castle at this juncture.

So, the GOP decides that they want to hold a vote on extending the Bush tax cuts past December 31st. How does the MSM headline it: Like so:

U.S. Senate Republicans firm on tax cuts for rich

Since when is refraining from increasing taxes a “tax cut”? Oh, I know – when its a matter of carrying water for Obama and his Democrats. That is their end-of-campaign theme: the GOP is just the party of the rich and they want to give money away to billionaires. Please ignore the hundreds of billions Obama and his Democrats have given away to real billionaires over the past 18 months…

But, once the MSM gets their marching orders from the Democrats, slavish devotion takes over…so, just expect more and more “reporting” like this between now and November 2nd…and don’t sweat it: the people are on to the scam and won’t fall for it.

From the Financial Times:

Communist Cuba will shift hundreds of thousands of state employees to the private sector in 2011 as the government prunes more than 500,000 workers from its payroll.

The official trade union federation said on Monday that eventually more than a million jobs would be cut…

Its a sad, sad day when a communist government is figuring things out faster than ours. Admittedly, the Cuban government, per capita, is much more bloated than ours, but it is an amazing thing that they realize its time to cut it back, while Obama and his Democrats can only think of expanding ours.

November can’t come fast enough…