Christine O’Donnell: Clearly Not a Witch
The surprisingly unsurprising news coming out this week regarding perennial Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell has, if nothing else, cleared up one question in definitive fashion: the woman is not a witch. If she were, by this time she obviously would have turned a number of people from both parties — as well as a fair portion of the Biden family — into newts, or at least given them warts.
The headline in question however was more than enough to grab my attention. “Feds Investigating Christine O’Donnell.” “Oh, good Lord!” I thought, “What is it this time?”
This time, as it turns out, is precisely the same as last time. Or perhaps the last ten times. Though the election is now safely tucked nearly two months back in the history books, the charges making the rounds are the same ones we read about from both the 2008 and 2010 races, centering on questions of improper use of campaign funds by the controversial candidate.
The reason this story is questionable in terms of headline value is that the recent developments are precisely what had been promised earlier in the year following a series of campaign related events. Dave Weigel at Slate helpfully provides a timeline for those with short-term memory issues.
On September 9, before the U.S. Senate primary, the Delaware GOP filed a formal complaint with the FEC against O’Donnell’s campaign over suspicions that it was coordinating with the Tea Party Express. After the primary, the Delaware GOP dropped the complaint.
On September 20, after O’Donnell won her primary, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed more complaints with the FEC. They focused on allegations made by David Keegan, formerly a consultant to the O’Donnell campaign (this is how he was described in CREW filings), that O’Donnell had used money from Friends of Christine O’Donnell to pay rent and utility bills at her home.
On December 2, O’Donnell’s final campaign filings with the FEC were released. She had $924,800 left in her campaign account.
It was always going to take some period of time for the wheels of justice to slowly crank through their gears and get an official investigation underway. Are there any merits to the complaints? As usual, we shall have to wait for the full results, but there are valid questions being raised on both sides.
Stacy McCain brings up the obvious — but not necessarily damning — aspects of implied bias on the part of those raising a fuss. Clearly O’Donnell was a burr under the saddle of the state GOP who would have been quite content to run Mike Castle through to a probable victory in the general election, obscure exit polls not withstanding. And the Democrats in the state obviously have a vested interest in not sending her to Washington.
As for CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington), it would be rather futile to pretend that they don’t have a very clear track record of left leaning bias, as they rarely — if ever — seem to find time to investigate lapses in responsibility or ethical behavior on the part of Democrats. But, as McCain correctly points out, when you give the appearance of trying to weave them all together into some sort of shadow government conspiracy movement to stifle her, you begin to sound a bit, well… nuts.
But let’s not pretend there’s no reason for an investigation. When you see this much horse manure, you will still occasionally find a pony if you dig deep enough. Unfortunately this investigation is not the type likely to reveal huge, sexy headlines. It will require officials — along with a horde of journalists and bloggers — to dig through all of the candidate’s campaign finance filings, matching up expenses with receipts and explanations for same. More than a few of the reported expenditures were enough to raise eyebrows, particularly when coupled with Ms. O’Donnell’s scanty sources of income over the last few years.
But having spent a fair bit of time myself inside the machinery of congressional level campaigns, not every odd looking expense winds up being a violation. We had one staffer during the last cycle who ran up some startling charges in gas station receipts and meals in a short period of time. While that may sound fishy, it turns out that she was loading up and delivering truckloads of yard signs across eight counties in a district that stretches several hundred miles across winding back roads and hamlets.
Christine O’Donnell will be answering questions about charges such as a delivery from Mattress King. Was it a flagrant expense for personal use, or, as she claims, for a staffer who was sleeping at her house which she was also using as a campaign office? Only time will tell, but campaigns running on a shoe-string budget can and do encounter some oddball expenses. But if the expenses do run afoul of the law, she’s going to have to answer for them in court. We have those laws for a reason.
The practical upshot of all this may render the entire argument moot in terms of her political future, though. As we have pointed out so often here, perception trumps reality in American politics. Ms. O’Donnell came out of the last war tremendously damaged, whether it was from clever traps laid by her opponents, her own failings, or a combination of the two. It’s difficult to imagine this particular phoenix rising from the ashes as a serious contender for any federal office in the future.
It’s pretty simple: throw her in a lake. If she sinks, she’s not a witch. If she floats, she’s a witch, in which case we burn her at the stake.
I think that’s how it goes. ;-]
The message is clear: Mess with us and we will destroy you, if we can.
History is full of stories about what happens when the status quo is threatened.
The Founding Fathers knew what they were talking about when they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Do we?
Regardless of whether or not on agrees completely with O’Donnell, or whether she remains politically viable, she was one of the first through the breach. She doesn’t derve to be harassed, and should be vigorously defended.
She dared to mess with the machine and they will try to mow her down.
… Biden got challenged by a mere mortal..It’s all ridiculous. Of course the press will run with this and blow it up into a national story.
..we have better things to worry about.
..like those union workers in new york that slowed things up on purpose and a new baby died in an entry way etc. We have so damned many tragedy’s going on it’s mind boggling,
Christine isn’t even a footnote.. but Biden will do his best to destroy her completely.
Bet she gets more attention than Rangle..
Mr. Shaw says that CREW leans left,they are funded by George Soros! Mr. Shaw is the new Ruben Naravette of PJM.
Attacking O’Donnell is a proxy for attacking the TEA Party and Conservatism.
All else is smoke and mirrors.
Mr. Shaw says, “But if the expenses do run afoul of the law, she’s going to have to answer for them in court. We have those laws for a reason.”
Besides the obvious reasons for campaign finance laws, to guarantee employment for attorneys and make it prohibitive if not impossible for common citizens to run for federal elective office, I fail to see how most of the campaign finance super-structure has helped in the election of competent government administration.
Come to think of it, aren’t we a bit upside down. Campaign finances, typically donated willing by citizens, to candidates or organizations of their choosing, are required to be accounted for and spent in intricately detailed legal constructs with penalties for failure to comply. Those same rules are imposed by Congressmen, who spend, with wild abandon, the dollars removed from citizens through coercion under threat of force.
I, for one, fail to find the virtue in this arrangement.
lets attack o’donnell so we can remove scrutiny from the hordes of dems that “perform as unethical candidates using campaign funds for personal use…”
in fact, the whole existence of the left depends on theft and shenanigans
Daxypoo: the article is about Ms. O’Donnell. Your vague innuendo about “hordes of dems” has no effect unless you can provide detailed specifics.
In the case of Ms. O’Donnell, there appear to be specifics. As Mr. Shaw opines, it’s up to the investigation to determine legitimacy of those specifics. She also hasn’t helped her cause by publicly referring to the accusers as “thugs” as quoted in the papers in the last 10 days.
#4 eman: “attacking O’Donnell is a proxy……” Seems to me, in reading a variety of news sources in the past year, both on the left as well as the right, that Ms. O’Donnell has brought most of her problems upon herself.
And let’s not forget that if mainstream Republicans had been the Senate candidates in Delaware, Nevada, Colorado, rather than the “annointed ones,” some needed change might be occurring beginning next week in the Senate as well as the House. Here in Colorado especially, because of the missteps of Mr. Buck, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory, so to speak.
#4 eman: “attacking O’Donnell is a proxy……” Seems to me, in reading a variety of news sources in the past year, both on the left as well as the right, that Ms. O’Donnell has brought most of her problems upon herself.
And let’s not forget that if mainstream Republicans had been the Senate candidates in Delaware, Nevada, Colorado, rather than the “annointed ones,” some needed change might be occurring beginning next week in the Senate as well as the House. Here in Colorado especially, because of the missteps of Mr. Buck, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory, so to speak.
December 31, 2010 – 3:13 pm
Oh, please. Only she is responsible for all that has been said about her? Many of the charges against her have been debunked, but that does not stay the hand of her foes.
“Mainstream Republican” in Delaware is a also known as “RINO”. Mike Castle, to be specific, would have helped the Democrats far more than the GOP. He would have given the Democrats “bipartisan” cover and would have jumped to the Donkey Party if need be.
This investigation, if it is confirmed to exist, is a political attack meant to undermine support for Conservatives, the GOP, and the TEA Party.
what about the entire cbc ffs?
to specifically list the times the libs exhibit lawlessness would crash the serves at pjm
“a hoard of journalists”
Unless someone is stockpiling journalists for a rainy day (and why would anyone want to do that?), I believe you meant to refer to a horde of journalists.
-Language Martinet, serving even on de facto holidays.
O’Donnell is Diane Feinstein in a parallel universe. The only valid question is, “Who forgot to lock the back door at the asylum?”.
It’s just too easy to holler all that jazz is all about B…S…no not just bias.
This sounds exactly like the scuttlebutt that was reported about palin after the presidential election. And yes, it WAS also coming from republican sources.
So why is it being treated so differently by conservatives this time around? I recall howls of outrage about the nasty MSM picking out sarah, but this time it’s YOU guys forming a mob. Why isn’t it a witch-hunt (so to speak) this time?
Heck, even huffpo is defending the girl (sorta). She claims that it’s just campaign staffers with a grudge spreading rumors, and she has heard nothing at all about an investigation. That’s either true or it isn’t … but she’s going to look very silly if she’s lying.
So, Pajamas Media has a story on Christine O’Donnell. So does Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, and every other loony Lefty website. That’s it. This website has become a cesspool of anti-conservative propaganda, and I’m out.
Jazz Shaw is a typical RINO, but it doesn’t come across as obviously on his radio show, the innuendo about her, is rather unsubstantial, the record of Castle, even during the ‘lame duck’ session, validated the support for her.
As an outsider with little or no interest how politics will affect the wellbeing of your country and by implication your wellbeing it is a pleasure to read political articles and comments by readers interested in the articles. But I also notice that Americans are misogynists when they encounter women who are considered dangerous to the American man in general. Palin, Bachman, Angle do they ring a bell. Now I see O’Donnell joins the ranks as well and how many more they are not mentioned in the media. As for the GOP boy what a bunch of nothings, they beat the Dems by far in this item. Somebody mentioned Biden, vow!!!!
I’m glad PJM has the courage and objectivity to publish this about O’Donnel. These charges appear valid and are certainly worth investigating. I am a Conservative Republican but I don’t blindly support conservative candidates who have a history of serious breeches of ethics. Campaign finance questions aside, Christine has had other problems in her past. She lied for years on her resume about her educational background. She filed a frivolous sex discrimination suit against her former employer (a conservative organization) that was later dropped. I read the original court complaint she filed. Any supporter of her needs to look it up and read it. It doesn’t sound anything like what a conservative would swear to. She has had a number of situations of unpaid debts. These incidents alone would be enough to disqualify her from any candidacy. Before I get a slew of emotional “hate posts” please be prepared to answer this question: Would you support Clinton after the Lewinsky affair if Clinton were a conservative? Or would you call for his resignation because the American people deserve officials of high character and morals, regardless of ideology?
If she were a witch wouldn’t she have cast a spell on all the voters of Delaware and constructed a landslide election for herself? Guess the proof is in the result. Maybe biden is a warlock and cast a spell on the people so his candidate would win. Maybe there was voodoo at work and some voodoo shaman, or whatever they call themselves, cast a spell on the people of Delaware, so the guy running against o’donnell could win. Maybe it was the soviets controlling the weather so there would be good weather at the time or, maybe there would be bad weather at the time, of the election. Some very interesting premises being presented and each and every one has a high degree of validity, don’t you think?