Mitt Romney Used As GOP Fundraising Pitch

Imagine Democrats trying to use the John Kerry 2004 campaign to inspire the progressive base. That would never happen since it is a horrible idea. Gawker reports some Republican had to brilliant idea that Mitt Romney would inspire conservatives to give up their cash to to the NRSC. Conservatives gave their money for Mitt Romney in 2012 and that didn't work out too well.

NRSC Won't Back O'Donnell

Erick Erickson tweeted this.

NRSC saying it won't help O'Donnell. Good thing for O'Donnell given the NRSC track record.

Good. That gives Chris Coons a better chance to win. O'Donnell will have a harder time matching Coons for campaign money. The latest report shows Coons with $944,230 cash on-hand. O'Donnell only has $20,374 on-hand. O'Donnell is going to have a hard time buying television ads in the Delaware Valley market with her limited funds.

Part of the reason the NRSC is not backing O'Donnell is because the Republican Party of Delaware has filed a lawsuit against her. The lawsuit contends O'Donnell went outside the GOP to collect campaign contributions from the Tea Party Express.

The complaint alleges that the O'Donnell campaign is "knowingly accepting illegal campaign contributions from the Tea Party Express PAC." It cites two "alarming" instances:

-- O'Donnell has knowingly accepted excessive contributions from the Tea Party Express that were directly solicited on behalf of the O'Donnell campaign, according to the filing.

-- O'Donnell has accepted illegal excessive contributions from the Tea Party Express by engaging in a statewide coordinated communications effort in support of her campaign. This means, according to the complaint, that every advertisement that is being run by the Tea Party Express in support of Ms. O'Donnell is a violation of Federal law.

John Cornyn Meets RedState.com

John Cornyn guest blogs on RedState.com to explain the NRSC endorsement of Charlie Crist.

The NRSC’s endorsement is not a reflection on Marco Rubio; it is a realistic assessment of both the 2010 Florida Senate race and the national map. With the Democrats standing on the precipice of a filibuster-proof majority, we cannot afford to lose this seat in 2010. Endorsing Charlie Crist will save the NRSC precious resources that can be used to fight in other states. It will also ensure that the strongest Republican candidate maintains control of this seat, and build our numbers with the resulting opportunity to shape policy.

While Rubio is certainly an up-and-comer in Florida, a recent Mason Dixon poll showed that he only has a 44 percent name ID among Republicans, which will ultimately force him to spend a lot more money introducing himself to Floridians. Govenor Crist, in contrast, has a 100 percent name ID among Republicans, according to the same poll. In a general election match-up with Democrat Congressman Kendrick Meek, Charlie Crist wins handily 55 percent to 24 percent.

The reaction by RedState.com readers is priceless.

itrytobenice

These guys aren’t leaders. Leaders lead. These guys are just desperately grasping onto their seats while the democrats use them for wallpaper.

Kitty

It was the Dem establishment that said that Hillary was inevitable. They gave Obama zero chance.

Is it so hard for you to understand that Republicans may want a Republican to represent them. I have a feeling that Crist would run better as a Democrat than a Republican.

Give the voters a choice - they may just choose the Republican

rcov092

so your solution is to elect someone who will be the swing vote in 2011 if we manage to defeat Cap & Trade this year? You wish to ensure its passage eventually by selecting a candidate who said he would have voted for the Stimulus and who would vote for Cap & Trade?

You are going to need to conserve your resources because you will not be getting my contribution this year.

bk

Jeffords, Chaffee, Specter, etc. That did real well for us lately didn’t it?

He made his point clearly. “If we think candidate X has a better chance of winning than candidate Y, then we’ll back candidate X regardless of principles or any other consideration.”

Just because someone made a clear argument doesn’t mean you have to agree with him if you think his argument is misguided.

bk, the base helped chase Chafee and Specter out of the party. Cheney chased Jeffords out of the Republican caucus. Ideological purity is what is making the GOP lose elections. Crist could run as a Democrat and still get elected to the Senate. The NRSC needs Crist more than Crist needs the NRSC.

I love Cornyn trying to reason with RedState.com. This was a waste of time on his part and RedState.com is not and never will be the right-wing version of Daily Kos. RedState.com hasn't gotten any Republicans elected. Daily Kos has increased the profiles and raised millions for Democratic candidates. The RedState.com grassroot movement is a joke.

RedState.con v. Crist

RedState.com is running an online petition against Gov. Charlie Crist and the NRSC. It is so much fun watching conservatives self-destruct.

We pledge that we will give no funds or other support to the NRSC and will reach out to NRSC donors to encourage them to withhold giving funds until the NRSC publicly pledges that it will expend zeros resources either directly or indirectly to help Charlie Crist win the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in Florida.

The Right does not have it's own version of the netroots. RedState.com is not (and likely never will be) the right-wing version of Daily Kos. This will not intimidate Crist or NRSC Chairman John Cornyn.

Peter Schorsch wrote that Crist leads Marco Rubio 53 percent to 18 percent in the latest Mason Dixon poll. Cornyn said, "Gov. Crist is the strongest candidate that will enable us to hold the seat." NRSC is in the business of winning elections. Cornyn isn't confident Rubio can beat Kendrick Meek or Dan Gelber in the general election. I would love to see the NRSC internal polling on Rubio. (That is a hint for someone to leak it to me.)

Side note: Why is Rubio so obsessed with running against Crist? Bill McCollum is a weak candidate. Rubio could beat McCollum in the primary and give Republicans a better chance against Sink. That is the best bet for keeping the Governor's mansion and Martinez's Senate seat. Republicans are more concerned with appeasing their dwindling base then winning elections. Democrats have a 600,000 voter registration advantage in Florida. The 2008 election shifted Florida Hispanics to the Democratic Party. Hard Right Republicans decide the best course of action is to call Hispanic Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor a racist. That is not building a big tent. That is political suicide.

Michael Steele Has Got Problems

The Hill article on Michael Steele not granting money to debt ridden campaign committees is hysterical. All the sources are off-the-record. The fact remains Steele is taking heat for his mismanagement.

Former RNC chair Mike Duncan planned to send checks of $3 million each to the NRCC and NRSC. Steele sat on his hands and finally sent $1 million checks to both committees. The NRCC and NRSC are mad because Steele waited so long and then stiffed both committees of $2 million.

“Steele and his team were told, I think, as much as they cared to hear,” the source said. “I don’t believe there were long conversations between the two chairmen.”

Steele has been all over the talking heads shows since being elected RNC chair. Steele neglected to do the job he was elected to do.

Following a series of misstatements that have resulted in criticism from both inside and outside the GOP, Steele canceled a number of interviews scheduled for this week, including one with The Hill, ostensibly to focus on hiring several senior staffers.

As part of his damage-control efforts, Steele participated in a Friday conference call with members of the RNC, where he apologized and sought to reassure them that he would refocus on the task at hand, according to several people who participated in the call.

Sure sign Steele has jumped the shark: Republicans are concerned about a Saturday Night Live video mocking Steele.