Soon after hearing that radical tea party favorite Christine O’Donnell emerged with a surprise victory in the Delaware’s GOP primary last week, many in the Republican and conservative establishment quickly denounced the result. “O’Donnell is very problematic, she probably will lose,” right-wing columnist Charles Krauthammer said. Karl Rove questioned O’Donnell’s character, noting her “checkered background.”
But as the National Republican Senatorial Committee announced it would put its full support behind her and other right-wing figures such as Rush Limbaugh attacked O’Donnell’s conservative detractors, the split on the right over O’Donnell’s chances began to close. “She’s got a shot to win!” Rove said days later. But, a recent revelation from O’Donnell that she had once “dabbled into witchcraft” is threatening to once again fuel an intramural spat. Since the news surfaced last Friday night, not only has Rove seemed to have reexamined his view of O’Donnell, but also conservatives of all stripes are finding it difficult to defend her:
GLENN BECK: “It’s creepy. … If you’re at a satanic alter, that’s a couple steps beyond witchcraft, dabbling in witchcraft. Is it just me?”
REP. MIKE PENCE (R-IN): “Certainly, she has some explaining to do about that.”
KARL ROVE: “[Delaware voters] are probably going to want to know what was that all about. … My view is she can’t simply ignore it. She’s got to deal with it and explain it and put it in its most sympathetic light and move on.”
JOE SCARBOROUGH: “You know, usually I like to say, ‘It happens,’ but this is just in a new realm. I’m a live and let live kind of guy but this is out there even for me.”
MICHAEL GERSON: “I think the reality here is that this adds to an aura of oddness.”
Watch the compilation:
Although neocon leader Bill Kristol said yesterday on Fox News Sunday that he would vote for O’Donnell if he were a Delaware resident, he said that she is “a bit of a flake.”
Previous in TP Politics
By clicking and submitting a comment I acknowledge the ThinkProgress Privacy Policy and agree to the ThinkProgress Terms of Use. I understand that my comments are also being governed by Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policies as applicable, which can be found here.