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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

I Support Joe Walsh. You Should Too.

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  July 6th, 2012 at 04:46 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I support Congressman Joe Walsh a thousand percent and you should too. Pony up your checkbooks while you are at it. He’s in the midst of a manufactured scandal because he dared utter an inconvenient truth.

His opponent is the leftwing darling Tammy Duckworth. As CNN notes, “A Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq, Duckworth lost both legs and the use of one arm when her crew was shot down in 2004. She was later awarded the Purple Heart and continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard.”

But, and here is where the outrage pimps have rushed to attack Joe Walsh, the Congressman pointed out that “she is a hero, and that demands our respect, but it doesn’t demand our vote. All she does, guys, is talk about her service.”

Duckworth is part of a contingent of liberal Democrats who served their country and then came back to the United States and promptly began running for office as anti-war Democrats. It was a clever tactic from the left. Left-wing groups went out and recruited anti-war veterans to put up against the Republicans. Duckworth ran and, like most of the other anti-war veterans who did the same, lost in 2006. Duckworth then became an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2009, then left in 2011 to run again.

Her service was noble, honorable, and commendable. She’s a war hero. Many politicians have transitioned from war hero to political career. The problem with Duckworth, as Joe Walsh noted, is that she’s running on her war service and not on the issues.

Naturally, of course, when Congressman Walsh pointed out that Duckworth’s service in the military is about the extent of her public campaign platform, the left went into overdrive. The Duckworth campaign and outside leftwing groups are attacking him as insensitive, hostile to veterans, etc.

All he did was tell it like it is. That’s what is so refreshing about Joe Walsh.

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COMMENTS

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  • ihateliberals

    She has an axe to grind against the military because of her loss. had she returned home nu-injured and without a chip on her shoulder maybe she would be acceptable. sounds like she is just angry and blames Republicans for her fate. Might I remind her no one made her enlist! she did that freely so to blame any political group for here fate is just out of anger. She is counting on the sympathy of the voters and her lies about the War to get her elected. While I don’t like incumbents I dislike Liberals even more and especially “Oh poor me” ones. Joe wil have a check from me today. won’t be much because there are so many to support but every little bit counts. everyone please send something. If a million people only send a dollar that is stil a million dollars and helps.

  • major

    Could we have two Presidents?

  • dpmaine

    I have only been reading and following the site very actively for about half a year, but on this one, I have to disagree with Erick.

    For one thing, there’s no need to ever say what he said. It might be true, but it can’t be said and sound reasonable. It’s a double standard for sure, but when you are running against a service disabled vet that’s the very real standard you may have to live with.

    A better way to handle it would be to simply speak about the issues.

    Secondly, for Rep. Walsh, it is approaching the time that conservatives need to think about a primary situation. He has a number of issues, not the least of which was his very public problem with child support payments. For me, personally, I can’t move forward with supporting him when his message to the Court was effectively “do you know who I am”.

    Rep. Walsh has the very possibility of becoming an albatross around our necks. We don’t need our own Rep. Weiner problems. He quite clearly has some personal baggage that reflects badly on the GOP as a whole.

  • GeneralAl

    Little Tammy is not a hero! I’m tired of the free use of this word! Most heros never live to talk about their heroism and if they do, they do it with great reluctance [Can you say Alvin York or Audie Murphy?]! Miss duckworth made a dumb decision and it cost her. I too applaud her service but the real heros reside under the flag awaiting the resurrection day!

  • GeneralAl

    Joe Walsh merely spoke the truth. I seem to recall a certain person who said “I’m not going to say anything negative about —– —–.” That person still lost the election. Furthermore, this is the second time Tammy has run and now in a different district. She lost to Peter Roskam in the 6th in 2006 and now is running in the 8th [Where she doesn't live!]. She’s a carpet bagger with David Asselrod and Rahm Dead Fish as her backers. The difference is these goons don’t have as much influence in Lake County!

  • lizabtha

    The word ‘hero’ is thrown around much too casually these days. Heck, in our little town, all firefighters and police are hailed as automatic ‘heros’, though there isn’t much for them to do. The ‘hero’ moniker is used to extort cash and benes from the gullible public, who craves gods to worship. Ahh well.

  • mark1965

    Anybody who is willing to die for his/her country is a hero regardless of party affiliation. Please don’t say stupid things like this ever again.

  • tnguy

    What he said was true. Why would the truth bother you?

    It was difficult in 2004 to find an article or news piece on John Kerry that didn’t reference his service in Viet Nam. When the left has a candidate with a history of military service, they beat us over the head with it. When we have a candidate with military service, it’s mostly disregarded (or in the case of GWB, derided). We lose the political war, often even when we win the election. Usually because we’re more obsessed with media spin or political incorrectness than we are with truth and conviction.

  • tnguy

    ….Timothy McVeigh is a hero?

  • mwsasser

    Here is another case where I’m glad we have conservative bloggers and media to report this. Up until I’d seen this article I’d wondered if he was just being careful in his comments.

    Its obvious now he’s being taken completely out of context.

  • ajsdaddie

    While Walsh has had financial problems, I don’t think there’s one person who hasn’t been paid. He and his ex-wife amicably settled their child support issues, and if you’ve ever been involved in a divorce you know how hard that can be, especially the amicable part.

    He’s staunchly conservative: pro-life, anti-stimulus, anti-amnesty, pro-entitlement reform, pro-2nd amendment – the list goes on. And he’s willing to say this stuff out loud.

    Not to mention the fact that he’s right, even if it is politically incorrect: Tammy Duckworth is running on her service record, not on her qualifications for Congress.

    Is he perfect? No. But to suggest throwing out a true conservative because he’s speaking an uncomfortable truth is unconscionable.

  • justperhaps45

    I commend her service and mourn her loss. Are all pilots who are shot at, shot down? Are they taught avoidance skills? Proof of ?good? may need to go beyond this claim to fame? I have a real problem with extrapolating a trait into an unrelated arena. A singular skill, if it exists, might not transfer cleanly out of its realm?

    Good governance requires judgment, knowledge and courage how have these been demonstrated by each candidate?

  • acat

    Tammy’s a carpetbagger too.

    She’s run for several slots in Illinois, and it’s always *always* the same song-and-dance war-veteran routine.

    When she tried for Henry Hyde (R-IL)’s old seat (and lost *badly* in part because the local Dems had a candidate they’d been polishing for *years* who got shunted aside by now-Mayor-of-Chicago Rahm) she held a campaign event at Marianjoy .. a not-for-profit physical rehab center in west suburban Wheaton, IL. … in violation of campaign finance law. There was a rather loud outcry on that at the time.

    I’m quite sure Rep. Walsh knows this and will take the appropriate steps to encourage Tammy to go carpetbag somewhere else.

    Mew

  • gawken

    IF TAMMY DUCKWORTH IS ELECTED TO CONGRESS, THE FIRST VOTE SHE WILL CAST WILL BE TO MAKE NACY PELOSI SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.

  • kinggold

    Joe Walsh has done nothing but become the Alan Grayson of the right – making his bones saying the most inflammatory things he can, to the point where whenever we criticize a Democrat for saying something outrageous, the usual suspects can point to Joe Walsh and ask, “what about him?”

    As a conservative, I defend other conservatives over ideology, not idiocy. If Joe Walsh were being attacked for endorsing budget cutting or a stronger military policy, or if he were being attacked for strong immigration policy or attacking the president over a bad idea, I’d be right there with him.

    But he’s not. He smeared a veteran for running on her service (which is not a “manufactured” scandal, Erick, watch the video) because he’s in a desperate re-election fight. To be perfectly honest, he’s more a liability than anything else at this point. Being a conservative shouldn’t give somebody carte blanche to be a bastard.

  • naraht

    According to some articles I’ve read, neither Duckworth or Walsh live within the new Illinois 8th. Walsh lives within the pre-redistricting Illinois 8th but not the new 8th.

    Note, both could live in Cairo, Illinois (the south end of the state) and it would still be legal…

  • gekster

    She is clearly not running on the issues,
    instead saying ‘vote for me because I got injured in Iraq.

    Joe Walsh points it out and the lefties went mad because like most leftiies, telling the truth is a smaer.
    Seams like you fall in that catgory also.

    And you missed this one quote by Mr. Walsh when talking about vets who run for office.

    “They don’t throw it (thier military service) in your face,” he said. “They at least can move beyond that and tell you why they want to be a congressman or woman.”

    Just go ahead and stay blind.

  • naraht

    But getting there..

  • kinggold

    the next time somebody mentions that Allen West has nothing but his military service and speechmaking to run on.

    He has more, of course, but saying he doesn’t is officially okay in the TrueCon rulebook. Because you’re just “telling it like it is.”

  • streiff

    maybe he should run for office in Chicago.

  • acat

    Duckworth served. For that, she has my gratitude.

    Since then, she’s carpetbagged around Illinois, running for various seats and positions, and each time – as Joe Walsh pointed out, she runs on her service record, not *what she has done since then*.

    That’s no smear. But then .. you’re no conservative.

    Mew

  • acat

    Perhaps we should consider changing the precedent …

    Mew

  • ajsdaddie

    Which of Walsh’s remarks do you find inflammatory? Please, share them.

    He didn’t smear Duckworth. He pointed out that she has used her service record as her primary campaign issue. And while that makes sense for her since she’d be very unlikely to be elected based on her radical leftist positions, it’s not much of a qualification, and that’s exactly what Walsh said.

    Me, I’m more about the voting record and I’ll take Joe Walsh over just about anybody in Congress right now.

  • streiff

    I’m a retired infantryman though from a generation that mostly never smelled powder burned in anger. The whole “hero” thing is really overblown.

    Duckworth was a volunteer. She was severely injured doing something she signed up to do. As Mr. Walsh says, she deserves our respect but there is nothing about what she did that deserves election to office.

    This is the Max Cleland effect where a person can hold any number of really noxious positions and no one is supposed to comment on those positions because multiple amputations.

  • streiff

    nt

  • gekster

    Typical lefty.
    Take out of context what was said.
    Keep going, you are getting funny now.

  • streiff

    with Joe Wilson. Walsh doesn’t have a record of inflammatory statements. If he were anywhere but IL we’d probably call him a near RINO.

  • kinggold

    and say that it’s okay to belittle a veteran’s service if they don’t vote the way you like them to vote? Since this is all about voting records from the get-go, why don’t you just outright say it.

    And, for the record, being called “no conservative” by a True Conservative zealot just made my day. Thanks much!

  • gekster

    Do you have a reading comprehension problem.
    Or do you just see what you want to see.

  • ajsdaddie

    Allen West has a voting record to go on – he’s pro-life, pro-business, pro-military, pro-veterans, pro-2nd amendment. The Family Research Council loves him, the ACLU hates him (same holds for Joe Walsh, by the way). That’s a pretty good start right there.

  • kinggold

    Admit that you’re a hack who would be flaying Joe Walsh alive if he were a Democrat and Duckworth were a Republican.

    Scratch that. Walsh wouldn’t even need to be a Democrat. He’d just need to vote the wrong way on one of our High Inquisitor’s Critical Issues.

  • acat

    No?

    Neither do the voters she wants to convince!

    Mew

  • streiff

    we are simply noting that her service is not a reason to vote for her and the entirety of her campaign is “I lost two legs in Iraq and I’m owed this office.”

  • kinggold

    Walsh is way more conservative than his district, so it’s highly unlikely he’d ever be called a RINO.

    And Walsh has said plenty apart from the Duckworth comments. I’m sure you all think it’s fine that he’s called the president a “tyrant” who should “stop lying,” but plenty of people think that’s not okay. I thought that was execrable when Democrats were hurling filth at Bush, and I don’t like it when our guys do it to Obama. God forbid we demand decent behavior from conservatives in Congress.

    But then, these are some of the same people who gave the A-OK to complete failures in Nevada and Delaware, so all bets are off.

  • ajsdaddie

    Nobody is belittling anybody’s service. We’re simply saying that it’s not a qualification for Congress, as opposed to say, someone’s voting record.

    In fact, only in a Liberal mind would someone’s voting record NOT be important in selecting your representative – you know, the person who votes for you.

    D’oh.

  • gekster

    If it were the other way around I would say the same.

    And another lefty tactic is to try and change the subject.

    I would still like to hear from you how he belittled her by saying she is running on her service record while not saying anything specific about any issues.
    Just what did he say.
    Give me a quote.

  • acat

    Mew

  • acat

    . . .

  • gekster

    You are really out there, arn’t you.
    You do get funnier by the minute.
    Good standup comedy right there folks.

  • kinggold

    If she is, use her own words against her and nothing more.

    If she isn’t, putting those words in her mouth is belittling her service, because it’s accusing her of using her amputee status as a shield from criticism.

    A competent politician can absolutely destroy Tammy Duckworth without laying a hand on her service or her injuries. As you said, her issue positions are weak and not thought-out, and she has few ties to the area or the people she seeks to represent. Henry Hyde proved that ably. That Joe Walsh cannot speaks to just how important it is that conservative warriors in Congress be skilled politicians as well.

  • acat

    Can I keep my insurance? No. (and I did like it… but it’s changed *twice* since he was elected .. both times for the worse)

    Did Citizens United end the way Obama claimed? No. (does a Supreme Court Justice pointing this out perhaps point out the difference?)

    In short, you’re now asserting a false equivalence. About what I expected from a lib plant.

    Mew

  • kinggold

    Try countering my arguments instead of accusing me of being on the take. If you can’t even take on a fellow righty in the field of ideas without impugning my motives, you’ve got no chance against somebody on the fence.

  • ffc99

    with a 94 score from Heritage and a 99 from CFG?

  • lv24723

    I agree, President Bush crashed a couple of planes…

  • ffc99

    Peter Roskam who beat her in ’06.

  • kinggold

    Yup, that’s about where things stand these days.

    Less than 100% on an arbitrary score from an imperfect think-tank is a prescription for RINOdom.

  • kinggold

    Roskam beat her in ’06. It was Hyde’s old district.

    My point remains the same, however.

  • ajsdaddie

    Can you point to one post of yours defending President Bush against those execrable attacks?

    No, I didn’t think so.

    NBT – Nothin’ But Troll

  • acat

    You’ve said *nothing* about her political record…
    You’ve said *nothing* about her carpetbagging …
    You’ve said *nothing* about her decision to campaign at a not-for-profit…

    Calling you a lib plant is one of the nicer things I could call you.

    How about you go ahead and tell me two reasons, not involving her legs, why Duckworth should be elected?

    Mew

  • gekster

    All you have is inuendo.
    You’re seeing things not there, and you are not even good at that.

  • kinggold

    no, I cannot point to a post defending Bush from lefty attacks.

    If that makes me a troll from your perspective, so be it.

  • gekster

    You don’t really pay attention, do you.

  • acat

    What colour is the sky in your world?

    Mew

  • acat

    Yes, Joe Walsh would be a RINO in Alabama… but he’s not *in* Alabama.

    None of this bears on whether Duckworth has a record of government service, nor whether Rep. Walsh was right to call her on it.

    Mew

    p.s. She doesn’t, and he is.

  • kinggold

    And, based on all the fulminating of the “Bush legacy” and “Bush gave us this” and “Bush gave us that,” and “Bush old-guard Republicanism,” and blah blah blah, it’s the TrueCons who are hitting Bush hardest these days. Take a look in the mirror before you accuse me of hypocrisy.

    Quit your sniping and say something relevant for a change.

  • kinggold

    Joe Walsh is a conservative hero but he’d be an incorrigible traitor in any other state.

    Tammy Duckworth is gutter trash and is nowhere near as qualified as Allen West was two years ago.

    Accept these truths as gospel or you’re never going to make a dent.

  • streiff

    is not belittling her service. If you can’t handle that you need to find another place to blog.

  • ffc99

    Joe would be the most conservative member of the Alabama congressional delegation (and for that matter the most conservative member of the delegations of probably 35-40 other states). Simply put he’s one of the most conservative members of the House.

    As for Duckworth, she does have a record of government service. Unimpressive though it may be, she was the Director of Veterans Affairs for the state of Illinois for a few years and later held a position in the US Dept of Veterans Affairs that required Senate confirmation.

  • acat

    Obama specifically lied about the Citizens United case.

    This is not a matter of opinion, this is a matter of fact… therefore “lied” is the correct term.

    Mew

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    We do have to leave open the option, the King believes he is telling the truth, in which case delusional would be a better term than liar.

    So to all the DKos basement dwelling dweebs who had to move back in with Mom and Dad because jobs creation is non-existant in the King’s economy, your King is either a pathological liar or delusional. You pick, I can accept it either way.

  • Common_Cents

    I think it’d be a good project to beat the bushes for more real tea party solid conservatives that can win all kinds of elected offices.

    It seems that RS comes in after a candidate has been chosen. I’d think we’d want to get involved earlier in the process.

    Anyone got some input?

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    no text

  • rabun1016

    I appreciated his service and sacrifice but he was an awful senator who was rightfully voted out by the citizens of Georgia. Appreciate Erickson’s pov and position on this.

  • dpmaine

    About the problems with Lt. Col Duckworth. She is not a good candidate, and I hope that Rep. Walsh wins.

    I think almost anything is fair game, but my personal opinion is that it is neither honorable or good politics to say anything about an opponents military service that is anything other than 100% positive.

    No matter what we think of Lt. Col Duckworth, it is verifiable fact that she has served the Country honorably. End of story.

    There are MANY problems with Ms. Duckworth as a candidate, so just stick to those. (And you did, which I appreciate. Not the least of which is that she’s a complete opportunist for running in the 8th CD).

  • dpmaine

    I think the argument that she is only running on her service record is perhaps incomplete. When she ran in 2006, she was very freshly out of Iraq and rehab (her injury was in 2004, appears her rehab was over in late 2005). She had no other record to run on.

    Now, of course, it’s 6 years later, she should have a record to run on besides her service record.

  • acat

    Way to lower the tone, moron.

    Mew

  • gekster

    He was yelling about Walsh saying she is just
    running on her war record is belittleing her,
    and then he comes up with that.

    You’re right, a maroon.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    I wish our reps in Alabama had the rating Joe Walsh has. 4 of our 5 GOP reps are in the Madison Project’s Hall of Shame.

  • dpmaine

    I think you are 100% right that Rep. Walsh is a dedicated conservative. His only two liabilities are: 1) family. This man does not have conservative family values. Or if he does now, he’s had some problems with it in the past. He gets a lot of attention in the new media and old media as being a representative of the conservatives in Congress. This is fundamentally bad news for those of us who are strictly pro-family. Also, 2) stylistically, he often comes off as a jerk.

    More on #2, just because something is true and uncomfortable doesn’t mean it should be said. I don’t think it’s the case, but even if there were political benefits to pointing out perceived shortcomings in Lt. Col Duckworth’s service record or post-service record, it’s just not good to bring them up. There are plenty of reasons to run, and he has plenty of reasons to win. Even if it was good politics (which I don’t think it is), he should just leave the entire issue to the side.

    The problem is that this takes a lot of message discipline and character. And like many on the “other side”, Rep. Walsh doesn’t always seem to be able to resist the urge to keep it in check. Is this part of his appeal? 100%!

    But it’s also a liability. It’s like playing with a loaded gun. Many here love to hear his unfiltered defense of conservative issues. But it’s a fine line between a powerful voice, and becoming a go-to joker.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    I’d be overjoyed if our reps here in AL had the voting record Walsh does.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    That’s one all our reps should aspire to mirror.

  • acat

    Above, I incorrectly indicated Rep. Walsh was not as far right as the AL delegation. As you point out, this is not the case.

    Mew

  • gekster

    Pay attention.

    Walsh is saying that she believes (which she does) that since she was in the Iraq war and had gotten injured, she should be elected.

    Walsh is saying that fact alone is not a reason to vote for her.
    He has given acolades to her service, but just because someone has served should not be the only reason to vote for her.

    She is running on her service record alone, not on any issues.

    Ya get it now.

  • acat

    She’s never won an election, y’know.
    She’s not been in the Illinois General Assembly.
    She hasn’t even been mayor of a small city.

    While this isn’t a disqualification per se, it does speak to why she’s not running on her post-soldiering ….

    She seems to be the Illinois go-to-candidate for districts Dems think they’re going to lose but where they want to try to make a stink. Sorta the job Pat Quinn used to have.

    Mew

  • ffc99

    don’t think they’re going to lose Illinois 8 this year. Unfortunately, they’re almost certainly right.

  • acat

    He’s a rather large and noxious fly in their ointment.

    Mew

  • celador2

    Thanks to liberal media who are comfortable mostly with vicitms the Duckworth campaign is one that says, Tammy is entitled to sit in the House because she suffered and lost limbs in military service. Her opponent does not agree to that de facto entitlement therfore he is out of line.

    Make a voter feel guilty and the candidate is half way there.

    Joe Walsh is in an uphill race as it is but he is far superior on issues that cross party lines if voters want to jump the economy and create jobs. Joe stands for lower taxes in a state with the highest taxes, and he also stands up to corrupt government. He is a political figher and a winner.

    Joe Walsh is worthy of a contribution.

  • kinggold

    Ergo, you’re wrong and go away.

    That about the gist of it?

  • acat

    so if he appeals on pocketbook issues, something Duckworth has quite literally *no* record on, he should do okay.

    It’s going to be a hard and expensive race, though.

    Mew

  • acat

    Yeah, it’s CNN .. but Walsh’s district went Red..

    Remember, Illinois is, geographically, mostly Red. It’s the sheer population density of Cook County (and Chicago) that flips the State.

    I have no doubt Illinois will vote for Obama for POTUS … but that doesn’t automatically mean Walsh is going down.

    Mew

  • acat

    That is, the entire area is outside Cook County, so relatively Red .. I’m not mistaking old IL-8 for new IL-8.

    Mew

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    In my defense, I was mostly thinking about SC’s House delegation.

    And for the record, Walsh is in the Madison Project’s Hall of Fame, ranking #8. That’s something to be proud of regardless of where you’re from.

  • ffc99

    I think you’re too optimistic. He won by a couple hundred votes in an excellent year for Republicans. The district got more democrat in redistricting and in 2012 the native son will be on the ticket (yeah, some of the gloss has come off of Barry, but he’s still popular in Illinois). Plus, the district has gotten to know Joe, and I can assure you that his more controversial comments will not play particularly well with voters in the 8th. I suspect Tammy will win comfortably.

  • gekster

    Quit seeing things not there.
    I know you can if you try.

  • ffc99

    I believe that the old 8th went 55% for Obama. The new 8th would have been 61-62% Obama.

  • acat

    Yeah, NY Times, but CNN’s 2008 results seem broken…

    Thing is, if you look at one of the areas in the new IL-8, Glendale Heights, IL, the numbers do not support re-electing Obama. He may still win .. but there should be enough of a split that claiming “I’m Obama’s choice” won’t be sufficient to elect Duckworth.

    Mew

  • ffc99

    Charlie Cook has the 8th rated not as a toss up or lean Democratic, but as a likely Democratic pick up.

  • ffc99

    Rothenberg to the list that call this a likely dem pick up.

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FPE/ Captain Nojaa

    Do I detect an oxymoron here?

    An anti-war, liberal DemocRAT who served as a soldier in the US military. Duckworth may have been injured in the line of duty, but before that, was she serving to the best of her ability, or was she just squeaking by while spewing her socialist, anti-war rhetoric to her fellow soldiers? Democrats and soldiers mix about as well as oil and water. I have little tolerance for any soldier, injured or not, who, after serving his/her country, returns to politically attack and belittle that very same country he/she claimed to have served.

    A true soldier loves his/her country and the People within it. A liberal socialist masquerading as a soldier loves money and power.

    Anyone who returns after serving his/her country to run for political office, then uses his/her military service as the sole platform for election instead of the important issues concerning citizens, doesn’t deserve to be told the time of day, let alone be given an audience.

    Yep, there’s definitely an oxymoron here somewhere.

  • acat

    Duckworth’s no prize, the district is suffering financially (housing prices way down, unemployment up, wages stagnant) and she’s not running on a hard platform of fixes, she’s running on her military record.

    I don’t see how Walsh, who is an incumbent with a solid record, loses this .. although I would suggest that he makes his campaign staff sit down with Roskam’s and compare notes.

    Mew

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FPE/ Captain Nojaa

    Two things, Mark.

    1., So, if I’m killed or severely disfigured by a drunk driver while picking up a piece of litter from the side of the road to make it look prettier, does that make me a hero?

    2. Define the word “stupid.”

  • kinggold

    in a heavily-Democrat new district with zero appeal to the middle and a more competitive election year? Put down the Kool-Aid.

    I suppose that explains the substance of every one of your previous posts, though.

    You know, I think this is actually kind of funny. The only path to victory Walsh has right now is huge Romney coattails. And yet, the same people who can’t see him losing are the ones who are plenty happy to undermine Romney and consider him the weak link in our party.

  • ffc99

    Charlie’s a smart guy who’s been doing this a long time and is looking at the numbers. Walsh won by a couple hundred votes in a Republican wave election. In 2012 he’s in a more democratic district with the native son on the top of the ticket and he’s had 2 years to “introduce” himself to the district. Barring a Duckworth scandal, he’s as good as gone.

    I know you live in Illinois so you have to be familiar with what the Dems did in redistricting. Right now the delegation is 11/8 R. Dems have drawn a map that will likely lead to a 11-12/6-7 Dem advantage. Walsh and Dold are almost certainly toast while Biggert and Schilling likely start off as underdogs (and of course Manzullo was taken out in the primary in the new 16th).

    30,000 less votes for that fool Pat Quinn, and we wouldn’t be facing this terrible scenario in Illinois.

  • acat

    I’ve provided links and data, kinggold .. while you’ve ignored questions, lied about what others have written, and generally been .. yourself, I suppose.

    You’ll excuse me for thinking your understanding of Illinois is .. weak.

    Mew

  • gekster

    It shows in his posts.

  • acat

    and we wouldn’t be in this position at all. (Brady had no clue what he was doing in the suburbs)

    My point re. Cook isn’t to denigrate him, but to point out that I think he’s misreading Illinois.

    The Illinois GOP have been piecing themselves back together since the 2004 Senate debacle…. and I think the 2010 results show that things are still bad… but having a common enemy may help more than Charlie suspects.

    Mew

  • ffc99

    If you ignore the 2008 Obama numbers in the new 8th (which seems wise as he benefited from being the beloved native son) you’ll find that it really isn’t fair to characterize the new 8th as a “heavily Democrat” new district. However, it is more democratic than the previous 8th and for that reason (and many others I discussed above and below) Walsh will almost certainly be defeated by Duckworth.

  • acat

    Just said that I don’t see someone with a solid record losing to a cardboard cut-out action figure like Duckworth as easily as you think.

    Mew

  • kinggold

    “I don’t see how Walsh loses” and “Duckworth’s no prize.” Ah-yup. Real empirical observations there.

    Keep living in your delusions, thinking that conservatives will never ever lose because you like them. See how far that extends past the safe hidey-hole of a purity-enforced Internet blog.

  • acat

    (nt)

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    I live in TN 1, R+21, Phil Roe will run unopposed in the General and his rating is south of Dick Lugar’s. It’s not south of Lamar’s but he is in the same subdivision with Lamar; I’ll put it that way.

  • ffc99

    it appears you are the one misreading the situation. Again, I don’t even believe the election will be close. A ten point defeat (55-45) would be an excellent performance from Joe. Do you really think the Dems left him with much of a realistic chance after redistricting? Illinois Democrats are incompetent when it comes to governance, but politics…well, Mike Madigan plays that game better than just about anyone. The 8th was drawn to be a fairly safe Democratic seat and unfortunately that means the people of the 8th district will be represented by Tammy Duckworth in the next Congress.

  • ffc99

    in your mind…not so sure his district feels the same way. I follow Illinois politics very closely, and I recall pre-primary polling that showed him down 15 points to a generic democrat and with job approval numbers under 30%, I believe. I fear you’re letting your biases affect your judgment here. Sure, folks at Redstate think he has a great record, but I think you’ll find that the voters of the new 8th don’t share that opinion.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    It’s not like Markos has a lot of material to work with…just look at the job qualifications:

    1) Stupid enough to buy the Obama con
    2) A life so pathetic, you have nothing better to do than go to Red State and bother people smarter than you
    3) Be able to stomach the foul mouths that frequent DKos

    The only thing sadder than that is to be a candi-bot for Tom Tancredo (or well I guess to actually be Tom Tancredo)

  • ffc99

    I have a better handle on IL politics than you, acat, having actually been in the game there. Bank on it, unless Duckworth is caught with a dead girl or a live boy (or is it the other way around in her case), we’re losing the 8th.

  • acat

    And I’ll just point out that I’m within a short drive from IL-8….

    From what I’m seeing on the ground, Duckworth is no shoe-in.

    Mew

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    My posting record here speaks for itself in that I am a stanch social conservative (pro life, pro traditional marriage, etc.) as well as a fiscal conservative and supporter of a strong defense. Having said that, nobody has a perfect family or family life. Is he pro abortion? Did Walsh beat his wife and kids or did he and his wife have personal marital issues that led to a divorce? (And for the record, I think divorce laws are too lax.) If it’s the former, you have a point. If it’s the latter, does that make him a worse candidate than Duckworth whose position on the issues will damage families far worse than anything I’m aware of in Walsh’s record.

    Frankly, I find Walsh refreshing. We whine and moan about our elected officials beating around the bush and talking in political speak. Then when we get plain spoken, tell it like it is guys like Walsh and Allen West, folks complain they’re too inflammatory.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    we need to get involved in local politics. New candidates don’t, for the most part, just materialize out of thin air. Generally speaking, they have to be recruited from among the ranks. If we want genuine conservatives, we have to know who is in the party, work with them, get to know them – not just vote when election time rolls around.

    In my district, AL-6, which covers one of the reddest counties in the country, we at least challenged Spencer Bachus this year. We lost, but we’ll have another shot and will be better prepared next time because conservatives and tea partiers have joined the local GOP. And Bachus is at least aware we’re watching him.

  • acat

    we’re both guessing at the results, based on our own view of the data available to us.

    We shall see.

    Mew

  • dpmaine

    Well, strictly speaking, Rep. Walsh is an adulterer. And for that alone, he’s not qualified to hold office as a true Christian conservative.

    Adultery is one of a few sins that is always anti-family.

    Secondly, no matter how it resolved itself, his wife had to pursue child support in court. Glad they resolved it without a full bench trial, but it’s still unseemly.

    I believe the terms of most divorces are private, so we’ll never know for sure, but unless Rep. Walsh’s spouse committed an offense which invalidated the original covenant, he’s inherently anti-family.

    There is a very fine line in my book between “refreshing honesty” and just being crass. This election seems to have pushed, in my opinion, Rep. Walsh from the former to the later.

    I still hope he wins.

  • ffc99

    to be basing your “guesses” not on the data, but on your natural conservative biases (ie, statements like you don’t understand how a solid performer could lose to a “cardboard cutout” like Tammy Duckworth). That isn’t analysis, that’s emotion.

  • acat

    Charlie has been wrong before, you know.

    Mew

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    I don’t disagree that I prefer someone who doesn’t have adultery in his record, but as Christians are we not to forgive seventy times seven? And as a sinner, I certainly hope my own sins don’t disqualify me from being a “true Christian conservative.” My understanding is they’ve been washed white as snow. And as you note, there may be other matters that Walsh chose to keep private for the sake of his family. We don’t know, do we?

    Please don’t misunderstand me. I surely don’t approve of adultery, but Proverbs 6:16-19 tell us there are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. I don’t see adultery in that list, but I do see lying. Have you ever told a lie or been prideful/arrogant? You don’t have to answer that, and my sermonette is over. Just hoping to provoke some thought.

  • ffc99

    reading comprehension skills are severely lacking if you think that is why I believe Walsh is toast. I presented a well reasoned case based upon Walsh’s previous election results, changes in the district, the appearance of Barry at the top of the ’12 ticket, along with Walsh’s many public stumbles/scandals over the past year plus. These are the reasons why I (and folks like Cook, Sabato, Rothenberg, etc.) have all called the 8th district as a likely flip back to the Democrats.

    As for you…well, you just don’t understand how a guy with a solid record could lose to such a substance free candidate. Oh, and Glendale Heights is now in the 8th (still trying to understand that one).

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    If I were to vote for Duckworth over Walsh because of her superior military service record (no question her military service record is superior to Walsh’s), then Duckworth should have supported John McCain in 2008 (leaving aside McCain was actually more qualified under any criteria than Obama) but certainly you wouldn’t question that McCain’s military service record surpasses Obama’s? Walsh was actually making this point: ideas matter in elections (and I stole the example from Walsh) and it’s a reasonable point.

  • acat

    Unless your definition stretches to include libertarian atheists…. in which case words have no meaning, down is up, and you’re still an idiot.

    Mew

  • westcoastpatriette

    I miss her giving us the inside scoop on VA politics.

  • acat

    And is in the new IL-8 district that will be voting in November.

    And has been pretty hard hit by Obama.

    You seem to think having him at the top of the ticket is some kind of Dem silver bullet … the people I know in the new IL-8 don’t seem to agree.

    I expect Obama to win Cook County, and to achieve enough of a plurality in the rest of the State to give him the electoral votes, but … Illinois goes split-ticket more often than you may be accounting for. For example, many of the voters who gave us Sen. Mark Kirk (R) opted to also give us Gov. Pat Quinn (D).

    Again, based not on emotion but on what I know of the area and the people I know in the area, I do not think Duckworth is a compelling candidate, and that this race – while not easy – is Walsh’s to lose.

    Mew

  • acat

    will be up to speed inside VA, but in the meantime Scope has left a gap.

    Mew

  • acat

    Can you point to ads or endorsements based on her post-war record?

    Mew

  • ffc99

    so Glendale Heights isn’t Democratic territory, the fact remains that the new 8th has 5-6% more democratic voters than the old 8th. Do you understand that? That alone should spell curtains for Walsh. And no, Obama on the ticket isn’t a silver bullet, but Democratic voters will certainly be more motivated to get out and vote in ’12 than they were in ’10.

    You usually speak with some sense here, but to say that the 8th is Walsh’s to lose displays a real ignorance of electoral politics. Duckworth may not be a terribly compelling candidate in our eyes (though I imagine a lot of folks find her story of coming back from terrible injuries suffered in war to be very inspiring), but neither is Walsh (hell, just search for youtube videos of him on the web…he seems more interested in arguing with his constituents than persuading them to vote for him). He’s not only an underdog in this election, but he’s a pretty big underdog.

  • acat

    in the general election.

    My opinion remains that Duckworth is not seen in the district as a terribly compelling candidate, and that Illinois voters are going to be checking their wallets….

    Duckworth hasn’t been campaigning on much forward-looking, it’s been largely about her time in Iraq. Compelling as human interest, yes .. compelling as a candidate? She fails to answer “What can you do for me?”… and she has no real record. She’s very much the “Obama” in this race.

    For all his faults, Walsh does answer this, and does have a record of votes that look .. pretty decently aligned with the district, and with a plan of what to do to improve the lives of his constituents. Brash and obnoxious aren’t sufficient reasons to think he’ll lose .. this isn’t uber-reserved Minnesota.

    In short, you’re looking at demographic information and assuming voters will go one way, I’m talking to voters and – while anecdotes is not the same as data – what I’m hearing contradicts you.

    Mew

  • celador2

    As I recall candidate Duckworth got her start in the Bush years and protested the Iraq war. She was a protester who worked with then Senator Obama in Illinois and showed little understanding or support for the military mission or CIC
    .
    Now that a Democrat is in White House she says not a word about the hgh death toll in Afghanistan of which 70% have happened under Obama.

    Her image is now changed from outraged protester to a loyal soldier wounded in service to a nation she holds dear.

  • jimmyg

    but he has been more right than wrong by a long shot.
    ” 94.9 percent of the 641 races rated as Likely Democratic or Likely Republican fell the way the Cook Political Report predicted”
    http://cookpolitical.com/accuracy

    On June 28, 2012, Charlie rated Il. 8 as likely democratic
    http://cookpolitical.com/charts/house/competitive.php

  • aesthete

    She served her country, she got injured in the line of duty, and she doesn’t deserve having her motivations for doing so questioned for purely political reasons. Plenty of Democrats have fought and died for our country. Her political views should be criticized, but let’s stay away from the right-wing equivalent of calling a returning vet a babykiller. Whether she should be in charge of frittering away our money or determining the course of our foreign policy should be separate from her wartime experience.

  • Viet71

    The person to whom you’re responding, however, strikes me as
    unworthy of your response.

  • acat

    I’ve even explained why, and for going to the trouble I’ve been told I’m relying on emotion rather than logic, that I don’t understand Illinois politics (despite having endured it for almost my whole life) and that I am a True Conservative. (that last one really burns)

    Yes, the district was drawn to be pro-Dem, but .. that doesn’t mean it’ll go Dem… after all, Scott Brown (R) won MA.

    It means Joe Walsh is in for the fight of his career, but he’s not noted from backing away from a fight, and Duckworth has never won a campaign.

    Mew

  • acat

    (nothing further)

  • ffc99

    Care to explain that one? His record wouldn’t look out of place if he represented the most conservative district in the nation. However, he’s running for reelection in moderate suburbia. He’s a terrible fit for the 8th which is why he’ll be looking for employment this November.

  • ffc99

    Joe Walsh is no Scott Brown.

  • jimmyg

    Joe Walsh has made himself a national figure representing the Tea Party on Cable News. For fear of my personal safety, I would not get between him and a television camera. Here in Illinois he has garnered publicity, but most of it did not reflect well on Mr. Walsh.

    I think you are minimizing the effect of Madigan’s redistricting map on Illinois and its congressional delegation.

    Madigan, through redistricting, will have made Illinois an even deeper blue state. I live in Judy Biggert’s district. I never thought she would have a tough race, and seemed a perfect candidate for the district, Biggert being a moderate DuPage republican, but thanks to redistricting, she is in one now.

  • The Anti-acat

    Would just like to add that: acat is no Charlie Cook either.
    acat has commented over 30 times just in the last five hours! So, the only thing the atheist libertarian pussy has in common with Charlie Cook is the ability to type quickly.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    You better be careful there are anti-stalking laws in Illinois. No matter, one of the mods favorite pass times is to throw your multiple personalities off of RedState.

    PS: This is pathetic acat is not interested…

  • PowerToThePeople

    laid. Your obsessive behavior is pathetic. Buy a lay, beg a lay, do whatever you need to do to get a lay, you will find there are fun things to do outside of being pathetic.

  • gekster

    I see they let you out of your cage again.

  • aesthete

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    no text

  • 10ab

    Of his TP cred? He is no gentleman, he is coarse, classless and the ultimate stereotype of a blowhard politician.

  • Bill S

    .

  • http://libertynews.com/ mbecker908

    obvious.

  • goodgovernance

    conservatism hardly needs enemies. There is NOTHING good to be obtained from attacking Duckworth in terms of her service record. NOTHING.

    Best thing to do is just focus like a laser on how she’s wrong about the issues. We honor her for her service and sacrifice, it’s more than the vast majority of Americans have given for their country. But Walsh is right, that doesn’t mean we have to vote for her.

    Unlike Walsh, I wouldn’t have said “all she does is talk about her service,” no matter how true it was. This is where being politically savvy matters. He should have said, “I wish she’d talk more about the issues that matter to the people. She never does.”

    Again, just avoid talking about her service at all, unless you’ve got a chest full of medals that don’t come from elementary school science fairs. There’s a reason why Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had to be made up of Swift Boat veterans, anyone else would have been vilified and the ads would have backfired.

  • goodgovernance

    in terms of Walsh not needing to say what he said. It doesn’t matter if it’s fair or not, it’s just the way it is.

    I don’t know enough about Walsh from a character standpoint to make any judgment call there.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    I don’t make any excuses for his sins. Neither do I condemn his plain talk.

  • commonsenseobserver

    I doubt whether he supports himself.

  • mikeymike143

    and i notice the lefty posters have slimed there way over from huff po to defend the liberal duckworth and bash the conservative walsh. and its always the same few anti conservative posters that are doing that.

  • lastgopinillinois

    at 94% according to Heritage Action scoring. Thats what I care about. He is on top.
    For a list of all illinois elected officials conservative scores, heres the link:
    http://heritageactionscorecard.com/scorecard/index.html#il#state#Illinois

    Hope every one who is passionate about “conservatism” in illinois will continue to keep up with the voting records of our elected officials prior to pulling the lever in November.

    I also recommend folks in illinois keep tabs on Doug Ibendahls perspective posted in ‘RepublicanNewsWatch” under the tab “Ibendahl on Politics”.

    If you live in the “black-and-blue” State of illinois, please pass the word on about this stuff with all your friends, etc. Maybe in a half-century or so, we can begin to turn the tide in illinois with a more informed electorate.

  • Dave_A

    Back then, before the Dems got *bold* in 08, they were still smarting from 3 election-cycles of Rove beating their butts on a national scale….

    The ‘strategy’ at the time – predicated on coping with a presumed rightward electoral shift – was to run folks who seemed ‘blue-dog-ish’ but opposed the Iraq war (usually with the false canard that Afghanistan was the ‘real war on terror’)… ‘Stealth’ candidates, if you will…

    The Dems actively recruited veterans, as part of this ‘We’re not the Democratic Party of Woodstock’ campaign (that also saw Democrats calling themselves ‘Fiscal Conservatives’ so often it seemed like a Dem buzzword)….

    As for what she did IN the service, my personal experience is that MOST troops keep politics to themselves, or only discuss it among those with known-similar viewpoints…

    I have no doubt she did her job just fine until her injury got her medical-ed out…

    I also wouldn’t be suprised if she ‘grew’ her political views on the war as a result of the recovery/exist-process & the related experience of living as a disabled vet…

    Wouldn’t vote for her, but that doesn’t mean she was a bad apple when she wore the uniform… I’m willing to assume she wasn’t.

  • edintexas

    Hindsight and all that.

  • acat

    Biggert goes about it by being a bit squishy, trying to hit the right balance of moderateness to match her district, and .. IMO .. leaving herself open to a candidate like Duckworth who can siphon off defense-conservative votes while, at the same time, attracting liberals.

    Walsh, on the other paw, goes about it by being unabashedly more conservative than his district. This may mean that he alienates some voters, but he paints a very clear contrast – voters know what they’re getting.

    Both approaches can work .. whether one or the other or both will work in this case will be interesting.

    As for why I think Madigan’s re-map may not work out, well .. that’s simple economics. Very simple economics .. specifically kitchen table or “pocketbook” issues – with Obama as the figurehead for a bad economy – will drive the election cycle.

    In this environment, if Walsh and/or Biggert can paint their opponents as linked to Obama (and with Duckworth, it’s Duckworth to Rahm to Obama (and Rezko and Blagojevich if you like) … and with themselves as the obvious alternative, I think it can be won.

    Biggert will have a tougher challenge….

    Mew

  • ffc99

    you really haven’t looked at the maps, have you. Biggert has a much better chance of reelection than Walsh. And then of course, leaving district demographics aside, she also hasn’t created a greatest hits list of embarrassing youtube clips like Rep. Walsh.

  • acat

    That’s part of why I posted the demographic data for Glendale Heights earlier.

    Take a look.

    Mew

  • ffc99

    having lived and worked there, having family there, having been involved (I’ll be vague here) in electoral politics there, etc. I clearly understand the political landscape of the 8th better than you.

  • acat

    Nothing further.

  • acat

    Is it just that he threatens the Springfield trough?

    Mew

  • arthurjake

    Although military service is always a good feather to have in your cap you can not run on that alone, especially with Iraq over and Afghanistan winding down. If she is only going to run on being a disabled vet that is on her. There are far too many domestic issues that need to be addressed. Calling her out because she is hiding from her positions on issues that are unpopular to voters is more than fair to me. That being said he could have said it better. IE She may have more knowledge about issues facing vets but is completely wrong on the issue of national health care.

  • ffc99

    I’ve never even been to Springfield, and don’t currently live in Illinois. I don’t make my living in the game anymore, thankfully.

  • ffc99

    but that doesn’t mean I still don’t retain an interest (along with friends who are still in the industry).

  • ffc99

    would a freshman Congressman with little influence threaten the Springfield trough, whatever you might mean by that? I’m increasingly realizing that you know a lot less than you seem to think you do.

  • acat

    You didn’t reply to Erick’s diary at all – just to me, and then only after kinggold proved his idiocy. Did you read Erick’s diary?

    You’re out of the district, out of the state, out of the business, and you’re lecturing someone who is literally on the ground. That seems a strange position to take… especially under this diary.

    Even after I acknowledge that Walsh could lose – it’s going to be a tough fight – and that it’s really up to the voters .. you have refused the idea that you may be the one in error. A strange monomania in someone with no particular agenda.

    Yes, Walsh has a tough – but winnable – fight. Your stubbornness on this point is .. very strange.

    Walsh is reasonably positioned to get the one thing his campaign is really going to need – outside money. That the Dems picked prior loser Duckworth means they’re going to do what they tried to do to Roskam – run a no-record compelling-story and spend the GOP into the ground. Didn’t work last time, don’t think it’s going to work much better this time… but obviously you disagree.

    Walsh is an incumbent, he has certain automatic advantages over Duckworth in that regard, and if he wins he won’t be a freshman.

    You keep citing the youtube videos as though they’ll tip the election. Turned into Duckworth ads, maybe .. but Joe’s already proven he’s not going to let Tammy run just on her Iraq record, and she’s got nothing else. Otherwise, ffc99, you’d be talking about what else she has, eh?

    As for Springfield, no, Walsh is not a direct threat, but .. if Walsh continues pushing conservatism and fiscal responsibility, there’s a danger – to the trough-nosed – of the idea taking root. There’s also the danger of Walsh questioning budgeting of pork to other Illinois districts.

    Further, there’s the danger of a name running for higher office in a couple more terms… or worse, getting a decent committee assignment and reducing the gravy that flows to the combine.

    Mew

  • ffc99

    but clueless acat. I’ve forgotten more about Illinois politics than you’ll ever know. Anyhow, I’ll let you have the last word, but I will be reminding you of this exchange come November. Hopefully on a going forward basis you’ll come to understand that there are some subjects you just don’t know a lot about (though I’m not terribly optimistic on this front as you seem to pop up everywhere adding your “informed” 2 cents).

  • ffc99

    thing on Duckworth’s loss in Illinois 6 (as you seem to think her loss there proves she’s a perennial loser who can’t win this year). You do understand that that district was much friendlier to Republicans than the new 8th, don’t you? You do realize she only lost by a couple percentage points? You do understand Roskam was a much better candidate than Walsh? You really are showing yourself to be clueless when it comes the Congressional elections in Illinois, acat.

  • acat

    In the face of the diary above, your continued expectation that Duckworth wins in a walk, and your decision not to address that but to hold up some alleged personal history and make it about me … let’s say you’re going about persuasion the wrong way.

    This is going to be a tough race for Walsh .. but he is the incumbent, unlike Roskam when he won IL-6, the geographical area went GOP in 2010, and Obama at the top of the ticket will not help him with this area. (not enough college students, not enough jobs)

    We’ll see what happens.

    Mew

  • ffc99

    only in your own mind. And I discussed in great detail (and multiple times) why Duckworth should win easily. I can only lead a horse to water, I can’t make it drink…

  • acat

    is to selectively reply and appeal to authority.

    You’ve said that the district was re-drawn to lean Dem by the Madigans. I haven’t disputed this. I have said it’s a tough district to win.

    You’ve appealed to Charlie Cook as an authority. I have stated that I disagree with Charlie, and as you haven’t explained how he arrived at his numbers, there’s not much there to argue.

    You’ve yet to say why Duckworth is compelling as a candidate.

    You’ve further decided to make this about me, when you haven’t actually addressed the demographics of the district… nor posted enough information to discuss why you think I’m wrong.

    Finally, you said you’d give me the last word, and have replied three times since then….

    Doesn’t this strike you as a little .. odd?

    Mew

  • ffc99

    doesn’t need to be a great candidate when she’s running in that district against a poor candidate. It ain’t rocket science, acat. But I’ll go further than that (not that you really deserve it considering the lies and misrepresentations in your post above). She is a war hero who has literally given body parts for her country and she’s managed to come back from that adversity to make what lots of folks feel is a positive contribution to society by working at fairly high levels of gov’t. Sure, in our eyes her resume isn’t terribly impressive, but it will look that way to a lot of folks. Again, you need to get out of the conservative bubble more (and off of Redstate occasionally).

    As an aside, I also haven’t seen you argue what makes Joe Walsh a compelling candidate in the reconfigured 8th (a district in which 2/3 of the voters have never had a chance to vote for him before). You’ll have a hard time convincing me that a tea party favorite and conservative firebrand fits with the demographics of his new district.

    Anyhow, this really is it for me. As those who’ve argued with you in the past have learned, you’re well practiced in misrepresenting others arguments and you always get the last word (as you seemingly spend the majority of your waking hours on Redstate).

  • acat

    And .. you’re assuming that’ll be enough.

    I’m not.

    As for Walsh, what part of “conservative record” and “pocketbook issues driving the election” weren’t clear? IL-8 is suffering, economically … and Duckworth’s war record is not going to help people put money in their pockets.

    Mew