Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle: Any GOP candidate can win in November, says Jon Stewart
Christine O'Donnell, and her "I'm not a witch" campaign, is doing so well that it indicates Republicans can do no wrong with American voters, according to Stewart.
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In The Daily Show's continuing coverage of Indecision 2010 - Midterm Madness, comedian Jon Stewart said that it seems inevitable that the Republicans will take back the House of Representatives in November, attributing Republican victories to "a season of voter anger and change."
OK, so maybe Democrats are resigned to losing the House, but "how bad is it for the Dems in the Senate?" Stewart asked.
This bad: A loss of 10 Senate seats will tip the scales and give Republicans control of the Senate. And 13 Democrats' seats are "in danger."
Sen. John Cornyn's (R) of Texas comments in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that "All of our currently held Republican seats are safe seats, and we are playing offense."
It gets worse for Dems. Monitor staff writer Brad Knickerbocker wrote:
A USA Today/Gallup poll shows voters more likely to pick a generic Republican over a Democrat for Congress by 53-40 percent, particularly if that candidate is a newcomer. “It appears that the best type of candidate to be this fall is a Republican challenger,” writes Gallup analyst Jeffrey Jones.
Stewart's Exhibit A: Sharron Angle
Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D) of Nevada, is "an exciting and charismatic leader," says Stewart wryly, who is fighting for his seat in Nevada against his Republican challenger Sharron Angle.
Ms. Angle, as Stewart illustrates in a barrage of video clips, says that gay Americans should not be allowed to adopt children, believes it may be part of God's plan if rape victims get pregnant, does not believe the Constitution requires separation of church and state, has advocated withdrawing from the United Nations, and abolishing the EPA and much of the tax code.
"She wants to dissolve the post office and send all her messages through angels, they're everywhere," Stewart joked.
"So here's the thing, Reid is tied with her," Stewart said. "Which can only mean one thing. Nevadans must really hate the EPA...or Harry Reid."
Stewart posits: "In this climate, is there any extreme a Republican can go to that will hurt their chances in November?"
He cites Republican Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell saying "I am not a witch...I'm you," Stewart seems to think O'Donnell's "I am not a witch," ad campaign is the poster child for Anything and Everything Works for Republicans now.
"You're me?" Stewart asked. "Because I don't recall the last time I had to deny I was a witch."
Stewart doesn't mention Sen. Russ Feingold (D) of Wisconsin comparing rival Ron Johnson and "corporate special interests" to an excessively celebrating NFL player a la Randy Moss mock-mooning the crowd after a touchdown. That ad drew the ire of the NFL for misusing its footage and was pulled. But it got Feingold a day of national media attention.
Will such extremes from the election carry over to Capitol Hill? Say the Republicans take the back Senate too. Stewart looks at who might be the new Senate Majority Leader. South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (R) could fill that role and would be counted on, as Stewart said, "to reign in ideological mustangs like Angle."
Enter a CNN clip reporting on comments by DeMint, where he said that gays and unwed mothers should be banned from teaching.
What is the middle-of-the-road voter to do?
"It's a peculiar election season," Stewart said, "where once again, Americans are being told just how divided we are as a nation. And how we must pick from one of two doctrinaire choices."
We suspect that Stewart would say the solution is to attend the Rally to Restore Sanity on Oct. 30 on the National Mall in Washington.
Editor's note: The original subhead to this story incorrectly referred to Ms. O'Donnell's, "I am a witch" campaign. As her ad clearly states, O'Donnell says that she is not, in fact, a witch.