By FRANK RICHPublished: October 2, 2010
... While O’Donnell’s résumé has proved largely fictional, one crucial biographical plotline is true: She has had trouble finding a job, holding on to a home and paying her taxes. In this, at least, she is like many Americans in the Great Recession, including the angry claque that found its voice in the Tea Party. For a G.O.P. that is even more in thrall to big money than the Democrats, she couldn’t be a more perfect decoy.
By latching on to O’Donnell’s growing presence, the Rove-Boehner-McConnell establishment can claim it represents struggling middle-class Tea Partiers rather than Wall Street potentates and corporate titans. O’Donnell’s value is the same as that other useful idiot, Michael Steele, who remains at the Republican National Committee only because he can wave the banner of “diversity” over a virtually all-white party that alternately demonizes African-Americans, Latinos, gays and Muslims. ...
... Election Day is now only a month away. The demoralized Democrats are held hostage by the unemployment numbers. And along comes this marvelous gift out of nowhere, Christine O’Donnell, Tea Party everywoman, who just may be the final ingredient needed to camouflage a billionaires’ coup as a populist surge. By the time her fans discover that any post-election cuts in government spending will be billed to them, and not the Tea Party’s shadowy backers, she’ll surely be settling her own debts with fat paychecks from “Fox & Friends.”Click on the post's title to read Frank Rich's entire op-ed at The NY Times.
The op-ed is worth reading for its background information about the Tea Party, and its surprise that Karl Rove, who clearly doubted O'Donnell's senatoriality and challenged Sarah Palin to demonstrate her chops by campaigning in Delaware for someone he considered unqualified, has changed his mind.
For a "local" perspective on the state of the race, see a Delaware newspaper's article, "Delaware politics: O'Donnell abruptly flees spotlight."
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The article at Delaware's News Journal notes that winning in Delaware is all about "retail politics," which would seem to preclude an O'Donnell win, if she continues to hide from voters and the media. But they do interview a political scientist with an alternative view.
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AP has an interesting article, O'Donnell TV appearances began with chance meeting.
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