If you believed this all along, that it was leaked info by a few unhappy employees and not representative of the NRSC, why did you repeat so often that it was the NRSC opposing O'Donnell?
You are making assumptions and putting words in my mouth to fit your preconceived notions, rather than run with the plain meaning of my words and using common sense to figure out why folks would believe such a notion as the NRSC giving O'Donnell a kick in the *expletive deleted*ss.
A little more common sense and a little less lawyerly parsing of text will get to my meaning.
The employees who leaked are likely perfectly happy to work at the NRSC and not alienated from it, as your statement implies (especially since this is an up year for the GOP).
They are unhappy with O'Donnell's victory and have personal animus toward her, as they backed the other guy. Matter of fact, Castle was the official NRSC preferred candidate in the primary just as Crist was the preferred candidate of the NRSC in Florida.
They may not have been "representatives of the NRSC" in that their name was on a NRSC-approved press release, but they were representatives of the NRSC in that both reporters said they worked there. IIRC, one mentioned "staffer" and the other mentioned "aide."
Not only that, one has to assume one or both (given two, mutually-reinforcing reports) of the following occurred:
1. Aide/staffer calls journocritter to tell him the NRSC is not going to support O'Donnell
2. Journocritter calls aide/staffer and asks for comment or the inside scoop and is told the NRSC is not going to support O'Donnell
I doubt the reporters ran to the NRSC and shook down the Democrat-registered (or illegal alien) janitor for a comment to get the skinny.
Also,
the NRSC opposed O'Donnell in the primary. Castle was their boy, just as Crist was before Crist went independent.
Why might folks believe the reports that the NRSC would tell O'Donnell to piss off?1. Castle was the NRSC-endorsed candidate in the primary.
2. Non-Delaware GOP mucky-mucks ("Establishment Republicans") opposed O'Donnell and endorsed Castle.
3. Non-Delaware GOP mucky-mucks ("Establishment Republicans") trashed O'Donnell during the primary campaign with personal attacks as well as citing the conventional wisdom.
4. The Delaware state GOP apparatus opposed O'Donnell and trashed her, up to and including the head of the Delaware GOP organization.
5. Castle is not willing to endorse her candidacy, now that she has won the primary, and a named Castle campaign official was still trashing her while hte votes were being counted and going her way.
6. Carl Rove's (and other Republicans') ravings and trashing of O'Donnell
after she won. I heard Rush commenting that he had never heard Rove talk in those terms about any Democrat. None of this "Come together and unite behind the O'Donnell candidacy since the people of Delaware have spoken."
7. Two mutually-reinforcing reports, from two different journalists, from two different organizations, citing contacts in the NRSC stating they will not support her Senate run.
Given 1-6, it is not too hard to believe #7 when it popped up.
Matter of fact,
I'd bet that the staffers/aides were telling it straight. The NRSC wasn't going to endorse O'Donnell and only the outrage you decry is what caused Cornyn and cooler heads to try to salvage the NRSC's chestnuts from the fire of their incompetence and arrogance.It is not about media hype. The media didn't need to hype bupkis and just had to report the noise coming out of GOP mouths.
The NRSC has to support O'Donnell or they'll look like they've lost control of their constituents (heaven forbid!). However, I'll be surprised if O'Donnell doesn't implode before the general election, even with their help.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/15/5118608-links-for-the-915-trms
(the cspan video containing the issue of women at the Citadel is very long; the segment with O'Donnell starts at 16:45)
NRSC is definitely in damage control mode. This is not the first time they have stepped on their richard this election cycle. IIRC, they still have given more money to Crist than Rubio in Florida, and Crist isn't even a Republican anymore.
It is not nicknamed "The Stupid Party" for nothing.
O'Donnell has been active in conservative and R Catholic issue advocacy for more than two decades. Puh-lenty of tape on her out there, both brilliant and not-so-much. I am not surprised the left is digging for some of the latter. Maddow was also pushing the ancient MTV tape where O'Donnell was part of a campus R Catholic group opposed to extra-marital sex of all kinds, to include self-service. IIRC, that is R Catholic doctrine, so it ought not ab a big surprise that an "O'Donnell" hews to it.
I suspect it will be less effective than they hope, as 2010 smells very much like 1994 in that the election both has a higher ideological content and is more nationalized than the usual election year...and that the pollsters are consistently reporting GOP results 5-6% less than they will turn out in the end, when folks actually go to the polls that count.
