A post by Maynard

Sharron Angle is the Republican challenger to Nevada senator and majority leader Harry Reid. In the primary election, she beat out two better-known and better-funded Republicans. With so many Americans disillusioned with both parties, the Nevada race has become an interesting one. Unlike other contests which pit party stooges against each other, in this case there is a true contrast.

So who is Sharron Angle? This WSJ article is worth reading.

The Democrats try to dismiss her with the usual magic bullets. She’s extreme, she’s off the map, she’s a loon. They don’t want voters to seriously consider the possibility that Angle is capable of representing the state.

Liberal groups and Mr. Reid are gleeful that a “right wing extremist” has won the GOP nomination. At a recent fund raising dinner for the majority leader in Las Vegas, President Barack Obama labeled her “extreme, even for a Republican.” Some Republicans privately grumble that she may be unelectable because of her staunchly conservative stands. And to be sure, some of her positions, such as banning fluoridated water or providing massages to rehabilitate convicts, seem a bit, well, odd.

But is she the kook Mr. Reid portrays her as in his TV ads?

Yes, in all seriousness, that’s the first question I ask about an outsider: Is this person a kook? In my ignorance, I tend to assume that insiders are corrupt inhuman mechanical bureaucrats, and outsiders are kooks. Sane, decent people don’t get involved in government.

I’m always hoping my pessimistic assumption about aspiring politicians will turn out to be wrong, and sometimes it is. But it’s undeniably a fair place to start.

…I met with Mrs. Angle twice, first in Washington, D.C., late last month, then again during the Freedomfest conference last week in Las Vegas. In person, she seems anything but a threat to the American way of life. She is petite, has Irish red hair with and a pretty round face. She’s friendly, but businesslike, and unlike most politicians, comes across as sincere in her convictions. Her husband, Ted, a 35 year veteran of the Bureau of Land Management (he explains that he’s a conservative who worked to protect property rights, not violate them), stands constantly by her side as a confidant and de facto campaign manager.

The article goes on to humanize her. Could Angle possibly be the real deal? Mrs. Smith goes to Washington?

Harry Reid isn’t popular. He’s vulnerable, but he’s a fighter. Don’t count him out. His attack machine against Angle has gone into high gear.

…the attack ads seem to be hurting her. A Las Vegas Review-Journal poll this week has the majority leader pulling into the lead for the first time by 44% to 37%. But Reid’s approval rating remains well below 50%, which always spells trouble for any incumbent, especially in this agitated political environment.

Normally it’s good for a state to have a powerful representative in Washington. That’s the guy with the clout to bring home the bacon. However, with Nevada topping the nation in unemployment, it’s hard for Reid to claim credit in this department. A friend in Nevada told me the locals were upset with the Democrats in general and Reid in particular for not holding the convention that nominated Obama in Las Vegas. The word on the street was that Obama felt that his appearance in Las Vegas would have given the wrong image, and Reid acquiesced rather than fight for his state. Later Obama made that unfortunate metaphorical gaffe about how the nation shouldn’t “blow a bunch of cash in Vegas”.

So Nevada isn’t safe for incumbents, and this could go either way.

It seems to me that if Sharron Angle can win this one, there will be evidence that the Tea Party (whatever that is; I’m not really sure) is a force to be reckoned with. Like Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, it may suddenly become acceptable for real human beings to join the heretofore-exclusive ranks of the political class (and you can see why this would upset them). But if Reid triumphs, it will be a sign that the future is securely held by the machines and bureaucrats.

Which is the kiss of death, to be Obama’s candidate or to be the Tea Party candidate? Lately Obama has been solidly toxic, but let’s not get overconfident. Just because the people are disgusted with Democrats doesn’t mean they love anyone that runs against a Democrat.

Stay tuned.

Her website: SharronAngle.com.

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19 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. tamcat says:

    I am thinking that the Tea Party may not be getting so much criticism if their name didn’t have the word “party” in it. This is what could be confusing people. I say this because the Tea Party is not a party per say, like the Republican party or Democratic party. Yes it is a party of people, but not orchestrated the same way by bureaucrats, politicians, lawyers, the media, and rules of engagement. Tea Party Patriots sounds okay. Some people assume the Tea Party may have a leader. Not so. It is a movement of American people.

  2. robertraybishop says:

    We could use a few more extreme Republicans.

  3. […] the original: Sharron Angle: A Test of the Tea Party Share and […]

  4. CO2aintpoison says:

    Finally proof the Tea Party is racists. Call Breitbart and collect your $100K. http://tinyurl.com/2esl6yq

  5. markrcermak says:

    I think most people recognize that the “party” in tea party is not meant as a reference to a party in terms of Republican or Democrat party, but rather the actual historic Boston Tea Party of 1773 in which the colonists (the people) revolted against an onerous and overtaxing government. The Tea Party of today is simply “we the people” rising up against a government that is incredibly overstepping its bounds according to our 234 year old Constitution. In other words, We The People are telling the government that their role is limited and they need to back up and back off.

    We don’t need extreme politicians in either party, Republican or Democrat. What we need are purely conservative representatives, people who understand and know our founding history and the men and women who founded this exceptional nation. This is what Sarah Palin refers to when she says “common sense conservatism”. There is nothing extreme about it. It’s actually normal.

    But in an environment of compromise and mediocrity, I can see how pure and normal would look extreme….

  6. RuBegonia says:

    Sharron Angle has received $2,500 from SarahPac . There hasn’t been an official Palin Branding via Facebook.
    Just watchdogging with interest.

  7. franknitti says:

    When Harry Reid gets re-elected by a comfortable margin in November he needs to send out a great big cyber kiss to Mark Levin and the other Tea Partiers who gave him Sharron Angle as an opponent to run against. She’s a horrible candidate. Just horrible. Kind of a Republican version of Patty Murray. The ironic thing is that I don’t think Angle thought she had a prayer of winning when she first entered the race. She’s just a perennial fringe candidate who runs for every public office that’s open. But lo and behold, her two opponents were lightweights who imploded on the campaign trail thus giving her the GOP nomination.

    Now, Angle doesn’t have the first clue what to do on the campaign trail. She’s hampered by her previous statements about flouride and the like which make her look like a kook. Instead of fighting back she’s hunkered down in her rathole shaking like a leaf. Her only chance at victory is for Harry Reid to hang himself (still a good possibility IMO). Otherwise, look for a comfortable re-election for Hallelujah Harry, the Screw-Up from Searchlight. You’ve only yourselves to blame, Nevadans, when you nominate an unelectable candidate. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

    • Tammy says:

      But gosh, franknitti, what do you really think? :O

    • markrcermak says:

      I tend to agree with you, except for the part about laying blame on Mark Levin and Tea Partiers for choosing Sharron Angle where the other possible choices were Harry Reid and two opponents who in your own words “were lightweights who imploded on the campaign trail”. This is the same line of thought Newt Gingrich has taken in other parts of America (NY-23 for one) and I think he is wrong for it.

      I think the chances of a takeover in the House and/or Senate is unlikely for precisely this reason. People are fed up to their eyeballs with what exists in Washington (both sides of the aisle), but most are probably not going to vote against them in favor of some unknown, inexperienced candidate who fumbles their way through a campaign against a formidable, seasoned, lifelong opponent.

      Because of that, Harry Reid can and no doubt will hang himself before the election….and still win!

      This is why Sarah Palin is telling people everywhere she goes that you are not going to find the perfect candidate. You’re not going to find someone who is running for office that you agree with 100% of the time. You have to choose the person who most closely resembles your political worldview for America.

      Sharron Angle’s view regarding flouride might be making her look like a kook, but if that is how we are grading the candidates in choosing how we are going to vote, I hope we apply the same test to her opponent. And Harry Reid hasn’t just made a lot of statements that have made him look like a kook, he’s also taken those beliefs behind those statements and moved the entire country (not just Nevada) in that very direction.

      Don’t allow the attack ads to be a distraction from the job at hand….

    • Maynard says:

      The problem is a fundamental one. The creatures that are best-suited to thrive and rule in a sewer are sewer-dwellers. So who do we send in to change the sewer culture? Either our agent is himself or herself a creature of the sewer — in which case we’ll probably end up being betrayed…or he’s a stranger to the sewer, in which case he’s out of his league and thus at a serious disadvantage. What do you do about that?

      Ideally I’d prefer to address the framework of the situation itself, which is that control of our lives rests in the hands of the sewer culture. If government is small, then it matters a lot less how mean and stupid it is. If government is all-encompassing, then the sewer decides who lives and who dies, or it sells your grandchildren into serfdom.

      • markrcermak says:

        Good points!

        I believe the answer lies in being an informed, educated and concerned voting population, and that is precisely what the Tea Party is and why they should be praised for their efforts.

        Look, we should all be more like Sarah Palin in a number of ways, but one such is that we should not look beyond this next election for all the answers. Let’s vote the best available candidates in this year, which pretty much is the same thing as voting the bums already there out!

        Sharron Angle isn’t the solution to America’s problems for sure. She’s just the candidate who happens to be running against one of the three most destructive (and powerful) persons in Washington.

      • ladykrystyna says:

        Maynard, well said! I think you are exactly right. We’re looking for Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, etc. And even they weren’t perfect, but we’re looking for something as close to them as possible.

        And it’s not going to happen. I think what you have said is the most realistic thing we can get. And I think, in the end, that is exactly what our Founders meant to give us – they knew that humans were flawed, so keep it small so the sewer rats never had enough power to cause problems.

        But, the problem is – will the sewer-rats we send in ever help us get to a smaller gov’t?

        How do we get to the smaller gov’t when the rats get into D.C. and betray us (Brown anyone?)?

        Vote them out? Sure, but replace them with what?

        We have a very very very very tough road ahead of us. We have made a mess of this country and it needs a serious clean up. All hands have to be on deck, or we are doomed.

        • Tammy says:

          You know, I agree and disagree here. Let’s not forget that we are viewing our Founding Fathers from afar, and have the pleasure of being able to enjoy our idea of them. We know something for sure though, they were Americans and politicians, and they ushered in a divine idea. I think our challenge is to realize while the Founders were great, we are, actually, just like them. That may scare us a little (!) because we want our heroes better than us, but let’s be honest, we’re the same people they were. One of our jobs is to make politics, and our involvement in it, something that encourages the decent to participate. Already we’re seeing it with the Tea Party with more people running who never ran before, and challenging incumbents. Because they know they’re not alone.

          So when it comes to sewer rats, unfortunately we’ve created an environment that attracted them. But we are now attracting better people who are not bottom dwelling rodents, like IMHO, Ronald Reagan, Allen West, Jason Chaffetz, and yes, Sarah Palin. There are more out there and we have to create a dynamic which invites them in; they have to know we’ve got their backs. Gov. Jan Brewer has referenced that a number of times in her speeches, the fact that America has her back. Palin notes it, as has West. Our fight has many fronts, and like the Founders, I think we’re doing a good job, naturally. And like the Founders, I think we have God with us, too. I just look at our history and see this nation is favored with whomever is in charge. I also know we have a duty and responsibility to take that seriously. And I’m honored to be doing this, at this time, with all of you 🙂

          • ladykrystyna says:

            Thank you for your reply, Tammy.

            I see where you are coming from and I do agree – there are some great people out there that are not bottom-feeders and I ABSOLUTELY have got their back and always will! Sarah Palin and Jan Brewer are two of my heroes, as is West, and Ronald Reagan.

            And yes, I know our Founders weren’t perfect, but intellectually, they got it . . . they understood how freedom worked. Maybe it was because it was they that were espousing the ideas and putting them to paper, that they come across as so much wiser and so much more on a pedastal than many today.

            I guess I also feel that we are going against the wind. I know we poll as a “center-right” nation, but I fear that many of us are simply not as versed in our History , our Constitution, our Founding Documents.

            It’s why I appreciate sites like yours, Michelle Malkin’s, The Bigs with Breitbart, and also Glenn Beck, who has really given me a love for history that I always didn’t have.

            But this message has to get out MAINSTREAM. I feel that sometimes these sites are just preaching to the choir. After all, how much have we heard about the NBPP on mainstream news? I know Fox has a lot of viewers, but how many DON’T they have and therefore, how many are not informed of the other side of the story, or the story at all?

            We are in such an ideological fight, that, for me, it’s akin to the ideological fight we have against Islamofascism – we are fighting something that is antithetical to our Founding Principles, but this one is more insidious because it has convinced so many for 100 years that it was still a Constitutional way of thinking, just a slightly different interpretation, when it is not that AT ALL! How do you change people’s minds? How do you get them to wake up and smell the death of the Republic that is on its way if we do not change course?

            I feel like we are going to have to lose a whole lot of more TANGIBLE freedoms and more blatantly before people wake up! I feel that our Founding Fathers woke up a lot faster and over a lot less than what is going on right now.

            Anyway, it’s turning into a despairing rant, so I’ll spare you! 😀

            Again, thank you for your post, as you did put some things in perspective. I’m a torn woman – I have so much hope at times, and then so much despair. I try to stick with the hope as often as I can, but it is difficult.

            Making a serious dent this November will lift my hope, that’s for sure!

  8. Minnesota says:

    Humorous cartoon on Mamma Grizzlies, Sarah, and Mitt Romney at http://drawfortruth.wordpress.com/category/sarah-palin/

  9. Mrs. Malcontent says:

    As a Nevadan, I am irritated with the attack commercials which run at least once an hour on the “easy listening” radio station. They take one line about her abolishing out of context and repeat it over and over with two seasoned citizens saying …”its the most extreme postion they ever heard.” The commerical is funded by a PAC, which I have no doubt, is union-funded. All the unions in Nevada are on the hoof for Harry. Harry gets a huge amount of contributions from the unions which still have pull in this state. Ms Angle has a very tough road ahead of her, as she does not seem to want to fight back in any way, shape or form.

    Harry Reid all but killed Ely, Nevada, by denying their cold-fired coal plant application. The town, outside of the State prison, has no industry. This town desperately needed something and Harry used his “junk science” mentality regarding coal plants to stifle a town’s ablity to support itself, a parallel I see from the federal government stifling the individual’s ability to support himself. I did not vote for Ms. Angle in the primary, as I felt one of her opponents, Danny Tarkanian, was better suited for the fight with Harry. However, I will support Ms. Angle in November, as she is our candidate, and we need to vote Reid out of office.

  10. […] Sharron Angle: A Test of the Tea Party […]

  11. bachmann2012 says:

    First off, we all need to support Michele Bachmann in her efforts for re-election, and to form the TEA Party Caucus.

    Secondly, as a Nevadan who supported Sharron Angle from the beginning, I am VERY disappointed in her campaigning since the June 8 primaries. She has been bombarded with misleading negative attack ads since June 8 and has only THIS WEEK begun to run ads of her own. She has not even re-run her positive ads from her primary campaign, just to keep her name out there. She is a true conservative, deserves our support and is right on the issues, and I will vote for her, but she does not know how to run a campaign. Her campaign office is small with only two workers and her campaign signs are dwarfed by candidates for the state assembly.

  12. RADAR says:

    The only reason Angle is facing off with Reid is because Democrats switched party afilliation to vote for her in the primaries. Why? Because she’s a nut. Tarkanian and Chachas (sic?), though not perfect were far better picks in my opinion. Angle equates seniors who collect social security with welfare bums. WTF? How many seniors come to Nevada to retire? Her husband was a lifer for the Bereau of Land Management and is collecting a pension from the federal government. How’s that government tea taste, Sharron? Reid incorporates her old web page in attack ads and Sharron cries foul. Those were your views, right? If they were and still are stand up and fight for them. I’ll vote for her but she’s a joke like all the others. Whatever.

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