SC-1 special election - May 7th

[Ogre Mage]

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lol lol lol

Sanford could still win but given that this is a solid Republican district the fact that Colbert Busch appears slightly ahead is quite hysterical.  If she pulls it off, I look forward to bad media headlines for the GOP.  Though truth be told, it's better for the national GOP if Sanford loses.  If he wins we will put that to good use.

[Ogre Mage]

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lol lol lol

Sanford could still win but given that this is a solid Republican district the fact that Colbert Busch appears slightly ahead is quite hysterical.  If she pulls it off, I look forward to bad media headlines for the GOP.  Though truth be told, it's better for the national GOP if Sanford loses.  If he wins we will put that to good use.

Well judging from that specific snippet of conversation, Colbert Busch didn't ask a question. She made a statement. What question was Mark Sanford supposed to answer?

It's hard to say if Sanford actually noticed the lack of a question or if he was just suffering from conveniently timed hearing loss after her reference to his extracurricular activities.

Colbert Busch doesn't seem to be a particularly talented candidate, which makes the situation even funnier.  The former governor of the state is struggling against a political neophyte on conservative-friendly turf.  Of course, the main reason she is ahead is because Damaged Goods Sanford is like Humpty Dumpty after he jumped off the wall.  But at least Larry Flynt wants to put him back together again, lol.

[Ogre Mage]

I don't know why, but I've got a somewhat bad feeling about this. ECB didn't have the best debate, and Sanford's stories have disappeared. They might have come too early. Also, the Pelosi attack lines are smarter than Democrats admit. I hope for ECB to manage it, but it's no better than a toss-up.

My take:  Sanford could win, but it's more likely that Colbert Busch will. 

[Ogre Mage]

This is an R+11 district.  We shouldn't be competitive here, so it is quite funny that we are, especially with a neophyte candidate.  I frankly just find this race amusing and the stakes not very high.

If Colbert Busch wins, we will have planted a stake behind enemy lines.  Although she probably won't last long.  If Sanford wins, well, that won't be helpful to the national GOP's PR efforts.  This is the party that claims to be for "fiscal responsibility" and "moral values," hee hee.  Maybe the GOP doesn't comprehend how horrible it looks to anyone outside of its hard-core base.  The fact they nominated this turd on a plate certainly suggests that.

[Ogre Mage]

Should Republicans root for Mark Sanford to lose?  by Harold Mass.

http://theweek.com/article/index/243740/should-republicans-root-for-mark-sanford-to-lose

What I find fascinating about this race is that what should have been a dull special election for a house seat in a solidly Republican district has turned into a big spectacle because of the two candidates -- a disgraced former governor and the sister of a TV celebrity.  Due to the media coverage and public interest, it is one of those cases where the symbolic importance of the race has become overinflated over the actual substantive value of the seat in question.  Still, it makes for good theater.

[Ogre Mage]

A victory for the party of "moral values," lol.  Yes, he prayed and found God's grace, blah blah.  You nominated him, GOP, and now you own him.  It will be fun seeing where this goes.

[Ogre Mage]

So the big question is...

Does the election of Sanford destroy the GOP's credibility even more than before?

It will be (even more) amusing to see their outreach to women voters in the future.

[Ogre Mage]

A diverse group that unites around Nancy Pelosi?

'Kinda like the caucus before 2010.

Though she's been effective as Speaker, I do think the caucus needs a new leader, at least for electability purposes.

It's useless. It would anger Democrats' base while having no effect on voters, since they will demonize candidates linking them to Obama.

If anything, we should take a model of that. Tie all Republicans candidates, especially in liberal states to controversial Republicans.

This special election in SC-1 has conveniently provided Democrats with another target.  I'm sure Mark Sanford will do wonders for his party's already suffering image.