Sharron Angle’s “Wave” ad is just really awesome, you guys

By Dan Brooks in Tea Party 6 Comments

Say what you will about the breakdown of our democracy—it’s been a great year for ads. Popping up with a gun and yelling at the screen was among the least crazy things a candidate could do, and the ads that didn’t contain candidates because they were paid for by anonymous shadow corporations were even weirder. So when I saw the headline “Robert Menendez calls Sharron Angle’s ad racist,” I figured we were in for some canny insinuation, a little where-did-the-jobs-go, maybe a picture of day laborers. I didn’t think we were going to get a freaking Masterpiece of Insanity, which is what I offer you after the jump.

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Rand Paul volunteer kind of stomps on woman’s head

By Dan Brooks in Tea Party 9 Comments

A volunteer for MoveOn.org who appeared outside Rand Paul’s Monday-night debate was wrestled to the curb by Paul supporters, one of whom kind of stomped on her head. Lauren Valle, a MoveOn supporter from Pennsylvania, arrived at the debate in a blonde wig carrying an employee of the month award from RepubliCorp, a trademark MoveOn established to emphasize the connection between the Republican Party and large business interests. She was pushed over and carried to the curb by several men—including Tim Profitt, who, after a moment’s hesitation, put his foot between her head and neck and did something between stepping and stomping. Video after the jump.

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Video captures happiest 4 minutes of Christine O’Donnell’s life

By Dan Brooks in Tea Party 7 Comments

I assume that, by now, the numerical minority of you who did not send me links to Christine O’Donnell’s First Amendment gaffe yesterday have heard about it. In a debate with Chris Coons before, of all people, an audience of law students, the Delaware Senate candidate demanded to know “where in the Constitution” is the separation of church and state. After her opponent recited the establishment clause (pretty much from memory, although he missed a couple of words,) she remained incredulous, saying, “You’re telling me that’s in the First Amendment?” Newspaper accounts were beautiful, but they miss what is perhaps the best part: the four or so minutes after O’Donnell sticks Coons with her “where in the Constitution?” question but before she realizes it’s a gaffe. During that time, she smirks at the crowd, mugs during her opponent’s answers and generally acts like she’s just checkmated Vladimir Nabokov. It’s an almost physically painful study in dramatic irony, and it captures the essence of Christine O’Donnell.

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Polls show O’Donnell hosed for November

By Dan Brooks in Tea Party 1 Comment

Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, making that face that certain people learn to make instead of a smile

If elections in the United States were decided by comparative media coverage, Christine O’Donnell would be Supreme Overlord by now. As it is, a new poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University finds Christ-Od trailing her opponent, Chris Coons, by 17 points. If the name of that university sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because it’s the one from which O’Donnell falsely claimed to graduate—you know, back when that was the most alarming thing we knew about her. God, the irony is sweet. That’s irony, right? I don’t even know anymore.

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Department of Aiigh!: Christine O’Donnell is you

By Dan Brooks in Tea Party 8 Comments

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJyPsmEask&feature=player_embedded

Let’s talk about first impressions. When I’m suddenly confronted with the image of a woman looming in a featureless null-space, the most reassuring thing she can say to me is not, “I’m not a witch.” Behold Christine O’Donnell, starting from scratch. She’s nothing you’ve heard—a statement immediately punctuated by the appearance of the words “Christine O’Donnell” next to her. Clearly, we are rebuilding Candidate O’Donnell from the ground up. She’s done some experimenting, she’s shopped around, and she’s finally settled on an identity that she thinks she likes: yours.

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