The National Republican Senatorial Committee is pushing back against reports today that they’ve pulled away from Joe Miller in Alaska. A NRSC e-mail just went out with the following statement from Rob Jesmer, the NRSC’s executive director: “While I’m sure ABC News enjoyed leading Politico’s Playbook this morning, it might have been more useful if they had actually taken a moment to contact the NRSC before running this inaccurate story. Joe Miller not only has the full support of the NRSC, but he’s actually featured prominently in our TV ad which is running still today statewide in Alaska.”
NRSC communications director Brian Walsh also points to their boss, Senator John Cornyn, on This Week this morning:
· AMANPOUR: “Let me ask you about Joe Miller in Alaska – our Jon Karl, political correspondent, is saying the GOP is basically giving up on Joe Miller or thinking he’s not going to win.”
SEN. CORNYN: “That’s not the case – what we have done, we are supporting the nominee of our party which is Mr. Miller.”
I suspect if Senator Cornyn sounded a little more like Sarah Palin on Fox, he could have put this storyline to bed (warning: non-Sunday-morning-like language):
UPDATE: Walsh sends out another e-mail on the CBS voicemail issue: “If this voicemail is authentic, which is appears to be, it is deeply disturbing. It should trouble all Americans that any member of the media would attempt to purposefully smear a nominee for the U.S. Senate. CBS owes an immediate explanation to Joe Miller and his campaign.”
As you'd know if you were here in Alaska, Cornyn's assertion is total BS. The NSRC ads are designed to coordinate with Murkowski's attack the Democrat, Scott McAdams, and drive votes to Murkowski from McAdams. While they appear to tout Miller, in this peculiar three way race, they hurt him if they do anything at all.
The fact is that the Republican Caucus has never supported Miller as is amply demonstrated by their vote to have Murkowski keep her committee positions. Miller has run an inept campaign and could have used some advice from seasoned pros in the party. It seems he got none--only discouragement in the final analysis.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWalsh edited his boss' quote pretty tight. Here's more:
When asked by host Christiane Amanpour whether he believes Miller can win, Cornyn simply replied, "Well, I think that polls are very close now between Senator Murkowski and Joe Miller, and what we want to make sure of is that the Democrat doesn't win, Bob's candidate doesn't win in November."
Cornyn is my senator and I emailed my disappointment to his office. He has stumbled many times as NRSC chairman and this ranks right up there. He was re-elected in '08 and is already begging for a Tea Party primary opponent in '14.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCornyn will be the #1 Tea Party target in 2012. It hardly matters that he is defending Miller this morning. His wishy-washy support of Conservatism in the Senate will not be forgotten, nor his fence straddling on Murkowski. The perfect example of a patrician-elitist politician.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere may not be a grand media conspiracy to smear conservatives, but that means nothing if there are hundreds of conspiracies around the nation.
The chances against finding evidence like this cell phone blunder are astronomical, and yet every time we get a peek behind the curtain we see the same thing. Whether it's Alaskan reporters hoping to find a sex offender attending a Miller rally, or a New York Times reporter coordinating coverage with an East Anglian climate-change conman, it all adds up to the destruction of the credibility of our news-gathering organizations.
It's an outrage, and a shame.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse“That’s not the case – what we have done, we are supporting the nominee of our party which is Mr. Miller.”
The fact that Cornyn can't muster up better than that by now tells you all you need to know. GOP hedging stopped being news the day after Murkowski left the Senate cloakroom to announce her write-in campaign.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI tell my kids that it isn't what words you hear that's a problem. It is the words you choose to use that is most important. Big difference.
Frankly, isn't there a major movie titled, "inglorious b.."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWho are the corrupt b-tards? The CBS Affiliate in Alaska, or ABC News, who never contacted the NRSC before incorrectly reporting that the NRSC was pulling support for Miller?
I think this all helps Miller. Alaska - one of the most conservative states in the Union - has one Democrat Senator because prosecutorial misconduct ensnared Ted Stevens. Now the establishment media - local and national - is conspiring against Miller. I doubt Alaskans will appreciate being told that voting for a conservative is unacceptable. Can they not have ONE conservative Senator?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"I suspect if Senator Cornyn sounded a little more like Sarah Palin on Fox, he could have put this storyline to bed".
Did it ever appear to you that Mr Cornyn maybe did NOT want to "put the storyline to bed"? That the report was actually true and that he just confirmed what everyone knows - that the establishment does not like Miller and will do everything to elect Murkowski? If not, why the Washigton D.C. establishment did not strip Lisa Murkowski of her Committee membership after she lost the primaries? Why didn't you, "conservatives" from the NRO attack the Republican leadership for that (apart from highly hypocritical critiques of Murkowski. Why didn't you target the real bad guys, Cornyn, Mc Connell and all the rest, who decided what they decided)?
They have never supported Joe Miller, just as they never supported Rand Paul, Sharon Angle or Christine O'Donnell. They just were not able to stop them. Now they do everything they can to decrease the De Mint's future Tea Party caucus by obstructing the Joe Miller's campaign.
And I would say that you at the NRO unfortunately represent their allies; you are more an intellectual and journalist wing of the Republican party, than the conservative corrective of D.C. politics. You were very delicate to not embarrass or pressure the leadership too much for supporting Murkowski after she lost the primaries and for behaving disgracefully towards O'Donnell (except when you were conspiring overtly with the same leadership to justify the "pledge", bailout and similar stuff).
This amazement why Cornyn was not firmer in denying what everyone sees is true is really, really hypocritical.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm not a Tea Partier (yet). Life long Republican. Joe Miller's the only out of state candidate I donated to this year. I won't soon forget the NRSC's betrayal of him or their favoritism towards Murckouskiiy. After I vote Tuesday, I'm re-registering as an Independent. Someone tell the NRC to never call me again. Ever.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCornyn is a symptom of the malaise that Americans seek to rectify. The members of the so-called Republican establishment will be held accountable when their terms are up. The current rooting-out of go along, get along politicians is just the beginning and it would be wise to acknowledge and get behind this sea-change.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePersonally, if I see one more qualifier prior to any post about Christine O'Donnell (e.g. 'as you know, I'm no fan of'...Jim Geraghty, you're great, but please don't continue with these demeaning qualifiers, after all it's not as though she is an Obama)I shall be on the verge of self-combustion.
BTW another problem the Reps. have is Karl Rove - apropos O'Donnell, if she loses it will be down to Rove and those like him. To think, blast it, I just bought his book - anyone want it?
Penny wrote: "BTW another problem the Reps. have is Karl Rove - apropos O'Donnell, if she loses it will be down to Rove and those like him. "
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No, when O'Donnell loses by close to 20 points it will be the fault of the people who ignored Rove's pragmatic advice and jumped on the Palin-bandwagon to nominate a fatally-flawed, wholly-unelectable candidate with a cloud of ethical, financial, and veracity issues and who doesn't know the text of the First Amendment, admitted to dabbling in witchcraft, thinks the nation is being overrun by genetically-engineered mice with human brains, and wonders why monkeys don't spontaneously turn into humans before our eyes.
Electability is an important concern in every election and the silly people who wantonly chose to ignore it have complete ownership of the O'Donnell debacle. You can't proceed to nominate a candidate who every reasonable conservative told you was unelectable, then try and blame said candidate's lopsided loss on those who advised you not to nominate her in the first place.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is why I do not donate to the NRSC or the RNC, just individual candidates.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCornyn is also the weasel who put out the word weeks ago that Republicans won't try to repeal Obamacare. That alone qualifies him as a quisling and a big fat primary target for the Tea Party in 2012.
When Murkowski left the Senate cloak room after that closed meeting to announce a write in campaign, I bet you a month's pay she got the green light from Cornyn, McConnell & Company. Wanna bet?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAm a tea partier, and I don't trust the Republicans. This election is about Obama, Pelosi and Reid. If it were about "Republicans" they'd be in trouble again. The fact is they stink also. Shelby, from my state, Alabama, is a big spender who likes to see his name on buildings, and his wife and him vacationing on taxpayers money. I would love to vote him out....but this year...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI live in Japan, but vote absentee in Alaska. Leaving Murkowski in place on the energy committee after she flipped and started her write-in campaign was an outrage. It helped fuel Joe Miller's sinking in the polls. I hope that she fails, but either way I'm going to hold McConnell, Cornyn, Graham, the Bobbsey Twins and the rest of the crony caucus personally responsible. I'll work hard to see them voted out when their turn comes. They need to wake up and smell the coffee, or should I say tea? I've had it with supporting the Republican Party. Jim DeMint and his crew are great. The rest of them need to go.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePublius, O'Donnell may be flawed in some eyes, but how moreso than BHO, an unsubstantial and unsubstantiated enigma who has been allowed to almost take down the country? My point is that you work with what you have - the voters made the choice that is theirs to make. Once made, stand beside them or at the very least, do no harm.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRove and the establishment saw fit to continue airing their disdain after the fact. How that helps to get a seat for the senate escapes me.
Same with Joe Miller - and Murkowski keeping her committee seat.