Has Jamie Radtke Ruin A Chance To Stop George Allen?

As anyone can see, on the top corner I have a Bob Marshall for Senate logo.  It represents not so much a desire to see Marshall enter the race (which I would support) but rather a resentment against the big boys telling us who to support before we can to make a decision.  I want a real choice, I don't want the upper echelons of the party dictating to us who to support from the Governor on down.  So as I do hope that Del. Marshall does enter the race just to give conservatives a voice in this process, I feel that it has been ruined, and it has been ruined by the awful campaign of Jamie Radtke. 

I could go on about the oddity that Ms. Radtke be the standard of limited government when she has made her career as congressional (i.e. government) employee.  But her campaign, run so poorly and negatively, has perhaps burned any bridge a true conservative champion could cross to take on Allen.  Her message is ridiculed and stunted by her staggering campaign debt, inability to articulate why Sen. Allen should not be given his old job, and tries to makes up for it by simply attacking Allen over and over.  I believe that so many folks have endorsed Allen because of Radtke and what a disaster she would be as a candidate against Tim Kaine.  The one instinct that unifies all mainstream professional Republicans is to circle the wagons.  That is what is going on now.

Radtke has been talking the tea party talk and she can be an effective spokesperson.  But that message has been ruined by her campaign, and I worry that it has been ruined for any other candidate to step in.  Bob Marshall has a constituency, its one rooted in the 2006 marriage amendment movement, his own near-miss for the nomination in 2008, and then Ken Cuccinelli's AG primary/convention army.  These are religious voters across the state combined with the conservative Northern Virginia GOP base that could launch Marshall forward.  As has been proven over and over, within the Republican Party, the secret is that the most conservative part is Northern Virginia despite its general election record.  Look no further than the 2010 11th district congressional primary.  So there is a natural constituency that is there to beat George Allen, but has Radtke ruined whatever chance someone like Marshall had to win over any other voter outside of that constituency?  Radtke is from Richmond, the hub of the GOP establishment, and has done nothing to win over those folks that stretch from the Valley to places like Patrick Henry College in Loudoun and Christendom College in Front Royal.  Loudoun/Prince William/Faquier/Warren/Shenandoah counties are really the heart of where someone like Marshall would do well and combined that with strength from conservative activists across all of Northern Virginia and he would do very well.  But Radtke has been so terrible I think the idea of an Allen inevitability as taken hold in these areas and I'm not sure Marshall can rev them up in six months. 

Radtke should have challenged Walter Stosch because she clearly needs some political seasoning.  As she's learning, organizing a pressure group is very different from organizing a campaign.  They do not seem to understand that.  Sadly, this chasing at windmills that is the Radtke campaign may have done the one thing they were trying to stop, ensuring George Allen will be the nominee for the United States Senate. 

Comments

[ElectricianMike]

Where do I begin? First of all, you criticize radke for running a negative campaign? What else does the tea party (or, for that matter, the conservative movement) have to offer besides negativity? Can you please give me one positive proposal offered by these groups? Btw, I don't mean "we'll restore freedom taken away by Obama". Be specific. Second of all, northern Virginia consists of fairfax county, Arlington county, and maybe a sliver of loudon and pw counties. The others are nowhere near northern va, and to lump them in with actual nova is akin to calling leesburg part of liberal Maryland (it's just a short trip up 15). Third, bob Marshall is ridiculously out of touch. If you don't believe me on that point, please see personhood, Mississippi. How did that turn out?

[KingCranium]

I'm disappointed, too, that a more conservative alternative hasn't emerged. But at this point, as we learn that Virgina is one of the linchpins of the President's reelection victory, it has become obvious to me that we need to unite behind a candidate. If someone is going to emerge form the right to challenge Allen, I think they need to start soon.

[KingCranium]

Saw this from the Post:

http://tinyurl.com/6pytanz

The Obama 2012 campaign opened its first office in Fairfax County.

[Women Ugg Boots]

Radtke should have challenged Walter Stosch because she clearly needs some political seasoning

[Sue Carr]

Radtke is a great spokesman for smaller government, fiscal responsibility, Constitutional Government - linchpins of the Tea Party movement!