Republicans can't be happy that Christine O'Donnell is their candidate

[ProSense]

Steve Benen

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But even for a Senate candidate who's lied repeatedly about her educational background, is suspected of campaign embezzlement, is suspected of tax fraud, rejects modern science, hates gays, has crusaded against masturbation, has talked about stopping Americans from having sex, and embraces a hysterically extreme political worldview, this is pretty extraordinary.

Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell of Delaware said in a 2006 debate that China was plotting to take over America and claimed to have classified information about the country that she couldn't divulge.

O'Donnell's comments came as she and two other Republican candidates debated U.S. policy on China during Delaware's 2006 Senate primary, which O'Donnell ultimately lost.

She said China had a "carefully thought out and strategic plan to take over America" and accused one opponent of appeasement for suggesting that the two countries were economically dependent and should find a way to be allies.

"There's much I want to say," she said at the time. "I wish I wasn't privy to some of the classified information that I am privy to."

Note that this came from 2006. Some of the evidence of O'Donnell's nuttiness comes from the 1990s, which makes it at least slightly easier for her backers to dismiss as errors of youth. But in '06, O'Donnell was seeking a major-party nomination for the U.S. Senate, claiming to have access to "classified" information about a Chinese "strategic plan to take over America."

At a certain point, this stops being funny and starts being sad. I've long assumed that O'Donnell is just a ridiculous right-wing activist who managed to win a low-turnout primary. Given her delusional claims about access to classified Chinese intelligence, and her outlandish lies about her own educational background, I'm starting to think there may be something deeply wrong with Christine O'Donnell, which really isn't funny at all.

[jaxx]

1. She's an attention hound.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Did anyone provide the fact that if she had classified info that she would be subject to charges?

[Zambero]

3. She's the gift that keeps on giving

Not only did her primary win keep an existing Democratic Senate in seat in play (or better), but she has also become the GOP's poster child for what happens when overzealous Tea Party activists gain control of the Republican party. O'Donnell, Angle, Paul, Miller, et al are not good selling points for independents who may have leaned GOP but are also concerned that right-wing whackos are taking control.

[zulchzulu]

4. My father, a PREVIOUS fan of Beck/Hannity/Limbaugh, is voting for Coons or writing in Castle

The lesson with this is that outsiders like the Tea Party and the Fox Snooze channel can sound great when it's not involved with hitting people like Mike Castle, who my father counts as a personal friend.

They destroyed Mike Castle, who despite some of his GOP embracing on some issues, was a moderate for the most part. And the O'Donnell's of the World have made my father want the Republican in the race to not only lose, but perhaps do time for crimes using campaign funds for personal gains.

[rfranklin]

5. She may have received intell while fucking some Congressman...

The ol' honey trap, as they say in the CIA.

[Qutzupalotl]

6. At least she prevented him from masturbating

for a while, anyway.

[Mike Marble]

7. Bless her pointy little head! She's going to cost the GOP the Delaware seat.

Those rabid right Tea Party-type primary winners are going to cost the GOP in Nevada and Kentucky, too. We hope.

[flamingdem]

10. The only upside if the Tea Party crazies win is the entertainment value..

.. and that's going to get real old, real fast.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. They gave birth to O'Donnell and her ilk.

Now they want to abandon her.

Typical repukes............

[ladywnch]

9. And this woman got a clearance for classified how ??????

She hasn't worked in YEARS and to my knowledge didn't hold a job that required clearance when she did have a job.

[martymar64]

11. They reap what the sow. The GOP encouraged the crazies and this is what you get.

[saltpoint]

12. So I'm wondering if she is privy to classified information

regarding the Chinese, are these Chinese-Chinese, as in people, or Chinese mice-with-human-brains-Chinese?

I'm guessing that if it's the mice, the Chinese mice have learned not only their own language, but can translate into English for any meatball-chomping morons they happen to encounter in the global espionage scheme.

And why has the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS done a cover story on this?

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. Professional campaigner, living off the spoils of her perpetual campaigning.

I'd say she's got some ethics issues. How anyone can still be a supporter, is nothing short of amazing.

[applegrove]

14. At first I thought she might educate teabaggers about how nutty they are but I have my doubts now

it will sink in.

[Politicalboi]

15. Well she's right about China

BUT! We gave them America under Bush, so they only need to collect the debt. I'm privy to info too. It's called real news.