Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:06 pm
Even though it looks like the Republican Party will win at least one and maybe as many as all three major elections tomorrow, this has not stopped the right wing from slipping into full blown paranoid mode. Andrew Breitbart’s website claimed that Democrats are rigging the NJ gubernatorial election, while Rush Limbaugh warned about Democratic malfeasance on his radio show.
Brietbart’s site posted a wild conspiracy theory yesterday that Chris Daggett’s candidacy was a set up from Corzine, “The first sign is a straight-up dirty trick. Daggett’s run for office is certainly convenient for Corzine, as he will help split any anti-Corzine vote. And, as a Corzine political appointee, one wonders if his candidacy wasn’t a set up to begin with…”
Of course what would a right wing conspiracy theory be without ACORN, “More telling that the fix is in, however, is the sudden appearance of ACORN on the scene. Not by name, mind you, as their reputation is so tarnished that even New Jersey Democrats don’t want to be associated with them. No, in New Jersey ACORN sought cover behind its big brother, SEIU, specifically SEIU Local 32BJ.” The post concludes with, “The best hope here is that Christie wins by enough of a margin that these dirty tricks are moot. As they say in sports, put enough points on the board and the refs can’t steal it from you.”
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What a conspiracy!!!! A labor union supporting a Democrat!!!! Hide the women and children!!!
In comparison to what Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show today, the folks over at Big Government look fairly sane:
Limbaugh said, “This is why I said the Republican Party needs to be, as Ronald Reagan said, retaken. This is no time for third party movements, it really isn’t, but you mentioned the election fraud, I’ll tell you what tomorrow is going to be a dry run for Democrat mischief and malfeasance getting ready for 2010 and 2012. ACORN, SEIU, The New Black Panthers, they get their equivalent of the Super Bowl Tuesday.”
Even though voter identification with the Republican Party is at an all time low, the right wing claims that Democrats still have to rig and steal elections. It is always, ironic that any Republican would ever complain about election fraud after what happened in the 2000 presidential elections. Notice that neither Limbaugh nor Big Government have any evidence that fraud is about to take place tomorrow.
What the right wing is doing is building an excuse in case they lose tomorrow. The GOP will almost certainly win the VA governor’s race. However, the other two contests are much closer. The NY-23 House race has been full of conservative infighting, and the NJ governor’s race has been a brutally negative campaign, which has resulted in a dead heat. Depending on voter turnout, Republicans could win all three of these elections, or lose 2 of the 3.
If history is any guide, the Republicans should do fairly well tomorrow. If they do lose though, it won’t be because the Democrats rigged the elections. These races will be decided based on local and state issues. They aren’t a bellwether for the future. The right wing refuses to believe that their defeats are a rejection of their ideology. There is always a conspiracy theory to blame. The inmates are completely running the GOP asylum now, and reality is not their friend.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
