At this point in history all sides are looking for ideological purity.
The Democrats have chosen the "progressive" agenda lock, stock and barrel, though now they hide their heads and avoid credit as well as the leadership that spurred them on.
The Republicans, knowing theirs is the Party that should have reflected Tea Party ideals of fiscal conservatism but didn't once they were in power, might still seek to distance themselves from this populist call to return to the root causes that once brought their Party to power. But they know in their heart of hearts that it is their true path and that they only have to embrace it, as they once did, to win. They have to let their inner populism out.
Many voters on both sides will ignore personal frailties to elect their nominated candidates, particularly those who are ideologically pure.
The difference this day is that the energy and the will to win rests only with the Republicans, the Tea Partiers, the Conservatives and the Libertarians. They are joined by the Independents that have no love for these groups but have grown to despise the corruption and abject failures of the Democrats.
I see many here with pretensions to sophistication and political correctness reject the current populism of the Tea Partiers. In an earlier day they rejected Ronald Reagan as just an actor. They reject Governor Sarah Palin as a bumpkin from Alaska, even while she has become the most effective king maker in recent memory, effectively influencing election after election.
They reject the common life and all too familiar failings of O'Donnell now. But, I believe that O'Donnell's history of struggle and adversity is now also the story of many, many voters. They no longer can make wisecracks about someone like O'Donnell. Not when they, or their friends, or their relatives have also faced financial disaster from unemployment, bureaucratic enmity, other's bad judgments and advice, poor self management and, sometimes, just poor luck.
So what if she has a conservative faith based outlook on life? Many voters do, and many who don't have come to value what such faith provides in hard times. And these are not just registered voters, they are voters that are damn certain to go out and campaign, make donations and vote this election.
O'Donnell just beat tremendous odds, she is a cute, loveable underdog, a mutt running against a Democrat lawyer that has a local reputation for being unfriendly and imperious.
Don't get me wrong, I happen to know Chris Coons and he is a competent guy with a very interesting life story. But he should be more worried about O'Donnell with a tremendous wind at her back than he was about a lifelong politico like Castle whose day has come and gone.
The saying goes that it is better to be lucky than good. O'Donnell just got lucky and I watched her on the news last night and today making new friends with thousands of ordinary people all around the country, not to mention important national Republican backers that had no prior plans to work this campaign. She will be backed by a citizenry, Democrat and Republican and Independent, that has come to despise the fancy pants lawyers that have marginalized this country and are coming close to bankrupting it.
Coons is a fighter, but he today came out and said he would have voted for the health care bill and the other major items of the progressive Democrat agenda. He declared himself a rubber stamp, though not in so many words. And for that he will likely lose this election.