Christine O'Donnell: Attacks on My Finances Insult Voters

Candidate for Republican nomination for Senate in Delaware Christine O'Donnell, on "The Early Show," Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010.

/ CBS

A Tea Party-backed candidate in today's Delaware Republican primary for Senate said today that ads attacking her personal financial history are an insult to voters, and said recent polling showing her running strong against the candidate backed by GOP leaders suggests voters are "fighting back."

Christine O'Donnell, a former marketing consultant who has never held elected office, sprinted to prominence in the Delaware race after receiving support from the Tea Party Express and an endorsement from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

But there's been increased scrutiny of O'Donnell's personal financial history, which her opponents say precludes her from effectively overseeing public finances, and complaints about alleged illegal campaign fundraising.

O'Donnell has returned fire, saying on CBS' The Early Show" that her opponent, nine-term Congressman Mike Castle, has received the majority of his campaign funds from an "out-of-state corporate special-interest tax."

Attack ads claim O'Donnell didn't receive her college degree for 12 years because of what she owed in outstanding bills to the school, and question unpaid campaign debts from her previous runs for office.

A complaint was also lodged with the Federal Election Commission against O'Donnell, her campaign organization and the Tea Party Express over alleged illegal fundraising activities.

Complaint to FEC Against Tea Party Express, O'Donnell, Friends of Christine O'Donnell

There was also a financial disclosure form which reveals she declared her earned income between March 2009 and June 2010 was only $5,800. And attack ads have said O'Donnell received a tax lien from the IRS.

O'Donnell's Tempest in a Tea Party Pot

When asked this morning on "The Early Show" whether voters could trust her with the nation's finances when she's appears to have had considerable financial difficulties herself, O'Donnell said, "Absolutely."

"All of those accusations are addressed on my website, christine2010.com. And when the question of financial responsibility comes into question, you have to look at how I handled those financial difficulties.

"I'm an average hard-working American. I'm not a multi-millionaire like my opponent. Of course in this economy I've fallen on hard times. But I worked hard. I sacrificed. I made the decision that I needed to make things right. I came through to the other side in a very strong position. I made it through the difficult times. That's what the voters are seeing. Financial responsibility is making your obligations right.

"My opponent has cashed a government paycheck, a taxpayer-funded government paycheck for over four decades," she said. "So when he makes those accusations that that's irresponsible because someone has struggled, he's insulting the voters. And I think that's where the backlash has come from. And that's why so many former people who once supported my opponent are now on my side. Because of this obnoxious sense of entitlement that this position should be handed to the next anointed king."

Interactive Map: CBS News Election 2010 Race Ratings

Anchor Eric Hill asked O'Donnell about the funding and support her campaign has received, which includes up to $250,000 from the Tea Party Express, and other support from outside Delaware.

"How much of your funding, how much of your volunteering is coming from within the state of Delaware? There's been some criticism that too much of it is a national and not a local level," said Hill.

Without mentioning her own campaign funds, O'Donnell answered by highlighting the efforts of campaign workers. "Well, we have an army of volunteers that have given us the strength we need to get the national attention," she said.

"And my opponent, over about 70% of his donations come from out-of-state corporate special-interest tax."

She said her campaign is relying on "grassroots" support.

"We are not a party apparatus," O'Donnell said. "So when [Sarah] Palin and [Sen. Jim] DeMint and Sean Hannity and others have come in and gotten behind our grassroots effort, it was a vote of confidence for we, the people, and a vote against the politics of personal destruction. So what they were saying was, enough is enough.

"This election, the focus of this election, should be how we're going to get private sector jobs back in Delaware, how we're going to defend the security of our homeland, how we're going to take care of our veterans. When the national support came in, it was saying 'enough is enough. Let's talk about the real issues.' And I'm excited for our war-weary troops who have gotten us this far."

To watch Christine O'Donnell's interview on "The Early Show" click on the video player below.

[jambo223]

Here's a moving - and instructive - tale of a young gay man, Wade Richards, who once worked with Christine O'Donnell in the Christianist trenches until he came to terms with his identity. O'Donnell emerges as a viciously anti-gay bigot, blaming people with HIV and AIDS for their illnesses and conflating homosexuality with pedophilia. Her gay-baiting was also central to her smear campaign against Castle, something even expert gay-baiter Karl Rove found too much. (Rove usually finds some tiny shred of evidence to smear someone as gay and probably objects to the amateurism of O'Donnell's smears).

Another classic detail: O'Donnell's own sister, according to Richards, is openly lesbian. These people demonize their own family members as well (as, of course, was the case with Rove).
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/09/odonnell-and-her-ex-ex-gay-ex-staffer.html

[dalemuse]

You sound like you work for some opposition research firm. Castle, Carper and Biden still paying well? You might not be employed much longer. She won the republican primary because voters have been awakened. Sorry, but a majority of voters realized that gay rights is of little importance to the prosperity of this country. What's important is regaining the states rights that Castle, Biden and Carper have given away to the FED.

[melissa181]

Oooooh, they're conservatives, they don't do that bit. They said they were people, not NICE people. Religion, sexual harrassment mean nothing if it's not THEIR religion or if THEY aren't being harrassed. Seems like what we have here is A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE !!! Some men you just can't reach. So this is what we have if Wade Richard won't do her. I don't like it anymore than you do, but she wants it, so he gets it.

[melissa181]

Oh give her a break, so she made a few porno flicks in college and now they won't sell even with marketing skills so she's trying to help others stop losing money the same way she did. Economy's bad so she's going for a government running type job. Doing the Catholic Protestant thing now to cover all grounds.

[starving1968-3]

by chevyhotrod September 14, 2010 2:00 PM EDT
I wonder what 8% of $1.6 Trillion is?






I wonder how much of that $1.6 TRILLION was legislation created by the republicans as opposed to the democrats?

60 / 40?

75 / 25?

We know it's got to be MUCH higher for the republicans, because they passed much more pork stuffed legislation!

[stickbowman]

The tea party movement is more like musical jam session than a politically target-able entity. Everyone is welcome to jam, as long as they don't become camera-fodder America's evermore corrupt media - you know who they are if you have an ounce of truth in your soul!

Metro-centric and brainwashed, urban intellectuals are ill-prepared for this harmonic coalescence of citizens almost miraculously drawn together by the notion that rational adult citizens must step up to stop the insanity in DC.

Uber rich lobbyist money doesn't pollinate just democrats or republicans, reporters and journalists alike are treated to favor, fame and job security by not asking democrat politicians probing questions.

[melissa181]

They keep a little thorazine on hand in case things get out of control...or just for added fun...

[thomasmc1957]

*** is an "out-of-state corporate special-interest tax" ???
You'd have to be a complete moron to believe a word out of this woman's mouth.

[Dave_P6]

HEY MIDDLE CLASS: Republicans want your Bush tax cuts to expire if they can't extend the tax cuts for people making over $250,000 a year.

Also, the Federal deficit has gone down 8% in the first half of 2010: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1221782220100413

[oldman47701]

CAREER politicians...ALL alike...PERIOD...want to get mad..look at the phone/util bills--fees/taxes..and what taxes you pay today(fed/state/county/city) add it up..CHOKE...>>SCRAP ALL TAX's...only ONE tax..SALES TAX..fed/state..something WE all can watch..no excceptions..well one--no TAX on FOOD.11%Fed 4$State..more than enough..THINK..

[jambo223]

The upshot of the likes of O'Donnell, Palin, the tea-baggers from Nevada, Alaska and other states is a testimony to the fact that the educational system in the US has really fallen behind. This seems to be part of the plan of big corporations. People get their indoctrination from FOX news and other organs of the corporate establishment. Then the uneducated masses who have never learned to think clearly find that the simplistic, fearful, angry, hate-filled arguments thrust at them by people who are "just like them" are very appealing. It is quite possible that the tea-bagger approach may become a dominant force in US politics. It would be another down-turn but it can happen. It is interesting to see that, like many third-world countries, the uneducated electorate of the US can be convinced to vote against its own best interest by those who would profit from the ignorance of the majority rather than find ways to educate and raise people up. What a world!!

[jamessamans]

Fair enough. But we can blame the dumbing down of America in equal portions on right-wingers who slashed education budgets in the face of unsustainable debt and left-wingers who slashed education standards in favor of building self-esteem.

[the_truth_about]

I thought the argument that tea party supporters were uneducated was ruled false in surveys and analysis that showed a majority were college educated, middle to upper earners with a diverse cross section of careers and lifestyles.

But feel free to persue your own left wing hateful agenda. Its the only argument you have left because conversations about policy wont get you anywhere.

[jamessamans]

Christine O'Donnell is not guaranteed to lose a statewide election, because the Democrats were unable to rope Beau Biden into running for his father's seat.

But the simple fact is that Mike Castle would win the seat in a landslide, because he is extremely popular in Delaware.

That the Tea Party is challenging him demonstrates that it is not primarily concerned with a resurgent Republican party but rather ensuring that, should Republicans gain power, the party's membership will be purged of anyone who doesn't conform to their definition of a "real" Republican.

And good for them. In practice, the Republican party has been shifting to the right for years now. Purge the moderates and centrists and let those voices be picked up by the Democrats.

Once that's done, and the Republican party becomes a true far-right party, we can face down the trumpeted claim that Americans are very conservative and want a very conservative government. If those claims are correct, we'll push the other 80% of the viewpoints out of the discussion and return the country as closely as possible to a highly tweaked imaginary version of 1789.

More likely, the purified Republican party will lose en masse, and we can drop the pretention that they speak for half of the country and just get on with ignoring them for all future decisions.

Either way is good for America, because it gives us the government we want and breaks gridlock.

[savagesteve13]

Perhaps the Tea Party finally is becoming what it needs to be, a true 3rd party. The GOP's hardcore sandbagging of these candidates shows that the republican party is in dire need of reform, and that all the established party wants is more of the same.

As americans we should encourage new people to be in government, because look what has happened to our economy under the career politicians.
With luck, Tea Party elected won't be bought off by the corporations and will do what is right and proper, not what is profitable for the mega-rich.

[jamessamans]

So, in your worldview, it'd be beneficial to have one party comprised of independent anti-tax right-wing extremists; another of established pro-business right-wing extremists; and a third for every other idea in the political spectrum? I like it.

[Cru09]

"With luck, Tea Party elected won't be bought off by the corporations and will do what is right and proper, not what is profitable for the mega-rich." --- ha.. hahahaaha Really? Okay, lets watch what Rand does.