DOES CHRISTINE HAVE A CHANCE? – AT 10:20 A.M. ET:  Just about everyone with an Approved Pundit membership card is writing off Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.  But Roger Simon, at The Politico, is trying to put the brakes on the "inevitable loser" talk, and he has a point:

People often...look for a candidate “who understands my problems” or “is a regular person just like me.”

A few voices question whether O’Donnell’s loss is inevitable: Neil King Jr. of The Wall Street Journal wrote an article that appeared Wednesday with the headline “Odds Are Tough, but Not Hopeless, for GOP in Delaware,” and Mark Halperin of The Page referenced his Thursday appearance on “Morning Joe” under the headline “Don’t Write Off O’Donnell.”

But most analysts are writing her off (or are waiting for the polls to see which way they should jump).

After all, O’Donnell really is way over on the right, and Delaware is not a ‘way over on the right’ state — at least until now.

Something is clearly going on in this country. And while O’Donnell, Palin and the tea party are giggled about in Washington, they are seen as a deadly serious and potent political force by many outside. Those outside are not giggling right now. They are waiting for election night to do that.

COMMENT:  There's a great deal of wisdom in that.  O'Donnell, though, must do her part by running a masterful campaign, refraining from nutty comments, and confronting her past.  She apparently has left a trail of unpaid bills, tax problems, and difficulty paying her college loans.  Hey, maybe she's normal.

O'Donnell may have to make the modern equivalent of a "Checkers" speech to have a shot.  For those too young to remember, or those whose American History course in college included only slavery and George McGovern, here is a brief reminder:  In 1952, Republican presidential nominee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, chose Senator Richard M. Nixon of California as his running mate.  But it came out that Nixon had access to a "slush fund" provided by campaign supporters, something clearly outside ethical norms.  Nixon had to explain himself and clear his name, and so he addressed the nation on the then-new medium of television, denying any wrongdoing, but conceding that his family had accepted one gift, a little dog that Nixon's daughters named "Checkers."  And Nixon swore he'd never give it back.  The heartwarming nature of the speech saved Nixon's candidacy.

The next two weeks are critical for Christine.  She's got to define herself and her opponent.  And she's got to unite Republicans around her.

September 18, 2010