Christine O'Donnell may not be a witch, but it appears she's also not much of a political figure. Just when we'd almost forgotten about the woman who seemed to spend her youth making unfortunate statements to Bill Maher, the Wilmington News Journal offered a damning look at the former candidate who garnered national attention in 2010 when her upstart Tea Party campaign defeated Congressman Mike Castle, the Republican establishment pick, in the GOP primary for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat. The campaign soon turned into burning mess that most of us watched with a combination of shock and schaudenfreude as bizarre statements she'd made in her youth, including some about witchcraft, came to light. She was trounced in the general election by her Democratic opponent.
Since then, we now learn, things seem to have spiraled. The News-Journal article, which features several D.C. talking heads dismissing O'Donnell's future, outlines just about every way in which O'Donnell's career seems to be failing.
Some of the low points:
- Together O'Donnell's PAC, ChristinePAC and her Senate campaign fund only had $36,000 left at the end of 2011. They'd raised over $7 million for her 2010 run. ChristinePAC has only 16 donors who gave more than $200 in the last six months of 2011.
- O'Donnell's book, Troublemaker, has only sold around 3,000 copies. Sadder? Her campaign may have bought more than 750 copies.
- Sarah Palin, who once endorsed O'Donnell, allegedly refused to be on stage with her in Iowa this year.
- When O'Donnell went to Iowa to campaign for Mitt Romney, her visit got a crowd of only 10 people-and a boycott from 15 Tea Party groups angry she'd fashioned herself a spokesperson for the movement.
The article also notes that O'Donnell has yet to establish herself as a political pundit. But given that her tale is quickly getting to that so-bad-you-can't-look-away zone, she might consider if Lifetime has any spots open.
