OR-SEN: It's just a fantasy.

Carla Axtman

I've long understood that there is an alternate "reality" (and yes, those quotation marks are meant to be there) for many Republicans. The GOP is not alone in this regard. But in my experience, they're far and away the group with self-identified adherents skating dangerously out of the realm of anything resembling a fact-based existence.

Always the optimist, I hope for better. But the full-court press for Monica Wehby by the well-heeled factions of the GOP elite class borders on psychosis.

To wit:

Simon Maloy, Salon:

One contest that has remained constant, however, is the Senate race in Oregon between incumbent Democrat Jeff Merkley and his Republican challenger, neurosurgeon Monica Wehby. Merkley remains the heavy favorite, despite a gargantuan amount of hype surrounding Wehby’s candidacy. The strange thing is that Wehby-mentum soldiers on despite any real indicators that she’s fielding a credible challenge to Merkley.

Part of this is due to the largess of outside conservative and libertarian groups, who are still pouring money into the race. The Koch brothers just recently opted to boost their overall spending in support of Wehby, partly because her policy positions are simpatico with those of the broader Koch empire, but also because the Koch brothers don’t really have to worry about prioritizing when it comes to political spending. But Wehby-mentum refuses to die also because conservative pundits have convinced themselves that Obamacare’s unpopularity is so potent a force that it will take down an incumbent Democrat in a solidly blue state.

Maloy goes on to note what can only justly be described as "insane" piece by George Will, gushing over what he seems to think is her impending coronation as Oregon's junior senator because...Obamacare, I guess. This despite Wehby's 14 POINT drag behind US Senator Jeff Merkley, mind you.

If the Koch brothers want to dump money into feeding the black hole of the GOP in Oregon, that's certainly up to them. But it seems cruel to me for them (and George Will and Karl Rove) to raise hopes for Wehby's prospects. This race was all but over after Wehby's very public, very self-inflicted wounds.

The public has a short memory. But not that short.

Senator Monica Wehby is just a fantasy. It's not the real thing.

By Carla Axtman July 30, 2014 Posted in Video.