November 05, 2009 02:25 AM UTC

Scozzafava's First Casualty: Jane Norton?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Interesting press release just came across from the Colorado Democratic Party:

SENATE REPUBLICANS DROP SUPPORT FOR JANE NORTON

GOP Can’t Count on DC Money

DENVER – Speaking about the upcoming 2010 Senate elections, National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Senator John Cornyn pledged that the committee would not spend a cent in a contested Republican Senate primary, in an effort to “ease some of the anger being directed at the party establishment.”

“We will not spend money in a contested primary. There’s no incentive for us to weigh in. We have to look at our resources. . . . We’re not going to throw money into a [primary] race leading up to the election,” said Senator Cornyn.

“It’s obvious that the GOP is having not just identity problems but fundraising problems,” stated Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak. “When Norton got into this primary race she assumed she would have the backing of the GOP establishment – whether she asked for it or not. Looks like now she will have to rely on bake sales and car washes to get the funding she needs to compete.”

The comments from NRSC chairman Sen. John Cornyn come from an ABC story today, evaluating where Republicans stand after yesterday’s failed right-wing coup in New York:

With Republicans grappling with the fallout of an intra-party battle that may have cost them a House seat, the head of the Senate Republican campaign effort is making a pledge that may ease some of the anger being directed at the party establishment.

“We will not spend money in a contested primary,” Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told ABC News in a telephone interview today.

“There’s no incentive for us to weigh in,” said Cornyn, R-Texas. “We have to look at our resources. . . . We’re not going to throw money into a [primary] race leading up to the election.”

…”The first lesson is that competitive primaries are generally a good thing,” Cornyn said. “To me, that’s the overarching lesson to be learned out of the 23rd. When 11 people get behind closed doors and pick the nominee … the grassroots are going to find an alternative.”

Frankly, we’re not sure we buy either Cornyn’s or Colorado Democratic Party chair Pat Waak’s spin here. There’s very little doubt that Norton was indeed promised the short track to the nomination, which enraged the GOP base in Colorado. There’s a pretty compelling argument today that the GOP leadership is badly misreading this core base of support–to be strongly considered lest they create many more Dede Scozzafavas.

But if Waak seriously believes Jane “The Puppet” Norton is going to be relying on bake sales to raise funds–or if anybody seriously believes that Cornyn can’t funnel support to Norton six ways from Sunday, with or without a formal “endorsement”–well, that’s just touchingly naive.

And honestly, after every hard-right luminary in America descended on NY-23 to get their favored candidate elected, and failed, would you tell Cornyn to do what they say?