More Proof of a Romney Wave

     In the last post I suggested that there may be a Romney Wave that is hurting the GOP's chances in the Senate. Nate Silver himself has suggested the same; he also suggested it could be an ideological shift sparked by Akin's comments and distaste for Ryan's Medicare privatization scheme.

     A rising Democratic  wave? http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2012/09/is-there-rising-democratic-wave.html

    We've also seen some GOP Senators bail on Romney-Scott Brown, Linda McMahon among others. Now we have two more:

     "Nevada Sen. Dean Heller on Wednesday became the latest Republican Senate candidate locked in a competitive race to distance himself from GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's "47 percent" remarks, which came to light after the wide release of a hidden camera video that documented Romney's appearance at a Boca Raton fundraiser. Heller joined Connecticut Senate aspirant Linda McMahon and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown in disowning Romney's take on the portion of the electorate he deemed to be "victims" who could not be convinced to forego government assistance."

     "Well, Hawaii Senate candidate Linda Lingle lingered a little longer without making a comment on Romney's lapsus linguae, but now she, too, has parted ways with him over the "victims" flap. The Honolulu Star Advertiser has the story:

'I am not a rubber stamp for the national party and I am not responsible for the statements of Mitt Romney,' Lingle said in an email. 'With that said, I do not agree with his characterization of all individuals who are receiving government assistance, as I know many of them are driven, hard-working individuals who are actively working to better the situation of their ‘ohana. It is not fair to place these individuals into any one category. The people of Hawaii know I don’t believe in labels and I know they don’t either.'

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/linda-lingle-mitt-romney_n_1900633.html

      This is important. Brown's race is as good as any in showing that Romney can hurt down ballot candidates. As best as I can see, his sudden reversal is related mostly to Elizabeth Warren's DNC speech, and her ability to associate him with Romney and the GOP Congress.

      "In addition to Lingle, former Virginia Sen. George Allen, running against former Gov. Tim Kaine in a bid to return to the Senate, also distanced himself from Romney's remarks in a debate Thursday, saying that he has "his own point of view" on the matter, and that Americans "don't look at themselves as victims."

       What you don't see is anyone thinking that associating with Romney helps them. Other than Rush Limbaugh. But he hasn't seen the focus groups.