Angle sticks to her guns

Bulldog political pundit Jon Ralston landed a scoop when seldom-seen U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle appeared on his “Face to Face” TV show earlier this week, but it was the staunch conservative who emerged the winner – if only because her detractors imagined she might suffer an on-camera meltdown.

Far from it. Angle stuck to her guns, so to speak.

In his trademark constant state of outrage, Ralston questioned Angle about some of her prior public statements on topics ranging from the Second Amendment and abortion to the separation of church and state and the continuation of unemployment benefits for out-of-work Nevadans. Her political handlers have been trying to craft softer stances without turning Angle into a flip-flopper while simultaneously keeping her away from reporters. It’s a risky strategy given how outspoken she’s been over the years.

Angle’s positions aren’t middle-of-the-road stances. They’re philosophically pure, not politically savvy. Even many conservatives, for instance, believe a woman should have the right to an abortion in the case of rape or incest. Angle doesn’t.

She also believes the government has created a welfare culture that includes the extended use of unemployment benefits in a time of great joblessness. At present, thousands of Nevadans are in the process of losing their unemployment benefits. It’s hard to imagine any of them voting for Angle.

What the interview hammered home to me was the picture of an absolute true believer, a Christian soldier if you will, who isn’t bothered by the fact she’s probably out of step with the majority.

As outspoken as she’s been, there’s no doubt some other statements floating around that will paint her as eccentric and politically polarizing. She may one day regret some of her more incendiary rhetoric. Then again, knowing her, probably not.

This is the Republican’s revolutionary in the year of the Tea Party.