Conservative political analyst Michael Barone told an audience in Washington that Republicans put “too many” tea party “wackos, weirdos and witches” on the ballot this year, costing them seats in the U.S. Senate.

“Twenty-three Democratic seats up, only ten Republican seats up — it looked like a sure chance for Republican gains and a good possibility of gaining four seats that would give them the majority leadership even if Barack Obama was re-elected,” Barone explained during a speech at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center near Capitol Hill on Friday.

But “Republicans lost two seats — net, you know — in a year of tremendous opportunity,” he added, “and I think one reason is bad candidates.”

Barone said the tea party’s influence on the Republican party prevented the GOP from taking control away from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The tea party, he said, “brings some talented people into politics — think of Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson for example — but it also brings some wackos and weirdos and witches, and we put too many of them on the ticket.”

“Why the Senate candidates in Missouri and Indiana felt obliged to talk about abortion in the case of rape? Nobody’s advocating such legislation; it’s unconstitutional under current judicial rulings. It’s not a serious issue. You should brush it aside as a hypothetical that doesn’t matter.”

The Washington Examiner and Wall Street Journal columnist said ABC News host George Stephanopoulos “will try” to get Republicans to say whether they “want to ban contraceptives,” but “‘George, that’s been illegal under Supreme Court doctrine for 47 years.’ That’s the answer.”

Barone recommended that Republicans choose candidates who do not make “unforced errors” because America does not have a “fair” press.

“The Constitution, in its wisdom, guarantees us a free press, but not a fair one,” he claimed. “And Republicans need to learn to have candidates that don’t make unforced errors. … Don’t nominate dogs, okay? Tea party folk, like the peace movement folk, want to nominate the … purest candidate.”

Video courtesy of Hillsdale College

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