My guess..  is that if he had come across as more hard core he may not have won by as large a margin.

And we here in the great state of Michigan have an environment that would be more friendly to the likes of the Dillon (not quite conservative) but now pissed off enough to maybe try a good R for a change again..

If that R comes across as "extreme" then we are looking at a tough sell to the blue dogs, and center Dems which hold the key.  Hopefully they realize the waste their party has become.  In the meanwhile though, we must know our candidates from what they have done.. good or bad, and weigh it out.