The Spectacle Blog
For months, supporters of conservative Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell have been hearing the same argument from the Delaware GOP establishment: “Well, sure, she’s a good conservative, but Mike Castle can win.”
Castle’s 2007-08 ratings (20 and 28, respectively) by the American Conservative Union marked him as one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress. His establishment backers have argued that the best Republicans can hope for in Delaware is to elect a RINO whose voting record makes Charlie Crist look like a raging right-winger. As one O’Donnell supporter told me, “Castle is Delaware’s answer to Dede Scozzafava,” referring to the liberal GOP candidate who quit last year’s 23rd District special election campaign in New York and endorsed the Democrat.
Last week, the “Castle can win” argument suffered what may prove a fatal blow from a Rasmussen poll: “Congressman Mike Castle’s support has fallen below 50% for the first time in his race with Democrat Chris Coons for the U.S. Senate in Delaware.”
Castle, who had previously led Coons by more than 20 points, now leads the general election matchup 47-36, which is only marginally better than O’Donnell’s 41-39 matchup with Coons.
“This shows what we’ve been saying all along — Christine can win,” said one source close to the O’Donnell campaign.
O’Donnell has important support from conservative New Media, including endorsements from Red State’s Erick Erickson and Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs, and was featured last month on Mark Levin’s popular radio show. Last week, she picked up the endorsement of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony list, which may help O’Donnell close the fund-raising gap with Castle (according to the June 30 FEC report, he had more than $2.6 million cash on hand.)
With the Sept. 14 primary now less than two months away, some O’Donnell supporters are beginning to ask a question that has proven crucial in other GOP primaries: “Where’s Sarah Palin?”
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ol_dirty_/b/tard | 7.20.10 @ 9:48PM
"With the Sept. 14 primary now less than two months away, some O'Donnell supporters are beginning to ask a question that has proven crucial in other GOP primaries: "Where's Sarah Palin?""
Timing is everything.
Kenneth E. MacAlister Jr.| 7.20.10 @ 9:51PM
Mike Castle has nothing to worry about. The Stupid Party care only about winning & don't give a damn about the character or principles of their nominees. To understand why Mike Castle will get The Stupid Party's endorsement instead of the more conservative candidate Christine O'Donnell read Aaron Goldstein's long winded excuse for the "usefulness" of Sen. Brown of Massachusetts here today at TAS. NEVER underestimate the ability of The Stupid Party to pull defeat from the jaws of victory. The Stupid Party is about as conservative as the Democrat Party.
tell that to bennett| 7.21.10 @ 7:20AM
when the ranking member of the appropriations committee can't even make the ballot, something is afoot.
the republican party is purging itself....to bad lindsey graham isnt up this year....
Reagan Old Guard R| 7.20.10 @ 10:11PM
You guys are really something. Mike Castle is a good stalwart R. He happens to be running in a Blue state. Pete DuPont supports him and I and other Reagan Rs support him. If you want to have "Mama Grizzly" oaths for all Rs running to defeat the Obama agenda good luck. We'll stay a minority party.
Jim R| 7.21.10 @ 8:59AM
Amen.
Who are these people who "endorse" Ms. O'Donnell. They do not represent Delaware voters.
DEConservative(Evan Q) | 7.21.10 @ 10:06AM
As a Delaware voter, T.E.A. Party leader and O'Donnell supporter I can tell you that many MANY Delawareans support Christine in her bid to remove the RINO Mike Castle.
Castle is good stalwart R? He voted in favor of bailouts, Cap and Trade (one of 8! in the house who did) and in 2008 had a record of voting with the Democrats 65% of the time and in 2009 55% of the time. He campaigned for over a YEAR across the state in favor of Universal Healthcare and he's refused to join the majority of Republicans in a call to repeal this disaster. He AUTHORED the DISCLOSE Bill that exempts Labor Unions and yet limits free speech for everyone else and oh by the way he voted FOR the Financial Regulatory Bill which creates the largest federal government intervention in the financial market in American history.
Oh yea, he's a REAL stalwart R...*rolls eyes* You TWITS...Pete DuPont is doing what he HAS to do, remember he GROOMED the young Castle (who has drifted unfortunately from DuPont's side). Anyone can see that Mike Castle is nothing but another vote for Reid and the Obama agenda.
He's pro-choice, a believer in the global warming hoax, pro big government, anti-Constitution (He's said it publicly..at a townhall at Christiana Hospital) and his only answer to any problem is more laws, less freedom for the people and more regulation.
You "Reagan Republicans" ought to be ashamed of yourselves for supporting this coward who refuses to debate Christine (because he knows she will crush him) and for continuing to spew these lies despite every vote he casts and bill he sponsors. You are contributing to the threat Progressivism is poised to deliver to America. Shame on you, liars.
gadsden| 7.22.10 @ 12:01AM
Oh Yeah - Evan Q!! The crusty old DE GOP guard can't manufacture a reply. Yes, shame old them!
rightwingdelaware| 7.22.10 @ 6:57AM
Castle NEVER campaigned in favor of Universal Healthcare or Obama's health care bill, that's the biggest lie I've ever seen. Castle held TOWN HALL MEETINGS where he LISTENED to his constituents on the issue. He has been against "universal health care" since the early 1990's when he railed against Clinton's health care plan.
Do you see what we're fighting in Delaware, it's a shame that American Spectator has bought into it.
Carter Old Guard R| 7.20.10 @ 10:52PM
Yeah. Mike Castle. Rock . Hard. Stalwart. R.
Stalwart. Votes with us 20% of time. Just the sort of guy we need as a potential 51st vote in the Senate.
We might as well stay a minority party if this is the best we can do.
Glen H| 7.20.10 @ 11:13PM
So an 11 point lead in the polls is only "marginally better" than a 2 point lead? Come on.
The Empiricist| 7.21.10 @ 3:21AM
Nothing says "fatal blow" to the "Mike Castle can win" argument like an 11-point lead.
DEConservative(EvanQ) | 7.21.10 @ 10:11AM
Keep in mind that Castle simply does NOT dip below 50%. This is a BIG deal. Also, this is the first poll Rassmussen has done on Christine in almost a year in this race so their dereliction of duty has contibuted to the lack of a trend in her favor. Further, Castle has consistently been trending DOWN against Coons which means that his Democrat base AND Conservatives are both abandoning him. Watch for the August poll, I'm willing to bet he drops to 45% and Coons pulls within 5 points. Meanwhile, Christine will jump over Castle in the race, my prediction is she will be up 46-39 over Coons in August if not better.
Further, internal polling has shown Christine with a 3-1 lead in the Republican primary race. Will Castle run as a third party candidate a la Crist in Fla?
rightwingDelaware| 7.22.10 @ 7:31AM
"Further, internal polling has shown Christine with a 3-1 lead in the Republican primary race.
So Evan is an O'Donnell campaign staffer. When you read his comments, remember that he's biased and he's spreading O'Donnell's campaign propaganda.
Team Izzo| 7.21.10 @ 3:22AM
Rose Izzo is running for the open U.S. House seat being vacated by Mike Castle.
This is Rose's web:
www.roseizzoforcongress.com
Please support her, she is a real conservative.
Thank you
The Empiricist| 7.21.10 @ 3:27AM
Please don't put spam over my commentary.
spam| 7.21.10 @ 7:22AM
how about under?
Truthness| 7.21.10 @ 6:09AM
Yeah, an eleven point lead is only marginally better than a two point lead? Way to not let facts stand in the way of your argument, R. S.
Maybe O'Donnell can win, great. But a fair reading of the polling data suggests it would be a tougher slog.
tougher slog?| 7.21.10 @ 7:26AM
did you happen to catch lindsey graham yesterday???
nothing is tougher and more damaging to the party than another rino...
a couple more senators like that and we will have a third party on our hands. rino's must be purged and sent across the aisle.
John W.| 7.21.10 @ 9:35AM
If Castle wins the nomination, I'll hold my nose and make a contribution to Coons. It's better to have an enemy to my front than a traiter at my back.
Sheila| 7.21.10 @ 10:17AM
As this comment thread and others clearly demonstrate, it is precisely because so many movement conservatives value the political version of fellowship and ecumenism above principles that all your crowing about November is just sound and fury signifying nothing. Decline and Fall.
Rich Rostrom| 7.21.10 @ 10:54AM
Castle's ADA and ACU ratiings over the last 16 years.
ADA ACU
1995 25 56
1996 25 60
1997 50 N/A
1998 30 42
1999 55 44
2000 30 68
2001 30 48
2002 25 76
2003 40 40
2004 50 52
2005 40 28
2006 40 52
2007 50 20
2008 65 28
2009 55 56
He used to be a fairly reliable riight of center moderate. In the last few years he bent well to left, reverting to centrist in 2009. Better than nearly any Democrat, but still pretty weak.
Bo Darville| 7.21.10 @ 2:15PM
I'll take 56% of a bird in the hand than 0% of a bird in the bush any old day.
DEConservative(EvanQ) | 7.21.10 @ 4:34PM
You know, when people said, "If he's with me 70% of the time I can vote for him." I understood it. Noone agrees 100% but now people say if he's with us 45%-55% of the time it's ok? What is WRONG with you people?
Thanks to the Rassmussen poll, we now see that in Delaware we don't have to CHOOSE between who we LIKE and who can WIN. Christine can and I believe WILL win in November. It's time to stop supporting RINO's like Mike Castle whose Progressivism is bringing us the Financial Regulation Bill, Cap & Trade, DISCLOSE, Cyber Security and Universal Healthcare (he didn't vote for it but he spent the better part of a year traveling across the state in favor of it, including a stop at Christiana Hospital where he told us the Constitution didn't matter to Congress anymore...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Lx3bdWDt4).
Bob| 7.21.10 @ 12:12PM
Wow, just what we need. Another Tea Party favorite who has absolutely no chance of winning, ala Sharron Angle. And this may be the first post I have ever seen that claims a 47-36 poll lead is a potentially fatal blow to a campaign while arguing a 41-39 shows someone can win. And an 11% poll lead is more than "marginally" better than a 2% lead that is within the margin of error. The author of the above post almost seems to be arguing that the guy with the 11% lead is actually worse off than the guy who is polling at 36%.
When are people going to learn that deep blue states don't usually elect very conservative individuals. O'Donnell winning in Delaware is comparable to Ted Kennedy winning in Idaho. Mike Castle has opposed Obama on every major piece of legislation he has tried to pass. It goes without saying the same couldn't be said of Coons. I would rather have Castle in office than Coons. Sen. Coons will be a reality if O'Donnell wins.
DEConservative(EvanQ) | 7.21.10 @ 4:41PM
Ok this is FUNNY...can you name ONE piece of major legislation that Castle opposed other than Obama's first (or second..I've lost track) Stimulus?
He passed Cap & Trade, Omnibus, TARP, Cash for Clunkers, Financial Regulation, DISCLOSE, AND he campaigned across the state for Universal Healthcare.
STOP FLAT OUT LYING TO PEOPLE.
Also your statement about Coons being a reality flies in the face of the Rassmussen polling...last time I checked..41 was higher than 39....sorry "Bob" but you haven't got a clue what you're talking about.
rightwingdelaware| 7.22.10 @ 7:03AM
Mike Castle held TOWN HALL meetings about health care, he DID NOT campaign for universal healthcare. You can go all the way back to Clinton's health care bill and see Castle has been consistent on this issue.
And yes, Castle voted for TARP, that's because the banking/financial services industry is one of the largest employers in the state. It's called voting for your constituents.
Castle opposed Obama's health care plan, the stimulus package, the jobs bill...the list goes on and on...you can distort the record here, but Delawareans know the truth.
Wanda Maximoff | 7.21.10 @ 1:01PM
I just wrote about how she's lying to the electorate:
http://www.delawaretomorrow.co.....zany-yarn/
If De Mint endorses her, consider it an early sign of dementia.
DECOnservative(EvanQ) | 7.21.10 @ 4:38PM
Typical of Castle minions. The reality is that Castle DID infact cast his vote for the Stimulus package authored during the Bush Administration WHICH did practically nothing to help America but did ALOT to bailout the banks that contribute to Castle's campaigns. Oh and then there was TARP, Cash for Clunkers, Omnibus, TARP again, Cap and Trade, DISCLOSE, Financial Regulatory Bill (Which by the way put one of his TOP contributors in charge of Financial Regulation...), etc...etc.
Grasping at straws aren't we?
Wanda Maximoff | 7.22.10 @ 11:50AM
"Typical of Castle minions."
This coming from an O'Donnell campaign worker? FTR, I am not part of the Castle campaign.
"The reality is that Castle DID infact cast his vote for the Stimulus package authored during the Bush Administration ..."
And in his next, strained breath DECon will say that Castle votes against his party. That Bush bill was backed by the majority of Republicans. This type of duplicity is common with O'Donnell staffers and supporters. It's not working in Delaware.
I address this "stimulus bill" issue in my post, when you google "the stimulus bill" the first few pages are exclusively about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. O'Donnell is trying to sell the idea that Castle voted for the ARRA, which he did not. If Mike Castle is so bad, then why the need to manipulate his record?
DEConservative | 7.30.10 @ 10:59AM
I don't work for O'Donnell but I support her in her run against your Progressive friend. Republicans AND Democrats have forwarded this Progressive agenda over the years. I don't care which PARTY he votes with, I care about the votes he casts. They are Progressive votes.
O'Donnell has NEVER claimed that he voted for ARRA but that he voted for STIMULUS which he did. Bush or not that bill was bull and Americans know it.
No one is manipulating his record, he wrote DISCLOSE, voted for Financial Regulatory bill, Voted for Cap and Trade and told the Washington Post that he won't join the Republican opposition in the Senate if elected.
HE is telling us all we need to know. That he is Delaware's Arlen Specter and that he doesn't care what we think about it. You can vote for him, I'm not.
DEConservative(EvanQ) | 7.21.10 @ 5:09PM
It should be noted that Delaware Tomorrow is a Progressive blog and one of the lower end blogs in Delaware. It's not considered a credible source of information. You'd do better to refer to www.delawarepolitics.net
Wanda Maximoff | 7.22.10 @ 11:57AM
DelawarePolitics.net's contributors are O'Donnell supporters and workers, except for one, who exposes the other contributors fallacies on a regular basis.
DP.net is the blog that put out false information about Castle's work history. This is the blog that slammed Castle for donations that ended up coming from the Republican who is running against Pelosi in California, and this is the blog that called an O'Donnell '08 campaign staffer a "liar" when he said he was still owed money, despite the fact that he was listed as a 2008 debt on her FEC report.
When you're working for the O'Donnell campaign, what you write is not credible.
Dave Burris| 7.22.10 @ 12:22PM
Considered by who? I started Delaware Tomorrow, which is not "progressive" but instead is run by traditional conservatives. And in case you need a reminder, I started Delaware Politics, too. The accuracy on the former is far above the accuracy of the latter. Sadly, my former blog has turned into a talking-points factory often with little basis in fact. And DT & DP have nearly identical traffic.
Evan, I admire your dogged aggression in support of your cause, but you need to check yourself in certain situations.
DEConservative(EvanQ) | 7.30.10 @ 10:55AM
Actually, DT's traffic is much smaller than DP...and anyone who reads the two will know that what David Anderson (the guy who made DelawarePolitics.net the success that it is) has on his site is far more reliable and credible than the blather on your Progressive site.
Admire someone who gives a crap. I don't do this to impress you.
Jason O'Neill| 7.22.10 @ 12:48PM
I agree, DP.net is more newsworthy. DelawareTomorrow just puts out the liberal agenda of the GOP, which does nothing to restore America's greatness.
Vote conservative (Christine O'Donnell) and you won't go wrong.
Lucky Archer | 7.23.10 @ 6:47PM
If the Greek government did an Enron with its own books, and Greeks Trojan Horse their Greek taxes, what makes you think they pay the IRS? They go to Greece annually to tend their undisclosed accounts on soviet Cyprus. Notice the soviet spy money laundered Metsos disappeared with Cyprus complicity? The Turks would not let him escape because they don’t share the soviet religion. That is why Cyprus must remain divided! Did Illinois Giannoulias, Florida's Crist, California's Angelides and New York's Gianaris apply Greek budgeting techniques like Sarbanes Oxen? Greek Ponzi fourfold Eurodefecit boasts Trojan Horse Perfidy, Klephth Brigandage. Upset that industrious Albanians invaded their lazy, gungrabbing, babykilling homeland, the soviet-churched Greeks vindictively hire, house and promote illegals. As quakes render their homes disposable, Greeks are oblivious to the very concept of maintenance. Instead of blaming environmetalists for fires and socialists for deficits, jealousy driven soviet faith seeks scapegoats. Olympia Snowjob supports Obamacare and abortion because of her gangreen patriarch (Is Orthodox Christianity progressive? Michelle Boorstein Washington Post 11-4-09 Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew spoke about the spiritual imperative for nonviolence, universal health care and reducing consumption to help the environment.) Ancient Greeks reduced consumption to help the environment through infanticide and sodomy. Palamite Zealotes massacred Thessalonian aristocracy in preparation for Cantacuzene usurpation via hesychast hyperventilatory hallutination. This soviet socialism motivated Anatolian farmers to embrace Turks in the 1400s to avoid redistributative taxation and then for liberated mainlanders to migrate to Smyrna in the 1800s. Ain't gonna vote for Do Kaka Goat! Avenge Jake, Hang Bart!
Charlie Patseas| 8.30.10 @ 2:51PM
Got Pope, Need no Bart. The Holy Father gone to Turkey to redeem and consecrate the Greeks, so don't need no more soviet temples. Don't need no gyro blimpie Bart when got a regular Pope without the diner attitude. My pop kept hitting momma with a skillet on the head. Friends ended up in the hospital after their pop beat them. Pops got drunk and ruined my first car. Killed two cats and a dog, thrown out the window. Neighbor drowned the canaries in ouzo, lit, ate them. Ma overdid whip so she could give less pie. All our stuff came pilfered, with logos. Greeks overcook all meat so no one knows is bad. Another banned tenants flushing toilet paper. Waiters inpune sanitation because "dirty is natural and healthy." Priests just answered "behave, respect, tradition!" Now priest comes "no intercommunion!" Where was he when we needed him to protect us from our crazy parents? Don't sell me "educated Greeks" because we know all them Trojan Horse cheated on the exams. Besides it's just TV repair school. Remember all those jailed old disco Greeks, tax cheats to "protest" Jerome Ford stopping the Trojan Horse in Chyprious? We can't get good jobs because no one trusts Greeks, because of Trojan Horse. They always faked reading Greek. That's why we borrowed regular Catholic books instead of read Greek. Sure, we sacrifice to Greek myths three times a year to please yiayia, and she's nun the wiser when we go to regular Catholic Mass on Sundays when she bummed from bouzaki dances. Ain't need no more Bart, just the regular Pope. That's why we all married regular Catholic when we grew up. So they can trust us.
DEConservative(EvanQ) | 7.30.10 @ 10:52AM
In case you missed it, the Washington Post told us yesterday that Mike Castle had made his decision about how he will vote if elected to the Senate. Columnist David Broder spent time following Congressman Castle around the state. First, let me show you the way Mr. Broder describes Delaware's lone Congressman:
"...the early favorite is Mike Castle, the state's former governor and longtime congressman at-large, a throwback to the kind of progressive Republican the Northeast used to elect regularly." (Emphasis added)
David Broder has just told us that Congressman Castle IS a Progressive (although those of us who follow his votes could have told you that YEARS ago). Congressman Castle takes this to a new level when he describes to the house party (a high end fundraiser) attendees:
"His reason for running, Castle explained to voters at a house party here, is that "I'm in the minority in a [Republican] minority of 435 people, and the rules and procedures make it difficult to express my independence. In the Senate, I hope I will have more impact."(emphasis added)"
So Congressman Castle feels like he is in a minority of a minority in the Republican House caucus. Why is that? It could be because Mike Castle is a Progressive Republican in the House and tends to vote more often with the Democrats than the Republicans (the Americans for Democratic Action group lists Castle as voting with the liberals 65% of the time in 2008). Castle was not yet done describing his plans for the U.S. Senate. Broder says:
"Later, Castle told me, "I don't go there with any notion of just building up seniority, but I think I can make a contribution there in the fields I've worked in. I don't plan to be part of the [Republican] opposition. I think I can do more than oppose." (emphasis added)"
Friends, Republicans, Americans, lend me your eyes...(put them back in your head first)...Congressman Mike Castle is not your friend. He does not care about you, or me, or our children. He doesn't care about anything but Mike Castle. He is going to grow government, give himself and his friends in Washington more power and he WILL betray the Republican party and the people of Delaware.
Please do not let this man fool you anymore. He has made his intentions clear. Cap & Trade, DISCLOSE, Cyber-Security, Bail-outs, Government takeovers of business, tax increases, etc. These things WILL pass with his signature, he has guaranteed it. Please do not let this happen. Do not let him destroy America. I urge you to support Christine O'Donnell (www.christine2010.com) in every way that you can. She will go to Washington and fight for the people.
RINOS_| 7.31.10 @ 9:19PM
CHeck out this video of a Massachusetts RINO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmGVYfZk0mk