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The Spectacle Blog
I don’t know what in God’s name has happened to my friend Jeff Lord. Below he posted yet another wild allegation, this time that Rep. Castle of Delaware somehow was in favor of impeaching GW Bush. Somebody else I respect sent this info to me last night as well, and I said it looked bad for Castle BUT THAT IT BORE LOOKING INTO BECAUSE IT ALSO SEEMED LUDICROUS. Jeff needs to start thinking like a journalist and not just like an activist. A journalist actually checks things out before publishing them wildly. Well, Powerline answers the charge, irrefutably, here. But I didn’t even need Powerline to tell me that things weren’t as they seemed, i.e. that this was not necessarily the pro-impeach vote it looked like on the surface. Why not? Because a closer look at the 24 Republicans who voted yes told me all I needed to know. Included were some of Bush’s most stalwart allies, such as fellow Texans Ralph Hall and Kevin Brady. Also included was Frank Wolf, one of the most level-headed members in all of Congress and a rather solid conservative. And also included was David Dreier, the longtime head honcho for the GOP on the Rules Committee. BINGO! Nobody knows procedure like Dreier does. And nobody is more a party team player. With Dreier on board, it is CLEAR, circumstantially but with overwhelmingly obvious logic, that those who voted to send it to committee were doing so in the knowledge that this move would likely scuttle the bill. So 166 GOPers could vote against it entirely, demonstrating how ludicrous the whole idea of impeachment was, while 24 selected (and safe) conservatives could vote to send it to committee to ensure that, yes, the resolution would die a slow death. That is how things work in the House. It is nothing more than smart parliamentary tactics. And it is utterly unremarkable. The fact that Castle’s office at the time made ABSOLUTELY CLEAR that he completely opposed impeachment (again, read Powerline), is mere icing on the cake for what common sense and a little EASY digging already would tell anybody who wants to look at objective facts.
Yes, facts. They remain stubborn things. Mike Castle isn’t my cup of tea (pun intended). Christine O’Donnell’s issue positions do indeed make my heart go pitter-pat. But the baseless allegations (about Castle’s personal life, in a major bit of slander; and about this impeachment vote, among others) have all run in one direction. The actual FACTS about character — not smear jobs, but just the facts, ma’am — have not shone a positive light on Ms. O’Donnell. All of which is why conservatives outside of Delaware should not have made this race a cause celebre. No need to endorse Castle. But just stay the heck out, rather than waste precious time, resources, and effort — and rather than further driving a wedge between conservatives and Castle, when an olive branch might make him more likely to come back our way if he is elected.
But I digress. The main issue here is to correct the record. The post below distorted the record badly, and needed to be addressed.
View all comments (16) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/09/14/no-impeachment-vote
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Thom Bennett| 9.14.10 @ 4:40PM
Kudos Quin! Good to see someone at AmSpec hasn't gone completely bonkers. Jeffrey Lord has lost his mind. Weekly Standard has refuted his latest mad rant too ...
Quartermaster| 9.14.10 @ 9:34PM
At 9 PM castle was declared to loser. he was down 54-45% with 75% of precincts reporting with no way to make up the shortfall. Give a hearty, rousing send off to another RINO. I just wish we could have tacked McCain's nasty hide next to Castle, Bennett and Murkowski. Oh well, Lindsey Graham is next in a few years. The heat's gonna be rising on him.
Seek| 9.14.10 @ 4:46PM
Excellent piece. Facts do matter. When conservatives think with emotions rather than minds -- how else did Sarah Palin become a superstar? -- we negate much hard work and good will. Hopefully, the rumor mill can be stilled.
ECM| 9.14.10 @ 4:47PM
No need to endorse Castle. But just stay the heck out, rather than waste precious time, resources, and effort -- and rather than further driving a wedge between conservatives and Castle, when an olive branch might make him more likely to come back our way if he is elected.
This would have been great advice to the establishment GOP before they plowed, full speed ahead (against the wishes of most conservatives), in endorsing a series of laughably-bad candidates, like Castle.
Let me make this clear, Mr. Hillyer: we drive the party, not the other way around--if they want to do things 'for our own good' they can do them without our votes.
(Also: your laughable assertion that we should have rolled over for Castle so that, in the future, he might be so kind as to give us a belly rub when he was feeling generous, is just staggeringly nauseating and insulting. It's insanely stupid comments like this that makes those of us that thought Mr. Lord's ruling class post several days ago was over-the-top start to see where he may have been coming from, in stark black and white.)
CountryClassKook| 9.14.10 @ 4:52PM
AANNDD here we go: "while 24 selected (and safe) conservatives could vote to send it to committee to ensure that..."
Oops. Yes you are ruling class. Castle is under no circumstances a conservative, but you add him in with the conservatives? Sorry bud, we in the real world are sick and tired of the GOP way. Party doesn't matter. Ideology is all. If you support Castle, and he ends up in the Senate, his support of the Progressives will be on your head.
albert constantine, jr.| 9.14.10 @ 4:57PM
Unfortunately, if that is what Mr. Castle REALLY meant, he did a very poor job here in Delaware communicating that. Instead, his failure to support the Iraq surge and his appearance in the Northeast cabal of dwindling Republican Congressmen threatening Pres. Bush to withdraw support for the Iraq war led me to conclude that he was attempting to distance himself from the President and Iraq after seeing his own victory margin reduced in the Democratic victory year of 2006, and was attempting to triangulate for the 2008 election. Though I was pleased to see that he did stand with his Republican minority for a number of important votes in this session, his defection on Cap & Trade washed out that good will with me. When I'm given a choice to vote in a primary, I go with who I would most prefer to represent me. Between O'Donnell and Castle, my choice is O'Donnell, and that was how I cast my vote this a.m. Should Castle win, and my choice is between me and Coons, I will grit my teeth and vote for Castle once again, though I expect I will have to wince frequently during the rest of his four year term. At least during all of the Biden years, I never had to say I was sorry, because I never voted for him (2008-O'Donnell, 2002-Clatworthy, 1996-Clatworthy, 1990-Brady, 1984-whoever was his opponent on my overseas absentee ballot; I couldn't vote in 1978 or 1972, when he ran against Boggs, though I still have my Boggs campaign button). With Castle, should he be victorious, I will not have such an alibi.
Walt Gilbert | 9.14.10 @ 5:10PM
"I don't know what in God's name has happened to my friend Jeff Lord. "
Well, Mr. Hillyer, the signs have been there ever since Lord unleashed this bit of jaw-dropping idiocy on us: http://spectator.org/archives/.....alse/print
The truth is that Lord, Levin, Limbaugh, et. al. have been perfectly aware that what they're suggesting is an outright lie. They just don't care. I hope conservatives will keep all this in mind in the future. There was a time when we could actually look to our pundits for guidance and feel comfortable that we were getting an honest appraisal of the facts.
Unfortunately, we've discovered that they're no less likely to lie to us in order to advance their agenda than the left is. Why bother listening to these prevaricating pundits when we have an entire administration that's willing to lie in order to manipulate us into supporting their agenda.
The O'Donnellites have truly covered themselves in shame in this election, and for what? A woman with no demonstrable record of her purported principles, and less than a snowball's chance in hell of winning in November.
Ken (Old Texican)| 9.14.10 @ 5:55PM
Sorry, Quin.
Here you and I disagree. (sic grin)
Castle is a PROVEN jerk.
Our country is on the brink of implosion.
You want a half a loaf.
How about if it is a half of a half of a half of a half of a half of a loaf.
Sounds like crumbs to me.
GO GIRL!
thirteen28| 9.14.10 @ 6:54PM
Castle's vote would have not been an issue here if he had simply voted "no," nor would if have been an issue if he otherwise had a 90+ ACU rating (which would make the "tactical" vote meme at least somewhat believable).
It's not an accident that Castle is vulnerable on this issue.
Roger| 9.14.10 @ 6:57PM
You may be on the mark as to why Castle voted as he did BUT, you then said this, and clearly Castle is not conservative;
'while 24 selected (and safe) conservatives could vote to send it to committee to ensure that, yes, the resolution would die a slow death.'
So in the end, losing Mike Castle would be not hurt those of us who believe in smaller and less intrusive government.
Nick| 9.14.10 @ 7:34PM
Anybody who would vote for the stinking liberal Castle, would gladly cast a vote for Al Franken, Howard Dean, or even Shrillary the Hut, if they switched, and put an "R" behind their names, just because "they can win."
You Castle cronies are very myopic. That means "short-sighted" for those of you in Rio Linda! All you care about is whether, or not, someone with an "R" is in charge. No matter what their character is.
Castle is a serial violater of the Constitution. He needs to be retired.
Jim| 9.14.10 @ 9:08PM
Here in PA I have watched this race closely and if I had a vote I would cast one for O'Donnell. The media and RNC have smeared her as a radical kook. Well, who is the real radical? Answer. Pro-abort, Pro-Stem Cell, Cap and Trade Castle. I have had it with these RINO's and all the so-called Republican "pundits" saying I need to consider "electability" over core values. To them I say stuff it. If you are a radical pro-abort, regardless of party affiliation, then you have automatically disqualified yourself from public office!!
JP| 9.14.10 @ 9:29PM
Here is how the game is played: one of the major political parties builds a majority in Congress (in both Houses is ideal). Once that is established, think tanks, pundits, magazines, lobbyists, media personalities, and other hanger-ons fight for any kind of inside-the-Beltway influence they can manage to get. Entire careers, not to mention reputations depend upon this insider angle. The GOP of course plays this game very well. Politics, philosophy, and ethics really do not come in to play when influence peddling is involved. Winning a Congressional majority involves all kind of perks, such a committe chairmanships, controlling the purse strings, dispensing favors, attending $500 a plate power lunches, golf with the CEO of JP Morgan, interviews with Charlie Rose, Washinton Post stories, creating scoops in the 24x7 news cycle, luxourious jets, midnight calls from Fortune 100 CEOs, invites to Martha Vinyards, taxpayer subsidixed foreign junkets, even photo-ops with Bono!
This mid-term election cycle illustrated how low the GOP has fallen (as compared against its rhetoric and spin). The defense of Rep Castle illustrates this perfectly. Who rally cares how Castle votes after he has seated his butt in the Senate. It's the votes that matter; entire careers (not to mention bank account balances) are riding on the magic number of 51. Simply put, come Jan 2011 if the GOP runs the tables, all the nation will be doing is trading in one set of Statists for another.
So, let's dispense with this faux sophisticated, urbane, "this is the way things are done" schtick. Let us all recognize the simple fact that the Beltway, with its bloat of trillions of dollars of taxpayers (and future taxpayers) lute is our Versailles.
The GOP is pathetic -simply pathetic.
kingsmill| 9.15.10 @ 12:06AM
The Spectator is need of a journalistic tea party.
SoCon| 9.15.10 @ 1:48AM
Maybe Sarah Palin will endorse Jeffrey Lord as our Tea Party candidate. I'd vote for him.
Oldefarte| 9.15.10 @ 10:50AM
Wait, your previously promoted case against Vitter over the last minute entry of this nobody judge running against him is not similar to the California /Tea Partiers constitutionally guaranteed RIGHT to get involved in this Delaware election? Give me a break! This is a WAR involving the utter SURVIVAL of this country, and if any states residents wish to become involved in another states elections for the survival of the entire country, then SO TO HADES BE IT!Furthermore, [as previously said] PRINCIPLE trumps WINNING any day, any time. It was reported yesterday that Castle supported/voted for an IMPEACHMENT action against Bush [if that as you say was a parlimentary procedure, then the morons who did so should be tarred and feathered for playing STUPID POLITICAL GAMES, and we need to get rid of any/all of them who would waste our taxpayers' money and their time by doing same], voted FOR Obama's/Democrats' healthcare and cap and trade legislation, which is/was reprehensible and unforgiveable IMO. Obviously, the voters of Delaware agree with this, since they rightly voted for O'Donnell. As to the Louisiana/Vitter deal, the truth is that some AH's [Democrats/RINOS] over there financed/ran a strawman fellow judge against Vitter using the WHOREMONGER charge/label, when this same Republican judge was hypocriticall guilty of the same thing [he had an affair with a fellow judge's wife, later married her, was upon her death, legally sued by her children, and thereafter had another affair with the former girlfriend of his own SON....talk about WHOREMONGERING!]. As to Delaware etc, these RINOS and their supporters had better get it through their thick heads that non-conservative/rational Republicans are just as much of a threat to this country as are the radical Cemocrats now in control of our government. As the youtube video linked to a previous TAS article stated, WE'RE COMING AFTER YOU [AND HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR LIBERALISM] ON 11/2/10!!!!!!!!!!