Delaware GOP establishment still doesn't understand TEA Party movement

The "TEA Party" movement, more accurately described as the "Patriot Movement" has been alive and well in Delaware since March of 2009. For 20 months, everyday Delawareans have been raising their voices and letting them be heard. Thousands of Delawareans from all political persuasions have sought a new knowledge of America's roots. They have studied the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Federalist Papers along with newer sources like the "5000 Year Leap". They've gathered in churches, fire halls and even pavilions across the state. They've sought knowledge from some of the brightest minds in America like Dr. Moffit from the Heritage foundation. More and more come to each meeting and tell their friends. The numbers just seem to multiply each month! Still they are considered an uneducated and ignorant minority.

Thousands have rallied on street corners, on the Mall in Dover and at the Riverfront in Wilmington for "TEA Parties". They've called for a more fair media, a limited government restrained by the Constitution and an end to the out of control spending in Dover and Washington. Their signs have read "STOP SPENDING!" and "READ THE BILL". They have made it clear that they are Republicans, Independents AND Democrats and that there is no sexuality, gender or color boundary left uncrossed. Still they are labeled racists, bigots and social outcasts.

I have no doubt that radio personalities like Al Mascitti and the bloggers over at Delaware Liberal may be ignorant of what the Patriot Movement stands for. It's equally likely that they know EXACTLY what it stands for, understand the power of that message and therefore feel they must distort it. I cannot read inside their minds but either they are missing the obvious or they are deceitful. The same goes for the Delaware Democrat Party who may be the only group political or otherwise who actually DOES seem to understand the movement. They fear it and as well they should. The Patriot movement threatens to educate the electorate and an educated electorate more often than not leads to greater freedom and less government. That is why the Democrat Party and their operatives (like Maschitti and Delaware Liberal) work so hard to demonize the "TEA Party". They try to marginalize and push those of us who stand for the TEA Party principles to the fringe. They call us extremists, they call us racists and they call us "teabaggers". It's what liberals do, they attack the messenger and not the message because to be honest, their own message doesn't stand up well in the face of opposition.

The problem is that there is one group that clearly doesn't understand the message of the Patriot Movement. The Delaware GOP establishment. Despite the fact that the Patriot Movement came out in the tens of thousands to help Christine O'Donnell defeat longtime Congressman Mike Castle in the GOP primary in September. Congressman Castle was defeated for three reasons:
1.) He had moved away from his base and had begun courting the Democrats more and more. Perhaps this was in response to the registration numbers, perhaps it was just his nature. Either way he had lost his base. His votes for nearly every spending bill no longer showed him as even a Fiscal Conservative. Most Conservative groups labeled him THE most liberal Republican in the House of Representatives.
2.) He felt like he was entitled to the seat. Castle honestly felt like he didn't have to answer to the people he was sent to represent. This was clear in his answers at the few townhalls he held. It was also evident that Castle had CONTEMPT for many of the Patriot Movement members. He refused to debate or even appear at the same locations as his primary opponent and showed himself to be an elitist who was above those whose votes he desired.
3.) His votes for Cap and Trade and Financial Regulatory Reform soldified his fate. Castle claimed to have read the Cap and Trade bill yet he was stumped about some of the portions of the bill that were read to him by town hall attendees. The Financial Regulatory Reform bill harmed the credit card industry, caused layoffs and generally did little to protect consumers and yet Castle voted for it. He lobbied in FAVOR of Government controlled healthcare before voting AGAINST the bill and then sponsored a bill called the DISCLOSE Act that allowed all current special interests to operate as usual but which would have stifled the very grassroots organizations that threatened his election.

But Castle wasn't the only person that lost. Others around him lost and have faced severe backlash from the Patriot movement and from many Republican voters. Not everyone who lost election did so because they were ideologically like Mike, some lost because they aligned themselves with Mike thinking he was the right political choice. That was a calculation that caused otherwise acceptable candidates to the Patriot Movement to be rejected. For instance, Greenville businesswoman Michele Rollins. In a News Journal article today, Michele Rollins showed that the GOP establishment just doesn't understand the Patriot Movement:

"We need to sit back and say, 'Do we want to be a party of social issues?' If that's the case, then let it be that. But I can't be in that," said businesswoman Michele Rollins, who lost the GOP U.S. House primary to Glen Urquhart.

Urquhart had ripped Rollins for supporting a woman's right to abortion. "No matter how often I said no decent person could be for abortion ... it didn't seem to matter," Rollins said.

Unfortunately, Michele has missed the mark here and her statements are indicitive of the majority of the leadership of the GOP. It was never about social issues. It happened to be that both Christine O'Donnell and Glen Urquhart were not only Fiscal Conservatives but also Social Conservatives however, that was never something that the Patriot movement made an issue. Perhaps below the canal those issues played major roles but New Castle County groups have been focused on three key issues:
1.) Fiscal Responsibility (including cutting spending, lowering taxes and managing the deficit)
2.) Limited Constitutional Government (Government within the bounds of the Constitution which limits Federal power)
3.) Free Markets (Free and open private markets in which people are allowed to innovate, participate and create without government intervention)

Those three issues were issues that Mike Castle and the Delaware GOP as a whole had drifted from. Michele unfortunately aligned herself with Castle which cast her as more of the same. The Republican electorate soundly rejected Castle and that carried on to those they saw as like him. Rightly or wrongly, that's a fact and so is the fact that conservatives in Delaware have felt more and more left out. It's unfortunate for Michele because many of us in the movement saw her as an opportunity where the Patriot Movement and the establishment could have come together. It was not until she campaigned with Castle and positioned herself in percieved opposition to the majority of the electorate that she began to lose favor. In fact, despite her move toward Castle, many Patriots voted for her and not for Castle hence the reason her primary was so close. I for one would not have been disappointed with Michele Rollins and even thought she had the better opportunity to beat John Carney. It is a shame that she and others within the GOP have still not figured out the pulse of the Patriot Movement.

The fact is that the Patriot movement is hard to qualify precisely because it is so grassroots but there are some central themes. A limited federal government who leaves the social issues to the States and who constrains itself within the boundaries of the Constitution leads the way. We also expect the government to get a handle on spending, on the budget deficit and on the out of control taxation. Then we expect the government to ensure that our business markets are free and open to the public and that government stays out of the market as much as possible. The problem is that the Delaware Republican electorate did not see the party embracing these ideals and neither did the Patriot movement. As such, a change was called for. It is never easy for political parties to change but this was so glaring and so obvious that anyone should have seen it. The fact that the Delaware GOP establishment still can't, shows that they may still have learning to do. The Patriot Movement is willing to teach them if need be. The following quote from former 6th District Rep Tom Kovach shows that some establishment Republicans haven't heard the message yet:

"Let's focus on the fiscal conservancy of the party," said former state Rep. Tom Kovach, who lost re-election in a northern New Castle County district

Thanks Tom, we've BEEN focusing on that. The problem is that the establishment wants to pick the candidates themselves for us. Now, in a desperate move to explain rejection by the left AND the right, the establishment is claiming that this was fiscal conservatives vs. social conservatives. It was not. Mike Castle was NOT a fiscal conservative and hadn't been in almost 10 years. Mike Castle was not even a MODERATE Republican, he was a Progressive left learning Republican who had more in common with liberal Democrats than he did with conservative Republicans. The people had their say and they chose candidates that should have moved the leadership to understand it needed to moderate BACK to the right in it's choices of candidates. Instead it has confused some moderates and sent Mike Castle into a rage that has led him to conclude that he has to start a war over control of the Republican Party. Castle is now choosing candidates that stand in near direct opposition to what the electorate voted for in September. Time will tell but the hope is that the Delaware GOP will figure it out sooner, rather than later. The only way to win is to work together.

New Poll Shows Mike Protack is Republican Favorite for County Council President

Founders Values is a well known Delaware educational group that focuses on the founding principles of our nation. They strive to educate the electorate and children on those founding principles and on the Constitution and related documents. They have been active for about 18 months and they have organized many events including a number of TEA Parties across the state. Their members have been an active force in the recent political landscape in Delaware and have even impacted legislation in the state and nationally.

In June of 2010, Founders Values administered a survey of likely Republican voters in the U.S. Senate primary between longtime Congressman Mike Castle and Conservative activist Christine O'Donnell. The poll found O'Donnell leading Castle by nearly a 3-1 margin. It was the first (and almost only) poll that found O'Donnell in the lead among likely voters until her upset victory on Sept. 14th. While laughed at initially by local media personalities, the poll proved to foreshadow the results of the Republican Primary.

The group obtained the names of the two front runners for the Republican nomination in the Special Election for New Castle County President. Delta airlines pilot Mike Protack, who ran for Governor in 2008 and former State Representative Tom Kovach are the names who have been mentioned as the leaders for the spot. Protack ran unsuccessfully in a Republican Primary in 2006 against eventual nominee Jan Ting who faced Tom Carper(Christine O'Donnell was also a write in candidate in that Primary Election). He then ran in the GOP Primary for Gov. in 2008 but left the race to run as the Independent candidate. Protack ran in 2010 for the 3rd County Council seat but faced a primary opponent in Janet Kilpatrick who was seen as Mike Castle's personal nominee to oppose Protack who was backed by the TEA Parties. Kovach ran in the 2008 special for the 6th district Representative seat in Brandywine Hundred. He narrowly defeated the Democrat (by just over 100 votes) in the race but lost this year to Debra Heffernan.

The telephone poll conducted on 11/12 & 11/13 and was a survey of more than 300 likely Republican voters in the New Castle County Council President special election. 60% of the respondents chose Protack where just 40% chose Kovach as their desired nominee. See the Founders Values Press Release for more information.

Founders Values Executive Director Jon Sherman said "We believe that these poll numbers represent the mood of the Republican electorate and we hope that the leaders of both parties will understand that this is an important process that should be left to the people to decide."

Mike Protack has been tied to the Patriot movement in recent years. He was an early supporter and helped to organize the Wilmington TEA Party events in 2009 and 2010 and earned the endorsement of the conservative group Common Sense Communities Society in the Republican Primary. He has a very good name recognition and being a card carrying union member helps him with with a voting bloc that does not often fair well for Republicans. He has been plagued by the notion that he is a perennial candidate for one office or another but even that stigma appears not to hurt him among members of his party when compared to Mr. Kovach.

Tom Kovach is a contrast to Protack as he is the hand picked candidate by Mike Castle. Castle is the long term Congressman who was ousted by Christine O'Donnell and the TEA Party groups in Delaware. Castle and Kovach all but endorsed Chris Coons and publicly were quite critical of O'Donnell and her "TEA Party supporters" despite the fact that those supporters contained a majority of the Republican Party voters. Kovach is rumored to be a supporter of the policies of Chris Coons including the Stoltz development of the Barley Mill Plaza location that citizens group CRG has been a staunch opponent to. This could pose problems for Kovach when it comes to raising money and garnering votes from the Greenville and Elsemere areas affected by the development. Many Republicans believe that Congressman Castle has waged his own personal war against the majority of party voters who ousted him in September and considers those who supported O'Donnell his enemies. He has built a coalition of current and former legislators and party officials and some see Mr. Kovach, a staunch supporter of Castle, as yet another example of Castle's personal war with the electorate.

Only time will tell who the Republicans support. What's a near certainty is that the Democrats will choose AFL-CIO Vice President Tim Sheldon. He will be backed by Paul Clark and Clark's wife Pam Scott who is an attorney with Stoltz in the Barley Mill case. Though Sheldon, the Democrat would be the party's first choice, it's not inconceivable that they could work out a deal with Castle to bring in the more moderate Kovach as Council President. If Protack or a more conservative candidate were to get the nod, it's likely that they would face off in a heated blitz with Sheldon. The date of the election has not yet been set but the Democrats are due to announce their choice this coming Friday.

Dear Ken Grant, we're tired of you too...

Tens of thousands of Republicans came out to the polls on September 14th in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds to cast a vote for Christine O'Donnell. It was the end of a BRUTAL U.S. Senate primary campaign that pitted career politician (40+ years in elected office) and the most liberal Republican in the House of Representatives against a virtual newcomer in conservative activist Christine O'Donnell. Mike Castle ran a total smear campaign against Christine O'Donnell. He did not debate her and would not comment on the issues of the day. He did not feel that he needed to explain any of the votes he had made, including his vote in favor of the controversial Cap and Trade legislation. In short, Congressman Castle had moved too far ideologically from his base, he's become inaccessible and carried a sense of entitlement and he refused to answer to the people. His only plan for the campaign was to find ways to destroy who Christine O'Donnell was. He and his allies within the Delaware GOP ran the aggressive smear campaign without regard to the facts in evidence. They claimed her house had been foreclosed upon when she had indeed sold it before it was foreclosed upon. They claimed she had owed back taxes when in fact, the IRS had on more than one occasion stated that the "lien" on record was an unfortunate "computer error". They also claimed that she had misused campaign funds in a previous Senate campaign despite the fact that the FEC had investigated these concerns in 2008 and found them lacking any evidence. Mike Castle even had his people create blogs dedicated to the total destruction of Christine's character. He even influenced talk radio hosts in the state to lash out at Ms. O'Donnell. Christine was clearly frustrated by the lack of attention paid to the issues and she lashed out at the media and at Castle supporters who played such dirty tactics. In the end, September 15th was the beginning of a difficult General Election campaign. The reason is because of those tens of thousands of Delaware voters who came out to vote for Christine and in some cases against Mike Castle.

Castle lost the election despite his all out smear campaign against Christine O'Donnell. I was a key contributor to the message that dethroned Congressman Castle. This blog was picked up on many national blogs and some of my posts were used as fuel for national conservative talk show hosts and bloggers. I don't mean to brag but I won't hide MY bonafides the way some like Mr. Grant do theirs. I was a consistent caller to WILM and WDEL and I spent as much time, if not more, writing, researching and talking about Castle, O'Donnell and the race between the two. Well after the primary I went silent. The reason I went silent is because the O'Donnell campaign brought me on to do messaging and opposition work in the General Election. I did not feel it was proper to actively write during the campaign I was working on.

The General Election campaign did not go as well as we had hoped. Christine made some mistakes that the media pounced on and Coons made some too although you probably haven't heard too much about those. This time there were debates and Coons should have swept the floor with her using conventional wisdom...he was after all a 2-time...2-time...national debate champion in college. He'd attended Yale Divinity and he's been County Council President and County Council Executive. The problem was that she held his feet to the fire in a nationally televised debate on CNN...and then again on a local radio debate on WDEL. In fact, she consistently, in debate after debate, out witted Coons and held her own or flat out beat him in the debates. Finally, after a debate on WHYY in which she once again showed that her stance on issues was one that Coons could not refute, he decided to pull out of all future debate and declared that the people of Delaware knew all they needed to know. From the beginning of the campaign, Coons and the DSCC had run a SLEW of negative ads about Christine. They called her a witch, labeled her a wacko and used the same false information that the GOP leadership had provided during the primary campaign to paint her as a criminal. Christine's campaign had benefited GREATLY from her victory over Castle. She'd brought in millions of dollars for the campaign through major conservative media outlets and grassroots connections. The people of Delaware complained that the money was from outside Delaware but they don't tell you that more than 60% of Mike Castle's money came from out of state or that a similar number of Chris Coons' contributions likewise came from out of state. The Democrat fundraising tool called ActBlue raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Coons. Plus, he had something Christine didn't have, a party supporting him locally and nationally.

You see, Christine had upset the balance of power for the elites in the party. The leadership here in Delaware was turned on its head. One member had said that Christine could not beat Castle without $2 million and made fun of Christine's stand on conservative principles. They also made it clear that neither Christine nor Glen Urquhart were welcome to run for Republican seats because they had "never done anything for the party". Another leader told the world stage that Christine could "Never be elected dogcatcher." These are not acceptable statements by so-called party leaders. Nationally, even after the election, Karl Rove, Charles Krauthammer and other Republican national level leaders continued to pander about the lies and rumors that the Castle campaign had failed to prove to the primary electorate. While Coons had the DSCC spending millions on ads to run their attacks against Christine...the NRSC was no where to be found. In fact, once Castle lost the RNC all but shut down the "Victory Offices" that the GOP traditionally pays for so that the party can support GOTV efforts and voter identification efforts on behalf of the winning candidates.

Delaware has a weird election schedule as the primary election is only 6 weeks before the general election. This leaves very little time for turn around. The state GOP did not hand over the keys to the Victory office to Christine's campaign for 2+ weeks. This left a little over 3 weeks for the O'Donnell people to staff the office and utilize the phones. Let's also remember that the people who did the calling for O'Donnell generally also called for other candidates across the state. They reached across the ideological aisle to party candidates. In fact, Christine held a GOP unity event at her campaign HQ and personally presented checks to every candidate who attended. Those who did not attend were mailed checks. Some returned the checks in protest. She wanted to help the down ballot candidates and she wanted the party to succeed. Once the Victory office came online (thanks largely to the hard work of people like Charlie Copeland who has always been a bridge builder) the party did begin to chip in where it felt it HAD to.

Today, Delaware's National Committeewoman Priscilla Rakestraw went live on the "Rick Jensen Show" along with Mr. Ken Grant (a squishy Castle supporter) who wrote a quite vicious op-ed today in the News Journal (Delaware's version of the NYT). Priscilla went on to "address the notion that the state party did not help Christine". She cited a few things.
1.) The State GOP provided her with 40% of the Brandywine GOP office for her campaign efforts which was "taken over" by the O'Donnell campaign. Reality check: The O'Donnell campaign sent 1 staff member to the Brandywine GOP (The Victory office that it took us 2+ weeks to get) and the handful of volunteers each day who went into the victory office made calls for Christine, Glen, Colin Bonini and Tom Wagner (even some local candidates) which last I checked was a shared effort.
2.) The state GOP spent $250,000 on mailings for Christine's campaign. Reality check: The campaign designed the mailings and provided them to the printer...in fact, the campaign provided volunteers to transport the materials to and from the post office and to bring back the overruns. The party might have paid for the postage...but I can't confirm that.
3.) That the RNC "Fire Pelosi" bus tour had to make a second stop in Dover to meet Christine on the campaign trail. Reality Check: The media darling of the east coast, a woman who brought more energy and excitement to the state GOP than it's had in years, a woman who infused the party and Delaware politics with more money and energy than possibly ever before, requested that the party which had so far let her fight on the front lines against the ENTIRE Democrat Party and state controlled media drive 50 miles south (on their way to MD) to meet her in Dover.

Priscilla Rakestraw, I'm calling you out, which calls did you make? What block did you walk? Why didn't you show up to the meet and greets that I know you were invited to at two quite influential homes? If you worked so hard for the candidates, how come the ONLY event I saw you at was the one where Chairman Steele was but Christine wasn't? Tom Ross came to the GOP Unity event, where were YOU?

Finally, to Mr. Ken Grant, who felt so inclined to pile on to Ms. O'Donnell, what is the success that YOU have brought to the Delaware GOP? I hope, as former Communications Director that you had nothing to do with the rather weak website, the missing (or hidden) Twitter account and the lack of any coherent message that the Delaware GOP has (or doesn't as it may be). Christine brought, if nothing else, character and excitement to an otherwise dismal failure known as the Delaware GOP since 2000. Was she the perfect candidate? No. But she was good enough to beat Mike Castle in the primary, which means that the PEOPLE of the party thought she was the better choice. Before you ostracize the 30,000+ voters who chose her over Mike in the primary, or the 120,000+ voters who voted for her in the general election, before you tell those of us who supported her and who rejected an elitist, leftist who thought he was entitled to the Senate seat and above answering to the people who elected him, I suggest you look at the direction the Delaware GOP was going in when we came on the scene. Ask yourself why we felt that we needed to get involved in the first place. You rip Christine for any number of violations of "The Delaware Way" and you chastise her for the same lies and distortions that have been proven over, and over, and over again to be false. The fact is that you sir, have consistently touted every leftist initiative that Delaware's ruling class has put out there. Despite the fact that Jack Markell and Alan Levin have yet to create a job to replace the 2 auto plants and the Valero plant shutdown...or the many layoffs at Bank of America, CITI and Discover. You haven't spoken out about the lack of manufacturing jobs, the failures of the state government to root out corruption or the fact that Wilmington is going to hell in a hand basket yet you pretend to have a clue. Every now and again you promote some business or another, admirable to some extent but your answer to fixing Wilmington for instance is to put a movie theater at the Riverfront. How does that help impact the 18% unemployment in Wilmington? How does it address the rampant drug and gang violence in the city? How does it help the buildings that are literally crumbling? Or do you just not care as long as your arts and entertainment scene is in "the good part of town"?

The fact is that it is YOU sir and those like you who have run the party into the ground and WE (meaning the Patriot movement that helped sweep Christine to victory in September) intend to rebuild, revitalize and restart the party. Now, the way I see it there are three things that people like you can do:
1.) Get the hell out of the way and let us take the lead for a while so we can rebuild.
2.) Get in there and work WITH us to build this party in a way that we all are able to support it and that will make it THE place to be for Delaware voters.
3.) Obstruct us and eventually completely discredit yourselves publicly.
4.) Leave the party.

I sincerely hope you choose option 1 or 2. I would like to see you all choose the second option. I want to work WITH the people who have been involved not against them. Are there changes that must be made, YES. Some people are going to be be asked to leave their current roles and some will probably need to be forced out. Some will leave (and are already) their roles voluntarily. Some people who can be great assets are going to choose to leave and that is unfortunate. No one will get everything they want but everyone will get something. The party will be better off in the end and the bottom line is that "The Delaware Way", which is nothing more than a way for the powerful to maintain power, has been shattered. The PEOPLE have spoken and they want a say. As they say in the Army, Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way.

Who is Chris Coons? - Marxism

Chris has graciously said that he would like to keep this campaign about the issues and not about smears and personal attacks. I appreciate that and I hope he continues that position. This campaign SHOULD be about the issues that Americans and Delawareans specifically, care about. It should be about how to get the economy back on track and growing, how to stop reckless spending, what role the government should have, the most effective way to stem the rising tide of healthcare costs, how to best manage our energy resources and what the tax policy ought to be. There are other important issues but these are what I hear about the most. All of these issues come down to a difference in ideology. On one side you have those who seek to continue spending, often recklessly, your tax dollars, increasing those taxes to spend more and increasing government control. On the other, you have those who understand the need for a limited government, emboldened AND restrained by the Constitution who will control spending and lighten our tax burden.

Now I said before, that Chris wants to keep this campaign about issues and I agree, it should be about issues and not a few sound bites from someone's past. We have all made mistakes...yes, even me...especially when we were young. However, there is something about Chris' past that concerns me, and many of you as well. Back in 1985, he wrote an article entitled "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist". When I saw this I was hoping for a satire or some sort of joke. But as J.E. Dyer from Hot Air's Green Room tells us, Coons was quite serious.

Upon returning from a trip to Kenya, Chris wrote:

“I became friends with a very wealthy [Kenyan] businessman and his family and heard them reiterate the same beliefs held by many Americans: the poor are poor because they are lazy, slovenly, uneducated,” wrote Coons. “I realize that Kenya and America are very different, but experiences like this warned me that my own favorite beliefs in the miracles of free enterprise and the boundless opportunities to be had in America were largely untrue.”

He also wrote:

“My friends now joke that something about Kenya, maybe the strange diet, or the tropical sun, changed my personality; Africa to them seems a catalytic converter that takes in clean-shaven, clear-thinking Americans and sends back bearded Marxists,”

However, it wasn't as if just the trip to Kenya aroused some deep part of Coons' questioning temporarily. Before Chris even left for Kenya, he was questioning America:

A course on cultural anthropology, noted Coons, had “undermined the accepted value of progress and the cultural superiority of the West,” while a class on the Vietnam War led him to “suspect…that the ideal of America as a ‘beacon of freedom and justice, providing hope for the world’ was not exactly based in reality.”

Although Chris does say that upon returning to Amherst for his senior year, he accepted that had "returned to loving America" despite discovering the nations faults, one must ask what faults he has determined America has. If Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan Marxist leader is any indication, our faults are many and great and the only pathway out is financial slavery and redistribution of wealth. There is reason to believe that Coons and Obama have much in common.


On September 16th, at a debate in Wilmington, Delaware, Coons reiterated his support for Obamacare as currently written and indicated that there is little going on in Washington that he would change. He also indicated his support for extending Miranda rights to terrorists. In fact, Coons sounded eerily like the "pet" that Harry Reid described him as. Coons did try to move to the center around fiscal issues but despite his polished debate skills (remember, he is a 2 time national debate champ) his record unfortunately doesn't bear out his claims. He made the obligatory reference to his TV Commercials which portray him as a fiscal conservative. Sadly, Chris has raised taxes three times ('05,'07 and '09), raided the county's reserve fund and increased water and sewer fees. He also references the corruption rampant during the Tom Gordon administration in his television commercial and suggests that he fought corruption. What Coons fails to mention is that the Democrat Gordon/Freeberry scandal took place while Coons himself was on county council. Additionally, what is not mentioned in Coons' commercials is that when Coons took office, the Gordon administration had left him with a balanced budget and a reserve surplus.

Currently, Chris Coons is presiding over his own scandal. County Council President Paul Clark is advocating for a project which he personally stands to gain from. His wife Pam Scott (liberals apparently love to keep a different name than their spouse so as to create doubt in issues like this) is a lawyer in the case. Clark has said he would recuse himself from any vote regarding the proposal but his involvement in lobbying for the case stinks. Coons has thus far not stepped in to suggest that Clark stop lobbying for the deal his wife stands to gain from. He's certainly no corruption hound.

Finally, Coons consistently calls on people to recognize that he was able to give County Council a AAA bond rating. There is truth in that statement but he doesn't tell you how Fitch Ratings gave New Castle County that rating. The fact is that Fitch only granted that bond rating to NCC because the County raided the reserve fund and decreased its value by more than 30% while Coons raised taxes 25%. The size of County government has grown every year under Coons and the budget has steadily increased. In 2009, Coons did make some cuts...he cut county employee pay by 5% and cut their benefits by 3% while the state cut worker pay even further. Meanwhile, county spending plans stayed in effect and other cuts were "avoided".

Ms. O'Donnell goes to Washington

Christine speaks, fresh off a solid showing at her first debate with Chris Coons in hostile territory. Delaware's Darling Dame sprinted down to the Values Voters Summit in D.C. for a special speaking appearance. Only days after shocking the political universe by handily beating 9 term Congressman Mike Castle who had not lost an election in his 44 year career, O'Donnell again wowed the crowd with an incredible performance. She is showing what "citizen politicians" have to offer to today's political climate. No word on if Ms. O'Donnell dropped by Senator Kauffman's office to measure the draperies.

Here's a link to the whole 2nd half of the event. I encourage you to watch the whole thing but our girl is up around the 1:30 mark. The whole speech is AWESOME!

O'Donnell wins - Party Bails

Well, at least the NRSC bailed. The problem is that O'Donnell won the nomination (as Dana Perino said) "running away with it" in the Republican Party. Many of Christine's supporters were Independents who had already walked away from the Republican Party. I have spoken to dozens of Democrats in Delaware and they have told me that Chris Coons is not the icon they want to bill him as. I laid out the case for why Christine can win last weekend. You can see that here.

*Update* The NRSC has backtracked and said if support comes to Christine, they will also support her. Thank you NRSC. Thank you for being pragmatic and for seeing that the people have spoken. We look forward to working with you in the future. *New Update* AS of 12:00PM today, the NRSC has decided to support Christine and has donated the maximum amount allowed. This means Christine has added $42,000 to her campaign war chest in her head to head battle with New Castle County Executive Chris Coons. Thank you NRSC for your thoughtfulness and sincerity.

Now the question is, will the state party work with Christine. Castle has said he will not endorse her but perhaps that will heal over time as well. Anyone who knows Mike knows that he is a kind man but also a proud man. Last night the voters rejected him for the first time in his life. The campaign was brutal and things were said about him that no one in the campaign or who support the campaign condone. Congressman, let me make this plain and clear, I NEVER condoned the 3rd party who suggested that you had an affair. I was one of the first to publicly denounce that video live on the air with Rick Jensen. Christine also denounced it. This campaign was a referendum on the issues. The people of Delaware's Republican Party saw your votes on Cap & Trade, Financial Regulatory Bill, TARP, etc. as what is wrong with America today.

The time is at hand to "unite the clans" as William Wallace might say. Will the state GOP come to its senses and reach out to the people? Only time will tell, I for one hope that they do.

The Differences Between Castle and O'Donnell

Mike Castle shows up with fanfare and streamers at GOP Headquarters to meet with the people.
Christine O'Donnell seeks out the people by attending TEA Party/9-12 meetings.

Mike Castle has a voting record a thousand miles long that shows his true positions.

Christine O'Donnell is a relative newcomer to politics.

Mike Castle SAYS he's a fiscal conservative but he's voted for Cap and Trade, Cash for Clunkers, Union Bailouts, $3 Trillion in spending and TARP.

Christine has opposed spending increases and called for Washington (and Dover) to tighten their belts and address fraud, waste and abuse.

Mike Castle is a multi-millionaire who has never struggled in his life.

Christine O'Donnell has faced adversity financially just like most of us have.

Mike Castle does not have a problem lying about, distorting and destroying his opponents.

Christine O'Donnell believes in campaigns about the issues, not mudslinging.

Mike Castle and his campaign has attacked Christine with rumors and lies.

Christine O'Donnell has pointed out the facts about Castle's votes and his record.

Mike Castle refuses to debate Christine because he feels that she is beneath him.

Christine O'Donnell has called for debates consistently and has accepted every invitation offered by 3rd parties.

Mike Castle has been in Washington since 1992 and believes he is entitled to your support.

Christine O'Donnell is working for every inch of support she gets.

Mike Castle is supported by Greenville millionaires, unions, law firms and huge corporations.

Christine O'Donnell is bringing in money from everyday Delawareans and Americans who believe in her message and want to see our nation restored.

Mike Castle has an F-rating from the NRA.

Christine O'Donnell has recieved the endorsement of the Gun Owners of America association and is strongly pro-2nd Amendment.

Mike Castle has refused to support a repeal and defunding of Obamacare.

Christine O'Donnell has promised that she would make defunding and repealing Obamacare one of her legislative priorities.

Mike Castle believes in big government and big business making the rules for the people.

Christine O'Donnell believes in small and limited government that supports the private market and while ensuring the safety of the people, leaves business otherwise free to create jobs, goods and services.

Mike Castle expects the vote of every Republican on September 14th 2010.

Christine O'Donnell is asking for the vote of every Republican on September 14th 2010.

Where will you be when the dust settles?

O'Donnell picks up two more endorsements

First, here is a press release from the O'Donnell campaign that proclaims the endorsement of the Family Research Council PAC (FRC) which endorses conservative candidates across the country and who generally save their endorsements for those candidates who they feel stand an excellent chance of winning.

FRC Action PAC Endorses Christine O'Donnell for Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council Action PAC is endorsing Christine O'Donnell from the state of Delaware for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden.
Also running in the primary to be held on September 14 is one of the most pro-abortion members of Congress ever to serve, Mike Castle, the key sponsor of a destructive embryonic stem cell research bill favoring the use of human embryos for experimentation. Congressman Castle has a 75 percent positive rating from the largest pro-abortion organization in the world, Planned Parenthood. He has a zero percent rating in FRC Action's annual scorecard.

"The Republican establishment might think they are backing a winner in Mike Castle, but they are only backing another Arlen Specter or Charlie Crist," said Tony Perkins, Chairman of the Family Research Council Action PAC. "We are proud of Christine O'Donnell for stepping into the race and challenging the candidate who has stood against life and the family consistently in his career on Capitol Hill. We will support her courageous effort every step of the way," concluded Perkins.
-30-
FRC Action PAC is the political action committee connected to FRC Action, a 501(c)(4) membership organization. FRC Action is the legislative advocacy arm of the Family Research Council, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Paid for by Family Research Council Action PAC (www.frcactionpac.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

But the news doesn't stop there for Christine. Later in the day the Independence Hall T.E.A. Party Association released the following press release.

August 11, 2010


Dear Friends,

On Sunday (August 8), the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Board of Directors unanimously voted to endorse Christine O'Donnell (R-DE) for the US Senate Seat left vacant by Vice President Joe Biden.

Like PAC endorsed candidate Anna Little (R-NJ), Christine O'Donnell clearly articulates the values of our organization--limited government, lower taxes, and free enterprise--in a way that makes us proud.

Like Anna Little, Christine O'Donnell is very capable of pulling off an upset primary win. O'Donnell will face Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE) in Delaware's September 14 Republican primary. O'Donnell is already polling ahead of her likely Democratic opponent in the general election.

If O'Donnell wins the general election, she'll be sworn in November 3rd and will take part in the lame duck session of the 111th Congress. Needless to say,
O'Donnell's votes, unlike that of her primary opponent, Mike Castle, will be reliable in stoppping the Obama agenda.

Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Executive Board

I'd like to as Miss Stephanie Hansen if she feels that the IHTPA or FRC endorsements are "like an endorsement from the Madhatter" as she said about the endorsement from the T.E.A. Party Express on WHYY. If you haven't checked out O'Donnell's campaign website I suggest you do so. It's not too late to through a few bucks her way, volunteer with her campaign or to tell your friends why she is the best candidate to help save America.

*UPDATE*
Christine O'Donnell has just recieved the endorsement from the Gun Owners of America association. Here is their press release:

August 2010

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Christine O’Donnell for U.S. Senate in the September 14 Republican primary.

Christine’s commitment to the right to keep and bear arms is unwavering. She understands that gun prohibitions turn law-abiding citizens into easier targets for violent criminals.

Christine O’Donnell respects the Constitution and will not support any laws that will disarm law-abiding American citizens.

The contrast between Christine and her opponent could not be clearer, as she is running against the most anti-gun Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mike Castle has been in the U.S. House since 1993, and the record he has complied voting against your gun rights could fill volumes. In his time in the House, Castle has voted:

* To allow the FBI to keep the names of lawful gun purchasers for months, effectively creating a registration list of gun owners;

* Against arming commercial airline pilots in defense of terrorism;

* For so-called campaign finance reform, which limits the ability of groups like GOA to communicate with the voting public about congressional legislation;

* Against repealing the gun ban in Washington, D.C.; and,

* Against repealing the gun ban on National Park Service land.

Mike Castle has not only voted consistently against your Second Amendment rights—he is an anti-gun leader as well. In 2004, Castle urged then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to extend the Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms. Castle even introduced his own legislation to extend the gun ban for an additional ten years.

In the current session of Congress, Castle has authored a bill that will regulate gun shows out of existence. His legislation is cosponsored by over one hundred Democrats who are F-rated on gun issues.

This is a bill that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would love to pass. And if he were elected to the U.S. Senate, you can be sure that Mike Castle would team up with his old buddy from New York—Sen. Chuck Schumer—to push even more gun control.

Simply put, were it left up to Mike Castle the Second Amendment would be completely abolished.

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is working to keep this gun banner out of the U.S. Senate, and we hope you will join us.

Christine O’Donnell will stand up to the anti-gun leadership in the Senate. She will oppose any new anti-gun legislation, and work to repeal unconstitutional gun laws already in place.

On behalf of Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund, I urge you stand with Christine O’Donnell for Senate.

You can visit Christine on the web at http://www.christineodonnell.com to make a contribution to her campaign.

And please, make sure all your contacts know about the importance of this race and remember to vote.

It is time for a new way of thinking in Washington. We need legislators who respect our Constitutional liberties and who will stand up to anti-gun Senators like Schumer, Lautenberg and Feinstein.

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund urges all voters who support the right to keep and bear arms to vote for Christine O’Donnell for U.S. Senate in the September 14 Republican primary.

Thank you for your support if Gun Owners of America

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice Chairman

P.S.—Unfortunately, the Republican establishment in Washington is supporting anti-gunner Mike Castle. This makes it all the more important for gun owners to stand with Christine O’Donnell for Senate.

Castle sneaks in a couple of biggies

It's been about 3 weeks since Castle did something stupid...well since he did something most people heard about. In the last couple of weeks Castle has (one of which the Congress was on RECESS for), Delaware's lone Congressman Mike Castle has screwed the taxpayers yet AGAIN. Chances are that unless you are a political junkie like me, you've barely heard a word about either of these votes. I'd like to take some time to cover those votes and why Mike Castle has screwed America and Delaware AGAIN.


1.) H.R. 5982 - Small Business Tax Relief Act - Castle votes NO

This bill would repeal portions of the Obamacare law. Now I know the House Republicans voted against this bill almost in kind but as I read it I'm having trouble seeing why. The claim is that the bill would increase taxes but in reality, the majority of the increases are on foreign sources of income. This is similar to the original idea of taxation intended by the founders. The founders intended that the American tax system be almost entirely encompassed in tariffs on foreign goods and services. Are there portions of this bill that are undesirable? Yes. There is a tax increase on corporations buried in the bill that deals with organizations that restructure and how their assets and stocks are allocated. The amount of total increases is $147 million dollars and it would affect extremely large financial corporations and others that merge at a high level. It would seem to me that this would be a fair trade by corporations who have benefited greatly from our egregiously complicated tax code. Does that mean I want to punish business?


Absolutely not. However, repealing portions of the Obamacare at the cost of a small increase in what amounts to tariffs and a corporate tax loophole that benefits the largest firms is justified in my opinion. The effect on taxpayers would be near zilch when you factor in the savings from the repeal of the Obamacare regulations. The bill would remove a restriction on small businesses that would require them to report on a 1099 any expenditures or receipts of services over $600.


2.) State Bailout Bill - H.R. 1586 Education, Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act - Castle votes YES


This bill is a $26 billion bailout of states disguised as a bill aimed at saving the jobs of teachers. H.R. 1586 is yet another bill given a harmless name with incredibly disastrous implications. The bill (as do all bills these days) encompasses quite a few areas of federal government. First, it appropriates money for the FAA to establish programs for minorities to become FAA officials, sets aside money for Airport improvements, includes the passengers bill of rights and to provide other operational funds for 2010-2011. It also imposes a 14 cent tax per gallon on fuel used in an aircraft and removes certain tax credits for small aircraft. Buried in this bill as well is an Amendment that will tax the bonuses of TARP recipients 90%.


This bill is a monstrosity. You'll notice if you go to the link above that this bill leads to something about FAA appropriations. That's what it was for originally. Then the Amendments POURED in. Republicans had Amendments to create a moratorium on earmarks blocked by Democrats and Democrats passed first an Amendment to tax the bonuses of TARP recipients 90% (this is the unconstitutional ex post facto/bill of attainder that Chuck Schumer entered). The Democrats also included an increase in Medicaid funds to states needing assistance (despite the fact that the Obamacare bill cut Medicare/Medicaid funding). Next the Democrats tacked on relief for states whose contracts with State employee unions (read AFSCME) and teachers unions (read DSEA) far exceeded acceptable levels to most citizens and which are bankrupting the states. What you end up with is a bill far more expensive and far reaching than is being reported.


The Republicans call the bill "a bill with no name" but this bill REEKS of two names, Cloward and Piven. This bill hides all the juice way down beneath the surface. Meanwhile, leftists groups are attacking provisions in the bill that would limit the amount of money spent on the Food Stamp program. I might also add that the original bill was written by....Charlie Rangel. But it gets better folks, it turns out that the money being "stolen" from the Food Stamp program was ACTUALLY a mistaken expenditure from the beginning. That's right folks, this was a MISTAKE that the Dems turned into a pay off for teachers unions and labor bosses. Here's what's going to happen to the money. It's going to go from the Feds to the states where the states will give it to teachers unions and state employees unions. Those unions will dump a few billion into the DNC (or local Democrat candidates) as will many of the teachers and state union officials who will receive the remainder of the money. In the end, less than half of this money will be invested or otherwise spent in the economy.

So folks, Mike Castle has voted against repealing Obamacare, a 90% tax on the bonuses of TARP recipients and $26 Billion in bailouts for the states and the unions. He wasn't alone, every Democrat and Joseph Cao (the only Republican to actually vote for Obamacare) joined him. How many times Delaware? How many times do you need to see this from him? How many votes are you willing to hold your nose for before you wake up. At this point Castle has F ratings from almost every conservative organization including the NRA, Gun Owners of America, Family Research Council and the T.E.A. Party Movement.

Enough....is Enough. Force Castle to debate Christine O'Donnell(call for him to attend the Founders Values August Candidate Forum in Aug. 30th at Newark Senior Center) and to answer to the people. Visit Christine's website and learn more about how YOU can help storm the Castle and stop the bleeding.

Christine O'Donnell lays out legislative priorities

One week after a Rasmussen Reports poll showed that Christine O'Donnell currently wins in a general election against Democrat Chris Coons and days after adding the Susan B. Anthony List to her ever growing list of endorsements, O'Donnell fires another shot at her detractors.

First, O'Donnell lays into her Primary opponent Mike Castle

"Mike Castle is an enemy of the free market," claims O'Donnell. "He voted for Cap and Trade, the single most dangerous bill proposed in American history. If enacted, that legislation will cripple American industry, cause energy prices to soar and destroy American jobs. Barack Obama himself said that Cap and Trade would make energy costs 'necessarily skyrocket.' Yet Mr. Castle continues to support the bill." (Read more about Cap and Trade here)

Time after time, Mike Castle's votes prevent the free market from functioning the way it should: rewarding winners and penalizing losers. His vote for TARP enabled a $700 billion never-ending bailout for the very financial industry wizards who caused the subprime mortgage crisis. With American tax dollars, Mike Castle has made multi-millionaires out of the worst culprits of the Wall Street fiasco."

"Mike Castle voted for Cash for Clunkers. He voted against a measure to balance the federal budget within ten years. He voted against earmark reform. The list goes on and on."

"Mike Castle's voting record proves beyond a reasonable doubt that he is for special interests, against the free market, anti-Second Amendment, pro-abortion and he's even for sanctuary cities. It's a preposterous record. Calling himself a Republican is borderline schizophrenic, confused about his own political identity."

"Mike Castle is the worst kind of career politician. To be a Republican, you must stand and fight for America's founding principles of limited government," continues Christine O'Donnell. "That notion is lost on Mike Castle, and Delaware deserves better leadership. Today, I'm releasing five legislative priorities that any Republican except Mike Castle can and should get behind."

For months, elite Republican leaders in Delaware and Progressives in the Republican party have claimed that even if Ms. O'Donnell can beat Mike Castle in the primary election and Chris Coons in the general, she has not given an indication of her legislative priorities. Their attacks have even caused rank and file Republicans and some T.E.A. Party members to be wary of voting for O'Donnell for U.S. Senate. To those who question what Ms. O'Donnell will do when she gets to Washington, she has issues the following 5 Legislative Priorities:

1) Lower personal income taxes, capital gains taxes and corporate income taxes so that we can restore economic growth, create jobs and stability for our small businesses and working families.

2) Defund and repeal Obamacare.

3) Enact a 2-year capital gains tax holiday to spur economic growth and new investment, inject capital into the consumer market and free up capital for lending to small businesses.

4) Secure the border.

5) Restrict the federal government from using taxpayer funds for abortion.

To learn more, please visit http://www.Christine2010.com/

What do you say Delaware? Is it time for Delaware's Senators to be fiscally responsible? Is it time for Delaware's Senators to be defenders of the Constitution? Is it time for Delaware's Senators to get government OUT of Free Markets? Isn't it time that the First State became a leader in America again? Isn't it time we brought out our inner Caesar Rodney?

Disclose Bill passes House - What was in it?

Mike Castle and Chris Van Hollen won a "bipartisan" victory with the help of progressive Democrats and Castle's Progressive Republican ally Joseph Cao of Louisiana (who voted for the wildly unpopular universal healthcare bill). Unfortunately for Castle and Van Hollen, opposition to the bill was even more solidly bi-partisan with 26 House Democrats voting against the measure. Admittedly, some of the angst among the opposition was in regards to the decision to give a special exemption to the NRA, Sierra Club and AARP from having to disclose anything.

Amendments that exempted Unions from participation, silenced anyone who holds a lease on the Outer Continental Shelf and which raised the the minimum limit that would bar government contractors from participating in campaign electioneering from $50,000 to $7 million were also included. As was a provision that exempted unions from adhering to disclosure of transfers of more than $50,000 among affiliate organizations if the money is used for electioneering.

The bill now moves on to the Senate which is historically the wiser of the two bodies. Here the bill will face a significant challenge in passing. This is where "We The People" will have a real opportunity to stop the insanity. This bill is nothing more than an Incumbent Protection Act that stifles the peoples voices. For DECADES liberals and progressives from both sides of the aisle have benefited from BILLIONS in union dollars without a word. Suddenly, when corporations, citizens groups (like your local T.E.A. Party/9-12 Patriot group) and other watchdogs get a bullhorn too, they want to shut the door on them, on YOU. This is where "We The People" must use OUR lobbying voice and make the phone calls...send the faxes and make them listen.

Call, write, fax and even show up to SEE your Senators and their staff. Engage them in a discussion about why OUR voice, the voice of the T.E.A. Party and of the small business owner is less important than the voices of unions and the huge activist groups like the NRA, Sierra Club and AARP. Click here to contact your Senator today. Below is a list of Senators who should be focused on:

Baucus, Max - (D - MT) 511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2651 - phone
(202) 224-9412 - fax

Bayh, Evan - (D - IN) 131 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5623 - phone
(202) 228-1377 - fax

Brown, Scott P. - (R - MA) 317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4543 - phone
(202) 228-2646 - fax


Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE) 513 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2441 - phone
(202) 228-2190 - fax

Collins, Susan M. - (R - ME) 413 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2523 - phone
(202) 224-2693 - fax

Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC) 290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5972 - phone

Lieberman, Joseph I. - (ID - CT) 706 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4041 - phone
(202) 224-9750 - fax

McCain, John - (R - AZ) 241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2235 - phone
(202) 228-2862 - fax

Snowe, Olympia J. - (R - ME) 154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5344 - phone
(202) 224-1946 - fax

O'Donnell campaign does it again...this time the numbers prove it

Just when the world counts Christine O'Donnell out...she bounces back stronger than ever. In three days Christine and her new team of dedicated volunteers from across the country rallied to bring in more than $10,000 in her race against incumbent Congressman and Delaware Senate candidate Mike Castle. The resident Head RINO-In-Charge of the Delaware GOP is loaded with cash and special interest money. Christine is raising hers from the source of real power in America, the citizens.

I must admit, a few weeks ago I was a bit of a skeptic about how the campaign would refire the engines but they have really done a great job. The website has undergone a complete makeover (Visit Christine2010.com) and in addition they have added a social networking site (Visit teamChristine) and have begun raising money through the ever popular money bombs. Her Facebook presence has nearly doubled in the last two weeks and with her successful fundraising effort last week she is poised to strike a blow to Mike Castle's thus far nearly impenetrable armor.

There's one missing piece to Christine's campaign resurgence and that is the voice of the Delaware voters. What do the voters think of Christine? Preliminary polling results from the educational non-profit group Founders Values suggests that conservative T.E.A. party candidate Christine O'Donnell out polls Congressman Mike Castle among likely Republican voters in Delaware by more than 3 to 1. In a survey of likely Republican voters the results give O'Donnell the edge 65%-18% in the race for the Republican to square off against Democrat Chris Coons in the November general election.

Also being released are the preliminary results of polling among the same likely voters for the U.S. House Republican Primary battle. The preliminary results in that race give Glen Urquhart the edge 53% to 18% over establishment candidate Michele Rollins.

Both of these numbers are a stark contrast to the results of the GOP convention which saw Mike Castle and Michele Rollins earning nearly identical 70/30 split wins over O'Donnell and Rollins respectively. More than anything else the poll shows the viability of O'Donnell and Urquhart going into their respective primary races this summer. If there is one certainty that can be gleaned from the results which are due to be released to the public on Friday June 15th it is that neither race is even close to being over and that the T.E.A. Party movement is certainly having an impact in Delaware.

Rumors Percolating

I've heard rumors and rumblings from an otherwise recently quiet Christine O'Donnell camp. The campaign has recently picked up support from renowned T.E.A. Party activists from across the country who helped push Doug Hoffman to prominence, Scott Brown to victory and propelled Rand Paul in the Kentucky GOP primary. These same activists have ousted incumbents and unprincipled party favorite RINO's across the country and after victories in NY, NJ, VA, MA, KY, CO, HA and FL they turn their attention to Delaware.

Christine's race has been drawing money, support and volunteers from across the country because her race with Congressman Mike Castle (whose record paints him more like an Arlen Specter Democrat than a Republican). They understand the kind of machinery she is up against. Mike Castle and his cadre of pawns, namely Priscilla Rakestraw (a.k.a. Prissy Rakes), Tom Ross (a.k.a. Tommy Boy) and Basil Battaglia (a.k.a. Bates) have recruited an army of elite GOP leadership thugs to smear any and all candidates who challenge him. They've tried to do it to Ms. O'Donnell.

Castle and his cronies have claimed that Christine has no job despite her being a freelance PR and Marketing Consultant who has worked for the Vatican, the World Education and Development Fund and Mel Gibson to name just a few of her clients. She's helped to orchestrate pro-family legislation in Washington and has participated in White House and Capitol strategy meetings. Additionally, Christine is a gifted political commentator who is called upon by Fox News and other major news outlets frequently and has appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor", "Hannity", "The Glenn Beck Show", "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "Entertainment Tonight".

Christine has been an invited guest of the Royal Jordanian government and has met with former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. She has travelled the world meeting with leaders and dignitaries, seeing first hand what Socialism, Radical Islamic Terrorism and Communism leaves in their wakes. She's been endorsed by Atlas Shrugs editor Pamela Gellar, documentary film maker David N. Bossie and numerous national bloggers and T.E.A. Party activists. In fact, the Wall Street Journal even highlighted her race with RINO Castle as part of a growing national trend of incumbents and GOP establishment candidates who stand to lose their bids in 2010.

All that has been missing is an opportunity for her to show that she can beat Castle and Coons. Thus far both Mike Castle and Chris Coons have avoided a debate with her. Castle has instead resorted to tactics akin to domestic abuse. At the Delaware GOP convention, Castle instructed his goons to disrupt the convention during Ms. O'Donnell's nominating speeches, hired the Dover High School Band (a publicly funded school whose children wore Castle campaign T-shirts and while using public instruments emblazoned with the High School name and logo) which is a violation of campaign ethics in most states and attempted to embarrass Christine by shouting disparaging (and untrue) comments.

Despite all of the Castle campaign's attempts to smear Ms. O'Donnell she remains as viable as ever. With her new national help and much needed funding she is poised to strike back at RINO Castle and make public is record of voting with Democrats more often than with Republicans; to spotlight his votes for Cap and Trade and bailouts; and to call him to explain his fiscal record before the people of Delaware. Christine is THE T.E.A. Party candidate for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat and she is the PEOPLE'S candidate. Visit her website to learn more at Christine2010.com

2010 GOP State Convention Review

This years convention (I am told) was the largest turn out in many years and it showed. Caucuses were squeezed into hallways and small conference rooms that bulged with the weight of establishment Republicans and a few T.E.A. party members. Of course the stalwarts were there but interestingly enough some of the MAJOR players in the GOP remained "sticker neutral" (meaning they backed none of the candidates who were competing for office). THAT above any other fact shows that beneath the GOP leadership's cries for unity is a deep division amongst the brightest budding stars and the dimming party elites. A new era is about to begin within the GOP and this year's primary election could be the catalyst for it.

There were two contended nominations at this years convention

The first was for the people's United States Senate seat formerly held by Joe Biden. The Delaware GOP had decided that Mike Castle would be the establishment candidate and Christine O'Donnell had sought T.E.A. Party support. I was honored, as a T.E.A. Party leader to be asked to nominate Christine. I began by speaking about why we have debates in politics and why it is healthy. I also talked about James Madison who is not only the "Father of the Constitution" and our 4th President but also the "Father of Partisanship". Having served his constituents as both a Federalist (when he wrote the Constitution) and later as an Anti-Federalist (fighting against Hamilton's banking system), Madison understood the need for the parties (or factions as he called them) to present clear differences to the voters and to force them to pick a side. I argued that Congressman Mike Castle and challenger Christine O'Donnell couldn't be more different and I pointed to many of Castle's liberal votes as proof. During my nominating speech Castle's supporters (who weren't even delegates) got up and began handing out campaign materials. Following my speech, Diane Hernandez from Smart Girl Politics took to the stage and seconded my nomination of Christine. During her speech the National Committee Woman Priscilla Rakestraw made it a point to heckle her from the floor. The big boo's came when Jon Sherman took the stage and pronounced Mike Castle "the Arlen Specter of Delaware".

In fact, we T.E.A. baggin rednecks elicited such fear from Castle and his staff that they brought in the big guns. Castle's nominating speech was given by former Governor and Delaware GOP idol Pete DuPont (who incidentally spoke at the Wilmington T.E.A. Party rally exactly 1 month prior). There were two other speakers that seconded his nomination. One was a woman whose name I can't remember and the other is Sussex County Senator Joe Booth (who it is said will face Eric Bodenwieser (T.E.A. Party activist) in a primary and whose primary win was erroneously attributed to Castle's support when in reality it belongs to the hundreds of T.E.A. Party goers who made the rounds on Joe's behalf...thanks Joe). The woman whose name I cannot remember is only memorable for her unremarkable quotation of a founding father. Her quote came from Henry Clay and was obviously a Castle team members answer to my Madison laced speech. The problem with this is that Madison is both the "Father of the Constitution" and our 4th President whereas Henry Clay is known as "The Great Compromiser" who authored the Missouri Compromise in 1820 which allowed the sinful excersise of slavery to continue in Missouri and other states south of the 36th parallel. When Clay was appointed Secretary of State, his maneuver which had won John Quincy Adams the election, was called a "corrupt bargain" by many of Jackson's supporters and tarnished Clay's reputation. Finally, it was also mentioned that Mike Castle is the 5th Great Grandson of Benjamin Franklin who referred to himself as "an extreme moderate" (just watch "John Adams") and who was a great political mind if not the most honest of all the founding fathers.

In the end Castle also broke out the entire Dover High School Marching Band complete with school owned (and taxpayer funded) instruments, Mike Castle 2010 T-Shirts and "Dover High School Marching Band" tuba covers. Now, I'm not a lawyer but I'm pretty sure there is an issue with that.

So here are your Dover High tax dollars at work.

Are they allowed to wear those shirts?

But I digress, it took a band, a theme song, a sitting State Senator and the most beloved former Republican governor in state history to combat Chistine O'Donnell and her band of merry T.E.A. Party leaders. The final outcome? Despite the complete chaos that erupted with Mike Castle being NOMINATED, Christine O'Donnell still carried 30% of the room. 30% of the GOP establishment (that's who generally attends these conventions)jumped behind Christine. Couple that with the fact that key players (not the tools who do as they are told) but real leaders showed the party their true feelings by not falling in line and refused to show allegiance to the two "party nominees" and you have a convention that was all BUT full of "unity".

In the other contested race (for U.S. Congressman) Michele Rollins took 70% of the GOP establishment vote in a second ballot after Kevin Wade was removed from consideration. So Glen Urquhart and Christine O'Donnell each carried 30% of the GOP establishment Republicans. Interesting considering that these two candidates also stand for the "T.E.A. Party" values that 70% of regular Americans (primary and general election voters) support. Can Glen and Christine carry that message to the regular folks and win the day in September? Absolutely and with the O'Donnell campaign receiving attention from Senator Jim DeMint, Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council and Sarah and Todd Palin as well as Doug Hoffman (the man who discovered Doug is now the man behind the O'Donnell campaign) she is poised to begin her fight from 30% (as opposed to 0% where most candidates start). Glen certainly has the money and message but has thus far lacked the ability to reach out to local grassroots groups and to align with other T.E.A. Party candidates to present a more united front in the upcoming elections. He would do well to make such an effort.

In closing, the convention out come was a surprise to most of us realistic attendees. Castle and Rollins beat the drums and dumped their warchests and stomped the competition. With that said, both Urquhart and O'Donnell took home 30% of the vote from the GOP establishment and THAT is a major accomplishment that bodes well for them in September.

Open Letter to Delaware's Republican Delegates

Dear Delaware Republican Delegates,
I don’t mean to be a bother and I apologize for this unsolicited email however, I firmly believe that there are some things that need to be said before we cast our final votes at the 2010 Delaware GOP Convention. We will be choosing the “party nominee” for both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate races. While there may still be a long primary season in some cases, I hope that the decision we make does not divide the party anymore than it already is. This is not something to approach lightly or without deep reflection. That is why I am writing this email now and why I have copied the party leadership. I’m not going to secretly communicate with anyone (as some of the candidate teams have done). I’m going to be upfront and honest about my concerns. I would like to take a moment to discuss both races below.

In the U.S. House race we have a number of candidates running. All of them have positive qualities and to rule any of them out at this point would be a mistake. Sure, there are some who have the backing of the Republican Party elite’s and others have personal disagreements with one another. Folks, this race is not a popularity contest and the winners are not dictated by party leadership. This is our opportunity as delegates to express our true feelings and to pick the person who we feel will best represent Delaware as our only Congressional Representative. This person must be able to beat John Carney, that is true. This person must also have the courage of their conviction and stand for our Republican principles. Republican principles that align closely with T.E.A. Party principles. Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government (which requires knowledge of the Constitution and respect for its contents and limits) and support for Free Markets are mutually supportive principles that both the GOP and the grassroots “T.E.A. Party” movement can agree on. Whichever candidate you support, these principles ought to be at the front of your thought process. I would urge you to look at all of these candidates and not to exclude anyone based on preconceived notions. Kevin Wade, Glen Urquhart, Michele Rollins and Rose Izzo are all fine people and no matter who wins the nomination (or the primary if it goes there), all of them should be considered for other/future positions within the party or within our state government. WE need their minds and we need their spirit. New leaders are never bad. With that said, I would urge you all to read the latest posts related to the race at the following site: www.delawarepolitics.net You will find TREMENDOUS insight into the candidates here from a center-right perspective. Those of you who attended the straw poll may have already decided on where you stand but I can tell you that I am personally supporting Glen Urquhart although all of the candidates have thus far been intriguing and a few have had my support at different times.

In the U.S. Senate race we have two candidates running. This is a contentious race and I will not hide the fact that I have personally already made a decision. Nor will I hide the reasons why I have made this decision. This particular race is between Congressman Mike Castle and challenger Christine O’Donnell. Christine had been a “rumored” candidate for some time but declared officially earlier this year. Congressman Castle has been asked repeatedly to debate Christine in many different settings. For instance, Founders Values (who is a neutral 3rd party) wanted to facilitate the kind of debate and general diffusion of knowledge about the candidates that the founding fathers intended. Both candidates were invited in the same manner and given the same amount of time to respond. Christine accepted but Congressman Castle declined to answer the initial contact. Congressman Castle was eventually asked publicly about the debate and he refused to do it. He said he would not debate Christine O’Donnell period. Congressman Castle feels that it is good politics and somehow in the best interests of the people of Delaware to flat out ignore Christine O’Donnell while simultaneously having his campaign attempt to assassinate her character with apparently baseless accusations. Filing some reports late is a valid concern but apparently one that the FEC did not even find to be egregious enough to investigate. The campaign was sent letters, complied with those requests and the issue became a non-issue to them. I would urge you to approach Christine directly with concerns about other “rumors” and to seek the truth before you make a decision. As for Congressman Castle’s record, he can duck Christine but he cannot duck his record. Below is a list of the concerns that I have with making Congressman Castle your next Senator from Delaware. Ask yourself, can you support him when you see this?

Here is some information that has come to my attention:

1.) Here is an actual video showing Mike Castle’s position on the Constitutionality of Federal involvement in healthcare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Lx3bdWDt4
2.) Mike Castle has also consistently defended the Global Warming hoax, C.A.F.E standards and as you may know, he voted in favor of Cap and Trade Legislation in June of 2009 (in fact he was one of only 8 Republicans to vote for the legislation). (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_member.php?cs_id=26496)
3.) Mike Castle voted FOR the 2009 Omnibus bill that increased spending 8% on top of the stimulus bill. (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/111/house/1/votes/86/)
4.) Congressman Castle voted FOR the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street (TARP) in 2008 (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=22467&can_id=26792)
5.) Mike Castle also voted in favor of “Cash for Clunkers” which as we know, took many inexpensive used vehicles off the market that may otherwise have been purchased by people with low incomes who could use the vehicle for transportation. (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_member.php?cs_id=26194)
6.) Mike also voted against a bill that would require the parents of minors to be notified if their child wanted to be transported across state lines in order to obtain abortion services and also voted to allow federal funds to be used for abortions. (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_member.php?cs_id=7973) and (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_member.php?cs_id=8863)
7.) Mike Castle voted AGAINST a 2007 amendment to withhold tax-payer dollars from Planned Parenthood. He then voted against a similar amendment in 2009. ( Quote from the American Conservative Union website “Planned Parenthood. HR 3293 (Roll Call 643). The House defeated an amendment to the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill that would have eliminated funding for Planned Parenthood family planning services, which includes abortion services. ACU has always opposed Planned Parenthood and federal involvement in this area as unconstitutional, but the amendment was defeated July 24, 2009 by a vote of 183-247.”)
8.) Castle voted AGAINST the surge in Iraq which is credited for forcing Al Qaeda out of the country. He also voted FOR investigating President Bush for impeachment for “lying about Iraq.”( Surge - http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/house/1/votes/99/ Vote to impeach Bush - http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/house/2/votes/401/)
9.) Congressman Castle voted AGAINST strengthening our missile defense systems in 2007, 2008 AND 2009.
10.) Castle voted against the PAYGO rule on Feb. 4th 2010. (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=28603&can_id=26792)
11.) He also voted to enforce the 90% tax on bonuses paid to employees of TARP recipient companies. This tax is nothing more than a bill of attainder which is a DIRECT violation of Article 1 Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution (“No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.” In the context of the Constitution, a Bill of Attainder is meant to mean a bill that has a negative effect on a single person or group (for example, a fine or term of imprisonment). Originally, a Bill of Attainder sentenced an individual to death, though this detail is no longer required to have an enactment be ruled a Bill of Attainder.). (http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=24249&can_id=26792)
12.) Congressman Castle has joined Congressman Van Hollen in introducing a bill that would strike back at the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold Free Speech in American politics, including by those who cannot necessarily speak with their voice. The Supreme Court ruling allows corporations to run political ads and show their support for candidates. (http://www.delawarepolitics.net/a-real-leader/)
13.) National Journal Ranked Mike Castle as the most liberal Republican in the House (http://www.delawarepolitics.net/national-journal-rankings-are-out/)

I have a list much longer than this and if you would like to see it please let me know. I simply cannot bring myself to support Congressman Castle given the extremely long list of votes that offend many of my Conservative and Constitutionalist sensibilities.

I’m going to vote for Christine O’Donnell and I want you all to know that if you do the same I will personally stand by you 100%. Otherwise I will stand alone but rest assured I will stand for principle. Oh and before you wonder if Conservatism can win in Delaware, Pete DuPont was pretty conservative and is still one of the most beloved Gov. we have ever had. In fact, more people would vote for him today than would vote for Markell. Bill Roth had a good run in office as well. The reality is that most of the state (over 50% of those over voting age) doesn’t even register to vote. We have to go out and wake people up (and we are doing that) but these T.E.A. Party principles are supported by more than 65% of the state already. Vote on principle and we will prevail.

Thank you for your time and attention.
Evan Queitsch