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.

Christine O'Donnell can win in November and the numbers prove it

There has been some suggestion that "even if O'Donnell wins the primary on Tuesday, she can't win November 2nd and Coons will be out next Senator". Well, why do we think that? The message from those who have so far controlled the dialouge is staggering. Here is their proof:

47% of the state is registered as Democrats

Barack Obama won DE in 2008, Joe Biden spend more than 30 years in office and Jack Markell was elected Governor

Ray Clatworthy and Charlie Copeland were not able to win seats as "conservatives"


Compelling evidence in these cases. There are of course, problems with the theories. If you delve into them, you will find a much different story than the narrative that local talk show hosts and political guru's might let on.

Registration Totals in Delaware are:
R - 182,796
D - 292,738
I - 146,212

Independents are breaking 3 to 1 for O'Donnell at this time but let's live under the assumption that she will only recieve 65% of the Independent vote (this would be a Progressive MIRACLE in 2010). You must also note another statistic often ignored by the pundits. Despite Delaware's Democrat leaning registration totals, in 2004 12% of Delaware Democrats went for Bush over Kerry and in 2008, despite the annointed one being at the top of the ticket, 9% of Democrats went for McCain. Historically, at least 9%-10% of Democrats vote for the Republican candidate regardless of ideological position.

In fact, when Joe Biden, Tom Carper and Mike Castle are out of the race, the edge goes to Republicans in Delaware. The 2010 election would be between Chris Coons, a Progresive Far-Left Democrat and O'Donnell who is a Conservative Republican. Over the years, Conservative Republicans (Bill Roth, Ronald Reagan, Pete DuPont) have won the day when they have run against those who are not one of the "Big Three".

So what would the numbers say if 65% of Independents and 10% of Democrats voted for O'Donnell? Assuming that every registered voter turned out (which won't happen) the numbers would be as follows:
307, 107 O'Donnell vs 300,017 Coons - O'Donnell wins

So what would the numbers say if 75% of Independents and 10% of Democrats voted for O'Donnell? Assuming that every registered voter turned out (which won't happen) the numbers would be as follows:
322,179 O'Donnell vs 300,017 Coons - O'Donnell wins

The key here is turnout. Which side will control the turnout? In 2008 the Democrats did. In 2010 Conservatives and Republicans control the day.

Rush Limbaugh and Christine O'Donnell

This is a guest posting from Pat Fish...Pat is a resident of Georgetown, Delaware

Rush Limbaugh and Christine O'Donnell
.by Patricia Fish on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 2:16pm. I happen to know Christine O'Donnell. Have known her since 2005. She's not my BFF but I've had occasion to talk to her one on one, I've criticized her from time to time. But no mistake, she is a woman who has my admiration.

It's almost been a hurting thing to listen to the attacks on her character by the Blue Blood Ruling Class Republicans in this state, including mighty Mike Castle, her opponent who voted FOR Cap and Trade and that awful DISCLOSE act, voting with the liberals most of the time but calling himself a Republican, I don't know why.

Christine has had some financial issues in her life, as if this is anything new under the sun. We are all not Mike Castles or Joe Bidens who of course spend hours tracking their financial receipts and fret about money.

But the Delaware Blue Blood Ruling Class have deemed her unworthy of being a Senator because of...well because she's an ordinary person like most of us who's had to struggle at times. Christine WAS nominated by this same Delaware Blue Blood Ruling Class to run against Joe Biden in 2008. They didn't care about her past financial issues then as they didn't think anybody could beat Joe Biden.

Christine did not beat Joe Biden but she did okay. THIS year, now that Christine dares to challenge mighty Mike Castle, a Republican in name only who voted FOR Cap and Tax and was only one of two Republicans in the House to vote for that awful DISCLOSE act, the same folks who nominated her in 2008 are out calling her a nut, a wreck and her supporters are "pathetic".

I can't stand the lot of the hypocrites all beating on this poor woman who what? Took a long time to pay off her college loans, had some wrestles with the IRS, other financial stuff, all settled now and water under the bridge. Where in the constitution does it say that if you've had financial problems in your life you can't be senator? Besides, does anybody think that Mike Castle or Joe Biden spends hours everyday categorizing their receipts, fretting over their money?

I can forgive Biden and Castle beating up on a young woman seeking a public office, how dare she...the audacity!! They at least get something out of it. I will never forgive the simpletons who jumped on the band wagon to beat on this woman and I vow on all within me that let this election get over and I will rebuild this state's Republican party with my bare hands if need be, throwing out those entrenched Blue Blood hyenas with all my strength.

Mark Levin's been on O'Donnell's side, last night Sarah Palin came out with a quick tweet in support of O'Donnell though Palin has not officially endorsed Christine. I prayed that maybe Rush Limbaugh would give her a nod.

Today Rush launched into a lecture to those Blue Blood nothing burgers that leaves me in tears with his passion and truth.

WHAT IF WE ALL HAD TO SUFFER MOCKERY LIKE CHRISTINE ALL BECAUSE WE DARED TO DREAM OF A CHANCE AT A PUBLIC LAWFULLY ELECTED OFFICE AS IS OUR AMERICAN BIRTHRIGHT?

Who among us doesn't have issues?

My husband once suffered a brain infection. It was such a horrendous affliction that he eventually went into seizures and in a coma. Due to a series of monetary mishaps and financial procrastination on my part, I found myself all alone, husband in a coma in upstate Delaware, without one single dime to my name.

There was money out there, tied into a former 401K of husbands, some stock, an old IRA. Husband's paycheck was up in the air as he had used up all of his sick and vacation time and he did not have short term disability. I had recently had a heart bypass and was awaiting an SS disability decision by the powers that be.

I had to take a loan on my house just to survive.

When husband awoke from coma he kept worrying about some bills on his desk. We had an electronic bank account, like most folks today I suppose. HE paid his bills and I paid mine. There had been a large balance in the account from funds for the sale of our old Merryland home. I'm not trying to make excuses, I am an accountant by trade. I meant to get around to it.

Turns out husband had a bunch of credit card bills, small ones but alot of them. I too had run up a credit card but I thought I was the only one so hey, I really had plans to straighten out our finances, really I did.

It's been two years since then. I had to methodically contact all the companies. I told about the brain infection, the money confusion. Interest rates were dropped or removed. We had thousands of dollars in medical bills as well. Husband and I both did get Social Security, I applied for property tax reductions....I got the 401K's combined, the stock sold,created a reserve of money for these same such emergencies and it turned out okay.

God forbid I should ever run for Senator. PAT FISH HAD MAJOR CREDIT CARD ISSUES AND MEDICAL BILLS UNPAID UNTIL TURNED OVER TO COLLECTIONS, the headlines would read.

The Delaware Blue Blood Ruling Class Republicans would call me a nut, a woman who can't handle her money, a wreck totally underserving of being a Senator, HOW DARE SHE EVEN THINK OF IT!

Whatever went on in Christine O'Donnell's life, she too solved her financial problems. The college loans are paid, the IRS is happy....whatever happened, it's been handled.

This is how Rush framed his vignette today. How many of us have no issues that could be blown into a way bigger deal than the ordinary stumbling blocks of life that they were?

In fact, an argument could be made that those of us who've been through it, silly us, might better serve the public, having been there and done that.

Does anyone think either Biden or Castle, both lifelong politicos, very rich in fact, ever sat all alone deep into a dark night and sobbed for funds not there, despairing over actions not taken for want of a team of flackies, anguished over how it all will end,frightened and shaking over an unknow future?

Thank you Rush. Thank you for not joining the Blue Blood Ruling Class Delaware GOP in their relentless beating of this Christian woman who dares to seek to represent me. She's only asking for my vote. She's not a nut.

Who knows, maybe Christine will win on 9/14/10...that would be wonderful.

But I will never forget those who called her names, said she's a nut, mocked her mercilessly.

Because I know they would have done the same thing to me.

Coalition of Conservative Groups Demand Castle Debate O'Donnell

Wilmington, Delaware (September 7, 2010) -- The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, along with Founders Values, the Conservative Caucus for Delaware, Diamond State Tea Party, the 9/12 Delaware Patriots, and the Delaware Conservative Coalition, are demanding that Congressman Mike Castle debate Christine O'Donnell before the upcoming September 14 primary.

Together, these groups represent thousands of Delaware voters.

In a letter being hand delivered, mailed, faxed, and sent via facebook, today, the coalition
is suggesting a 90 minute debate format with a single moderator and audience participation.

"During this primary season, Mike Castle has been given multiple opportunities to debate Christine O'Donnell. A range of organizations from the ABC News local affiliate, to WDEL, to the League of Woman Voters, to Founders Values have offered the Congressman countless opportunities to debate the issues and he has been a no show," said PAC vice president and Diamond State Tea Party founder, Kevin Street. "O'Donnell, on the other hand, has been present at every venue.

"We not only think Congressman Castle is afraid to confront Christine O'Donnell after running a campaign of vicious personal attacks against her but that he is also scared to appear in a forum before Republican voters, many of whom feel betrayed by his votes on 'Cap and Trade' and the 'Disclose Act.'"

Mr. Castle has refused to debate O'Donnell in the past, insisting that she is not a viable candidate.

However, national attention has been focused on the race in recent weeks due to a string of O'Donnell endorsements, including that of National Talk Show Host Mark Levin and Tea Party Express, which has vowed to pump hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign.

"There are strong indications that the race is tightening," said PAC president, Don Adams. "National attention is now being focused on the Delaware primary and the momentum is shifting in O'Donnell's direction."

Family Values Events Director, Kristen Sherman, says the coalition will make every effort to accommodate Mr. Castle should he finally agree to a debate. "O'Donnell has already given us the green light. All Mr. Castle has to say is 'when' and we will make it happen."

(Please find the letter of invitation below.)


# # #

Founders Values
P.O. Box 673
Bear, DE 19701

September 7, 2010

Congressman Michael N. Castle
United States House of Representatives
2 Mill Road Suite 108
Wilmington, DE 19806

Dear Congressman Castle:

Founders Values, along with The Conservative Caucus of Delaware, The Diamond State Tea Party, The 9/12 Delaware Patriots, The Delaware Conservative Coalition and the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, are urgently requesting your attendance to publicly debate your primary opponent, Christine O'Donnell - - something that you have skillfully avoided this entire primary season. These organizations represent thousands of Delawareans that want an opportunity to hear the candidates debate the issues that are important to them.

We believe that the people of the State of Delaware have a right to know and understand where candidates for elected office stand in relation to one another. We also believe that the candidates themselves have an obligation to debate their positions publicly, so that the people may decide for whom they should vote. Hosting a debate between candidates for elected office is an excellent way for us to facilitate this kind of public information sharing.

We are very willing to accommodate you and your busy schedule in order to make this debate a reality. We are flexible on both date and time for the debate. We are proposing a debate as soon as possible and would prefer an evening time, as this would allow the most people to attend.
We will also be asking local media to attend the event and to broadcast it live. It is also our intention to video tape the debate and to make that video available on the internet.

The six sponsoring organizations are proposing a 90 minute debate consisting of a single moderator with written questions from the audience. These questions will relate directly to issues slated for discussion in the United States Senate this coming fall. The last half hour of the debate would be dedicated to rapid fire questions from the audience, followed by closing arguments. We would like to work with both campaigns to ensure a debate format that each of you can be comfortable in and are therefore open to modifying the format.

We respectfully request that you contact us within 24 hours of receipt of this invitation, to let us know if you are willing to debate and work toward an agreeable date and time. As you know, time is running out before the September 14th primary election and we need to move quickly on making this work for the voters. We look forward to having you at the debate and sharing your positions with the people of Delaware.

On Behalf of Founders Values, The Conservative Caucus of Delaware, The Diamond State Tea Party, The 9/12 Delaware Patriots, The Delaware Conservative Coalition and the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC,

Kristen Sherman
Events Director
Founders Values
302-463-1854

The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC was formed in February, 2010 to assist federal candidates in the tri-state region (PA, NJ, DE) who share the organization's commitment to limited government, fiscal responsibility, and lower taxes. Visit www.IndependenceHallTeaPartyPAC.com.

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?

Castle goes all negative as O'Donnell gains

Mike Castle and the DE GOP have released a STRING of negative attacks against conservative TEA Party challenger Christine O'Donnell. They've done everything but claim that she's raped a child (maybe I shouldn't give them any ideas...especially with the lawsuit against the Wilmington Diocese and Christine's Catholic roots...). The problem for them is that their lies and distortions aren't winning them any friends. A poll released today shows O'Donnell trailing the LONG time incumbent Castle by just 2 points! That's right, 2...not 20...2 points. This is WELL within the margin of error, in fact, O'Donnell may be AHEAD by as much as 3 points.

By contrast, O'Donnell has stayed consistent and true to her roots in faith and denounced a video made by liberty.com in which it was suggested that Mike Castle was having an affair with a man. The comment was IMMEDIATELY qualified as being "a rumor" but the damage had been done. The video was released by former consultants to O'Donnell and based on a story done by failed left wing radio hacks "Down with Absolutes". O'Donnell addressed a crowd of over 200 supporters on Sept. 2nd when she said:

"I do not endorse that kind of mudslinging, and I’m asking all of my supporters
not to go down that route. I am challenging Mike Castle to publicly denounce GOP
State Chairman Tom Ross’ mudslinging and ask all of the Delaware State
Republican Committee to stop the thug politics.
From here on out, it should be about the stark contrast between our stances on the issues and let the voters decide based on our positions. Not only is it the high road for Mike Castle to take, it would be politically expedient. His personal attacks
have caused my supporters to rally to my defense."

O'Donnell has been the subject of smears and distortions about her past as well. One of the more virulent attacks recently has been that O'Donnell, who was not born into the lap of luxury that most of the Greenville Republicans were, has taken more than 10 years to pay off debts owed to her Alma mater and receive her diploma. This is something that many millions of Americans can relate to. 65% of 4 yr college students graduate with debt. Can you relate to the expense of college? Millionaires in the Delaware GOP can't, including Mike Castle. They don't understand REAL sacrifice and the effort it takes to go to college and try to make that tuition each month. For that they criticise O'Donnell.

So my challenge to the Delaware GOP is to stop the nasty mudslinging politics (which is the only way they MIGHT win, if we let them) and stand up behind your positions. Stand with CONVICTION the way O'Donnell has. Let's talk about who will best represent Delaware in the Senate. Can Mike Castle, who has an F-rating from the NRA, who has voted for Cap and Trade and who has consistently voted to increase spending and taxes, stand up to O'Donnell whose platform is to lower government spending, reduce taxes, protect the Constitution and get government out of the way so the private sector can create jobs?

Governor Christie...Seriously?

So you said in your Weekly Standard video endorsement of Mike Castle (RINO-DE) that

"Mike understands that our nation's most urgent priority is the economy and that
the path to restoring America's prosperity requires making tough, responsible
decisions," said Governor Christie. "He is the strong voice that the people of
Delaware need in the Senate to get our fiscal house back in order and get
Americans back to work."

Really? I mean, have you even had a staffer SNIFF Congressman Castle's record or are you already willing to sell out those conservative values that got you elected? Here's why I ask that question.

I thought, maybe I'm WRONG about Congressman Castle. Maybe he IS a budget hawk. This is what I found:

FACT - Castle voted for TARP (the $700 Billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008

FACT - In 2008 the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth (Fiscal conservatism) rated Mike Castle at 28% and 26% respectively.

FACT - Castle voted FOR the Auto-bailout that resulted in GM being owned by the unions and taxpayers

FACT - American for Fair Taxation rated Mike Castle as a -1 against the FairTax measure

FACT - Castle Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses

FACT - In 2008 the National Tax Payers Union gave Congressman Castle a D rating

FACT - Voted AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending at $973 billion and imposing a moratorium on earmarks

FACT - Congressman Castle supported the interests of the National Small Business Association 60 percent of the time from 2007-2008

FACT - Castle voted FOR the Obama Omnibus spending bill that increased spending 8% on TOP of the Stimulus packages

So again Gov. Christie, where is your consistency? Where is your intellectual HONESTY? Then again, I did find this interesting tidbit. Governor Christie plans to use Cap and Trade funds to pay down the New Jersey debt. This story cites his plan to do it using the state money. Why not also work to pass national cap and trade legislation so he can pump even MORE money into his scheme? Who better to support for U.S. Senate and to ensure Cap and Trade passage than the man who already voted for it in the U.S. House, Congressman Mike Castle? I guess the Constitution, limited government and lower taxes only matter to Gov. Christie when he needs votes.

Hey Mike...Join the Club

As i was scouring the net today I came across a story over at WorldNet Daily called "Obamacare reversal? House 75% of the way there". It was written by Bob Unruh who generally does excellent work. So I stopped and did some reading. Apparently Representative Steve King from Iowa (a Republican of course) issued a discharge petition against the Universal Healthcare bill passed by Congress early this year.

As of July 27th the bill had 162 of the 219 signatures it needs in order to pass. One signature that has not yet been added to the petition is that of Delaware's lone Congressman Mike Castle who is embattled in a Primary race against Christine O'Donnell. The winner of the primary is likely to be Delaware's next Senator. This begs the question, "What are you waiting for Mike?"

His opponent Christine O'Donnell has been a strong advocate of defunding and repealing "Obamacare" since it was passed in March and has been at odds with Castle over how to best deal with the new law. Castle favors "fixing" the bill that amounts to a complete government takeover of the healthcare system. The bill came just months before Great Britain (the country that was touted as proof of the success of socialized medicnine) announced that it was going to begin privatizing it's healthcare system in order to correct problems with the system and stem the skyrocketing costs. Other European countries cited by Democrats are also considering scrapping their Socialized Medicine plans.

Yet still, Congressman Castle remains silent. Castle's office has not yet commented on the petition. His opponent O'Donnell has indicated that she would in fact support the petition if she were in Congressman Castle's place. When asked for comment Christine said:

"Obamacare is more about government seizing control of 1/6th of the American economy than it is about affordable health care choices. It will cripple American small businesses and discourage entrepreneurship. We need to replace Obamacare with a bill that will lower the cost of American health care by promoting competition.

Unlike my opponent, I will fight to defund and repeal Obamacare."

The Obamacare bill has been reported recently to cost the taxpayers more than $1 Trillion dollars including billions of dollars in new taxes, nearly $500 million from charity based non-profit hospitals and $70 billion from those who "don't buy government-approved health insurance". It's reported that "force some 87 million Americans to drop their current coverage" despite assurance by President Obama to the contrary.

I must ask again Congressman Castle, will you sign the petition and kill Obamacare before it starts killing Americans?

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?

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

Delaware Minor Parties Score Major Victory Over the Machine

The minor parties in the State of Delaware deserve a huge pat on the back for working together against an oppressive squeeze tactic. Back in 2009 Delaware certified and ballot qualified all major and minor parties in accordance with the agreed upon guidelines at that time. Minor parties then were required to have no less than ~350 registrants to be considered "ballot qualified" provided they could come up with the required fees, etc.

In 2010, the Delaware Department of Elections (specifically Director Elaine Manlove) asked the Delaware legislature to draft a bill that would double the size and scope of minor party membership for ballot qualification to more than 700 members. That meant that parties like the Constitution Party, Working Families Party and even Delaware's own "Blue Enigma" Party were in jeopardy of losing their ballot qualifications and by extension and exclusively third party candidates would lose the opportunity to run for office, despite any money raised/spent since 2009. The bill (HB245) was rushed through the General Assembly and signed by Markell. There was one little problem.

The Constitution Party wasn't going to back down from the machine. They worked with other minor parties in Delaware to come up with a coalition across party lines to fight back against the law that by all designs appeared to be changing the rules in the middle of the game. Earl Lofland and Pell Sherman led the fight against Dover's attacks and mounted a legal challenge. The State of Delaware Attorney General's office investigated the law and it's implications. Deputy AG Ann Wolfolk returned a suggestion last week that the Delaware Department of Elections contact the state legislature and ask them to delay the portion of HB245 pertaining to minor parties ballot qualifications until AFTER the 2010 general election in November. The AG's office understood that both morally and legally, changing the rules in the middle of the game is wrong. Legally the state (therefore the Department of Elections) would likely lose a court challenge by the Constitution Party and be forced to pay costs, damages and more to the minor parties. Manlove has since asked the legislature to write and quickly pass said bill to ensure that it is protected against legal action.

Thank you Earl Lofland and Pell Sherman (as well as others from many other minor parties who stood with Earl and Pell) for your hard work and dedication to fighting for what is right and just.

Mike Castle - Fiscal Responsibility Fact Check

On his website Mike Castle claims to be Fiscally Responsible. I decided to do some Fact checking. I thought, maybe I'm WRONG about Congressman Castle. Maybe he IS a budget hawk. This is what I found:
FACT - Castle voted for TARP (the $700 Billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008
FACT - In 2008 the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth (Fiscal conservatism) rated Mike Castle at 28% and 26% respectively.
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Auto-bailout that resulted in GM being owned by the unions and taxpayers
FACT - American for Fair Taxation rated Mike Castle as a -1 against the FairTax measure
FACT - Castle Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses
FACT - In 2008 the National Tax Payers Union gave Congressman Castle a D rating
FACT - AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending at $973 billion and imposing a moratorium on earmarks
FACT - Congressman Castle supported the interests of the National Small Business Association 60 percent of the time from 2007-2008
FACT - Castle voted FOR the Obama Omnibus spending bill that increased spending 8% on TOP of the Stimulus packages

Castle's website states:

Economic Stimulus - Mike Castle has supported the federal initiative to return millions of taxpayer dollars back to individuals and families, spur business investment, and expand refinance options for homeowners.

The $787 Billion stimulus package (which is projected to cost $3.27 Trillion) has resulted in $514, 012, 482.38 in Delaware dollars or put another way 6 one hundredths of one percent of the total stimulus package (assuming $787 Billion is correct). The Stimulus package has resulted in 1,174 jobs gained however, by December of 2009 Delaware had lost 11,400 jobs which resulted in a net loss of 10,226 jobs. Home foreclosure filings are still averaging 13 per day.

The website also states:

Financial Services Committee: Mike Castle serves on the House Committee on
Financial Services, which has jurisdiction over banking and the securities and
insurance industries. In this capacity, he has worked to ensure the viability of
low income housing programs and has introduced legislation to shield consumers
from identity theft.

This committee failed to stop Fannie and Freddie from bringing down the entire national housing system, failed to properly regulate and evaluate the banking industry and is largely responsible for the financial services bailouts (which Castle voted for).

Finally, Castle's website states:

Budget Reform: One of the reasons Mike Castle first ran for the United States
Congress was to bring to the federal government the same principles of fiscal
responsibility that he practiced as Governor of Delaware. Castle has fought for
solid budget reforms in Washington, including a presidential line item veto,
rainy day accounts, pay as you go for both tax cuts and spending, and a
no-excuses balanced budget process.

Despite this statement Mike Castle has voted against PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) amendments. The most recent of which was on February 14th 2010. He has a 2008 rating of 26% from the Club for Growth and has voted AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending and imposing a moratorium on earmarks 3 times since 2005. He's also voted FOR Cap and Trade, the auto bailouts, cash for clunkers, the 2008 stimulus package, the Omnibus spending bill (increased federal spending 8% ABOVE stimulus package) and believes that Social Security works relatively well despite the fact that it owes more than $14 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities and is the second largest budget item in federal spending (2nd only to Medicare/Medicaid which he has also praised).

Congressman Castle is CLEARLY not fiscally responsible with the people's money. He has time and again voted in ways that go against what is "fiscally responsible". His votes tend to contradict his campaign promises in the area of fiscal responsibility.

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