Castle to Retire
Senate Guru offers four clues as to his decision. The first three we knew already.
The evidence:
First, in late June, Castle made his general direction known to the public:
“They’ve asked me to run for the Senate as a Republican. I don’t know if I’m going to do that,” business-friendly Castle told a crowd of financial planners at Cira Centre in Philadelphia yesterday. …
Meanwhile, says Castle, “my wife talks about beaches in Florida. I don’t know if I want to run for the House again, let alone for the four years of Biden’s term.” …
But Castle’s been in the minority long enough to know “the administration usually gets what it wants.”
He told me he’ll decide about a Senate run – or retirement – by the end of summer.
Not only does Castle reveal that he’s far from sold on a Senate bid, but he also mentions that his wife wants him to retire; and, to top it off, he recognizes that his adding one single vote to a shrinking House minority won’t make a substantive difference.
Second, the fundraising after the second quarter. We all know about his horrible fundraising, where he only raised $15,761 from actual citizens, which, as Senate Guru points out, is basically nothing when you consider that a campaign’s operating expenses are six times that at minimum. Third, Senate Guru thinks, and I agree, that the insanity thrown at him from Crazy Eileen back on June 30 may have hastened his retirement. Why deal with conservative thugs like Burris and Anderson and insane conspiracy theorists like Crazy Eileen when you have a beach in Florida to retire to? Finally, the fourth clue was Castle’s interview with Loudell on WDEL on Monday:
Speaking to WDEL radio interviewer Allan Loudell on Monday about his upcoming decision, Castle said: “I have a responsibility, primarily to the Republican Party of Delaware, to make it relatively soon. And relatively means in the next month or so.” …
Castle, who turned 70 last month, might also retire from political life. …
“Obviously, if I don’t run for the House or the Senate, they have to get two candidates. If I run for the Senate and not the House, they have to get a candidate for the House, or the other way around,” Castle told WDEL. “So it gives everybody else who is interested in running the opening that they would need, and I would want to help those people.”
In the event he does not seek any office in 2010, Castle said that there are some “good young elected officials in the state who possibly could run on a statewide basis and should be looked at.”
Castle in particular identified former state Sen. Charlie Copeland, who was the party’s 2008 nominee for lieutenant governor, and state Reps. Tom Kovach and Greg Lavelle.
Mike Castle is passing the torch here. He has probably already told the National and state GOP that they have plenty of candidates who could make the run, and now he is telling the public. If he was planning on running himself, he would not offer alternatives to his candidacy. This reminds me of a question President Kennedy got at a press conference:
REPORTER: If you had it to over again would you run for the Presidency and would you recommend it to others?
PRESIDENT KENNEDY: The answer to the first is yes, I would run again, and the answer to the second is no, I don’t recommend it to others, at least for a while.”
Castle is already on the beach in his mind.
Doubtful on his retirement but the race would be wide open if he did.
Mike Protack
That is Protackian code for “No matter who is in the race, I am running.”
No code but simple truth. The seat for Congress is available and no one of the three you mention is interested it appears. Mr Castle
has made it pretty clear it is Senate or nothing.
You mention two guys who would have to give up their present seat for a very tough race, doubtful that would happen. Copeland is not in office and would be a good candidate but that devastating loss to Denn is a huge blemish.
The sad truth is the choice for any seat should be made in the open because the selections which have been made over the last 20 years have all lost. Average loss for statewide non incumbents has been 19.3% for Gov, Lt Gov, Senate. All who were picked were picked by insiders and the voters rejected in overwhelming numbers.
The GOP has to be a credible alternative on issues the Dems have screwed up on very badly. In every instance whatever issue Bush was weak on Obama and the dems have gotten much worse.
2010 is a year in which being part of the establishment is a curse and not a plus.
Mike Protack
From one Mike to another Mike…STFU
STFU STFU STFU STFU will you please just STFU!
Thank you for your time,
You’re such a tease, DD.
Wouldnt surprise me one bit. Castle knows very well it will be very difficult for him to run for Senate. Might as well quit while ahead. Surely they can find someone better than Copeland to run. And no Protack don’t even think about it.
“The sad truth is the choice for any seat should be made in the open because the selections which have been made over the last 20 years have all lost. … All who were picked were picked by insiders and the voters rejected in overwhelming numbers.”
True, yet not germane to your point. YOu want to nominate someone MORE conservative than those the party chose, in a state trending more Democratic every year. In fact, had you stayed on the ballot as the IPOD candidate, YOU would have been rejected in overwhelming numbers. You never even acknowledge this enormous elephant in your room. The rest of us see it, which is why you have no credibility.
No one is proposing or dictating anyone more conservative or
more liberal. The point is to open up the process and have the GOP be relevant on issues.
I know universal health care which works for businesses and individuals can be done and a sensible pro growth tax policy not rampant spending will help the economy.
Right now the GOP needs to be able to fill the gap Obama’s failures will leave.
As for IPOD that nomination would have made a difference with the GOP nomination but not by itself. Discussions with iPod started 1 year before the election .
Mike Protack
“2010 is a year in which being part of the establishment is a curse and not a plus.”
I don’t think you can really count yourself as part of the establishment – more like the annoying dude that claims to be a distant relative and that keeps coming over for dinner without being invited.
“In every instance whatever issue Bush was weak on Obama and the dems have gotten much worse.”
I am so tired of hearing that from Republicans. Be honest – no matter what the Democrats do, you would find fault at it because you can’t stand the fact that the President of the US is a Democrat. Also, after less than eight MONTHS in office, so far it’s all still cleaning up the crap Bush left behind during his eight YEARS.
1). Was protack one of the candidates Castle was talking up to the RNC?
2). Told ya.
3). Copeland needs to clear up theCRI funding scandal if he wants to run.
4). I was kidding about number 1
…in the minds of the Republicans who have shrunk to 21% of the population.
I hope you all enjoyed my video of the town hall with mike. Its not about the content, its that now, he has run away from Delawareans with ligitimate questions. This action should be scorned no matter what side your on if the republic is to survive. I hope he retires, I will call it success. Watch “Mike Castle on forced vaccination and the 4th amendment” then tell me that he represents you.
William – If you are the one asking about the forced vaccinations, then you are a loon. Are you one of the SCCOR guys that posted the crazed conspiracy “article” by the anti-semitic conspiracy theorist? He really said “The Tri-Lateral Commission.”
Cracked me up.
Mr. Dawes….
Please continue harassing Mike Castle. It is amusing to those of us in the reality-based community.
he has run away from Delawareans with ligitimate questions.
What are your questions?
It is about time for CRI to publish its Board membership (if it hasn’t yet) and its funders.
right, I guess CRI should be “transparent”.