UPDATE: Sydicated columnist (and all around douche bag) Robert Novak picked up the “Castle under attack for IRAQ” story. This is how you boil a frog. Little by little.
This is awesome news. The Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI) is a coalition of a variety of groups that are committed to opposing President Bush’s Iraq War escalation and to the responsible redeployment of American forces. They are targeting Mike Castle and a number of House and Senate Republicans who continue to support Bush’s disastrous Iraq War strategy in order to convince/pressure them to break with President Bush and “take a stand” with their constituents against the failed Iraq policy.
The group is putting a field staff in Delaware this summer to work on a number of different projects and actions directed at persuading Congressman Useless to finally break with President Bush and stand with the people of Delaware against the failed Iraq War.
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Rep. Castle Crying for Mercy on Iraq War
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Polling memo: http://gqrr.com/articles/1976/3461_SuburbanRepublicans.pdf
WASHINGTON – Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is releasing today a new Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research polling memo. The new poll gauged public opinion on the war in Iraq in 2008 battleground districts. Congressman CastleIraq voted in lockstep with President Bush on the war in , and is beginning to pay the price. Castle is one of many Members of Congress in suburban districts where outrage over the President’s reckless Iraq war has reached the boiling point.
Although many attribute the overwhelming victory of Democrats in 2006 to a bungled Bush war in Iraq, some pundits concluded that suburban voters in a number of swing districts are what put the country solidly in the Blue column. A Greenberg poll conducted for Americans Against Escalation in Iraq cites dire trouble for Republicans in suburban districts as suburban voters in malls and mini-vans across America suburban voters break against the war turning their ire on Republicans.
Suburban Republicans Running Scared
USA Today: “Democratic Gains In Suburbia Spell Trouble for the GOP”
In the 2006 elections “Democrats carried nearly 60% of the U.S. House vote in inner suburbs in the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, up from about 53% in 2002, according to the analysis by the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.” [11/26/07]
Republicans Paying the Price For Bush War in Burbs
“Republican member’s approval rating currently stands at 44 percent – 7 points lower from where it stood when this debate started. It is true that Republicans’ approval rating improved marginally after the President’s veto, but not nearly enough to reach the pre-debate levels of support or affect suburban voters’ underlying opposition to the war.” [Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner Memo, 5/16/07]
Polling Indicates Strong opposition to the war in suburban districts
“Voters in suburban districts are deeply dissatisfied with the war in Iraq and the President’s policies . . . unfavorable feelings toward the war have progressively increased Since the debate over the spending bill started — from 59 percent in early March to nearly two-thirds after the president’s veto, and 61 percent of voters oppose the President’s current plan in Iraq. Interestingly, opposition to Bush’s policies is stronger in Republican-held suburban districts than Democratic-held districts and reached its highest level yet with two-thirds of voters opposing the President’s plan.” [Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner Memo, 5/16/07]
Suburban G.O.P. Members March to WH on War
The majority of the Republicans who went to the White House, earlier this month to warn Bush on his Iraq policy hail from suburban districts: Reps. Mike Kirk (D-at large); Gerlach (PA suburbs); Castle (Chicago suburbs); Ramstad (MN burbs); Walsh (Syracuse); Tom Davis (VA- [New York Times, 5/10/07]
DE-(At Large) Representative Michael Castle
Michael Castle, a Republican first elected in 1992, is Delaware’s congressman-at-large. His at large seat encompasses many suburbs that have taken a sharp turn against the war. Castle the descendant of Benjamin Franklin and the son of a DuPont patent lawyer has been a staunch supporter of Bush’s endless war, voting with Bush on the war 16 times since 2002. (New York Times, 5/10/07; Washington Post, 5/10/07; House votes 5/11/07)
Castle is one of only eight GOPers representing districts that Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) won in ’04. Last cycle, Castle won with only 57% of the vote against “political neophyte” Dennis Spivack, whom he far outspent, $1.1M to $362K. (Kraushaar, Politico, 2/15).
DCCC Comm. Dir. Jennifer Crider: “This is definitely a priority for us. He’s definitely beatable.” (Drucker, Roll Call, 2/27).
Castle has already shown signs of movement on his position on Iraq. “The whole tone of it was, ‘Where are we going? How rapidly can we get answers?’ ” Castle said after the 45-minute meeting at the White House. Castle said Bush seemed to be relying on an assessment from Army Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker due out in September. “My preference would be to get decisions earlier if at all possible,” Castle said. [News-Journal, 5/9/07] It is possible that Castle can’t wait all summer facing the heat from his angry constituents on the war.