‘Club For Growth’ is Needed in Delaware
The Club for Growth is an organization with an affiliated PAC that recruits more conservative candidates to run in the Republican primaries against what they perceive as “RINO” incumbents, or who are not sufficiently supportive of a socially conservative, low-tax and limited-government agenda.
The Club has had success in running in open races with the candidates they endorse, but less success when taking on an incumbent. In 2004, Pat Toomey (now the Club’s President) challenged Arlen Specter and lost. In 2006, Cranston, RI Mayor Steve Laffey lost in his bid to unseat Rhode Island Lincoln Chaffee. Indeed, prior to 2008, the Club was only successful once in unseating a “RINO” incumbent.
Their second win came this year when they endorsed Maryland State Senator Andy Harris to take on the moderate Wayne Gilchrest in the Maryland First Congressional District, our neighbor to the west. Yet, the Club’s efforts maybe counterproductive to the Republican cause. For they end up with candidates that are too conservative for even conservative districts to elect. Take the aforementioned Maryland 1st. State’s Attorney Frank Kratovil, the Democratic candidate that will face Harris in the fall, is well positioned to retake the seat for the Democrats:
Not only has [Kratovil] been targeted for support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. But the Maryland delegation’s most powerful members are determined to help him beat Republican candidate, state Sen. Andy Harris, who they see as out of step with the district.
With their help, Kratovil raised nearly $80,000 at one fundraiser this week.
…
[T]he event was Kratovil’s first major Washington fundraiser. It came a week after he became one of 37 Democrats targeted for the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program, which offers top Democratic campaigns for Republican seats financial, communications and strategic support.
In 2006, each of the 56 candidates in the program received an average of $404,000.
What we need in Delaware is for Club for Growth to train their self destructive lasers on Mike Castle. We liberals and Democrats have our vehement disagreements with the Congressman, namely his unrelenting support for the Iraq War and of President Bush. But there are conservatives who find Castle too moderate for their tastes. The problem for the Club in coming to Delaware to flex their conservative muscle is 1) the lack of any potential conservative to challenge him and 2) the Delaware Way tradition of not challenging incumbents. And at the same time, if we were to be lucky enough to have the Club for Growth come in and challenge Castle, we would actually have to have a credible and viable alternative to whatever right wing nut job running in Castle’s place. Maryland Dems are lucky in that they both had a credible candidate in Kratovil and the good fortune of the Club-backed Harris defeating Gilchrest. Somehow, I doubt Delaware Dems will ever be so lucky.
Gilchrest has been an arrogant worm who degenerated into a time-server.
Harris is a true citizen-legislator with a real day job. He took on a seemingly powerful incumbent the first time out.
Kratovil is a another liberal transplant from the Washington Suburbs in a district where the incumbent governor is disliked.
As for any Club for Growth effort against Castle, forget it. Who has the name recognition to run against him? He is preferable to any prospective general election opponent and when he is attacked from the left, it merely consolidates the base.
Keep it up, DD. I got your “Club For Growth” right here!!!! OH!!! 😯
Harris will win. He is in step with the voters. The Democrats lost the house for 12 years until they could admit that voters liked social and fiscal conservatism. They campaigned that way in a lot of districts and won. Too bad most of them don’t vote that way.
If you think Harris is in step w/ voters – doesn’t Castle drive you nuts?
The Republican party in Delaware is in such shambles I don’t think it matters much.
They are self destructing just trying to be moderates.
Castle may bother a lot of people but in the land of the blind, Cyclops is king.
Mike casts enough sensible votes that he discourages more that the Republican base from taking a risk with someone farther to the left.
This gets him re-elected but does not create the type of grass-roots enthusiasm that can build a party.
You’ve hit on another thing about Castle that I would hate if I were a Republican. He is all about Mike Castle and could give a shit about the party. Just look at it?
Anyway, since I’m a Dem – it is the only thing I like about him.
He is all about Mike Castle and could give a shit about the party. Just look at it?
The same was true of Gilchrest and the Maryland GOP establishment bent over for him…up to a point.
Anyone who has spoken to both Castle and Gilchrest can sense that the difference in frontal lobe capacity does seem to make a difference.
Those of us who have played the game long enough know that politics is the art of the possible. However, sometimes it is necessary to dump the Establishment. 1964 might have seemed a debacle to some but it saved the GOP from boring irrelevance. Some things take years to work out.
monoblogue moderates comments. So I don’t know if my response to his crazy ass post is going to show up.