Karen Hartley Negligible

Filed in Delaware by on September 23, 2008

So we didn’t get John Carney to run against Mike Castle because Tom Carper made like Tony Soprano. Well, we still have a challenger right? We can still knock down Mike Castle even if we can’t knock him out. Right?

*crickets chirping*

Al Mascitti zinged me on the air yesterday morning when I started in about how Mike Castle has been nothing but useless in Congress. He said something like, “You think Karen Hartley Nagle would be better?”

At which point I would have loved to fire back something about where KHN stands on the big bailout, but I have no idea where she stands nor do I have any idea why she is not attacking Mike Castle with a claw hammer right now (or at least getting a press release out.)

Contrast the non-respose from KHN to these Democratic challengers:

Here’s Doug Tudor (FL-12):

I guess an aspiring congressman is supposed to have a more politically correct vocabulary, but this is absolute bullshit!It is bullshit that once again the taxpayer is going to get stiffed, while multimillionaire CEO’s strap on their golden parachutes.

It is bullshit that guys like Adam Putnam can stand in front of news cameras, spout a bunch of lies, and have the news anchor “thank you for joining us, Congressman.”

It is bullshit that we have troops in the field, and our elected representatives are tripping over themselves to figure out how to keep bankers from losing their banks.

Okay. Bullshit might be a bit much for Delaware, but this “blank check” theme should be hung around Castle’s neck given his slavish devotion to Bush on the Iraq war.

Here’s Jeff Merkley (OR-Sen):

“The Republicans in Washington are demanding a blank check to fix the mess they created and that is completely unacceptable. Real families are hurting in this economy and George Bush is only concerned about CEOs on Wall Street. Gordon Smith rubber-stamped the Bush policies that led to this mess. I urge him to reject any blank check that puts special interests on Wall Street ahead of families on Main Street.

Gordon Smith says, “don’t play the blame game” – what he really means is “don’t hold me accountable”. Oregonians need new leadership in Washington and that starts with rejecting the failed policies and philosophies of Gordon Smith and the Republican party in November. In the meantime, Smith must stop giving blank checks to the Bush Administration – he did it with the Iraq war, and he shouldn’t do it now.”

My point is that KHN should be going after Castle right now. Is it me?

About the Author ()

Jason330 is a deep cover double agent working for the GOP. Don't tell anybody.

Comments (28)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. liberalgeek says:

    Wow. Those are excellent statements from people that want the damn jobs.

  2. pandora says:

    Why isn’t she saying anything? The press release would practically write itself.

  3. Joanne Christian says:

    Jason…you don’t have to be “for” someone to be “against” someone else. Your KHN “support?”, is uncomfortable in light of the earlier primary posts decrying her DL paranoia. Maybe you should just stay away from this one…and cut your losses now. I know you value credibility.

  4. whisper says:

    The last “news” item on her website is more than a month old – touting endorsements on August 18.

    Similarly, all the “events” have passed – the last is from Sept. 14, “Newark Community Day.”

    That is pretty sad.

  5. anon5 says:

    you have no clue, do you?

  6. cassandra_m says:

    It is sad.

    But not entirely unexpected. I suspect that much of KHNs primary win was name recognition plus Tom Gordon coattails.

    Neither are in her favor for November 4.

  7. jason330 says:

    Joanne,

    Karen and I burried the hatchet. All I’ve ever wanted is a candidate to beat the shit out of Castle for his zombie love for Bush and for selling out old ticket spilters like myself.

    I hoped (hope) Karen finds something to say about something, but it is getting absurd.

  8. talk about trying to guilt someone into something….

    stay strong!!!!

  9. whisper says:

    anon5 –

    If that’s directed at me, then yeah, I guess I am totally clueless. I’m silly enough to expect that someone running a serious campaign for Congress in 2008 would have an Internet site with updated information so voters can connect with the campaign. Wow, stupid me.

    I don’t have very strong feelings about this campaign – I certainly don’t have the level of Mike Castle hatred that jason does. But I do think it’s just sad to not take basic, simple steps to communicate with voters who’ve taken a simple step to learn more about you and your campaign.

  10. Arthur Downs says:

    For all of his faults, Castle still will hold the base and glide back into office. I suppose that the Congressman from MBNA has transferred allegiance to the Bank of America. Yet he caters to the left by letting Sarah Brady call the shots on Second Amendment issues.

    Were he to face a primary challenge next time out, it might make for a bigger GOP primary challenge. However, this should not delight ‘progressives’. A Republican Party that was freed from the cult of personality adoration of a time-worn incumbent might be revitalized.

  11. Al Mascitti says:

    “A Republican Party that was freed from the cult of personality adoration of a time-worn incumbent might be revitalized.”

    That’s some great unintended comedy there, chief. “Personality adoration” for Mike Castle. Yeah, that’s the ticket, Mike holds the voters in his seductive thrall. He’s a sven-jolly, by golly, you betcha.

    Oh, my, that is a thigh-slapper. Does Leno know about you?

  12. Hey folks, I am sitting in her office right now. She did write a response and is waiting for the big media to do something with it. So far they have not. At least that I have seen.
    She has yet to send it out to the blogs in hopes that the WNJ would do something with it. I guess she has something to learn about alternative media. huh.
    I’ll see if she will at least put it on her web site so the rest of the state can see what her position is if the WNJ continues to ignore her.

  13. DavidV says:

    Karen who?

  14. Unstable Isotope says:

    Yes, where is KHN? I do sympathize with Nancy. From my experience with Bill Dunn’s campaign, the News Journal just decides not to talk about certain candidates and it doesn’t matter how many press releases you write. If KHN really wants to win the election, she needs to find an alternative way to get her message out. Do we have anyone around here that knows how to do political theater?

    Perhaps she can show up at Mike Castle’s office with a huge blank check and a videocam.

  15. Ask Who Wrote it. says:

    ?

  16. jason330 says:

    UI,

    I’m not trying to bash KHN, but nobody is getting anything out of this campaign. Not the News Journal, not WDEL, not me…noboby.

    She said she was going to start in earnest after the primary. Well….?

  17. Nancy Willing says:

    Jason, I call bullshit. Are you claiming that you know that the WNJ did not recieve a presser from KHN. What a load. Puhlease.

  18. jason330 says:

    Puhlease yourself.
    I’m the bad guy? I know that’s what some nutbrains think. I had hoped you were not one.

    If she has sent a simple press release to the NJ prove it by sending me a copy. She’ll get a trifecta. One post from me pumping up her statment and another abject apology from me for saying she has not started running yet, and one more trashing the News Journal for running a press blackout.

    This is not brain surgery.

  19. feces throwing monkey says:

    Assume Nagle is not sending anything to DL because she regards it as a hostile blog. How does that explain that the last time she contacted The Delaware Way with news was August? And prior to that, April.

  20. anonone says:

    Mike Castle could not have picked a better candidate to run against him. What a total disappointment.

  21. G Rex says:

    I blame Mat Marshall.

  22. Unstable Isotope says:

    I wish she would generate some excitement. There’s huge excitement on the Democratic side this year because of Obama/Biden and Markell. She should try to tap into it. Why isn’t she?

    If she’s not sending things to DL because of some personal hurt feelings, that’s pretty silly. She will have to represent all of Delaware should she win, including us crazies at DL. She should welcome the opportunity to get her message out to as many people as possible.

  23. liberalgeek says:

    Forget sending it to us. Sure we are a popular blog, but she doesn’t control us. Theoretically, we could hate her and never publish it.

    But if that were the case, she would at least have it on the webpage, no? You know, just in case someone clicked on the link that we have on our site that gets voters to her…

  24. P.I. says:

    This blog is the only thing that tries to breath life into KHN’s campaign. Let it die.

  25. I haven’t been associated with the KHN campaign since a blow-up with Lizzy Allen at primary time. But I have tried to relay Jason’s request for her statement on the bailout to her and was over at her HQ yesterday when she was on the phone with the WNJ. Supposedly there is going to be something in tomorrow’s paper.
    She has a new team and I think only one person has the ‘keys’ to the website who is also doing other “more important” IT stuff.
    I have suggested that updating the blog with the pressers at the very least is a ‘good’ and necessary thing.
    The above comment that notes that KHN might view this as a hostile blog is …probably… on to something. But that isn’t why the blogs didn’t get the presser. I do suggest that she change her strategy per UI’s and my perceptions that the ‘big’ media blacks out what they wish. They never gave Dunn the time of day.

    If Jason has indeed buried the hatchet, may I respectfully inquire “with whom”?

  26. Anon 88 says:

    “I haven’t been associated with the KHN campaign since a blow-up with Lizzy Allen at primary time.”

    What? No dish?

  27. whisper says:

    The fact remains that a serious, organized campaign doesn’t rely on a single media source – even though it’s the only traditional outlet with statewide reach – to spread the word. In today’s market, you flood the zone – e-mails to supporters, posts on blogs, position papers on your web site, calls to talk radio, standup spots for television.

    But from the other recent thread here on KHN, I gather that they’re having some problems with e-mails to supporters. So maybe it’s a matter of baby steps.

    Nancy – The NJ did interview Dunn, and wrote a rather detailed story about his positions. Ran July 20.

  28. NVW says:

    I will let you address Dunn with UI, whisper. I was following her lead.
    I do know that of the myriad pressers he sent, they ignored them all. And the fact that Clark refused to debate Dunn in the two biggest forums.