UPDATED: Castle Speaks in Philly – Tea Leaf Readers Have At It
Update: realclearpolitics.com picked up the DiStefano column. I’d expect that “They’ve asked me to run for the Senate as a Republican. comment to start turning up everywhere in the next few days.
Read Joseph N. DiStefano’s whole column, it is a doozy. Here are some oddly unguarded musing from the 99 year old Congressman.
“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. (snip)
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.”
DiStefano and Castle discuss the DEGOP’s shallow bench:
But Castle’s the last proven vote-getter the Republicans have in the First State. If he steps down, Democrats could take both Senate and House posts. “That’s the quandary.”
How do you pass the torch if there’s no one behind you?
Then he transition to being worried about the National GOP which, he notes, has been taken over by maniacs, and televangelists.
“I’m worried about the Republican Party,” Castle said. “The Republican message is getting a little old. We’re still talking about Ronald Reagan,” who was president “before some of the voters were born.”
Unpopular stands on “social issues” may have hurt the party. But “what hurt the most was the eight years of President Bush in which the very issues we’re talking about today were not addressed. That has been a very strong negative for the Republican Party.
“My vision for the Republican Party is a presidential candidate who can be a good leader. . . . I know it’s not Sarah Palin or Newt Gingrich or Dick Cheney.”
The Republicans need “a manager.” Maybe Minnesota Gov. “Tim Pawlenty, or Florida Gov. Charles Crist . . . someone who can say, ‘Here’s what we should be doing for Social Security or health care.’ ” And get back on the national agenda.
As a long time Castle watcher I can tell you that he doesn’t think that shit. He simply thinks that moderates in Delaware will like hearing it.
Now the kicker. He set a new deadline for making the call: August 30, 2009
He told me he’ll decide about a Senate run – or retirement – by the end of summer.
Note: I love his “oh well..” take on the problems of the DE Republican Party. As if he wasn’t calling behind the wheel of the bus when it busted through the guardrail and tumbled down the ravine.
Interesting that he had to qualify running for Senate, as a Republican. That is what really jumped out at me, then his being candid. Basically, he said what I thought: if you really want to be legitimate in the big picture, then wake the eff up and open your eyes and stop trying to turn back the clock.
That is what really jumped out at me
Me, too. I have speculated that he might switch. Lead the way, RSmitty!
His switching parties would be the official end of the DEGOP.
That would be nice, but I don’t see it happening. What would his statement say: “Having fucked this party up five ways to Sunday – I quit.”
Plus he was very down on Specter when he pulled that move.
No. It was a a little rhetorical flourish, but there was no substance behind those three words.
Jason is hoping again that he doesn’t have to walk naked in the next World Series parade. 🙂
My impression is that he will be a very reluctant candidate if no one with a real chance steps forward. In other words, using your word choice, if a tomato can is the only option, he’s in. Going further, I do believe he is saying things that indirectly indicate that he’s lost his faith in the Republican Party, and like certain others that you may know, he’s pretty tired of carrying the baton. For him, though, it’s much harder to throw that baton back at the crowd or in the trash, than it is, say, of someone who is more localized.
Smitty,
I picked up the same thing. It’s quite an odd thing to say. I just wonder if someone has been asking him to run as a Democrat. Hmmmm….
Reading the tea leafs I get the same thing I thought before. Castle’s heart isn’t really in it but that he’s getting a lot of pressure to run for the seat. He really would like to retire but there’s no one behind him.
he’s pretty tired of carrying the baton
Sorry for all the drama you bring up. The GOP can pick up the Senate seat with or without Castle.
Yes, he makes it easier but the bottom line is the the Dems have no one unless you count an ineffective AG who has done nothing and is part of a party with 10% unemployment, record deficits and record spending.
The more you attack Castle, the more I see the Dems as having no one or no ideas.
Mike Protack
Dear Mike Castle Staffer Tasked w/ reading this blog,
Do you see now how your boss has hobbled the DE GOP? I suggest you shoot Castle the finger as he is walking out of the room. That is a juvenile and pointless gesture, but it might make you feel better for a minute or two.
– jason3300
Castle can’t be blamed for the decline of the Delaware GOP. In fact, he studiously avoided the crazies and the legislative mediocrities in his two LG picks. He’s recruited capable candidates -Flickinger, Castagno, others – in the tradition in which he grew up, when the GOP dominated the conversation in Delaware.
Oh, the decline of the GOP isn’t Castle’s fault, but has Castle done much to groom new leadership? Or did the DE GOP just ignore Castle’s advice?
Really? Where was the party building Castle when Janet Rzewnicki went negative against Carper and kicked of the decade of decline? Where was he when Dave Crossan was turning the DE GOP into a Karl Rove culture war affiliate?
On the otherhand – If lack of leadership exculpates him, then he is exculpated.
Mike Protack, the REAL Leader of the Delaware Republican Party, hath spoken.
Mike Castle is just a wannabe Mike Protack.
My question wasn’t about blame, it was about succession planning — just want to know what happened….
UI – here’s some insidery…it was some of both. JM is right about Castagno and coming under Castle. He was a good candidate, but the ever-expected fumbles of the time from what should have been solid state and county party backing doomed him in his run for County Exec (or Prez…crap, now even I can’t remember). So, yes, Castle did groom some, but the level of acceptance or seriousness was nowhere near what it needed to be from the party powers.
The Delaware GOP stopped attracting good candidates because the right wing takeover of the national party made the Delaware GOP less attractive. Meanwhile, led by Biden and Carper, the Democratic party was weaned away from the segregationists and goons who had such sway through much of the 20th Century, and became more attractive to upstate suburban voters. [A 2004 article by Ted Kaufman made many of these points first.] These trends are beyond Castle’s control. Blaming him for the sorry state of the GOP is like blaming Mike Schmidt because the Phillies got worse as he aged.
PS – Rzewnicki attacked Castle just as severely and personally in their 1992 primary for Congress. Markell’s rise in ’98 was abetted by Castle partisans glad to see her political interment.
If all the republicans jump over to being democrats, we won’t need a state-wide election. Everything will be settled in democratic primaries.
Question 1: Is a republican in democratic clothing still a republican?
Question 2: Is the party switch a ploy to get the votes of all the voters who just pull the “D” lever regardless of who is running?
“Question 1: Is a republican in democratic clothing still a republican?”
Ask John Atkins.
Yes I think it is a combo of Castle not doing enough and the shift of the national GOP. I still think Castle could have groomed someone despite the GOP shift. The DE GOP is willing to vote for Castle despite his moderation because he is seen as someone who can win. I think the GOP would probably rather have someone besides O’Donnell and Protack but there’s not much left.
UI –
again, he did groom some, but Lancaster Ave at the time (surpirse) mismanaged their rise, to the hilt. Castagno would have been a good office holder, but with no attention drawn to his race in ’04, he basically became the GOP tomato can against Coons. Oh, speaking of mismanagement of who should have been rising stars, don’t overlook Ernie Lopez, either. Had every reason behind him to beat Clark in ’04, but again, running for anything at county-level in ’04 was treated like tomato can races by the state and county committee. I also remember on the morning of Election Day of ’04, as I was going into work, I passed the corner of Jefferson St and DE Ave/11th St (now the WSFS building) and Lopez was on the corner, with sandwich-placard sign, waving at passers-by as they drove in, promoting his candidacy. He was there only for a short while, but how symbolic that he did that and the state/county committees effectively ignored his effort (at the time)?
So, I can’t say that is really Castle’s fault. It also may be where the state GOP will continue to damn itself until it addresses it…the NCCo offices. Yes, it is hard to break the Democratic stranglehold there, but so long as that hole is there for them, they can forget ever grooming anyone to make that leap upward. It seems everyone is willing to short-cut their way to the top (losing strategy), but no one wants to take the steps to get there.
“I just wonder if someone has been asking him to run as a Democrat.”
That would be my DELAWARE WAY NIGHTMARE.
X,
I wouldn’t be surprised.
UI – You’ve mentioned that you’re new to the state – you’re doing great things on this site and I hope to see you in the GA in 2 years – so some background. Castle was a tremendous party-builder for many years.
Castle had Battle Robinson as his 1984 running mate. It was a master stroke. Had she not lost to S.B. Woo by 400 votes, much would have been different. She may have become his heir apparent, with Carper remaining in Washington. [He’d be 2d to Barney Frank on the Financial Services Committee, had he stayed in the House.]
Castle built the GOP quite well in the 1980’s. Heading into his first run for governor, there were 16 Republicans in the House. After his 1988 reelection, there were 23. Amick, Reynolds, DWinslow, STaylor, both Stills, TWagner, RSmith, Sorensen, Hudson Freeborn and a number of lesser lights were launched under Castle’s aegis.
Some plateaued, others eventually lost and still others quit the business after a term or three, but the inability of the GOP to replace that group is due to the party’s long-term national plunge to screechy fundamentalism. It’s unrealistic to expect Castle to remain the party’s scouting director from DC. As noted above, he tried to rescue the ’04 ticket with Castagno, Lopez and Ursomarso, who were better candidates than the wretched party apparatus deserved.
JM,
You make a decent case. Although I lay the “screechy fundamentalism” at Castle’s feet because he did nothing…NOTHING to try to counter the GOP takeover.
The ass just sat back and let it happen. He campaigned for Bush for Christsake. TWICE. You act like he was a victim of circumstances. I call bullshit on that. He rode the wave and enjoyed it.
“All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
Yes, it is a cliche – but it fits Castle LIKE A GLOVE.
FYI
CQ Politics wonders if Castle will announce on or around his 70th birthday on July 2nd.
FYI
Politcalwire.com picked up on the possible party switch wording of Castle’s statement.
As does Thehollywoodliberal.com.