Mike Castle is trying to have things both ways. He’s trying to reassure the rightwing the he’s their guy while trying to maintain his cred as a moderate Republican. Even the News Journal doesn’t really know what to think, running an article in Saturday’s paper with the headline: “Castle’s Moderate Reputation Questioned”. The subtitle of the article was “Often bucks GOP, but not on central votes.” Mike Castle only votes against the GOP when it doesn’t really matter. He’s voted against the stimulus (while taking credit for it at the same time), against equal pay for women, against abortion rights (Stupak), against health care reform and against financial reform. He’s the ultimate status-quo candidate.
Down With Tyranny is also watching this race and notes that Castle is so confident in his Republican base in Delaware that he’s refusing to be sucked into the craziness that other so-called moderate Republicans are.
Castle, who has not exactly endeared himself to the extremists in his own party– and is absolutely loathed by birthers, deathers, gun-nuts and teabaggers. He’s not likely to pass any meaningful purity test being demanded by the right-wing of his party and the Club For Growth is already complaining that he’s refusing to sign their latest crazy pledge to repeal healthcare reform. Although Club For Growth has bamboozled 11 Republican candidates in 5 contested primaries– including another self-proclaimed “moderate,” Mark Kirk– to take their rather extreme pledge, Castle hasn’t buckled yet.
Castle even used his time in the GOP’s weekly radio address to praise Obama’s Afghanistan plans.
“Particularly since the surge in Afghanistan began, we have seen progress toward helping establish a country that can govern itself, defend its borders, and be an important ally in fighting terrorism,” Castle said in the Republican weekly radio address.
A group of House and Senate Republicans traveled to Afghanistan, the site of protracted U.S. military involvement since 2001, to assess the progress of war efforts there.
Castle praised Obama for elements of his national security strategy, particularly heeding military commanders’ wishes, keeping on Robert Gates as secretary of Defense, and showing a degree of flexibility in decision-making.
I think it’s pretty clear. Castle is going to run as a moderate Republican. We just need to remind voters that when push comes to shove Castle votes with the party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.