How To Save the Delaware GOP
Having no enemy is not a good thing and not having the Delaware GOP is not a good thing for Delaware Democrats. So, how do we save the DE GOP? But, what is the problem? Their bench is a bit shallow, but really, there are some good Republican people in Delaware, so this isn’t really the problem. The lesson I’ve learned is that the rabid extremists of the Delaware Republican Party control the primary. If the far right didn’t, Castle would be Senator-Elect and Carney would be taking his place in the House of Representatives. Ah, the Delaware Way in its glory.
So the problem is that the Republican primary is controlled by the Tea Party and how will the Greenville establishment rest the control away from this fringe group? Two words: Open Primary. If we had an open primary back in September, O’Donnell would have never beat Castle. I don’t know if we’ll ever have an open primary in Delaware, but if I were Charlie Copeland this is what I would be working on.
Tags: Delaware GOP
The DEGOP appears to have little interest in winning elections and are more interested in controlling the process. They are dominated by the entrenched old guard who have been around forever and are trying to sell the same crap they always have. They push candidates who have slogged away for years in lower offices and who are connected to the right people and eschew electable candidates. They have no idea how to use web 2.0 and have poor message discipline. In short; they need a total reboot IMNHO to have any chance of going anywhere. I think that Mike Castle is the perfect embodiment of all of the above. He’s been in office since Jesus was a Corporal and his only core belief is that Mike Castle should be in office. He blows with whatever political wind would get him elected.
Unless or until the DEGOP realizes that they need to put forward people with private sector leadership experience who want to serve two terms and go home they will lose. Until they realize they need to show themselves as socially liberal and fiscally conservative, they will lose. Until they learn that they need clearly defined goals and messages, they will lose.
Christine O’Donnell for all her failings was a message that the people of DE who would otherwise call themselves Republican are fed up with the same group of inept party leaders and candidates.
I don’t really like open primaries. Or at the least, Dems shouldn’t be able to vote in the GOP primary and vice versa, even if the unenrolled voters can.
But I do agree that it’s bad to have no serious opposition party. What inevitably happens is splintering of the conservative and liberal wings and then gridlock and stupidity. I’m from Massachusetts before coming here, and that’s the situation there in the legislature. And then usually that results in annoyed voters putting somebody like Romney or Scott Brown in power as the alternative candidate that breaks through the Democratic bickering.
There should never be open primaries. Because if there was, I would have voted in the GOP primary this year to make sure O’Donnell won. That is underhanded mischief that I should not be allowed to partake in.
Great points, nemski. A big problem for national Ds was not having a balanced foil. Dems fought with Dems, while Rs sat on the sidelines pointing and laughing. Thankfully, that’s about to change nationally.
“Having no enemy is not a good thing and not having the Delaware GOP is not a good thing for Delaware Democrats.”
Great points, nemski. We should all work really hard to resuscitate the DE republican party because it worked so well for the Democrats on the national level. You might even consider joining their party to help them out.
“So the problem is that the Republican primary is controlled by the Tea Party and how will the Greenville establishment rest the control away from this fringe group?” – nemski
The TEA Party controls the Republican party because the TEA party is the Republican mainstream, not the Republican “fringe”.
Bill, good point about Massachusetts. Odd that Delaware is now the most Democratic state in the union.
And if the Delaware Democratic Party were nearing extinction, do you think the GOP bloggers would be wringing their hands over our demise?
Very good point Delacrat.
delacrat and DD – I for one, would, but it may not be so much about just resuscitating the old, but even if something rises in its place. Either would work in my view. Pure and absolute power for one side does nothing but corrupt. There’s no balancing force.
I also won’t buy that there are different views in one party to create balance. I’ve already seen multiple calls today to purge the blue dogs.
Rsmitty, the call to purge the blue dogs is just as stupid as the Republican purity tests.
If Mike Castle blew with any political wind, he’d have been elected. He didn’t upset anyone but the teaparty, and he could have finessed them, if he was really the unprincipled liar you suggest, JustMe. That honor is reserved for COD.
It’s a problem for EVERYONE when the dialog is controlled by xenophobes and corporations, so, yes, it IS my problem that the R’s have trouble. Not because I want them to win, but because I think we can win on the issues, and crazy interferes with our ability to get the issues out front, as we’ve just seen. People of good sense just tune out, when the news is all crazy and horseraces, and D’s can’t afford to see that happen.
I was surprised by the polling place I was watching, yesterday. So many people came in who were at the wrong location… entirely. I was really praying they’d get to the RIGHT polling place, rather than quit. We need to spend the next two years not ONLY registering voters, but also educating them about how the process works. D’s win when people vote. Populism is our birthright, and those teaparty people can’t have it.
I nominate this for Dumbest post of the year.
Uh….howzabout an Independent party stepping in?
Or like…a whole bunch of other party’s?
why the GOP at all?
sigh…long live the 2 party system…unbelievably retarded…
DL wishes for continued US Democratic success of 2 party system
The last time I know of when a third party succeeded in the United States as the birth of the Republican Party and the death of the Whig Party. In general, DV, third parties in the US are dead even before they start.
they are dead b/c of the thinking represented in this post
I’m sorry, DV, and maybe it’s me, but lately I have no idea what you mean.
Agreed, dv. Having a so-called liberal post about how to save the DE GOP after the national GOP just destroyed the Democrats is beyond absurd. Read it again: He seems disappointed that Castle isn’t the Senator-elect.
nemski’s next post: “Why Democrats should support Mike Protack for Governor”
It pains me to say this, and I mean, actual physical burning searing, pain…. but… .GOD HELP ME…. .
Donviti, Delacrat and Anonone have a great point here. I am not worried about the Republicans. They lie, cheat and steal enough that they will be fine all on their own. What I want now, is to kill the Republican Party, at the very least in Delaware.
I want them dead. And I am speaking hyberbolically as I always do.
yeah, if they were overboard on the ship of state, I’d throw them an anvil. Luckily, I don’t have to because they are chained to the anchor named O’Donnell.
If it makes you feel better, I spoke to many Democrats last night and they weren’t talking about making Delaware a socialist state until late 2011.
DD–you are an enigma of conflict. In other posts, you want 2 parties, you want some balance–and then in others you want carte blanche “take it all–control it all–no hint of dissention”. I just don’t get it. Don’t you realize you’ll only create splinter groups of your own party?
And my hyperbolic death would force me into a splinter to still be dealt with in your own party. And splinters really hurt….and divide.
“If Mike Castle blew with any political wind, he’d have been elected. He didn’t upset anyone but the teaparty, and he could have finessed them, if he was really the unprincipled liar you suggest, JustMe. That honor is reserved for COD.”
Not so. He tried to blow with the wind in office and in the general. The Tea Party/DEGOP voters had enough with his waffling nonsense. They held his feet to the flames by voting him out.
I do not think Castle is a liar, he’s just motivated predominantly by self interest at the expense of most other things.
Joanne…
A team of scientists have spent years..no…decades trying to figure me out.
And they are still at a loss.
But you are allowed to blog:) !!!! Only in America!!!!!
A1, reading comprehension has never been your strong suit. A1 writes, “He seems disappointed that Castle isn’t the Senator-elect.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. I was quite excited that O’Donnell won. Coons never had a chance against Castle. Why do you think Carney choose to run for Congress and not Senate?
JustMe, where was the electoral math on stemcell research? Do you think he really turned out the Independent numismatic vote, by his defense of coinage?
Just this assumption that Teaparty is hyphenated with GOP shows how far the Rockefeller Republicans have fallen. And I sure don’t want them in my party. I’m more tie-dye than cloth coat. 😉
Nemski – for the record, Carney decided to run for Congress before Castle decided to run for Senate.
liberalgeek, yes, before Castle publicly announced his intentions. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a blogger to guess (probably correctly) that Carney knew of Castle’s decision when Carney announced for Congress.
Is there anyway to strap O’Donnell to the CSX train that goes through Georgetown tomorrow instead of putting her in carriage? She claims to be a traditionalist, so running her out of town on the rails would be a perfect end.
nemski, you wrote “If the far right didn’t [control the party], Castle would be Senator-Elect and Carney would be taking his place in the House of Representatives.”
The whole thrust of your post is that you support open primaries because “If we had an open primary back in September, O’Donnell would have never beat Castle.”
Are you a republican?
Nemski – I’m glad that you have your conventional wisdom to fall back on. But I suspect that if you look at the timeline, you’ll see that it was not a foregone conclusion that Castle would run for the Senate seat when Carney decided to jump in.
“Christine O’Donnell for all her failings was a message that the people of DE who would otherwise call themselves Republican are fed up with the same group of inept party leaders and candidates.”
This is the Protack message, repeated ad infinitum. It doesn’t make any more sense now than it ever has. For all the blah blah blah about inept leaders and candidates, no better alternatives have presented themselves in the 16 years Protack has been yammering about this. And if inept leaders were fatal, John Daniello would have killed the Democratic Party years ago.
Delaware is a centrist state. It elected Republicans when Republicans ran on centrist platforms. They don’t anymore.
i say you fire nemski for this post!
I think nemski is somewhat correct regarding Carney’s decision point. At some point, Castle said that he was either going to run for the Senate or retire. I don’t think he ever hinted that he was going to run for the House again. So that might have entered into Carney’s decision. Also, Beau had not announced his intentions, either.
Nice try Nemski, but you aren’t getting promoted to FOX News.
As a Sr Castleologist I can say with 97% confidence that it was the senate or nothing. From the very beginning Carney was always running for an open seat .
Jason – You are still a junior Castleologist until you make the naked run.
How can you make the naked run when you have to wear your ‘man-pants’?
“Jason – You are still a junior Castleologist until you make the naked run.”
I hope this isn’t the “reveal” he’s been talking about.
Pandora,
Nemski said this: In general, DV, third parties in the US are dead even before they start.
My response that was this:
they are dead b/c of the thinking represented in this post
Well, it looks like the Delaware Liberal Thanksgiving party is going to be a little strained this year.
Ha! I’m heading for a warm beach and pina coladas over Thanksgiving break. You guys play nice.
Maybe you should be more inclusive:)
Wow, the 2 party system in the US is my fault.
NAK-ED RUN! NAK-ED RUN! NAK-ED RUN!
Who says politics can’t be fun,
when you have a naked run.
LG wants to set the course,
Jason can’t with pants endorse.
If this festive run is taken,
who’ll be left to
BRING THE BACON!!!!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving, a little early, lol.
It’s your fault for pointing out politics 101, nemski.
Silly facts.
More to my point about this post and the logic in it being part of the problem:
Donviti, Delacrat and Anonone have a great point here. I am not worried about the Republicans. They lie, cheat and steal enough that they will be fine all on their own. What I want now, is to kill the Republican Party, at the very least in Delaware.
Democrats Lie cheat and steal too Del Dem. They are on the Wall Street payroll almost as much as the GOP is….
nemski, you wrote “If we had an open primary…”
Are you a republican?
We as in the State of Delaware.
But, are you a republican?
You, A1, are deliberately insulting and sophomoric.
“Wow, the 2 party system in the US is my fault.”
Yes. And I heard Nemski knows where the Ark of the Covenant is stored now, but won’t tell us because he has a higher security clearance than Alvin Greene.
SPEAK, COMMIE SIMP! Or Obama will finish setting his Kenyan goons on you!
a1, i bet if you ask him a million more times you’ll get the answer you want.
Let’s look at this on the national level. The GOP was routed and taken over by crazies. NOW those crazies have infiltrated national office and can effect us all. It almost happened in delaware. We are responsible for making sure the GOP, when it comes back…. NOT IF…. it is sane people who wont try and stomp on our heads.
A1, you seem totally incapable of thinking past the end of whatever sentence you are currently shouting, so i understand why you want to Inquisition nemski for suggesting we need to take care of our long term interests, but i see the need for having a hand in the rebuilding of the GOP.
It will be back. do we want to just let Moran and Odonnell re make it in their image?
Really, pandora, asking a person’s party affiliation is “insulting and sophomoric?” Seems like a simple question to me and would provide some context to the post. After all, political parties can choose individually whether or not to have an open primary. It isn’t necessarily a “we” as in State of Delaware decision.
I know what really happened in Area 51 and Ferris Wharton’s hit and run.
and the best way to make sure the GOP acts like good little boys and girls is to resuscitate them?
the logic is great for a Tom and Jerry cartoon or even the Road Runner. Not for actual humans.
gotta admit A1, this website doesn’t tolerate amusing quibble when it doesn’t come from one their writers
Well, dv, they mostly tolerate it except when they start to threaten to ban me because I don’t show proper respect to a President with a “D” after his name or I dare to question the DNC leadership. And heaven forbid that a possible Democratic Presidential primary in 2012 even be mentioned! Gasp! How Joe LIEbermanish.
Nevertheless, the current post reads exactly like it was written by a republican, which is why my question is appropriate. Interesting how nemski is dodging it.
no dv. the GOP will be rebuilt no matter what. look at the national level….o h wait i already said this 10 minutes ago.
Correct me if im wrong nem, but it looks like you are saying we can either let the de GOP be rebuilt into a COD teaparty-mill…. which may someday win an election or 2 (which is a bad thing) OR
We can lend a hand to the sane people and make sure it comes back as something that wont hurt everyone.
A1, kind of like how you dodge everyone every time you are asked for speciffics on anything?
what’s this we shit white man? How are a bunch of Nemski Liberal’s going to rebuild the GOP?
We should build a non lethal atom bomb while we are at it.
Christine O’Donnell just had another press conference. She said she blames Nemski for yesterday, but she still won.
Lacking a third party (which we always will under our model of government), I think that same-day registration is a more workable solution than straight up open primaries (it might help voter turnout, especially among younger voters).
Moreover, closed and open primaries aren’t the only two options — there are semi-open primaries as well, which I think may have more the effect you’re looking for.
*in ADDITION, it might help voter turnout
Mat, the Republican Party will never want same day registration, though now the Democrats might be able to push it through.
Nemski: the two word answer to your question is not ‘open primary’ it is ‘voter registration’. You need to sign up some moderates to vote in your primaries. While it is unusual to look for answers to the DEGOP dilema here, I think most people would agree that having a choice of competent candidates is preferable on the off chance the Democrat doesn’t get elected. I also think most would agree that the Delaware Way has become threatened by the crazy teabaggerz, and the sooner they are driven off the better for everyone involved…
There ya go, nemski. Start personally registering moderates to help save your beloved DE republican party. Let us know how it goes.
“Christine O’Donnell just had another press conference. She said she blames Nemski for yesterday, but she still won.”
Well at least this time she really did win 2 counties.