Castle Previews His November Strategy
On Saturday, Mike Castle’s campaign tweeted a link to a Politico article without much comment. This article was obviously based on some opposition research that Castle’s campaign is doing on Coons. He’s telling us his strategy right now. It’s all about taxes.
Cognizant that his decision to raise taxes as a county executive will become fertile ground for Republican attacks, Delaware Senate candidate Chris Coons is attempting to soften the potential blow by embracing the move and explaining it as fiscally responsible.
“Chris Coons raised your taxes. Absolutely. Guilty as charged, your honor,” Coons told POLITICO Friday when asked about the biggest potential vulnerability he carries into his race against GOP Rep. Mike Castle.
The New Castle County executive said the 10-3 vote he helped engineer in May to pass a budget without a deficit included deep spending cuts and a $100 property tax increase.
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Coons said he would answer the charge, potentially in television ads, with the message that the balanced budget he crafted delivered his county a Triple A bond rating and a $47 million dollar reserve without a deficit for the first time in a decade. The plan also included an $1,800 pay cut for the county’s 1,450 employees, which prompted public employee unions — a traditional Democratic constituency — to protest outside of Coons’ home.
“By explaining it, by saying, are you kidding me? Really? That’s it? So in other words, I should’ve laid off cops, closed down libraries, sold parks instead of raising taxes a hundred bucks a year?” Coons said, formulating his answer to expected tax hike attacks.
Of course, the answer to Chris’s question is “yes.” Mike Castle is a part of what Paul Krugman calls the “pain caucus” that believes the American people need to suffer because of Washington Republicans mismanagement of the economy. If you don’t believe me just look at Chris Christie in New Jersey. The pain of the New Jersey budget crisis must no be borne by millionaires, only by cops, teachers and students.
Castle is responsible for a lot of the economic pain that people are feeling right now. Castle sat as a member of the Banking Committee while the Congress slashed regulations and protections that led to the economic collapse. He’s also voted for budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, for unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and for unfunded Medicare Part D drug coverage. What’s worse is he’s now turned into a preening budget peacock, participating in the useless Republican earmark moratorium.
Mike Castle will run in November as nice guy Mike Castle, moderate Republican. Chris Coons has a harder task in front of him – introducing himself to the voters and showing that Mike Castle is just another George Bush/John Boehner/Mitch McConnell Republican.
Tags: Chris Coons, DE-Sen, Mike Castle
Castle is smart to wait and launch a blitz of “tax hiker” ads at the last minute, because Coons won’t have time to rebut.
Coons has not been laying the groundwork for making the case that Castle and the GOPers were what made his tax increases necessary. The loss of Delaware banking jobs and home values needs to be hung around Castle’s neck at every opportunity. It will take a lot of voter education on Coons’s part to get voters straight on that.
It’s not too late but he needs to start now, otherwise he won’t get any traction with that argument, and Castle’s tried-and-true “tax hiker” attacks will probably succeed.
Actually, Coons should strike first on the tax issue. Something like:
“Mike Castle voted for ALL the policies that squandered the surplus and got New Castle County and the national economy into the position we are in now.”
“Did you know that when the Republicans controlled Congress right up until 2006, Mike Castle was on the House Financial Services Committee that was supposed to be watching to keep our financial markets safe? And we know how THAT turned out.”
“Because Mike Castle didn’t do his job, we had to actually raise taxes in New Castle County!”
“Mike Castle and the Republicans told us: Don’t raise taxes, cut services! Cut street repairs, cut libraries, cut parks, cut emergency services, cut worker benefits and salaries… Can you believe that?”
“Why is it every time Republicans get the economy into trouble, the first thing they think of is to cut pay and benefits for working men and women?”
“Because Mike Castle didn’t do his job, we had to actually raise taxes in New Castle County!”
“And where was Mike Castle when we had to make those hard choices in New Castle County? In Washington, voting against all the efforts to get out of this mess. And now he wants to come back to Delaware and criticize how we handled his mess? No thanks Mike, we don’t need any second-guessing from Washington politicians. You’ve done enough. “
Castle doesn’t want any scrutiny of his record so his camp will attempt to paint Chris as the one who is unfriendly to the middle class by raising taxes. I don’t recall anyone marching on county council when he raised taxes saying they can’t pay anymore. We have good police, libraries, and other services…Sorry Mike I’m not buying your feeble attempts to hide from your record!
There’s the bumper sticker:
“Mike Castle: You’ve done enough.”
“Mike Castle and the Republicans told us: Don’t raise taxes, cut services…
Actually the post does quote Coons as saying almost exactly that. I didn’t read carefully enough, so I kind of missed the point. Nice work Chris. Now the task is to make sure every Delawarean hears it in time.
I see in the article that Coons is trying to link Castle to the national Republicans and their policies. I agree with the anons that Coons needs to be really explicit – the county suffered because of Mike Castle. It’s a perfect year for that argument, it’s an anti-incumbent year and Coons can run as a Washington outsider.
Reality check here. We are going to blame Castle for the loss of Delaware bank jobs? The GOP’s record was pro-bank anti-consumer, tying the GOP into that aspect of the economy is not merely a hard sell, but defies reality. Banks cut employees, went elsewhere not because of DC policies but to deepen their profit margin. The overall economy is GOP fault, but explain to me one concrete thing the GOP did (or didn’t do) that cause a single loss of a Delaware bank job?
Look I’m not Castle fan, but Chris’ record on tax increases will be a problem. They aren’t if you sit down and look at declining tax base, the need for services, etc., however the average voter does not do a complete analysis of the issues. They buy into spin, and Castle has an easy target on this issue. In 2004 Chris promised in his campaign literature not to raise taxes, he was sitting Council President, so his claim of not knowing the true financial picture doesn’t help him. Either it’s BS to mitigate his breaking a campaign promise he didn’t need to make, and shouldn’t have made, or he was not doing his job as Council President. Neither option is good.
Also Chris had a lot of high paid administrative posts. It’s hard to claim tax increases were necessary when the pay level and number of political appointees increased during his tenure. Even though the number of political appointees and their total salaries and pensions was a fraction of the counties total budget nuance is not something that comes across well in campaigns. And anytime a candidate has to explain an allegation it is not good. Minimizing this hurdle is wishful thinking.
The GOP’s record was pro-bank anti-consumer
Exactly. Mike Castle and the GOP gave the banks everything they wanted. They gave the banks enough rope to hang themselves, and us along with them. But it turns out the things the banks wanted weren’t good for them or us.
I don’t think voters care to get into the specifics of the NCC budget. If Castle wants to present the oversimplified argument “Coons raised taxes,” then Coons needs to fire back with an equally oversimplified argument:
“Mike Castle is a Washington politician who made the NCC tax increases necessary because he was asleep at the wheel.”
Coons raised real estate taxes by only $100, keeping our county running well, to keep the police, fire fighters and paramedics, parks, libraries, and sewer lines working.
Castle voted with the banks that brought our country to its knees in 2008, with the worst economic crisis in 80 years.
Who do you want to serve Delaware?
PBaumbach please don’t confuse being realistic to supporting Castle. I want Coons, but I don’t see the benefit in pretending that general election voters will closely examine the pros and cons, and base their decisions on facts.
Coons’ tenure in NCC government made him the likely replacement for Beau to challenge Castle, but ignoring the huge problem he has on the tax issue, or the ease with which he can justify it with facts is either wishful thinking, naivety, or worse.
These are facts Coons can’t wish away, and is unlikely to be able to explain away to the majority of Independent voters who’ll determine the election. Fact 1) Coons was County President from January 2001- December 04.
2) Coons promised in campaign literature if elected he wouldn’t raise property taxes during his term as County Executive. It was a promise no one could have kept, but he made it. 3) He increased property taxes 3 times (twice during his first term) first 5% then 17.5% and then 25%. 4) This is more than a 47.5% tax increased, because the 17.5% was on property now taxed at 5% higher than before, and the 25% was on an already increased base. 5) Coons did not only raise real estate taxes by $100. The 100 dollars represents the average property tax increase from the 25% tax increase. Don’t confuse “average” with a maximum number, and even the average ignores the two earlier increases in violation of his pledge.
I personally understand the economic need for the property tax increases and, was going to vote for the Democrat in this race no matter what, my vote isn’t hanging in the balance. But please explain to me how Coons defends going back on his no property tax pledge twice during his first term with swing voters? If I could convince myself there was a way to do this I would be able to share your optimism in Coons’ chance in November, but sorry I just don’t see it. Geo HW Bush had no choice but to go back on his “read my lips no new taxes” pledge, but that caused him the swing voters and thank god the 92 election.
Coons will justify his policies by pointing out that Castle & the Republicans tanked our economy. He’ll point out that what Castle wants is for middle class voters to feel pain but won’t consider any pain for the rich or corporations. I think Coons will talk about how he (and other local officials) are stuck cleaning up the mess that Castle made.
Part of the answer is certainly in NOT pretending to voters that they can have all of the government they can eat for free. That is the crux of the so-called tax problem. NCCo also made a great many cuts (in programs and personnel costs) in those rounds of tax hikes. The answer is in governing with the options you have on hand — not in governing based on failed party ideologies. Because police officers have to be paid for — and silly slogans never paid for first responders.
Instead of talking about downsizing government we should talk about “rightsizing” government. The government Mike Castle wants is inadequate to regulate banks so that they don’t rip off people and ruin the world’s economy and also inadequate to prevent companies like BP from ruining the environment.
UI and Cassandra you’re preaching to the choir. I don’t think our property taxes are too high. I completely understand if you want roads, police, etc. you must pay for them, and taxing property based upon its value is equitable. If Coons only had to contend with the 25% property tax hike I don’t think he’d have an almost insurmountable problem. But when you promise (in writing!) if elected you won’t raise property taxes over the next four years, and then almost immediately after the election you start to lay the groundwork for a property tax increase. And the first of two property tax increases during Chris’ first term occurred a year after taking office, before the national economic meltdown it is a huge problem.
I agree silly slogans have never paid for police, roads, parks, or any other public service, but no one forced Chris to promise during the 2004 campaign that he would not raise property taxes during his first term, and that promise, not the actual increases is the huge albatross around Chris’ neck. Chris can’t explain the broken promise (that he never should’ve made) away by claiming it was necessary to clean up the mess Castle made. That would work only if he hadn’t made the “no property tax increase” pledge. Chris either knew he couldn’t keep his pledge and did what was politically expedient to get elected, or he didn’t know the mess the GOP had and were making in 2004. Neither is tenable, Chris either places little value on his word, or was not aware of the economic realities when he ran in 2004.
If someone could explain not how to justify the last property tax increase, but the two during his first term in light of his written and repeated verbal pledge, I’d love to be convinced, but I just don’t see how he escapes this.
Mary- your comments are insightful and well thought out, also, you still have voters who think the previous administration that never raised taxes in 10 years(during the housing boom) ran the county wisely, when in fact the housing boom was simply covering their overspending and generous contracts given to employees. The so called “surplus” Chris inherited was anything but given the promises made with that money (City of Wilmington,etc.) and the money designated for sewer projects which was held to balloon the size of the “surplus” to impress voters instead of actually going towards the rehab of a severely aged system. Once Chris got in and took a good look at the numbers it became apparent there was alot of smoke and mirrors going on that even he didn’t know about while on council….Will voters care about this– not likely, and the majority will be black and white about he said he wouldn’t raise taxes and did no matter what the reasoning, and Castle has been around forever and is a sweet man, so he should get the Senate job.
Your statement “Once Chris got in and took a good look at the numbers it became apparent there was a lot of smoke and mirrors going on that even he didn’t know about while on council…” That defies credibility. He’s been making that claim since 2005, and its gone unchallenged, but even Castle isn’t that dumb not to see Coons’ inherent problem with blaming everything on the past administration.
Most of the problems Obama is dealing with really were inherited, and he wasn’t part of the administration at the time, and ran on W’s mismanagement during the election, and yet the press says he can’t continue to blame the economy on Bush (which is crazy, because the damage was done prior to 1/20/09).
Coons was County President for 50% of the prior administration’s time in office. Coons’ claim to have inherited a mess from the prior County Executive, not only runs counter to the claim it’s Castle/W’s fault, but also reflects poorly on Coons, and doesn’t withstand scrutiny. If as Council President during the last 4 of the prior administration’s 8 years in office he really was unaware of the true financial situation, while approving building projects, and other expenditures, then he was either completely ineffectual as Council President, or clueless.
Coons’ made a promise he probably knew he couldn’t keep, and now he has to deal with it, and blaming Gordon, W, or Castle only gets him so far. And at some point he starts to look like W who blamed everyone but himself.
Funny, I thought Mr. Castle’s strategy was to simply run for the Senate seat and win it by a large margin, since Chris Coons is a sacrificial lamb. I seem to be getting the impression that some folks are taking his candidacy seriously?
Coons’ strategy has a big built in liability. It depends on the intllegence of the voters.
Coons shoulda rousted those Paoli thugs earlier…woulda saved us big time.
Coons was County President for 50% of the prior administration’s time in office. Coons’ claim to have inherited a mess from the prior County Executive, not only runs counter to the claim it’s Castle/W’s fault, but also reflects poorly on Coons, and doesn’t withstand scrutiny.
This only makes any sense if you think that Coons and the County Council were part of the *administration*. Last I checked, the county council was a separate but equal part of the county government. As such, Coons and the County Council have to rely on the Executive for the balance sheet information. If the Executive is working at cooking the books — or at least crafting a narrative that the real data can’t support, that can certainly be done since the County Council doesn’t exactly have auditors on its staff. Wilmington City Council has the same problem. It isn’t unreasonable to have a financial picture painted that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny once you are able to look at the books directly. (And if you saw any of the Wilmington Budget Committee meeting tonite, you’d know exactly what I mean.)
It is hard to find fault with Coons trying to clean up the mess left previously and trying to do that in as responsible a way as possible. That is a difficult sell, certainly, but in many ways makes him a good candidate for Senate. If he can clean up after Gordon and Freeberry, he can certainly take on cleaning up the mess that Mike Castle and his party keep insisting on leaving us with.
Jason has a great point. (Wow, did I just say that?) “Cleaning up the mess by raising taxes” isn’t exactly a strong campaign slogan … especially when his predecessors who caused the mess were fellow Democrats. Not really something you can rally folks around.
Biden to hold fundraiser for Coons June 28th…..
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/38220.html
Coons and the County Council have to rely on the Executive for the balance sheet information. If the Executive is working at cooking the books — or at least crafting a narrative that the real data can’t support, that can certainly be done since the County Council doesn’t exactly have auditors on its staff.
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Is this some of this “bullshittery” I keep hearing about? 🙂 (
sorry – I couldn’t resist that)
TITLE 9
Counties
New Castle County
CHAPTER 14. THE COUNTY AUDITOR
§ 1401. Selection, qualification, term, compensation and removal of the County Auditor.
(a) There is established, within the Government of New Castle County, the Office of the County Auditor the administrator and head of which shall be known as the County Auditor. The County Auditor shall be appointed by the County Council and may be removed at will by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members thereof.
http://delcode.delaware.gov/title9/c014/index.shtml
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Coons shoulda rousted those Paoli thugs earlier…woulda saved us big time.
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Beware, the former ‘limo’ driver is a regular anony commenter here, so I have been told.
BTW – The Coons is still funneling a ton of money contracting to Paoli businesses.