Guest Opinion from Michael P. Borgia: an open letter to Ms. O’Donnell
Jun 22nd, 2010 by David Anderson
Dear. Ms. O’Donnell
As this is written, it is now but only one hundred days until the Delaware Republican Primary on September 14, 2010. I am writing this because I find the direction that your campaign is running in to be alarming and destructive not just to you, or your beliefs, but to the Republican Party as a whole. I am writing, as someone who has voted for you in the past, in hope of fostering a more productive discourse in the campaign ahead. And I’m writing in hopes of helping the Republican Party discover who is truly the best candidate to represent it in the election to come.
I have followed each of your last two campaigns in 2006 and 2008 with great interest. But as I have done so, I find a disturbing trend emerging. Each campaign has been nearly entirely about “the other guy.” “My opponent (fill in blank, Mr. Carper, Ting, Biden, Castle) is a liberal. I am a conservative. My opponent is this, my opponent is that some such terrible thing. In the past three cycles in which you have sought one of Delaware’s seats in the Senate, the only opponent you have not attacked in this way is your 2008 convention opponent Tim Smith. In that race, you told us that you were better positioned to raise money, gain media exposure, drive public opinion and win votes. That was a positive campaign. And you won a first ballot victory at the convention.
That year, you talked to us about ideas. About how to win. This year has been very, very different. And so far, very disappointing.
This year, there has been almost no reason given whatsoever to vote for Christine O’Donnell. Everything you have released, said or printed has been entirely about your opponent Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE-1). On your website, there are more pictures of your opponent on the home page than there are of you. There is an unflattering picture of Castle with his head resting on his hands, captioned “King RINO,” as though people who do not believe as you cannot be considered real Republicans. Ronald Reagan would not have appreciated that. Remember as Reagan first rose to power, in the time of Goldwater, it was we conservatives who were the “RINOs”. And we were called far worse things by the Rockefeller Republicans who dominated the party. Reagan reached out to sell others on his conservative ideas and welcomed those who agreed with him more than they did not. We are not the Conservative Party. We are the Republican Party and we’ve always had two distinct wings. Rockefeller Republicans are no less Republicans than those of us who grew up learning Reagan’s example. Mike Castle is one of our party, and he’s proven to be far more than “in name only.” If we continue to alienate half of what we are, the one name we’ll always have is Minority Party.
Sincerely
Michael P. Borgia
The opinions expressed are those of the writer. The originally appeared on his blog the Daily Borg.
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Micheal, I posted this comment in response to your’s on my article “Compare The Two”, it works just as well here, so I copied and pasted. ” Her values and principle have not changed since she first ran for office. But if she were to list specific tactics such as legislation she would propose, that could change at a vital time in the primary campaign. Imagine if she had done as you suggest in her first campaign, would those ideas for legislation still be relevant in this campaign? Maybe, but unlikely. Things change, values and principles should not. Remember her opponent is still in office. Anything she would propose, he could draft legislation on and steal the issue. It wouldn’t matter whether he could get it passed, he would need only to be able to say he was working on it.
As for whether she is still pointing out his faults, well she is running against him. Why wouldn’t she point out his past voting record. Sometimes we political junkies forget that not everyone follows along on blogs or watches all of the cable news shows. Many people right here in Delaware who have voted for Mike Castle in the past may not even know that he voted for cap and trade , or TARP, that he voted for cash for clunkers, that he voted against extending the Bush tax cuts(which by the way is the same as voting for a tax increase). It would be foolish of Ms. O’Donnell to ignore and not inform the voters of this.
Michael just look at her response about taxes,”Will fight to remove the crushing tax burden faced by American families and businesses and dramatically simplify the tax code”. Okay right there she has told you that she would work to reform the punitive tax code we currently suffer under. What is it you expect her to tell you? The specific wording of every piece of legislation she would put forth? Michael I believe the answers you are asking for are there, if you and those who feel as you do would look beyond the mainstream bias that is being used against a candidate that would be a breath of fresh air in Washington, instead of just more of the same from a career politician who has been there for eighteen years.”
Michael
I think she is right in pointing out Castle’s other than perfect voting record but should not harp on it. I heard her speak at a Delaware 9-12 Patriot’s meeting last month in Millsboro and she did slice and dice Castle but most of her speech was about her stand on the issues. She is aware of running a more positive campaign and has started doing just that. She received a large round of applause from the 160 people in attendance.
Michael, although your letter is well written, it tips the edge of O’Donnell bashing just for the fun of it.
It’s going to be a long hot summer and she has a lot of campaign left to run and let’s see what happens.
I believe she will listen to the professionals around her and just start telling people why she is the better candidate and why they should vote for her.
“Michael just look at her response about taxes,”Will fight to remove the crushing tax burden faced by American families and businesses and dramatically simplify the tax code”.”
Those are great words that don’t SAY anything. And without specifics, it says that she has a fourth-grade understanding of the issues.
What taxes should be cut? What will happen when they are cut and why? If taxes are cut, what spending should be cut to offset the tax cuts? Details reveal mastery of the issues, which, regardless of your opinion of his votes, Mike Castle definitely has. As does Coons.
The woman is an amateurish quasi-dilettante- that’s just the way it is.
Michael,
How about you write an open letter to Mike Castle asking him to debate her. Maybe putting the two of them side by side and at least acknowledging that she is a candidate (she deserves at least THAT much respect just for showing up) will increase your chances of her offering legislative ideas. Or you might show up to an event where she actually gets to do that.
I agree that we need to see more and I believe we will but the knife cuts both ways so let’s see some give and take on the other side too.
We won’t of course, because Mike Castle is a fraud and a coward (my opinion based on his refusing to debate or treate Christine as a human…not that many people on this blog do either). I attack Castle on his record, I don’t go out and find dirt on his sex life (not that I’d want to *shudders*) or his business dealings (with the exception of “The Swap” which is very much reality despite recent articles). With that said, his character during this campaign has shown me that not only is he a shrewd politician, loved by few and feared by many, but he is also a ruthless, vindictive, spiteful and evil human being with no cares for what he does to anyone in his way. He is totally and completely responsible for ignoring Christine to this point, he’s also responsible for not condemning the ignorant and slanderous attacks by his minions on Ms. O’Donnell. Is she perfect? HELL NO…none of us are. However, she deserves SOME level of respect just for being a human being and most of the comments on this blog go FAR beyond any sort of consideration of the fact that she lives, breathes and thinks no different from the rest of us.
I’ve said some horrible things about people, usually in response to their own attacks but when I overstep I generally apologize. Most of the people on this blog could care less…fingers on a keyboard and away go the thoughts. Borgia’s argument is the best one YET that I’ve heard for why NOT to vote O’Donnell. It’s thoughtful and engaging and it’s fair…that’s the most important. I’m with you Michael, I think she should share her proposals because I have heard them and I believe that they are well thought out and proper solutions to major problems in our country. If only Congressman Castle would slither (I mean slip) away from Washington D.C. long enough to have an engaging debate, we might get the opportunity to hear some of them.
As I posted under “Compare The Two,” the web page looks very much like the comparisons posted by Andy Martin and Pat Hughes in Illinois in their primary efforts against Mark Kirk.
Kirk, like Castle has a lifetime ACU rating of less than sixty percent and is frequently referred to by the perjorative “RINO.” Hughes could not clear 20% and Martin 5%.
And unlike Castle, Mark Kirk had never won a statewide race. Castle’s won twelve of them.
Michael…let’s not kid ourselves…Castle’s never REALLY been challenged in an election for Statewide office. Not once. Besides that, one page on a website does not a candidate make. You might spend some time talking to her like the Delaware voters are. THEY have heard her proposals because they’ve spent time talking to her and listening to her solutions. You should do the same.
To Evan…
Thanks for your comments. I do believe Christine O’Donnell deserves better treatment than she’s been getting all over cyberspace. That’s why instead of harping on the negative press, I’ve endeavored to point out what I believe is a fundamental flaw in her strategy and tactics and how she might fix it.
Sure she’s struggled with personal finances. In the Obama economy, how many of us have not. Maybe she’s not the best gardener. Heck, all my grass is yellow right now. As for the foreclosure thing, Google “Delaware Homes In Foreclosure.” I got 1.7 million results. So she’s not alone, even if all of it is true. There is an appeal to a candidate who struggles against the same challenges that we all do.
You’ve asked why I don’t write to Castle and challenge him openly to debate. I have not because I believe the reasons why he won’t are a simple matter of political calculus. There is no poll that shows she is competitive. Her name recognition is a fraction of what his is. When you have those advantages over an opponent, rule number one is “don’t help them.”
By debating Christine O’Donnnell he’s committing two big mistakes. First, he elevates her to the same level that he is on. If you’re Castle, she has to be made to earn that. Second, he is giving her a loaded gun and an open shot. Actually over a sixty to ninety minute debate, he’s giving her a machine gun with clearance to deliver the whole nine yards. Again, that’s bad strategy and bad tactics to place yourself in a position where you are on defense the whole night against an opponent who will do little but attack you.
So for Castle, debating O’Donnell when he does not have to is both bad strategy and bad tactics.
A fair challenge, Evan. I have spoken to her. Several times over the course of her two campaigns. I voted for her at the ’08 convention. I could not do so this time because of my disappointment at the answers I received in response to my questions.
Believe me, I would not have taken the step of writing such an e-mail and blog post had I not spoken to her myself on more than one occassion.
“By debating Christine O’Donnnell he’s committing two big mistakes. First, he elevates her to the same level that he is on. If you’re Castle, she has to be made to earn that. Second, he is giving her a loaded gun and an open shot. Actually over a sixty to ninety minute debate, he’s giving her a machine gun with clearance to deliver the whole nine yards. Again, that’s bad strategy and bad tactics to place yourself in a position where you are on defense the whole night against an opponent who will do little but attack you.”
This is the problem with society (especially politics). Screw what is the “right” thing to do…to show the voters what each believes and let them decide…let’s HIDE in the back and do what is politically best…it’s a load of CRAP…a CROCK and it makes him a FRAUD
Michael…You’ve spoken to her during this election? Seriously? She didn’t lay out any legislative plans for you in response to that question? I find that hard to believe (not impossible i guess, depends on the setting and so forth). I have had occassion to speak with her many times, as have group members of Founders Values and many of us have heard her legislative plans.
Unfortunately for the O’Donnell campaign’s desire for a debate, the RIGHT thing for Castle to do is diametrically opposed to what the O’Donnell campaign and her supporters want to see.
After all…it’s politics. So you do what is politically right.
If every word written about Christine O’Donnell on this blog represented a $1 campaign donation, she might stand a chance.
“Michael…You’ve spoken to her during this election? Seriously? She didn’t lay out any legislative plans for you in response to that question? I find that hard to believe (not impossible i guess, depends on the setting and so forth). I have had occassion to speak with her many times, as have group members of Founders Values and many of us have heard her legislative plans.”
Yes..really. Enough times over the past three years that she knows me by sight (though she did suffer from the mistaken belief that I make sub sandwiches for a living at one point. I’m a pilot). I first met her at a Colonial Region meeting in ’08. I’ve since seen her speak to nearly every Republican region, to 9/12 Patriots, at two conventions, Founders Values and more.
My most telling encounter came at a Brandywine Region, where in the snack room I asked her this specfic question. “If you could completely destroy the U.S. tax system and replace it with one in your own vision, what would it be?” She could not answer me.
If there is a legislative agenda, why not put it on the website? Christine will sponsor this tax cut, that regulatory reform and the Make America Better bill. Why not? That’s all I’m asking her to do.
She is the third leading fundraiser in the party right now behind Castle and maybe Bonini, maybe second. Keep up your mantra from the last quarter of 2008 when it was a lost cause due to Biden being picked for VP. It is laughable.
“She is the third leading fundraiser in the party right now behind Castle and maybe Bonini, maybe second.”
And you have some proof of that?
Try this link to OpenSecrets.Org…
http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=DES2&cycle=2010
The numbers for the second quarter for O’Donnell could be impressive.
“She is the third leading fundraiser in the party right now behind Castle and maybe Bonini, maybe second.”
Urquhart and Rollins are self financing, Tom Wagner has never raised much (unfortunately).
I expect that the numbers will easily exceed the last run before the primary.
My understanding Mike is that you’ve seen Christine. That she has talked about the issues on several occasions throughout Delaware, and it’s my understanding that you were there at the Brandywine GOP function where Christine spoke & it was Jeff Dayton who was trying to defend for Castle’s horrible voting record. (In fact you even challenged him on that.) Christine was also talking about the issues at the First State Patriots’ event at the Frog Hollow Golf Club (which if I’m not mistaken you were also at), & where was Castle?! The fact of the matter is Mike, Christine is offering solutions & Career Politician Mike Castle has a record that he cannot defend to us Republicans (http://removerinos.com/CastleM.html). I say if he wants to do an Arlen Specter than more power to him because that’s where his voting record belongs.
By all accounts Mike, you are a true patriot and one who should be fully embracing Christine’s candidacy for Delaware & for America.
Hi Dwight. In fact I did challenge Jeff and put to him the same question I put to Christine. I was no more satisfied with the answer he gave than I was with Christine’s (I asked her in private), but I have to cut him a small amount of slack because he’s not Castle, he’s the aide.
I was also at Frog Hollow supporting the Wade campaign the Monday night prior to the convention. My concern still remains that Christine talks primarily about people. David makes a valid point in that there has to be an element of the campaign that must make the case that the incumbent does not deserve to be returned to office. But the campaign cannot exclusively focus on that. And as I wrote, from where I’m listening, that’s the only song I’m hearing. So I wrote my challenge, as someone who is watching from a bit further away than most of Christine’s supporters and maybe with a little different view of the big picture, hoping to promote a better discourse.
For example, Brian Moran and Terry McAullife ran 100% negative campaigns against each other in the 2009 Virginia Democratic primaries for governor. But neither made the case why they should be governor, allowing the presumed third place candidate Creigh Deeds to slip in the back door and take the nomination.
As several of you correctly point out, she does transition at points in her stump speech to discuss issues. But that’s not what I’ve been after. I want to hear her discuss ideas more. My challenge was for five bills that she would write and fight for in the Senate and on the campaign trail. Balanced budget amendment? Line item veto? Stronger defense of marriage bill? Tax reform? Tenth amendment protections? She needs to pick some of these issues and bring forth ideas in a way that I can visibly see from where I sit. I don’t spend hours and hours with her like many of her supporters do. Neither do most of the 18,000 to 25,000 voters who will likely turn out on September 14.
Maybe Christine does discuss legislative ideas with her closest staff and confidants on the political playing field. I am watching from the box seats and I am not hearing the message. The voters are in the mezzanine. So if I’m not getting the message, the voters certainly are not getting it.
“The numbers for the second quarter for O’Donnell could be impressive.”
She has to hope so. She has less than $20,000 cash on hand according to Open Secrets.