How Far Left Is Mike Castle
Aug 20th, 2010 by Frank Knotts
Is Delaware’s current At – Large Representative Mike Castle, who is running a no-show GOP primary race, against conservative Christine O’Donnell for the U.S. Senate , on Sept 14th, so far to the left, that he is vulnerable to an attack from his right, by the Democrat Chris Coons?
Mike Castle, who was named, the most liberal member of the GOP in the House of Representatives, by the National Journal has some very strange voting records, for someone, whose supporters attempt to paint him as a conservative.
Here are a few stats on Mr. Castle’s voting record on labor issues.
2009 Representative Castle supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 62 percent in 2009
2009 Representative Castle supported the interests of the American Federation of Government Employees 46 percent in 2009.
2009 Representative Castle supported the interests of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers 60 percent in 2009.
2008 Representative Castle supported the interests of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 57 percent in 2008.
These are but a sample of Mr. Castle’s ties to organized labor, and here is the best.
2008 Representative Castle supported the interests of the Service Employees International Union 83 percent in 2008.
The SEIU has also endorsed Pres. Obama in the past. The SEIU is most likely, one of the most leftist union organizations in existence. The SEIU advocates for amnesty for illegal immigrants among other things. The SEIU organization contributes most of its money to hard left candidates in the Democrat party. It contributes heavily to state Democrat parties, in 2007-2008 the SEIU donated $8,000 to the Delaware Democratic State Committee. I believe it is fair to say that the SEIU is a Democrat leaning organization.
And yet, Rep. Castle, who would have you vote for him in the GOP primary on Sept 14th, instead of his conservative opponent Christine O’Donnell, seems quite willing to support this organization’s agenda 83% of the time in 2008.
But just so you don’t think that this support is not appreciated by the SEIU, since 2000, SEIU has contributed $31,000 to the campaigns of Mike Castle. Now why would such a left leaning organization spend that kind of money on a Republican?
Let’s make this conversation a slight bit more interesting.
In the year 2000, Rep. Castle supported the interest of the SEIU a whopping 0%. But they donated $5,000 to him anyway, aren’t those leftist so sweet? The following year 2001, Mr. Castle’s support of the SEIU agenda shot up to 25% of the time, coincidence?
Let us look at the year 2002 where Mr. Castle had another change of heart and only supported the SEIU 10% of the time. But once again out of the goodness of their heart they donated $10,000 to Mr. Castle. And in 2003, that’s right, Mr. Castle’s support of the SEIU went back up to 21%. I just don’t understand this! What could be driving this strange pattern? In 2004 he supported the SEIU 57% of the time and received$5,000, 2005 25% of the time , 2006 33% of the time and received $5,000, 2007 63% of the time and received $5,000 and of course in 2008 83% of the time and he only received $1000. It would seem as if Mr. Castle has climbed all the way aboard the SEIU funded bus. But maybe they are now holding the big bucks back until he goes all Arlen Spector on them and changes parties. Or maybe they know, what a lot of us know, Mike Castle will lose the GOP primary on Sept. 14th, so why should the SEIU waste their money?
Mike Castle is so far left, that if he were to win the GOP primary, his Democrat opponent in the general election would be able to run to the right of Mike Castle.
Frank, I can’t diminish anything that you’ve said here about Castle. Facts are facts and your research is impressive. But I must disagree with one thing.
Chris Coons could not run to the right of Karl Marx.
The research is unassailable, but it won’t stop people from trying.
Frank
According to Tennessee Walker, Castle walks on water without getting his feet wet. Anything that Castle does can be explained away according to TW.
You are correct Frank, I’ve explained a few of Castle’s big liberal votes but the Top Elephants seem to think they will get special favors if they keep re-electing him.
Castle stopped representing his constituency long ago and now doesn’t even put up the false front of being a republican.
To hear TW and Jud Bennett write it, Castle can do no wrong.
If the two of them could see past the end of their political noses, they might see that it is because of pseudo- conservatives like Castle lining up with the current socialist regime that America is in serious trouble.
With TW, I think he has a personal beef with O’Donnell and his hatred of her has nothing to do with politics.
With Jud Bennett, he is just a populist and wants the attention. His rag, has become a left of center, conservative bashing piece of crap that has become hard to read because of his constant bloviating for left of center candidates.
Jud Bennett used to be able to email thoughtful pieces that would get conversations started, that is why everyone wanted to be on the email list. Today he has denegrated to an angry political hack who hates the world because he can’t win an election. I think everyone should ask to be removed from his crappy list. By the way, someone tell Priscilla “Wanda” Rakestraw to get a job please!
I really think TW and Jud…yes he’s a hate-filled fellow who brought us…TADA!!! Joan Deaver!….testimony to how well he picks candidates….but I think they both must be on the payroll or more nuanced…”payback” roll…of Mike Castle. TW’s hatred of O’Donnell is plainly visceral and unseemly. He should spend half the time bashing, say, Charlie Rangel or Tim Gerthner as he does O’Donnell. But hey, O’Donnell did maybe overstate her 2005 tax return deductions and lost her documentation, she did some perfectly legal maneuvering and sold her house to a fellow friend, she told some white lies while running for a political office and damn no one’s ever done that before. Most horrific, a campaign staffer of hers wrote a little op ed suggesting that Castle might turn Democrat like Arlen Spector and damn that woman to hell who should exercise her right to free speech and speculation like the rest of us.
Let me say right here to anyone who says O’Donnell can’t beat Coons should she get the pub nomination, hey, I got a bridge to sell you real cheap.
Cause if you believe that than you don’t know a thing about politics and should put your political junkee hat in mothballs.
A relatively unknown female candidate comes out of nowhere and beats veteran Delaware politico Mike Castle for the GOP nomination? Castle, who’s been Delaware’s co-King along with Biden for decades now? Come on dumbbells. The next day she’s on Fox and Friends. The following Sunday she’s guesting with Mike Wallace on Meet the Depressed. Rush is talking about it and believe that Mark Levin will probably let her guest host a couple of shows.
The loons up in Wilmington who vote Democrat for no other reason cause someone told ‘em will too sit up and wonder where this woman came from…..this pretty O’Donnell lady…damn….why should I vote for this Coons guy who I don’t know from Adam when I can jump on the happening bandwagon of grizzly candidates and be oh so cool? I figger the newly nationally noticed O’Donnell will cut away maybe 20-25% of the normally dependable Dem vote just on the novelty of it.
For sure all the pubs in Delaware will vote for her cause a)she’ll be a national figure and b)they don’t really want to vote for Coons and more than likely they didn’t want to vote for Castle either, except for maybe TW and Jud, who pray every night that O’Donnell will be struck dead solid for her horrific crimes against humanity…I don’t know how either one of them can sleep night.
She wins Delaware! You think Coons….who the hell is this guy?…can beat that kind of national attention well, again…that bridge…it’s been newly renovated.
Selling it real cheap…FREE to the highest bidder.
Great post. Castle is a liberal. Hence, I call those who kiss his butt then vehemently attack O’Donnell (people like ‘Kooky’ and ‘TW’) liberals…to support Castle, you must be!
“Hi, I’m Mouse Castle”
No arguments from me on Castle being left-of-center, and I’ll certainly vote for O’Donnell in the primary. Should Castle take the GOP primary, I guess I’ll hold my nose and pull the lever for him. Better to have Senator Castle for 1 term than Senator Coons for who knows how many.
A more interesting questions is why Delaware keeps electing lefty politicians? All I hear from people is how traditional and conservative Delaware is. But we’re on our 3rd straight Dem governor, and we had the left-wing congressional delegation of Castle, Biden, and Carper for almost a decade. We haven’t elected anyone resembling a conservative to major state-wide office since Pete duPont. I’ve lived in Delaware almost my whole life and I still can’t figure out what gives.
Paddy, I have no idea who you have been talking to about Delaware, but they are clueless. Delaware is a very liberal state, it is not conservative or traditionalist by any stretch.
“Or maybe they know, what a lot of us know, Mike Castle will lose the GOP primary on Sept. 14th”
Hahahaha, good one Frank…. You were serious? Ohhhhh, errr right. Awkward.
GeorgeC is correct. Delaware has slowly transformed into a solid blue northeastern state like the rest of them. Pete DuPont and Bill Roth were probably the last we’ll see of a bygone era. Sussex is hanging on due to her rural nature but that will soon change as South Philly continues to creep southward. I blame much of this on the totally inept leadership that has destroyed the Republican party of Delaware. We may be too late, save for the few of us who march on although possibly under a different banner.
If Delaware has been transformed into anything, it has been into a state where most of the voters are un-informed about the candidates they vote for. This is what has allowed the likes of Biden, Carper and Castle to hold sway.
If people would pay attention and do a minimal amount of research, they would find the same kind of stuff that I have exposed about Mr. Castle, on their own. It is their lack of personal knowledge on the issues that allows them to remain disengaged.
If they would attempt to think for themselves, instead of following party orders on who to vote for, thenwe would trend back towards a more conservative electorate. But we must begin by breaking from the established party leadership, and vote for candidates based on their stand on the issues and to vote out incumbents with questionable voting records and those like Mike Castle who have a history of accepting contributions from groups and organizations that at the very least create the image of a conflict of interest.
I spent most of my life in the Washington D.C. area, few years in Massachusetts (Williamstown, Westfield, Northampton), and a shorter time in Florida (Miami), Texas (Fort Davis), Colorado (Georgetown) and Indiana (South Bend). Having had many ‘weekend’ neighbors from the Wilmington area, I can honestly say I’ve never known a more uninformed, naive demographic, anywhere I’ve lived, than the Wilmingtonians. There must still be PCB’s in the water.
Rick, it’s not just a Wilmington problem, it is nation wide. But it is getting better. Thanks in large part to our current president and congressional members such as Mike Castle. When the people see such radical political agendas as Pres. Obama’s and the congressmen who vote for it, it tends to draw the attention of the people. This motivates them to become more involved. That is why many like myself think that this is the election cycle, custom made to replace Mike Castle with a real conservative voice in Washington, Christine O’Donnell.
Frank, right time, wrong candidate. I hope I’m wrong.