Dan Reihl from Reihl World View has written an excellent piece on why we must stick with conservatism and support Christine O’Donnell. Must read:
They say neurotics build sand castles and psychotics live in them. From what I’ve seen at many conservative blogs, they look determined to enable the ongoing building of a sand castle of a Republican Party by helping Mike Castle in Delaware. Well, pardon me if I don’t feel their pain as they start to whine when that sand castle comes crashing down on them after November.
It seems every time someone wants to challenge me on the Castle/O’Donnell issue, they have to start out with a straw-man argument. They don’t like, or support O’Donnell, so why should they not assist Castle in attacking her? Yet, I’ve never said anyone had to, or should support her. All I’ve argued is, why should a conservative align with a liberal like Castle to attack a conservative, when not saying anything is a principled option? It isn’t as if we all weigh in on each and every race.
I backed Lowden over Angle, but never attacked Angle. If the GOP can’t produce a satisfactory candidate in DE, then maybe they need to be sent a message in this case. Invest the time and money required to build a state and local party apparatus that can offer up real choices between a D and an R – and recruit them to run, not a Democrat by any other name. Stop following the Democrats off a cliff because it’s the easy way to win. What is it we as conservatives win in the end?
Conservatives win nothing with a Mike Castle in the Senate. Most conservative bloggers are fond of saying, I’m a conservative before I am a Republican. You wouldn’t know it by looking around out here today.
What is the incentive for the GOP to honestly shift to the Right if conservatives will accept whatever the GOP opts to shove down their throats? Reagan won DE statewide twice, Bush 41 won it in 1988. But Castle is the best the GOP can do statewide in DE today? I don’t buy it. If we want the GOP to pay attention to Center-Right views, at some point we are going to have to make a stand.
What good is a GOP to conservatives if every Republican north of Washington is liberal? How does that advance the cause of conservatism? Frankly, it doesn’t. It advances a GOP that can continue to sell out conservative principles for electoral convenience. It isn’t a party that’s leading anywhere, it’s a party following Democrats off the cliff they have been driving America over for decades.
By the reasoning I’ve seen around, we should never have supported Scott Brown in Massachusetts. In this, of all years, I don’t buy that a Castle can win in Delaware, but not an O’Donnell. Still, I’d rather see the GOP lose and have an identified Democrat, rather than one in Red skin.
Suddenly conservatives want to help a Republican beloved by the SEIU? Where is the principle in that? He frequently votes against his party, always to the Left. He votes against his party toward the Left more often than Kirk, Djou and most other Republicans from Blue states, including New Jersey and New York.
Mike Castle has been funded by labor organizations for a good reason. He champions their causes better than 50% of the time. One of the Labor Unions he has the closest ties to is the SEIU.
We run Obama down for not supporting the surge. Where was Castle? Right there with Obama of course.
He was there for S-CHIP. Have you forgotten that fight? His votes against the party are not insignificant. They include the Disclose Act, Wall Street Reform, he likes to spend money on everything and supports Cap and Tax.
He carries an “F” rating from the NRA. People are saying, well, this O’Donnell, she’s far from ideal. But Castle’s record is? Hell, I’d take a blank slate over this guy, frankly. We know he is gong to undermine us on critical issues time and again and become a poster boy as the “reasonable Republican” we all loath when the Left throws it in our faces.
How does all that make him someone worthy of a conservative’s help? And that’s precisely what picking up on his attacks on O’Donnell does. He’s an environmentalist and believes taxpayers should pay other people’s mortgages. Is that really the GOP we want to be helping right now?
Not me. If I don’t have anything nice to say about someone, I just shut up. Okay, that’s not exactly true. Heh! But the fact is, with Castle’s dogs running loose chasing O’Donnell just now in what is looking like a very ruthless effort because he’s scared – as every liberal should be today, we don’t truly know how much of the dirt he’s throwing is true, either.
And on principle, I’m not going to pick up his dirt and drop it on her head. Why so many would be conservatives seem intent on doing just that in this case makes no sense to me. We’ve been fighting to take back the GOP for years. Finally we’re winning. And now we should surrender to such a liberal Republican? Not me, no matter what. I’d rather have a Democrat, than a Mike Castle. The potential for damage with him under our banner is even worse than the alternative, as far as I’m concerned.
I want a center-Right GOP built on principle, not some sand castle I built to impress myself and show everyone how smart I am.
Be sure and visit Reihl World View for lots more great conservative articles.