Republican Recruiting Efforts Leading Towards A GOP Civil War?

Limbaugh's fuming-- who will Jebby back?

The candidate got a zero from the National Right To Life Committee and a 100 from NARAL Pro-Choice America. Planned Parenthood rates him a respectable 73. The National Taxpayers Union rated him a D and the National Association of Manufacturers rated him a 45%. The far right, anti-labor BIPAC rated him at 50% and the Chamber of Commerce gave him a 75%. He rates high with environmental groups-- in the 90s. The NRA rates him an F (up from an F- in 2007). The AFL-CIO rated him at 58%, the UAW 64% and SEIU gave him 63%. Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) rated him 50%. The ACLU rates him at 55%, the NAACP gives him a 73% and gay rights group HRC gives him a 65%. The Christian Coalition gave him a 20% and the Conservative Union a dismal 28%. The John Birch Society has him at 30%, Club for Growth at 40%, the Eagle Forum at 29%, the Family Research Council at 23% (up from 18% in 2007), and both the Traditional Values Coalition and GOPUSA at zero. The National Organization of Woman (NOW) rates him at 75% and the far-right US Women's Chamber of Commerce gives him a zero. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (anti-war) gave him an A and the Vietnam Veterans of America (pro-war) gave him a 12%.

Does the above profile sound like a high-profile Republican Senate recruitment? Not if you've been listening to Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. But it's recent ratings for longtime Delaware Republican Michael Castle and the NRSC and GOP senators are begging him to jump into the race in the very Democratic state. (McCain only scraped up 37% last year, while Castle was re-elected with 61%. Put another way, McCain drew 152,374 while Castle drew 235,437, just 20,000 less than Obama).

Today Josh Kraushaar and Manu Raju at Politico report that Castle is seriously mulling over the race. "I talk to senators, they call me, I talk to them. There's no real pressure," Castle said, mentioning that he’s recently talked about the race with Sen. John McCain. Cornyn, Hatch, McCain may be playing it cool and giving Castle lots of space but they're absolutely desperate.

He said the pressure he feels "more than anything else" is coming to a decision since many Delaware Republicans are waiting for him to make his next move. Castle is viewed by national GOP strategists as the only Republican who is able to pick up the seat once held by Vice President Joseph Biden.

If he does run, it is likely to be against Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, son of the VP and the state's longtime senator. Right now he's on military duty in Iraq as a captain in the National Guard. Polling for Castle is great but he knows it doesn't guarantee anything. The GOP knows if Castle doesn't run, it guarantees that the seat will not be in play.

The Cheney-Limbaugh teabagger wing of the party is up in arms because the NRSC is leaning towards endorsing mainstream conservative Jim Gerlach over Club For Growth Know Nothing Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, begging corporate hack Carly Fiorina to challenge drooling true believer Chuck DeVore for the GOP nod in California, and has already endorsed Charlie Crist over the darling of far right extremist loons, Marco Rubio, in Florida. Yesterday we saw how Rep. Kevin McCarthy is trying to recruit mainstream candidates for House races, often at the expense of far right extremists. Expect an explosion out of Limbaugh soon as he seeks to reassert his authority over his fractious party.


UPDATE: Urgent Message From The Lunatic Fringe

Erick Erickson, a Georgia Republican extremist who hosts a fanatic website, Red State, started the Facebook group, "Not one penny to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)," which I promptly joined. He sent all us members a note today:

Erick Erickson sent a message to the members of Not one penny to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

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Subject: They are listening

I've been getting all sorts of emails begging me to shut this group down.

Instead, please consider inviting ten friends each.

The NRSC will not listen to us unless we help shut down their fundraising.  You can help.

Thanks,
Erick

Don't forget-- not one penny.