DELAWARE WATCH
Eeek.
Two people, both Markell and Denn, would have to make serious compromises in order for this to occur. I'm not ruling it out, I'm just agreeing tbat is seems unlikely for both of them to go quietly into the night.
Additionally, if they hope to move up the ladder in Delaware politics, this is as good a time as any, with a retiring, semi-unpopular governor. If they agree to compromise, there could be long-term ramifiations on Markell's and Denn's careers.
I really hope a deal has not been reached between the candidates. I believe Markell is the stronger candidate and should be governor. Carney will just be a repeat of Minner and her policies and that would be disastrous to Delaware. We cannot afford another 4 or 8 years of Minner.
Markell brings fresh new ideals to the table that will revive the old Delaware. He is the vision and future. I beleive if he does well as Governor his next step would be President.
Don't count Protack out of the GOP nomination race.
Pretty remarkable analysis and a totally plausable scenario.
Copeland can become a real threat to the Democrats and tweaking the balot of candidates would certainly fend off a Repubican takeover for Ins. Com. and Lt. Governor.
"I'm just agreeing tbat is seems unlikely for both of them to go quietly into the night."
I agree. Too much water has gone under the bridge.
But can you imagine Markell running for Lt. Gov w/ a $2.5 million war chest. That might be a national record for that office.
"Carney will just be a repeat of Minner and her policies and that would be disastrous to Delaware."
I agree w/ you that Markell is very talented and probably one of the brightest people walking on the planet. I'll never forget the first time I heard him speak at a training for Family Court employees. I wasn't so much into local politics then, but I remember thinking to myself something like "We actually got people this smart in elected office in Delaware?" And I've always maintained that impression about Markell after hearing him speak and interviewing him on the radio.
But I want someone to explain to me why there is this belief that Carney is Minner 2. I swear I see no basis for the assertion beyond the fact that people repeat it and seem to think that because it's repeated often, it must be true.
I sincerely don't get it and I sometimes think I must be missing something everyone else can see. The only arguments people offer in support of the proposition are:
1. The both ran for their positions as Dems in 2004 & 2008.
2. Carney hasn't criticized Minner much.
The second argument is a logical fallacy (arguing from silence)and as such need not be taken seriously at all.
Thew first seems to be wrong because they don't run on the same ticket and they don't even get paid from the same branch of government.
So what's the basis for thinking they'd be the same? Again, I could be missing something lots of other people see. I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter.
I like the idea that because Copeland can raise a lot of money he is a bad candidate for Lt. Governor, but because Markell can raise a lot of money he would be a good candidate for Governor. Keep working on that one.
I base my assumption on Carney is MInner 2 for several reasons based on what I have seen.
1 - Carney has lobbyed on Minner's behalf for things such as the budget, school salaries, etc.. This speaks volumes for what he believes in setting policies. If he is elected how many top dogs will keep thier positions, people like Woodruff at DOE? Can we afford another 4 or 8 years of the same old same old at DOE?
2 - He has sat by and allowed some of the abuse to happen in the Minner administration without so much as a peep about stopping it. Even though they have done well covering it up the people see the abuse. HOw about all the people who get comfortable jobs after they leave office, a reward for services rendered perhaps? Just look at the Civic Center and how the people involved are all ex politicians who stand to make a considerable amount of money.
3 - As the muber 2 person in our state he is suppose to be someone who is watching out for Delaware and its citizens. With his silence he is undoing one aspect of our constitution, that we the people vote for governor and lt governor. IF he is just there for in case Minner goes away then why all the election hop da loo. Our constitution was designed to have 2 people at the top each making sure the rules and regulations are followed, Carney has not met that requirement.
4 - I have seen very few comments by Carney that do not reflect the same tired old euthisism as Minner spills out. They seem the same as Minner. Only Markell seems to bring fresh ideals and a real solution to Delaware. MY main question is what will he do different if elected than Minner, so far I do not see a difference.
I have met both candidates and was really impressed with Markell and his vision. He thinks outside the box and has a great record on getting things done.
Delaware Democrats need a well-funded strong Congressional candidate!
In Congressional races, this is going to be a banner year for Democrats everywhere.
Since the beginning of 2008, there have been 6 Congressional special elections. 4 of those seats were held by Republicans. Democrats held 2. Democrats won 5 of the 6.
The 3 Republican seats won by Democrats were won by Bush in 2004 by margins ranging from 55% to 69%. There are very few really safe Republican Congressional seats. With a good candidate, Democrats can win Delaware's! Delaware is certainly not a naturally Republican stronghold.
"Don't count Protack out of the GOP nomination race."
Once again, a Protack supporter reveals the pilot's actual goal: The nomination, not the office. This is about taking down the Republican Party leadership. Always was, always will be.
"So what's the basis for thinking they'd be the same?"
They're both the choice of the Democratic Party dinosaurs. If you like the way the state has been run for 16 years, you'll love Carney. He was Carper's finance guy, which puts him int he DLC camp.
They won't be the same, of course; that's just shorthand for "they've in league with the same odious people," like Daniello.
Observer: What's your basis for saying Copeland would be real trouble for Denn? I think he'll lose by roughly 20%. BTW, Blunt would have lost the primary by even more.
"If he is elected how many top dogs will keep thier positions, people like Woodruff at DOE? Can we afford another 4 or 8 years of the same old same old at DOE?"
That might be a good question to ask him. If he became Gov., does he see many changes to the existing cabinet and the heads of other agencies.
"He has sat by and allowed some of the abuse to happen in the Minner administration without so much as a peep about stopping it. Even though they have done well covering it up the people see the abuse."
That's to argue from silence as I said before. It seems to me one might be able to make a case that silence at least shows a lack of conviction & courage but to say it means agreement is different.
I do think Carney needs to show any ways during the last 8 years where he has differed and spoken out against Minner if any,since that is a widely held perception.
"3 - As the muber 2 person in our state he is suppose to be someone who is watching out for Delaware and its citizens. With his silence he is undoing one aspect of our constitution, that we the people vote for governor and lt governor. IF he is just there for in case Minner goes away then why all the election hop da loo. Our constitution was designed to have 2 people at the top each making sure the rules and regulations are followed, Carney has not met that requirement."
This seems vague to me. In what precise ways did he not live up to his constitutional duties. It seems to me that the Lt. Gov. position doesn't have many duties at all.
"Once again, a Protack supporter reveals the pilot's actual goal: The nomination, not the office. This is about taking down the Republican Party leadership. Always was, always will be."
I'm not sure I get the point here. Are you saying that Protack doesn't want to be the GOP nominee running for Gov. in Nov.? How will Protack winning the primary change the GOP leadership, which just changed its chairperson in any case?
If your point is that Protack doesn't want to be the nominee because it would be delusional for him to think he can win in Nov., then, as far as I'm concerned, Lee suffers from the same delusion.
Lee won't come as close as he did against Minner regardless which of the two Dems run against him.
Here's another thing I don't get (this is an aside): why does everyone say that the Lee v. Minner race was close, that he almost won in 2004? He was closer than 2000, but close doesn't mean close necessarily. He lost by 5%...18,000 votes more or less.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Rut...Ruth_Ann_Minner
How is 18,000 votes in a state the size of DE a close margin? All this business I hear about if Lee only needed 2-3 more weeks to win seems like GOP revisionism to me.
"Don't count Protack out of the GOP nomination race."
Once again, a Protack supporter reveals the pilot's actual goal: The nomination, not the office. This is about taking down the Republican Party leadership. Always was, always will be.
Al Mascitti | 05.18.08 | #
Al,
I am not anyone's supporter but I do think anyone who wants to get elected to anything statewide in Delaware would be smart to blaze their own path as there is no Republican Leadership in any capacity even with Strine gone and Ross(?) in charge. I am an independent voter who left the R's because of George Bush and the Delaware GOP'S backstabbing ways.
The Republican party in Delaware is gone, dead and waiting to be buried unless something really unique happens and the Independent nod is a good one. Protack was smart to look beyond the incompetent GOP people who have lost so much so often. I think he has a great chance to beat Lee and move in to the fall. Lee will refuse to debate and he won't work hard as he never has.
I doubt Protack cares much about 'bringing down the GOP leadership'. Voters and the incompetence of the state party pseudo elites have done that without him wasting any energy.
Lee has no chance, Protack has some chance.
The ideology of Delaware has only grown more liberal, so Democrats should fare better than they did in '04 and '06. '08 looks to be a Democratic year nationally (particuarly in Congress), so I wouldn't be suprised to see a record number of votes cast with an angered Democratic party. This high turnout, many of whom will come out to simply vote against McCain, will help Democratic politicians in local races.
I don't see how Carney/Markell or Denn or whomever can lose to a Republican in '08. The cards are stacked against them.
http://thepartisanspar.blogspot.com/
"I don't see how Carney/Markell or Denn or whomever can lose to a Republican in '08."
I think that the person the GOP has running for Insurance Commissioner. John Brady, is a strong candidate and could win the race. I've heard lots of good things about him.
Delaware is amoung 18 states that elect the governor and lt governor on separate tickets thus allowing for different parties to be in the top spots of goverment. The thinking behind it is to make sure the top positions in government have a check and balance system in place to ensure policies and procedures are being followed in the best interest of Delaware citizens. It also is suppose to ensure that any dealings that may constitute fraud or illegal activity are not happening behind closed doors.
Carney has failed to provide the citizens with an independent person watching out for them and stopping some of the wrong dealings going on in the Minner adminstration.
The Lt. Governor is In addition to fulfilling his two constitutional duties as President of the Senate and Chairman of the Board of Pardons,
heads a wide variety of public service boards, including the Delaware Health Care Commission, the Interagency Council on Adult Literacy, the Criminal Justice Council, and the Center for Education Technology. (from his bio)
He is also a member of the state budget commission.
IN all capacities he has shown a willingness to promote MInner policies and practices that do not benefit the citizens. This shows he is going to be another Minner clone and one i say we cannot afford to have in Delaware.
Perhaps Brady will defeat Reed, but it is certainly set up to be a tight one nonetheless. I was just stating that on a larger scale, local and state governments across the country should see a rise in Democratic officer holders.
In the U.S. Senate it looks like the Dems will gain 5-6 seats, and maybe quintuple that in the House. With those results, Dems have to fare well in the general.
http://thepartisanspar.blogspot.com
"I doubt Protack cares much about 'bringing down the GOP leadership."
Really? Then why doesn't he ever campaign for the party's hand-chosen candidates? Why does he always run destructive campaigns against those candidates? Why does he insist on using his opponents' backing by party leaders as some sort of evidence that they're unelectable? (His usual line of "reasoning," that since GOP candidates keep losing the party leaders must be out of touch and THEREFORE he is a better candidate, is a classic case of logical fallacy).
"I'm not sure I get the point here. Are you saying that Protack doesn't want to be the GOP nominee running for Gov. in Nov.?"
No, I'm saying Protack's NO. 1 goal is, and always has been, the destruction on the Chateau Country group that runs the GOP. If he wanted acceptance by Republicans, there's a simple way to do that: Raise money. It's not merely the mother's milk of politics, it's how political muscle is measured. The only other form political juice can take is the Gordon/Freebery model (also the union model), in which you can make up in manpower on the streets what you might lack in money in the bank.
By either of these measures, Mike Protack scores a 0. Always has, always will.
By the way, I say none of these things as a Republican. I'm an outsider, and to this outsider, Protack's activities have always seemed more destructive than constructive.
Protack is in it to win it! I agree that he is working uphill against the corporates, and especially the tired ole Priscilla Rakestraw and that ilk.
Protack has a better health care plan than do Carney or Markell. Protack at least understands education and social services agencies need reform from top down. I think he would fire Merconi and replace him with someone qualified.
And rumor has it that Markell promised Norman Oliver six figures to deliver Wilmington. How does that relate to "changing Delaware".
"No, I'm saying Protack's NO. 1 goal is, and always has been, the destruction on the Chateau Country group that runs the GOP."
Well, Al, if that is his goal, from my perspective, it's hard to imagine why the goal of breaking up the plutocratic control of rich elites over a major political party is less laudable than quixotically imagining that one (or anyone from that party) could possibly win the General Election whether or not they survived a primary race.
Why isn't that a virtue? Perhaps I'm missing your point.
"And rumor has it that Markell promised Norman Oliver six figures to deliver Wilmington. How does that relate to "changing Delaware"."
I find this statement disturbing especially since it come from an anonymous commenter.
So let me say to readers that there is no reason to take this bald, unsupported claim seriously by a person whose identity we don't even know and whose motive for making the claim is unknown to us.
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