Disgraced DeLuca To Call Senate Back
Tony “I’m Only Lying When My Lips Are Moving” DeLuca has agreed to call the Senate back for a September session to consider HB 399, the Inspire Scholarship legislation.
A great article in today’s News-Journal captures DeLuca demonstrating his skill, or lack thereof, at the art of prevarication. Here are just a couple of samples:
“Is it a worthwhile cause? It’s absolutely a worthwhile cause,” he (DeLuca) told Jensen, a conservative commentator who hosts an afternoon show. “Do I resent being called a racist? Absolutely. I told ’em, ‘You bring this bill back in January, when it can have a fair, open and public hearing, we’ll get it done.’ “
Forget about the fact that, near as I can tell, nobody called him a racist, at least not publicly. Tony DeLuca, the man who singlehandedly (a) refuses to allow Senate roll calls to be posted online; (b) refuses to allow a live feed of Senate proceedings; (c) refuses to require Senate committees to comply with FOIA standards; and (d) refuses to even list the names of nominees scheduled for confirmation in his own Executive Committee, is suddenly concerned about a ‘fair, open, and public hearing’. That, kids, is demonstrably a lie. His entire modus operandi as President Pro-Tem has been to thumb his nose at FOIA and open government. Because, dammit, he’s Tony DeLuca, and he can.
Then we have poor misunderstood Tony DeLuca, the lone Don Quixote of the Delaware State Senate, standing up, in the face of overwhelming opposition, for ‘what is right’:
“No one is going to rush to my side,” he said. “They’re hiding, because it’s a popular program.”
Ladies and gentlemen, the real Tony DeLuca who’s been just too shy to reveal himself publicly:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5KeGccP9Jk&feature=related[/youtube]
Then, of course, DeLuca claimed he really wasn’t aware of the bill, another lie b/c, if he wasn’t, then he was the only person in Leg Hall unaware of this bill. And, in typical DeLuca bullying fashion, we get an insight into what was likely one of his biggest motivations for screwing Del State…they didn’t kiss his big fat ring:
I don’t want to say they (Del State) didn’t work diligently with a lot of people,” he said. “But they didn’t work diligently enough with enough people so that everyone knew what was going on.””They absolutely didn’t talk to me,” he added earlier in the interview. But, “It’s not a matter of them coming and talking to me, and it’s not a matter of ego.”
Yes it is. He meant what he said until he realized what he said. And Patti Blevins has always been about Patti Blevins and only Patti Blevins. In fact, here is the Senate Democratic Leadership’s Anthem:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCayacFcCX4[/youtube]
(Extra bonus points if you can remember where I’ve previously used that video.)
But, I digress. There’s no further point in picking out the dissemblings, false straw men, and out-and-out lies in DeLuca’s desperate attempt to salvage his tattered reputation.
Just call your Senators and insist that they pass HB 399 unamended (DeLuca might try to put an amendment on the bill that would require House action, which would be a further waste of money by requiring that the House come back into session). Make sure that the session takes place early enough for Sen. Blevins to hurry home to her chamomile tea and her ‘NCIS’ reruns.
Then, following the November election, contact your senators and demand that this bullying liar be replaced as President Pro-Tempore. Whatever credibility he had as a leader, if he ever had any, has been completely destroyed.
Tags: Sen. DeLuca; Delaware General Assembly; Sen. Patti Blevins; Delaware State University
Jensen did a good job drawing out those lies. Tony wouldn’t flat-out say Gilligan was lying, but he said everything short of it; that left him no choice but to cave in, because otherwise the little coward would have had to face Gilligan, a physically imposing man, and said it to his face. The podcast is at WDEL.com. For entertainment value, there’s also a podcast of DeLuca’s exchange with some other guy who works there.
The article says the special session will be in September. Thanks to everyone who made enough stink about this to get DeLuca to reverse his decision. Great work, people!
It sounds like DeLuca was trying to pull out the “people were being mean to me and calling me racist” card but it didn’t fly. I wonder if DeLuca really will lose his leadership position. I’m doubtful.
Here are the podcasts Geezer discussed: Tony DeLuca with Rick Jensen
Jensen cited Delaware Liberal!
Tony DeLuca with Al Mascitti
I love DeLuca trying the pull the FOIA thing!
“I’m not saying DSU was lazy and shiftless, but they didn’t tell anyone about the bill. Also, I’m not racists.” (paraphrase)
I understand consolodating the work into a single special session in September, but on the other hand, how is that practical for the potential-awarded students who won’t have this in time for the Fall Semester? Sorry, but summer vacation needs a time out for this. It’s nobody’s fault but his and sleepy-time. BTW, where is she in all this? Still napping it off?
Smitty – Does the notion that Dick didn’t want to seem money grubbing for DSU come into the picture? Just asking.
Recusing himself from the vote is a problem in your eyes, J? Not using his job as a conduit to funding is a problem to you, J? Seriously, dude, you want to trap me? “Just askin'”
Back to open-questions, here’s one. When does this version of the GA officially expire? Is it valid until the next one commences in January? I ask, because this pending-bill (same as any pending-bill) can not survive over multiple sessions, it would have to be re-done.
No good this will do for the fall–SEED type money is to be used immediately following graduation–no breaks.
I think Thurman Adams is occupying (or sharing) DeLuca’s body.
Touchy touchy. Tell Dick that the paving is looking good. 🙂
Grr…Been a while since the last beer…touchiness happens (’till the next beer, that is).
RSmitty asked, “When does this version of the GA officially expire? Is it valid until the next one commences in January? I ask, because this pending-bill (same as any pending-bill) can not survive over multiple sessions, it would have to be re-done.”
This GA expires on Election Day. Those not reelected are off the payroll the next day.
There have been times when the ‘new’ General Assembly has met in Special Emergency session even before the normal January reorganization.
Folks, make sure you listen to the Podcasts that UI linked. DeLuca is so disingenuous that it’s hard to believe. ‘We fought for FOIA’, ‘at the last minute, miraculously’…lies, lies, lies.
According to the News-Journal,it was shortly after 10 p.m. that the House sent the Senate a must list with only one bill on it, HB 399.
What I’ve been told by multiple sources is that the deal DeLuca and Gilligan struck was, ‘Make sure the funding source is in the Grant-In-Aid, and the Senate will vote on HB 399.’
Either that’s true and DeLuca is lying, or it’s untrue, and several sources, some with no dawg in this fight, are lying, including Gilligan.
Having spent almost 25 years down there in Dover, I find it IMPOSSIBLE to believe that this deal had not been crafted in good faith, at least on the part of the Speaker.
Geezer is right. DeLuca came thisclose to flat out calling Gilligan a liar. But note who backed down. An awful lot of people do not and did not believe that DeLuca was telling the truth. You can bet that members of his own Caucus, the Governor’s office, and lots of ordinary citizens who were as PO’d when they read Friday’s paper as we were, all made sure that their voices were heard. Especially gratifying at the start of a holiday weekend.
This is not over, and it won’t be, until the Senate caucus strips the Incredible Shrinking Leadership Duo of DeLuca and Blevins of their positions. I intend to ask Chris Counihan, who is running for Senate in my district, whether he would vote to retain the current leadership or opt for new leadership, should he be elected. If you’ve got a Senate race where you live, you might want to ask the candidates the same question.
Yes, the podcasts are worth a listen. DeLuca’s defense was 1) there was no deal and 2) I didn’t want to “sneak” the funding in at the last minute. Unfortunately for him multiple people disagree with his interpretation of events, as the NJ article makes clear.
Listening to the podcast and wondering when did DeLuca become such an advocate of open government? I thought he was against it for years and now he’s using it as an excuse for his reprehensible behavior. He is such an arrogant punk.
Knowing DeLuca, aykm, that was precisely why he did it. In his own warped world, he hates FOIA and he obviously didn’t want Del State to be able to offer this program. What better way to combine both by killing the bill and by citing his commitment to open government as the reason?
Too bad it’s the first time he’s shown even the slightest support for open government.
Which is why, in reality, what he said is a lie.
I liked his example about how when a cop pulls you over for running a red light, you don’t avoid a ticket just because you’re a nice guy. Just so happens that Delaware law exempts legislators on their way to a General Assembly session from speeding tickets. Could he have picked a more hypocritical example?
Yep, the more DeLuca speaks, the more he unintentionally reveals.