Acting GOP Chair Nelly Jordan to fire staff if the Chateau Country money doesn’t start rolling in…
Since 2010, if not before, the battle between the old guard state GOP (i.e. the DuPonts, Castle, Copeland, etc). and the upstart downstate social conservatives (O’Donnell, Urquhart, Christopher, etc.) has been a fun one for us Democrats to watch. It kind of reminds us of the little flare up we Democrats had nationally in 2004-2005 (i.e. Howard Dean, 50 State Strategy), although on a much larger scale here in small First State. Any way, here is the background on the latest chapter….
Last month, State GOP Party Chair John Sigler resigned after having be reelected the month before. His resignation turned not on party business or party divisions but instead on conflicts of interest between his private career and his role in the state party. That meant that the newly elected Vice Chair, downstate activist (meaning downstate tea party social conservative activist) Nelly Jordan would ascend to the top spot, for a little while anyway. She would remain Acting Chairman of the Party until a special state convention could be held in 60 days to elect a new state chairman.
Well, it would seem that things are not going that well for Mrs. Jordan during her stewardship of the party. Delaware Liberal has obtained a copy of a letter sent out last night to State GOP Executive Committee members. A copy of the letter is below (I have redacted Mrs. Jordan’s personal contact information). As you can read, it would seem that party fundraising has dried up during her tenure as Acting Chairman, if not before, and the state party is basically broke as of this moment, and there is the possibility that staff will have to be laid off and offices closed…
Now, as Mrs. Jordan notes in the letter, party donors stopped donating to the party well before John Sigler resigned. So it is not necessarily his resignation that prompted their spurning of the party. However, I suspect the continued Tea Party takeover of the state GOP, as evidenced by Nelly Jordan’s election as Vice Chair, and the continued antics of the downstate social conservatives, from Bodenweiser to Vance Phillips to Jeff Christopher to Don Ayotte to Sam Wilson, have everything to do with the well running dry. Indeed, in this intraparty civil war, who is it that the downstaters always attack? The big money “RINOs” up north in Chateau Country, the same monied interests that backed Pete du Pont and Mike Castle and Michelle Rollins and kept the state party afloat for years.
I don’t doubt that the well started running dry well before John Sigler’s resignation. I am sure if you graph the numbers out, the decline began back in 2010. Indeed, we predicted that this would eventually happen back when Christine O’Donnell scored her surprise victory over Mike Castle. Sure, small internet donors would pour in for a while, but they cannot be counted on to keep a party organization afloat in off years. You need big money to do that. And now those big money donors are hanging back, waiting to see what happens in the Special Convention in July. I suspect that if Charlie Copeland wins the Chairmanship in July, the faucets will be flowing again. And I am sure that message is being sent out to party activists. Elect our guy and the money returns. Elect Nelly, and the well stays dry. And I do not blame them at all.
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yup, I heard last week from a GOPerhead friend that the reason Sigler resigned was because he couldn’t raise any money.
Copeland will take over ASAP and get funds moving again – although, mending the teabag rifting won’t be a snap. Chateau NCC can’t just claim the party by fiat if they simply can’t control the votes for their preferred candidates (read: socially moderate fiscal conservatives).
Copeland had Ms. Jordan on display on his 9AM Comcast cable teevee show last Sunday. Very thick accent.
I’ve always been confused by the Kent and Sussex Conservative tactics of sneering (and calling names) at the only group of Republicans that actually, you know, has money.
Why would you send money to people who are hell bent on losing in the most dramatic way possible? There is a real reason why the local GOP hasn’t been able to get back many of the Rs who changed their registrations to vote for Jack Markell.
OMG, Saw the picture and recognized her. I met her at a business networking event a few years ago in Milford. Now, business networking events are about business, not political affiliation – right? She came up, introduced herself to me and a friend, she was wearing some weird crocheted flower! and proceeded to rip into state Democrats, Obama, etc. Basically, “Hi, I’m …, isn’t it a shame that Democrats run……. it was that quick. Not, what is your company or what do you do – just I hate Democrats and they suck.
My friend abandoned me, so, doing my very best calm, ask deep questions Democrat, started asking “what do you mean by that?”, “can you give me an example?”, “where can I find more information about that?”…
Well, that’s about as far as I got before feeling myself about to lose it. What a whackadoodle! Why can’t I be calm and tie them in knots? Why do they get under my skin so quickly? Deep thoughts for a Saturday.
Okay, back with a scoop from a friend who read my comment earlier and called to set me straight.
The average GOPer is hearing that Sigler’s demise was all about the money.
The inside scoop is that he totally freaked out on the GOP in the General Assembly who voted with the Governor’s gun control initiatives.
My friend said that the NRA lobbyists and Sigler decided to primary EVERY Republican who thwarted them and voted for the gun control bills.
Suddenly there was a target-on-the-back for Ramone, Lopez, Cloutier etc.. It didn’t sit well with the actual Delawareans who’d invested life-times in Republican politics that these out-of-towners were planning to take out the last of our electable, moderate GOPers. [noting also that Lopez had already survived a primary].
Word. Bible. My friend swears it’s the real story.
The gun laws started through the legislature in May and Sigler was out by May 30th. Why? http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130530/NEWS02/305300028/State-GOP-chair-quits-abruptly
I was told that the Delaware Republican party’s money had dried up well before he took over. The DE GOP was some 23 million in the hole.
There was no money for the 2012 NCC candidates from what Mark Blake and what’s-his’name were saying.
And examination of their gubernatorial’s campaign expenditures showed that the one-man-band of David Anderson was funding his staffers half of the time (probably illegally).
So it is highly probable that it was a real desperate play to heave the former President of the NRA out of the tree house before he completely destroyed the DE GOP by heavily funding NRA-oath-taking primary candidates who were almost guaranteed to lose to the Democrats in the moderate districts where RINOish GOP survive.
Oh to have been the fly on the wall and hear what, if anything, the newly hired and only local NRA lobbyist, Rich Armitage, had to say about all of this.
All that is missing from this tragi-comedy is the popcorn. Nelly and her crew was convinced that HQ had a secret account where millons of dollars were stashed. Wrong. Then she asked for a meeting of the ‘near and dear’, no one responded. That’s right, no one.
The social conservative groups won’t help because “our members will only give to true blue conservatives”. Catch the irony there?
Then the lovely actress know for being Us, You, We, She, He, it or something is crying she is poor too.
In a way it’s not Nelly’s fault, when the banshee’s and moon howler’s acted the way they did at convention she had no way of knowing that such barbaric and rude behavior in public would make the check writer’s literally recoil in horror. These people yell in private and never make a scene in public. Sadly her supporter’s didn’t know that.
Finally, having her letter leaked to you guys. Ouch. Hmmm, maybe they now realize that self professed righteousness only goes so far in this business.
Nancy’s 7:45 comment is how I heard it. Sigler threatened primaries of several longtime and trusted R’s and then poof! he was gone.
Common sense and tolerance left the formal party a long time ago. There are a lot of R’s with money who the new regime consider unfit, fielding candidates with funding to succeed by appealling to the majority of people they will represent. See: Lopez, Pettyjohn, for the newest examples.
This new breed of previously unknown ” constitutional scholars ” amount to nothing more than the equivalent of a ” jail house lawyer ” with no degree.
All this crap about the sherrif and the gun bills is on the very last nerve of everyone. Point 1. The sherrif took a job that was well defined and sought to expand it during an economic drought. That was a non starter as most people did not want anymore overlapping services being provided by the tax payers.
Point 2. The gun bills that were passed are hardly offensive or infringeing on any bodies rights. They are bills to protect the many from the few who would do harm. Again a non starter with the majority.
I am a R, have been all my life. So what? Representation and Governance by common sense is shared by the majority of people regardless of the letter behind their name. It is also done from a moderate position, not extreme to either side.
We can only hope that this most recent crisis in the formal party brings it 1 step closer to implosion, so that moderates can emerge from hiding and stop being hunted and villafied.
Last night at Buckley’s we were wondering if Nelly can get her supporter’s to keep their mouth’s shut until Copeland gets the nod. We suspect not. Ill manners combined with political ineptness seem to be a prerequisite for her crew. For some unfathomable reason they seem to think that ‘founders’ were pure as the driven snow, and never played lets make a deal, which is essential for success in this business. We still are curious as to what is more prevalent in their world: being dangerously naive or simply incapable of figuring out how this all works. Case in point; no one on the executive committee wanted her to win so they will have a bad case of waytoobusyitis until 7/21 for after all she has no one with which to replace them that can raise any money and they all know that.
As for John Siglar resigning, kudo’s to whoever got the scoop. I never made the NRA connection.
Last comment before playing, “church is boring” with my always obediant and happy 14 year old.
These far right kooks seem unable to understand that a new battle will be fought the next day so when you lose do so with a smile. Plus they seem to feel that compromise is selling out. If they conducted married life with this mindset we’d all be divorced. Finally their sanitized version of history seems carefully written to reflect their opinions which to me is just a little bit to close to Soviet style censorship.
Perhaps Ms I’m You will send a letter to her donor’s asking for help…..then again she won’t because she’s all about herself and Nelly voted for her. Such a lack of gratitude on Ms. You’s part.
“If they conducted married life with this mindset they’d all be divorced.”
Or looking for children to groom as sexual partners. Their world is all about control, or rather the lack of control. They’re still trying to get over the fact that women can now engage in sex without getting pregnant, and they’re still trying to stuff that genie back in the bottle.
Watching elephants in Africa go extinct is heartbreaking. Watching the elephant party go extinct holds a lot more promise for all of us.
Meanwhile, over at DP’s bizarro world, the nutcases are blaming everyone but themselves for the party’s lack of financial backing.
I predicted this very situation on that blog about five years ago, when I noted that yelling at the people who have money because they won’t give you any is a terrible strategy for getting them to change their minds.
And examination of their gubernatorial’s campaign expenditures showed that the one-man-band of David Anderson was funding his staffers half of the time (probably illegally).
Daniel Anderson is the last money reserve for the GOP, he’s an elderly man living at the beach who takes out full page political ads in newspapers. David Anderson can’t fund anything.
Charlie Copeland may get more money in the bank for the GOP, but he is a self proclaimed tea partier; he’s behind CRI, he tried to take out his own cousin Laird Stabler for Committeeman, and he ousted Priscilla Rakestraw in the nastiest way possible and replaced her with Ellen Barrosse the one issue, Rose and a Prayer wacko who was supposed to be some magic fundraiser.
Taking out Rakestraw and replacing her with Barrosse was Copeland’s gift to fellow tea baggers like Evan Q (Copeland spoke at his senate announcement), COD and the whole Sussex militia.
The Tea Party and social conservatism is a non starter in this state, and rightfully so. Expect the GOP to right itself and cozy up to the big money boys yet again. After all, that’s the true core of the party.
The moderate movement who Cragg, Grossman, Knotts, Brooks? They couldn’t even get 30 people to show at the last 2 events they held at Abbott’s Grill, and the Hampton Inn. All former COD supporters who’ve now jumped to the new ship called moderates, for the sole purpose of getting NCCo money. Cragg couldn’t get even 30% of the vote last election, Grossman and Brooks both have numerous civil judgements against them whichshows they are fiscally irresponsible. Knotts is a nutjob who pushes more people away from the movement then a leper with aids. While the conservative sector of the GOP may not be the answer neither is the moderate group called delaware right.
Daniel Anderson like most of the big money people in Delaware whether it’s Sussex, Kent or NCCo put money in both parties they never lose after the elections.
While David Anderson “can’t fund anything” he’s currently one of the troops funding our nations freedoms with a potentially pretty hefty price tag while he’s on the front lines.
The De tea party is broke and has zero relevance and after 2012, all local candidates now know to ignore their survey’s and implied threats due to the fact they have no money and even less resources.
What implied threats? Be specific. The former tea party members now packaged and hawking the delaware right moderate movement isn’t moving Delaware anywhere, not now, not next year and not in 2016. No matter how much pandering they do as they desperately try to be the be all end all, it’s never gonna happen. Maybe what you need to figure out is how the moderates are gonna sell their shtick the numbers prove no one’s buying into it.
AnonnonA says,”The former tea party members” ? You do understand that there would have to have been a party, for there to have been members, don’t you? And I challenge you, more than you already are challenged, to find one instance where I either wrote or said that I was a TEA Party anything. I have been consistently warning of the danger of the TEA movement from its conception, noting that it would suckle at the teat of the GOP, until neither was viable. And that is exactly what has happened. The current Delaware GOP is populated by people who are libertarians, and people who are members of any number of single issue sub groups who do not understand that you win as a party by merging with others that have similar views, these people believe that they will purge the GOP of everyone who has a differing view on even a single issue. They believe that they will, by pure force of will, convince enough people to change their views, to some how win elections. And as this letter demonstrates, they think they can do it without funding.
I would also like to thank you for calling me a “nutjob”, because if you think I am a nut job, then I must be doing something right, and thanks for the plug too! 😉
Deny all you want, you backed COD when she ran. Now that you’ve been called out for your former tea party affiliation you deny there was ever a party. Since you claim there is no party then explain why you still refer to those GOP members, and certain groups that you don’t agree with right wing nut jobs or tea party members. Your diatribe is pure fertilizer for any one of the fields in Sussex County take your pick. You publicly declared war on the Sussex GOP and vowed to tear it down to the ground if need be.
Uh oh.
A cursory glance reveals the acting chair gave less then 60.00 in 4 years to the party.
This email blast will get everyone talking even more.
You publicly declared war on the Sussex GOP and vowed to tear it down to the ground if need be.
I’m not sure the Sussex GOP needs much help to tear itself down to the ground.
cassandra you may be correct but Knotts is always finding fault and blaming others within the party, while denying any personal culpability for his part in the demise as well.
Why can’t the tea party just throw a few million in the till?
The former tea party members now packaged and hawking the delaware right moderate movement isn’t moving Delaware anywhere,
The republican moderates are the people who backed Mike Castle, they aren’t tea partiers, DE Right or DelawarePolitics people. The tea party, DE Right and DP are all different factions of COD supporters that can’t get along, like Vance Phillips and Sheriff Christopher. This is all the right fighting the right, the moderates have either moved on, or are still waiting.
AnonnonA, yes I supported COD, I supported her in 2006, before there was a TEA movement. The fact that a TEA organization decided to ride her wave, and she used them for what it was worth, does not necessarily make for an affiliation between myself and the TEA movement. Quite a few degrees of separation there my friend. Notice in all my writing that I refer to it as a movement, not a “PARTY”, because that is all that it has ever been and all it will ever be. It is at best an accumulation of TEA groups that at times travel in the same direction, but who can’t even manage to pull together enough to actually form an actual “PARTY”.
I again challenge the challenged, find and link to one time where I refer to anyone as a “right wing nut jobs “, let me save you the effort, never happens. I do on the other hand call them radicalized right and extremist.
“While the conservative sector of the GOP may not be the answer neither is the moderate group called delaware right.”
Crabs in a basket.
hilarious. I love the schadenfreude, but as I read this I think the actual powers that be merely chuckle as vice-chairs, chairs, and other party people scurry around underfeet like self important ants.
This blog needs a ” like button “. Jason 330 you owe me a keyboard.
anon Knotts proclaims he is a moderate who is part of the voice for moving Delaware forward which is aptly called delawareright. That’s how they present themselves at meetings held in Western NC, Kent and Sussex counties.
Question for you; If Castle had backed COD do you think she would have beat Coons?
The reason I ask is according to Knotts COD wasn’t a TEA party member since there was/is no TEA party, so why wouldn’t a fellow Republican back another Republican for the win against a Democrat.
Just my observation this seems to be Delawares biggest problem with the GOP they are their own worst enemy with the in fighting NC vs Kent and or Sussex Counties, moderate vs conservative.
“Question for you; If Castle had backed COD do you think she would have beat Coons?”
No.
That was easy. Next question.
The ideology is in the name, DelawareRIGHT. That’s inherently not moderate. Everyone at that blog was part of the COD war on moderates, they called the Castle supporters “RINOS” in 2010, even tried to get one Castle supporter fired from his job, and they decided that their right wing ideology was more important than winning elections. Just the idea that the people at DelawareRIGHT are considered “moderate” by anyone made me throw up in my mouth.
They’re moderate only when compared with the whackadoodles at Delaware Politics.
The important thing is that they stand for the GOP of Delaware, which is why it has fallen and can’t get up.
The 2010 primaries killed the GOP of Delaware. A vocal few with access to the psyche of the disgruntled Sussex County voter killed the party.
Having Rush Limbaugh, and the diva Sarah Palin flooding the air waves of the local radio station in support of the attractive jersey girl didn’t help much either.
Although it looks bleak for the GOP, the Democrats shouldn’t get too comfortable with their gloating.
Unless the proverbial political pendulum has been suddenly broken, we should see a swing back towards the right in due time……How would Sen. Ayote or Gov. Beaty sound to you?
FBH: Those people would probably lose an election among their own households. Whatever the letter after the name, Delaware is a solidly centrist state. The problem with conservatives of the Ayotte stripe stems from their fealty to their belief system. They can’t just be conservatives — they must crow the superiority of their belief system from the rooftops. I can’t think of anyone who reacts well to that.
This is but another loop in the long, slow, death spiral. Given the average age of the old white men (and I should include women), we have less than a quarter century of entertainment left. With more and more of the fringe moving to the IPOD and disenchanged, responsible Republicans who who have gone away, there really isn’t much left of the DE GOP per se. They will still have candidates and even win some elections, but DE GOP will never again have any real influence, at least not in my lifetime. From what I can tell, it is the same story nationally where the fringe seems to represent the party and they continue to shoot themselves in the foot or put the same foot in their mouths.
Regardless, the fate of a party is really irrelevant. The function of the institutions, both state and national (GA, Congress, Executive, etc) that are important. To me, the overarching question is, do these institutions function best with or without a robust two party system? Is an Italian model in our future? a Mexican model (PRI)? If it is would it help or hurt?
The reason I think these kinds of questions are important is because it appears that we are evolving towards one or the other model and it behooves us to know were we are going. Despite the fact that Congress is severely dsyfunctional, would a one party or many party system be better? Would it help the institution?
Personally, I don’t like the two party system because it is exclusionary, but then I don’t like taxes either, but as Holmes said “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” Is that also true of the two party system?
Finally, the state of the DE GOP is what happens when the inmates are running the asylum. The “establishment” should have put them down, hard or excommunicated them. This grand experiment of catering to the so-called base, who seem to be possessed of the basest of motives, values, and virtue has most certainly failed, which is evident by those same
“rats” leaving the sinking ship.
When far left progressives howl at the Democratic Party establishment, the Democrats seem to offer them a pat or the head or a little treat so they go back to sleep in the corner. The GOP could have learned something from this practice of benign neglect with the GOP fringe element.
I like neither the Italian or Mexican models. But I not sure what other alternatives there are or what our future will be.
Talked at some length yesterday with an upstate Republican who has been involved for decades. He said one reason for the struggles of the moderate wing is the lack of a strong central party, that upstate Rs never fostered a strong, active party because people rising through the party’s ranks would pose a threat to incumbency. As a result, each office-holder has his or her own campaign team, but they can’t turn out voters for others in office. That, in a nutshell, is what doomed Mike Castle.
Unless and until someone in elective office can herd the cats, the party will remain in the wilderness for some time to come.
Dave and Geezers comments together wrap this up. The DE GOP chose a thin bench, a weak central authority and incumbent protection, over party discipline and some semblance of unity of purpose.
Del Dems would be wise to try and learn from this fiasco.
Am I the only one that remembers Charlie Copeland’s “George Wallace” moment standing in the doorway & blocking Ginger Gibson from entering some O’Donnell event after she won the primary? Charlie didn’t just tolerate the Witch for the sake of party unity, he didn’t just grin and bear it knowing her moment would pass. He embraced her and he seemed to think she’d actually win.
Incumbent protection (party level and GA level) might be the DelDems biggest problem. And don’t get me started about Wilmington.
Cassandra, any thoughts on Wilmington?
😆
Yes, the blue blood Republicans of Greenville embraced Christine O’Donnell. They were serving tea, and COD was the bell of the ball that fall in 2010.
It was pretty embarrassing. Seen it with my own eyes, I did.
Poor Nelly, her supporter’s insult the people who have the dough and now she threatens layoff’s because the rich aren’t giving her the dough because of her supporter’s and yet her supporter’s don’t understand that they, not the rich, are the cause of having no money at HQ.
Please note if the rich did give money her supporter’s would want to tell them how to spend it. That’s not how it works but they don’t grasp that either.
So they apparently want other people’s money and want to have total control over how it is spent. Isn’t this what Marxism is all about and they call them economic conservatives?
Main Street GOP needs to make a comeback fast.
I have just been asked to help with a Gridiron skit for Nellie. It will focus around that Isley Brothers tune of wake me shake me when it’s over.
We’re trying the lyrics out Saturday.
We just agreed on the terrace of the Columbus Inn, that if Nelly’s supporter’s agree to donate 1 million that well will double that.
The infighting with the Democratic office holders is going to lead to the same thing if these fools don’t grow up! Purist ideals aren’t going to fly on the left either.
What does that mean, AQC?
pandora says:
June 22, 2013 at 11:31 am
“I’ve always been confused by the Kent and Sussex Conservative tactics of sneering (and calling names) at the only group of Republicans that actually, you know, has money.”
Pandora, would you please cite the instances when Kent Conservatives or Republicans engaged in sneering and name calling.
The only convention district to give a majority to Ruth Briggs King over Nelly Jordan was Kent County. Nelly Jordan won in New Castle.
Pandora since you don’t know what you are talking about, It would be better if you checked your biases at the door.
Yes, Pandora, keep it straight. The polite nuts live in Kent, the impolite nuts live in Sussex. Apparently what kind of nut you are matters to these people, who don’t want to be mistaken for a bowl of mixed nuts.
Oops! I got my nuts confused. And by the time the Ruth Briggs King vs Nelly Jordan contest happened the real money had already dried up. But, hey, if you’re happy with your Kent fundraising numbers… good luck.
Yo, Thinking R, “Shake Me, Wake Me, (When It’s Over)” was done by the 4 Tops. One of Levi Stubbs’ finest vocals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWBtEYvTbaM
I just heard Nelly told the headquarters staff tonight that they’re all being let go. Even the part time book keeper who files the finance reports and has been there for almost 10 years. Which should be good because there’s an FEC report due at the end of this month. I guess Nelly is going to do that herself?
AnonnonA likes to put words in other peoples mouths, his style is familiar, but I haven’t quite figured out which misfit toy they are, or how they got off the island.
AnonnonA says, “Knotts proclaims he is a moderate “, really? Show me where I proclaimed any such thing.
If I am seen as a moderate now it is because the radicalized right within the GOP took a hard turn to the right and then kept going till they drove over the cliff.
I wrote a post titled, “How I Became A liberal”, http://www.delawareright.com/how-i-became-a-liberal/
It describes how, while I have not changed my views on issues, I am now labeled a liberal or a moderate by people who have no clue how party politics work, and don’t have enough sense to seek guidance from those who do, and have run away with the romantic idea of revolution. These people are dangerous to the GOP in the least, and dangerous to the security of the state and nation in some cases.
The GOP is now populated with people who actually believe that a sheriff and three deputies will somehow arrest the Attorney General of the United States, and even arrest the President. This has gone beyond a simple debate of constitutionality, and is now bordering on psychotic behavior.
People who have been able to squirm their way into leadership positions, have no interest in the GOP rebounding, this letter demonstrates that Mrs. Jordan is either completely incompetent, or is intentionally attempting to destroy the Delaware GOP. Who would write such an email? Who would allow it to become public? Why would you publicize the fact that the party can’t make rent? Or payroll? Unless you wanted to further weaken the party. I know that many here may think this a good thing, but remember, one party rule also means one party responsibility, and eventually that means that the pendulum will swing the other way.
Well, 165 (I’ve already forgotten if that was the number and don’t feel like looking it up) for example. You have people like Kowalko, Williams and Baumbach basically attack other legislators as if they are the only ones that believe in public education. Then they basically stab Daryl Scott in the back when he’s trying to get a bill out of committee. And, it’s all about grandstanding and proving who has the best progressive credentials. Just because other Democratic legislators don’t vote the same way, doesn’t mean they care less. Instead of just talking to each other and working out a compromise among themselves they publicly turn on each other. Then you have the governor and attorney general promote gun bills but they won’t actively work to support each other’s. so, is it really about the gun bills, or is it only about their future ambitions? And, where were either of these guys when legislators were trying to move their bills?
Unless all our local elected Democrats learn to work together, I think we will see more and more factions developing, just like the Republicans. Governing needs to be about governing, not who can pee further in the progressive sandbox.
Go ahead, all…attack now 🙂
This should be a big opening for Libertarian Party, is there was such a thing.
AQC though some of what you say makes sense and is dead on, you made a mistake in thinking 165 is about divisions between progressives and moderates. It is closer defined as being between the incorruptibles and the corrupted. This bill is a bad bill full of holes; it was fabricated in secret by a committee; and it has attempted to sucker punch the Delaware public by becoming law before it they knew of it…
The only literary description I can come up with paralleling this deception, is the evil queen giving Snow White the magic apple, and selling it out to be so good, because she wants Snow White dead and out of the way. This bill is about money and who gets it. Will it be those well-connected politicos who own Wilmington City commercial rental properties?….. or the public schools who have really stepped up and are now outperforming charter schools across the board?…
One would think progressives would be for charters, since charters are experimental and are supposed to use the most progressive tactics to teach better. One would think the moderates would be against letting all that public money acquired by levies on their personal property, get handed over with love, to private friends and supporters of the governor, giving them the opportunity to upgrade their properties, thereby facilitating charter schools to move in and begin paying them rent… Pencader paid $2.6 million to Chris Castagno each year.
But in the General Assembly, what one would expect, is just the opposite. Once could almost say it was the divide was between the libertarians of the Democratic caucus against the corporatists in that same party. The bill’s originator, is actually the progressive who plopped down Delaware’s Single Payer Healthcare last summer. Can’t get more progressive than that. And he’s the bad guy! Most would consider Jacques a progressive. but he sold out. (or got royally used by having his name remain on this bill re-concocted in a fashion one would not recognize by the Markell task group.)
So although the smart ones you mention do tend to call themselves progressives, this situation is more a case of role reversal where each side is defending the other’s turf, so in that regard, your analogy is a bit off. The issue that “the smart ones” grasp (and it has raised the blood pressures of a lot of people as they slowly also begin to grasp the implication this bill portends), is whether we should continue our public schools as we have for a century, that is use tax money to fund them,, or we should privatize it, like a port, like a turnpike, like a golf course , like any other state asset we eventually get rid of, by beginning the steps to gut it, letting privateers come in and run their schools off our tax money while living off the profits. The poison in the apple slowly takes affect and the public schools fold, one by one, just like Chicago; just like Philly.
Don’t know if you caught it, but last Thursday, 27 new charters were approved to open beginning fall of 2014. There are only 18 now. Delaware public schools will have $63,000,000 less each year to work with as public money follows those new 6300 students across to charter schools. If most of those are in Wilmington, that is a huge negative hit for public schools in New Castle County.
Personally, I don’t think enough people are yet awake to understand why this bill is the first real bullet into the heart of Delaware’s public education. The anger you misinterpret as progressive self righteousness, is really an attempt to shake out of their stupor, passed-out legislators who are drunk-stupid, asleep on the railroad track as the train of no return rapidly speeds upon them.
Celia’s take pretty much politely eviscerates poor Nelly as an incompetent, illiterate buffoon: http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/6-13GOPmoney.asp
Has anyone considered that the letter is cover so the Sussex County tea party acting Chair, Nellie Jordon, can fire the openly gay executive director without getting sued for discrimination?
@SW:
Just target practice for Celia. Aiming at Nelly is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Or Pigeon’s from a Box !
I think I have discerned a pattern re: the fringe. They tend to seek power and authority, ostensibly to promote their ideas, but in gaining the sought after power, they immediately began to destroy that which they sought.
In recent memory, winning a primary against Castle, only to see the seat lost to the Democrats. Next up was DP, which currently exists only as a platform for David Anderson to announce various things. Then you have the Sussex County GOP where formerly staunch Republican conservatives are fleeing for the IPOD, and now the DE GOP being consumed like a merger specialist selling off all the assets.
It reminds me of a parasite that consumes the host. Mindlessly consuming until there is nothing left. The parasite then seeks another host, to begin consuming all over again. Now it’s the IPOD. If I were a state Democratic party stalwart, I would be looking over my shoulder. The canary in the mine is probably Don Ayotte. If he starts making noises like a Democrat, run very fast!
Dave,
Why worry about Don Ayotte?
We’ve got Tom Carper, and we’re still wondering when he will start making noises like a Democrat.
“we’re still wondering when he will start making noises like a Democrat.”
I suppose that is dependent on the definition of a “Democrat.” Maybe he’s making those noises, but his definition is different than yours. I am curious (seeing how this is a Democratic blog) how everyone defines a Democrat. Sort of “What is a Democrat” It would be interesting to have everyone write a definition, send it in and then have them posted all at once, so everyone creates their own definition. I wonder how much similarity and contrast there would be?
Dave,
I get your point, and it would be an interesting exercise. Certainly we Democrats have more diverse definitions of what constitutes a true D than the Republicans have for members of their party.
My point with Carper (and pretty much with Carney, Coons and Markell — all of whom I believe have been D’s for all their adult lives) is that the suffix “D-Delaware” does not fit them nearly as well as, say “D-Pharma,” or “D-Banks,” or “D-Credit Cards.”
All four are corporatists, far more beholden to the special interests that finance their campaigns than they are to the voters who mark the “X” next to their name on the ballot.
If we want political leaders whose first interest is to support the big corporations, we should vote Republican. Traditionally, that’s where the best friends of business have resided.
I fear that the Delaware Democratic party will eventually become a refuge for Republicans (like those who changed registration in 2008 to vote for Markell over Carney in the primary) who realize that the GOP’s numbers are so small in this state that there’s no way an R will be elected to a major office here in the foreseeable future.
And what will we wind up with? A state party that continues to be aligned with the business interests and the expense of the middle class (and below) that has traditionally voted Democratic and now risks betrayal by those it has voted into office.
I’d wager that the basics would be pretty close.
Opportunity & freedom of choice economic fairness, and environmental stewardship
Those have been pretty consistently articulated, if not embodied and enacted.
The GOP had a great economic forum today and Nelly was nowhere to be found.
Now that’s leadership!
Frank you also claimed to be a lesbiman too. Your political views have changed you bitch and complain non stop about the very people you were once aligned with. You’re a fraud Frank everyone in the GOP party knows it. You pass judgment on others for the very same reprehensible practices you have example you wrote a piece about sour grapes after Mrs. Jordan was elected. Rather than accept the majority vote of your fellow delegates you tried to fuel the fire of disharmony in the party with your public piece you wrote questioning Mrs. Jordan’s capabilities. You’re still doing it in this blog site. You publicly castigate other members of the EC and fellow delegates non stop.
What was written in the email was general knowledge long before the email was written. Anyone in the galley at monthly meetings hears the treasurers report, it’s not secret squirrel information. One has to wonder what the intent was by the person who leaked the email sent out. To embarrass Mrs. Jordan because they falsely believed she was seeking the Chair position. One name that has repeatedly come up as the possible person who leaked the email is Frank Knotts. You certainly have motive you are the one who vowed to wage war against the Sussex GOP and tear it down to the ground if needed. You’re the one who was pushing for your boss Jeff Cragg for the chair position.
Is it true Nelly put the rest of Priscilla’s stuff that was left in HQ on Craigslist to help raise money for payroll this week?
Morroco Mole told us last night at Kids that the Nellies are aghast in learning that governing isn’t as much fun as kvetching.
The Nellies must be thrashing about and gnashing their teeth that the Supremes have ruled that DOMA is illegal and that married gay couples are entitled to federal bennies.
So now they will push for a true constitutional conservative on the Supreme’s once an opening comes up. However if such opening occurs due the waning days of BHO’s term he gets to pick some wild eyed radical socialist and (here it comes) the USS gets to approve such pick.
Allright, allright, Morocco Mole just told me to break this down for the folks who see 6:3 tall people hiding behind non existent shrubs, this means USS Coons gets to vote for BHO’s pick whereas Mike Castle would have voted no.
Don’t worry Nellies, your political foresight, intellect and acumen will be remembered by all Democrat’s forever because your checker playing skills is the gift that keeps on giving to them.
The R’s are an absolute laughing-stock of a political party. At least if the D’s have issues they don’t play them out for all to see….for almost 5 years now.
Here now at the Columbus Inn we have decided that if the Nellies run a candidate against Chris Coons who also brings 1 million with him or her, we will raise another 2.
This has been communicated. 50.00 says we hear nothing.
Now, if Christine runs against Coons we will raise her at least 25 cents.