Toward greater Democratic “brand” identity in Delaware

Filed in National by on February 13, 2007

While Howard Dean has worked wonders rehabilitating our national brand, Delaware Democrats are going to have to get rid of “Democrats” like this in order to get back on track.

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  1. G Rex says:
    February 13, 2007 at 5:44 pm

    I thought your identity was “We’re not Republicans?”

  2. observer says:
    February 15, 2007 at 12:03 am

    Referring to Thurman Adams, I assume?

    Many Sussex Democrats are NOT Democrats. They’re Republicans who joined the dominant party years ago to get ahead, and have stuck around. Except for the extreme social conservatives such as Vance Phillips, there’s barely a whit of difference between Republican officeholders and Democratic ones down here in Slower Lower.

    Dale Dukes could be Biff Lee could be Tom Sharp could be Dan Short could be Thurman Adams could be Tina Fallon could be Ruth Ann Minner. Power is what they want, land and big business is what they like and politics is how they get it. And Power does not like challengers.

    There are no political parties down here – there are only competing fire-hall chicken dinners driven by narrow regional interests.

    About the only person who doesn’t fit the mold is George Cole, a charter member of the Obstinate-Contrarian Coalition. He’s got his coastal district so sewn up with his anti-development constituents – “We moved here, now close the gates for everyone else!” — that he’s guaranteed a seat for life.

    There’s a complete disconnect between the party Up North and the party Down South, and until that’s realized and people start talking about it and it get into the public sphere, we’re stuck with the status quo.

  3. firststatepolitics says:
    February 15, 2007 at 9:13 am

    Because the Democrats know that if they show real Democratic tendencies, we’ll successfully expose them and they’ll lose in Sussex. People in Sussex are center-right or strict conservative. They belong in the GOP, but certain Democrats have survived for a long time by keeping the “D” after their name but performing as Republicans.

    Don’t worry, though. We intend to eliminate a few Sussex Dems in 2008. You can thank us later.

  4. observer says:
    February 15, 2007 at 10:09 am

    Agreed. One only needs to look at western Sussex, where you have a Republican House member, Biff Lee, and a Democratic Senate member, Bob Venables, representing basically the same area. (From Venables’ Web site: “A life-long Democrat, Bob is the true conservative voice of Delaware’s State Senate.”)

    Mr. Burris: How can Republicans knock off Democrats when they’re basically the same party? What will the Republican challengers say to convince voters there’s a difference?

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