Mike Protack Ejected from the Republican Party
It is all just a little too neat and tidy.
If it was not Dave Burris and Randy Smith who kicked off this thing, I would say with 100% confidence that the Republicans undertook a coordinated operation to remove Mike Protack.
Since it was Burris and Smith, who I know to be honorable men, I can say that with only 50% confidence.
So what happened?
The turning point was probably the aborted Levin even in Sussex. Celia Cohen reported that the event was cancelled after Jud Bennett sent out an email to his 4,000 person email list that included:
..information he was given to undercut Levin’s appeal among Republicans — campaign finance records showing in recent years he contributed $1,500 to U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. and $1,000 to U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper.
Was that information from Protack? Probably. At any rate, had it gone on the event clearly would have been a debacle for the embryonic Levin campaign and a huge PR victory for Protack. Protack settled for the small victory of derailing the coronation of Levin temporarily. Indeed, the victory for Protack was short lived.
It was that show of strength which, no doubt, created a breaking point for Strine and Company. Since it was really looking like Protack was going to pull off an upset (or keep Levin from entering the race at all) the Republican Pharisees either suggested the FSP post (which is not conclusive about Protack’s involvement with the post card) or simply used it for their own purposes. From that point on the genie was out of the bottle.
Ron Williams is just an empty headed and willing stooge. He was just happy to beat Celia Cohen to a story for the first time in three years.
AND today Celia Cohen reports that Levin is taking steps to distance himself from his prior from his very public support of Joe Biden.
How nice of Mr. Levin to (today of all days) provide that nod to the few Republicans who happen to care about that sort of thing.
Yeah. Ron and I are close.
Real tight.
Best buds.
Aw, c’mon, Dave. Williams described you as “reputable”. Little ‘slap-and-tickle’ going on between you guys?
“reputable” I got a chuckle out of that. Now Williams is the arbiter of blog respectability.
My rule of thumb: if a blog is respectable, its probably to ersatz to bother reading.
Also, we already rescheduled and held the Levin event in Lewes. The local Republicans wanted a small group and 25 of them had a great conversation with Alan Levin that included questions about his donations and about his positions on a variety of issues.
Everyone went away thoroughly impressed.
Work that into your theory.
Protack has never been in the vicinity of pulling an upset. He’s like a fly. He’s annoying, and he gets in your ear sometimes, and even though he is completely inconsequential, you still find yourself reaching for the fly swatter.
Okay Dave. What ever you say bro.
I can’t wait until they do an expose on Christine (with pictures).
The State GOP may not be many things, but it is entertaining. How’s Prince Lil’ Johnny Still doing?
I covered this today too. Williams is an idiot but it looked like he was taking marching orders from FSP for this column.
“Protack has never been in the vicinity of pulling an upset. He’s like a fly. He’s annoying, and he gets in your ear sometimes, and even though he is completely inconsequential, you still find yourself reaching for the fly swatter.”
Well I guess you have a lot of work to do then Dave. As a new resident of Delaware, and a solid GOP’er to boot, I like Protack much better than what the party is offering. Maybe its time to let soem fresh air into the party.
P.S. You can check my IP address and clearly see that I am not at Mike’s house. Don’t even know where it is.
Chris –
“As a new resident of Delaware, and a solid GOP’er to boot, I like Protack much better than what the party is offering.”
That’s probably why you’re commenting about his matter on DelawareLIBERAL, and not the myriad other blogs of a Republican bent that have mentioned it.
It is good someone finally pointed out how suspicious this all is. The way the GOP uppity ups have piled on to Protack with emails letters and press releases one after another is all too darn convenient. They have every motive and plenty of money to play with. This was definitely a coordinated hit operation led by Strine and the pro Levin crowd. I am beginning to suspect they probably hired some trash talker hack to send the cards for them too. These guys are so desperate to win something and this is how low they will sink now. Jud Bennet’s Levin suck up piece today is just the icing on the cake.
When First State Politics first camne out with the info I had plenty of doubts about Protack and those blogposts but not about those postcards. The way all these people leaped onto some fake tie to the postcards made it more and more obvious that this is a pro Levin big money effort to bury Protack early and deep. wRong Williams proved that today. These GOP party hacks are not gentleman and not trustworthy. Rove would be proud as all get out. I really like Alan Levin but since this nasty smear campaign is all for his obvious benefit and he has had nothing to say about it I am not so sure anymore. Someone wrote that “the local Republicans wanted a small group”. I wonder what they discussed in that small Levin group? Convenient it happened right before this coordinated attack campaign was launched. The way they have treated Protack without a shred of real evidence will probably make sure that is all they every get from this = a small group. Whatever anyone else thinks of Protack there is no doubt the people behind this must see him as a real threat.
“I wonder what they discussed in that small Levin group? Convenient it happened right before this coordinated attack campaign was launched.”
It happened last night.
Facts, folks. Facts. They always seem to get in the way of the conspiracy theories. Sorry.
There are more facts to come.
It’s funny to watch them eat their own…
What a joke!
“That’s probably why you’re commenting about his matter on DelawareLIBERAL, and not the myriad other blogs of a Republican bent that have mentioned it.”
I am on this board because I have very little time to follow political blogs and I would rather take the fight to the enemy than hide in a little echo chamber, hearing what I am supposed to want to hear.
Gosh, and Jud just happened to write a post today on FSP stating that Levin heralds the second coming?
Coordinated attack? You paranoid people, you.
…and I would rather take the fight to the enemy…
So now loyal Americans are enemies if they don’t agree with you. And I thought you were aming progress.
I would rather take the fight to the enemy
Look! It’s the Pajamadeen! Save that stupid enemies talk for when you enlist to fight a real enemy.
hide in a little echo chamber, hearing what I am supposed to want to hear
Funny, you certainly have all of the symptoms of living in an echo chamber, with all of those silly, misinformed talking points and all.
““Protack has never been in the vicinity of pulling an upset.
You mean, it wasn’t true that on election day night last year that Strine said about Protack, “What will we do if he wins?” I guess all those eye/ear witnesses are liars.
“It’s the Pajamadeen!”
That is tremendous. I am stealing that one.
“You mean, it wasn’t true that on election day night last year that Strine said about Protack, “What will we do if he wins?” I guess all those eye/ear witnesses are liars.”
Jason was referring to next year’s election.
Protack is in trouble and deserves to be if he is the author of the pink post cards. I highly doubt Dave would be part of a conspiracy to do Protack in. The facts Dave set forth in his post seem fairly unassailable to me. I also can buy the notion that someone thought Protack intimidating enough to sit out in front of his house and hacked his wireless router to make pseudonymous comments on DE’s blogs ABOUT THE SAME TIME Mike Protack was e-mailing people under his own name.
But as far as Strine and other members of the leadership are concerned, I have now doubt that they have glommed on to this w/ a vengeance. Strine clearly dislikes (to put it mildly) Protack and has for some time. He’s hardly been an objective administrator of his party’s primary processes when Protack has run for office. His printed comments alone show that to be true.
I’m also sure that Protack wants to use Dave’s post to send the message “Criticize me and you pay the price” when he has has administered the Repub’s party decline to point that it letter teeters on the point of utter irrlevance by one state house seat. And why? There are no doubt many reasons, but one thing is sure: when it comes to the BIG offices in DE, he prefers the Greenville/moneyed set over someone like Protack. That’s why he tried to set up Copeland to run for Gov; and now he’s banking on Levine. Strine suffers from the quaint & antiquated 1980s notion that voters want to vote for the rich for office. He wants to relive the Reagan years, which by the way were the years when Strine entered into smelly deals w/ poor people which caused them to lose their homes. It was the subject of a lengthy,News Journal headlining article that went over several pages. I have the article & Mike Matthews has a link to it. Maybe it’s time to bring it out.
But there might be a danger in bringing it out because once you compare what Strine did to these people to the comments in the post cards even if Protack authored them, readers could possibly die laughing just from the thought Strine believes he’s in the position to morally criticize anyone.
Correction: “I also **CAN’T** buy the notion that someone thought Protack intimidating enough to sit out in front of his house and hacked his wireless router to make pseudonymous comments on DE’s blogs ABOUT THE SAME TIME Mike Protack was e-mailing people under his own name.”
Second correction “I’m also sure that **Strine** wants to use Dave’s post to send the message “Criticize me and you pay the price” when he has has administered the Repub’s party decline to point that it letter teeters on the point of utter irrlevance by one state house seat.”
This email cane from Jud Bennet 2 weeks ago, now he is all for Levin?
Subj:
Alan Levin contributions ????
Date:
7/31/2007 10:41:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From:
Click here to send a message.”Judson Bennett-Coastal Conservative Network”
To:
Sent from the Internet (Details)
FYI- Not that Republican principles or party loyalty seem to really matter anymore in the state of Delaware as a bottom line
LEVIN, ALAN B
MONTCHANIN, DE 19710
HAPPY HARRY’S INC
BIDEN, JOSEPH R JR
VIA CITIZENS FOR BIDEN
05/21/1999 500.00 99020061565
10/10/2001 250.00 22020021666
10/10/2001 250.00 22020021667
10/09/2003 500.00 24020091882
CARPER, THOMAS R
VIA CARPER FOR SENATE
04/20/2006 1000.00 26020413273
He had a deathbed conversaion. Protack was on the bed.
Dana said:
I’m also sure that Protack wants to use Dave’s post to send the message “Criticize me and you pay the price” when he has has administered the Repub’s party decline to point that it letter teeters on the point of utter irrlevance by one state house seat.
Does that mean that House Dems are irrelevant now? Views that are held by the minority are still relevant – I’d think a Green Party advocate would wear that on his t-shirt every day.
And why? There are no doubt many reasons, but one thing is sure: when it comes to the BIG offices in DE, he prefers the Greenville/moneyed set over someone like Protack. That’s why he tried to set up Copeland to run for Gov; and now he’s banking on Levine.
That L-E-V-I-N. You’ve got postcard fever, Dana.
Strine suffers from the quaint & antiquated 1980s notion that voters want to vote for the rich for office.
Not like that wage-earner, Jack Markell. Poor guy can barely shoestring a million-dollar campaign treasury for a glorified row office.
“Not like that wage-earner, Jack Markell. Poor guy can barely shoestring a million-dollar campaign treasury for a glorified row office.”
Oh, so you want to change the subject to who is running so people don’t concentrate on the kind of candidates STRINE supports,which was my topic. I don’t blame you because my point about Strine is irrefutable and you know it.
“Does that mean that House Dems are irrelevant now?”
Perhaps you should acquaint yourself w/ your state government. The Dems control the state Senate, the offices of Governor, AG, Treasurer, and Insurance Commissioner, and are one seat away from owning the state House. Repubs had better get on their knees every day and pray for the good health of Tom Wagner because the betting money is (even among Repubs off the record) that after Nov 08, except for Wagner, the Repubs are toast. If you read my blog and my comments on DE blogs, you’d know that I’ve always said that will be a calamity for DE. Apparently, I and a few dissident Repubs (who w/ scant exceptions effectively get excommunicated in your party) are the only ones who take that loomijng calamity seriously because you had the opportunity to dump Strine et al recently and no one had the balls in your party to step forward and challenge him. Many of you Repubs are wusses.
It’s pathetic that you have to rely on a couple non-Republican bloggers (Matthews and me) to consistently make the message in a public medium that you need serious reform in your party and should fire the transparent incompotents you have leading your party.
Over on Matthews blog is a relevation that Jerry Fulcher is just as likely to have been the pink post card culpret as Protack!
Dana, I find it laughable that you advocate here the notion that is floating about that Protack personally responsible for the demise of the DE GOP on one hand (“when he has has administered the Repub’s party decline to point that it letter teeters on the point of utter irrlevance by one state house seat”) and then turn around and say it is Strine’s fault.
I do hope that one of you guys writes the piece on Strine and his dirty dealings – I don’t recall the story.
“Dana, I find it laughable that you advocate here the notion that is floating about that Protack personally responsible for the demise of the DE GOP on one hand (”when he has has administered the Repub’s party decline to point that it letter teeters on the point of utter irrlevance by one state house seat”) and then turn around and say it is Strine’s fault.”
I’m sure Nancy that even infrequent readers of your blog and comments have no problem believing that you find the importance of correcting one’s own typos “laughable,” which is all that I did.
I wrote that not having read your correction – my bad.
I wrote that not having read your correction – my bad.
But Dana, you are sort of being an insistant dick these days. A bit of restraint is a good thing dear. Above you could have assumed that I did not read your correction and your’re relating of that message to me would have sufficed.