Denn tears it up at Sussex Jamboree
Matt Marshall’s Coverage of The SCJ kicks Celia’s ass!!
h/t to Mike at DWA for steering me toward Mr. Mat Marshall and his coverage of the SC Democratic Jamboree thingy. I had heard Matt Denn‘s speach was awesome, which Mat confirms. As for John Carney you’ll have ot click over to mat’s blog to read about that cringe inducing performance.
Matt Denn’s speech was really inspirational… I don’t say this because I prefer Matt (though, confidentially, I do), but because he had the balls to go against the grain. I was in the corner with some of Matt’s volunteers (who, by the way, are all really attractive. I don’t know what the hell that was all about, but it beat the hell out of Read and me on the Markell team), his wife and their two kids (who don’t need to scream “Vote for my Dad” to be cute). I’ve never actually heard Matt speak a lot. He spoke at the YDM kick-off party, but I didn’t know he had the ability to blow me away as he did on Saturday. He essentially said, in so many words, that Carper was full of shit; that primaries pick the better candidate more than they tear the party apart (an over-exaggeration by Carper and his wait-your-turn mindset); and that the enemy is not Demcorats who have chosen to run/their supporters, but the GOP, who have run this country into the ground, who have consistently shot down legislation that would make health care more affordable in the Delaware House of Representatives, and who think they can “click their heels together three times and say ‘No Child Left Behind'”. The event was looking up.
Good stuff.
Why is the guy running for Lt. Gov. when he could beat Castle, and be one hell of an asset in the U.S. Congress?
Good question.
Denn knows if he gets nominated, the ticket will have the full support of Delaware Dems.
But if he runs against Castle he is on his own (ref. D. Spivack).
Excellent point.
In today’s news Journal story about yesterday’s rally the future Dem facing Castle got a glimpse of the support he/she can expect.
Last sentence:
Neither Biden nor Carper would comment on the group’s campaign targeting Castle.
You both make a good point regarding strategy. However, it is much more important that we elect our best for the more important offices. Lt. Gov. is not, nor ever will be, an important office in terms of managing the business of our state or country. Denn is a great manager, and appears so far to be one of the best public servants to hit the Delaware stage. The resource that is Denn is very limited. I believe that we should at least make the attempt to put our best where the most good will come of it. We have others out there on both sides who appear better than many incumbents, but they don’t seem to have both the ability and the honesty and the integrity that Denn has.
A case in point. Mike Harkins ran the wheels off the DRBA. He coined money that went directly into the state coffers. Unfortunately, Mike also had the habit of subsidizing his lifestyle with DRBA money. But the objective math showed that the millions Harkins added to the state coffers was much more than the comparative pittance he was spending on himself. In addition, he took the New Castle airport and turned it into a nice little operation after it had sat for decades doing absolutely nothing.
So because of dishonesty, we sacked a quasi-public servant who was very competent. We replaced him with a very honest bunch of guys who are now losing money on both the airport, the bridge, and the ferry. Honesty but no competence.
My point is that Denn is a rare combination of both honesty and competence. Such a rare resource should not be wasted on a do-nothing office.
I think Dems need honesty and competence in the executive branch right now.
And, Denn took a do-nothing office at the Insurance Commission and turned it into a bully pulpit for the people of Delaware. I can’t wait to see what he does with the Lt. Governor’s office. He’s creative and he doesn’t honor the tried-and-true traditions. We’ve certainly had enough of those lately.
Exactly, Rebecca. The prior two Commissioners either did nothing, or traveled to Poland to try and set up their own insurance company. And the Commissioner before that had one accomplishment: giving Miss Delaware a no-show job.
So why does a true public servant who has done more in any one year of his three years in office than was done in the prior 24 years want to be Lt. Gov.? His scope is limited to the Board of Pardons and tie-breaking in the Senate. Not much to do. Wouldn’t you want a guy like that in the U.S. House doing the same things he’s doing now?
Does he get a pass from you Dems for being a Minner administration crony for two years?
Dave, after what he’s done in the Insurance Commissioner’s office, I’d say “Yes” to your question.
Does he get a pass from you Dems for being a Minner administration crony for two years?
Swing and a miss at a fastball high and away!!
Is that a yes, Miles?
No Dave, that was a clear miss on your part.
Frankly, with the Castle-as-Bush-crony problem we have, and given your propensity for stirring images of intraparty drama, can you deny that there is nothing even approaching that DC disaster here in Delaware.
If you don’t see cronyism in the Minner administration, you aren’t looking.
Its hard to see ’cause of all the ugly.
Matt Denn is nice guy but I like Ted Blunt for Lt. Gov. He’s speech was fantastic!
Yeah. He’s speech was great.
I see ‘most nothin but cronyism in the g’damned Minner administration but the ramifications are not nearly as dire as the shenanegans going on in Washington. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
(Nancy called me out on this… that was a mockery/pun, not me agreeing that Blunt gave a good speech.)