Downstate Concerns
Drew Volturo of the Delaware State News tackles the Adgate story. In it, he presents an angle ignored by the News Journal: the reaction of Kent and Sussex County Democrats.
Kent County Democratic Committee chair Abby Betts said she has received numerous calls from party members since the ad began airing.
“This has made things harder on people down here,” Ms. Betts said, noting that the county committee chose to stay neutral. ” People have been coming up ( to me) and saying that they donated money to the party. Why are they spending it against another Democrat?”
…
Sussex County Democrats have the uphill battle of defending three county council seats that were vacated by Democratic incumbents Monday, which likely will require state funds, said county chair Thomas Chapman.
“We view party resources as being used for Democrats getting elected over Republicans . It helps propel the whole ticket during the last seven weeks of the campaign,” Mr. Chapman said. ” The Republican Party is the
group we’re trying to compete against, not other Democrats.“I do believe this was a decision that could have been reconsidered.” Mr. Chapman said he expects the issue will be raised at the next state party executive committee meeting. Ms. Betts said state party funds were “very vital” in Kent County Democrats picking up a House seat and capturing a majority on Levy Court in 2006, and with several hotly contested races against GOP incumbents expected this fall, those funds will be highly sought.
“You always hope there’s enough money for everyone to get financial support,” Ms. Betts said. ” I am concerned that we’re cutting off some of our funding to our House, Senate and county races up and down the state (by spending the money in a Democratic primary).”
Like I said, it is not just bloggers upset, and our concerns are legitimate party concerns, not some spiteful resentment over the fact that Markell lost the endorsement.
Volturo is good. In the story he mentions, but doesn’t take the Carney, “..but, but, but…Jack ..” PR bait the way Miller did.
Carney only took money from the party that was ‘extra’ as a result of Gene gReed not needing any since the people he deals with as Insurance Commissioner are heavily funding his campaign. This ‘extra’ money wasn’t really money at all, therefore, and furthermore, Carney didn’t ‘take’ it, it was ‘given’ to him. If someone hands you thousands of dollars, are you going to ask where it came from? Not if you’re a career politician.
I feel better now.
No, he took it by accepting it. He could have refused the money. He could have told the party to can the ad, especially since Carney already has a Wind Power ad paid for by his own campaign.
He could have been a true leader of the Democratic Party by saying to Daniello that he wanted that money to be used to elect Rebecca Walker or Earl Jacques.
He could have been a true leader of the Democratic Party by saying to Daniello that he wanted that money to be used to elect Rebecca Walker or Earl Jacques.
That made me giggle. Carney telling Daniello what to do…ha.
Yeesh, bloggers should try to contain their egocentrism here a bit…..
Of course the party is in an uproar over this HIGH DEM abuse of finances. D’OH. Every article quoted is somehow ‘in after-taste’ to the great ad-gate. As I recall, the word of ad-gate was blown from Markell’s camp not some amazing blogger junior jounalism.
“Junior journalism”?
Yeesh, Nancy. No one here is claiming credit for breaking this story. We heard the ads, and started talking about it here and elsewhere last Wednesday and Thursday. At the same time, the Markell camp heard the ads, and immediately issued their own press release and planned for a news conference on Friday morning.
I don’t get you sometimes. Now it seems like you are criticizing us for continuing to cite news stories about this story, as if we are wrong about keeping this story alive somehow. And it seems you now have an ill opinion of blogging, even though you yourself are a blogger.
My advice to anyone is not to question Daniello about this. At the Stonewall Democrats event on Saturday, he shoved me after I told him he was wrong for using party money on behalf of one candidate in a primary. He was turning red in the face as he was screaming at me (about an inch from my face) and had to be pulled off of me by Jim Paoli and Molly Jurusik. The man is a lunatic.
Have him arrested. He assaulted you.
“Carney only took money from the party that was ‘extra’ as a result of Gene gReed not needing any since the people he deals with as Insurance Commissioner are heavily funding his campaign. This ‘extra’ money wasn’t really money at all, therefore, and furthermore, Carney didn’t ‘take’ it, it was ‘given’ to him.”
If it was really earmarked for somebody, then he’s taking money illegally. Either way, it’s wrong.