That was a refrain used by Hillary Clinton in her campaign. It is now being used by John McCain in his campaign. And John Carney, with respect to the Bluewater Wind deal, and now in response to Jack Markell’s plans to invest $20 million in state college financial aid and assistance programs, is using the same refrain.
Of Markell’s plans, Carney said: “It takes more than just talk to get things done; it takes leadership.”
“I’ve worked to improve education at all levels and supported the creation of the SEED scholarship program, which gives all Delaware students access to [earning a degree] at Delaware Tech with a pathway to the University of Delaware,” Carney said. “A priority for me when I’m governor is to create a pathway [for students to attend] Delaware State University as part of that program.”
When you are in a position of authority, with the ability to get things done, and you are campaigning on your experience and leadership; it is usually not a good idea to point out that you have the experience to get something done that hasn’t been done on your watch. Because it begs the question: Well, why haven’t you used your leadership you claim to possess to get this done while you could?
A good reporter will now have to ask Carney why, if investing more in college education is important to him, hasn’t he seen to it during his eight years as Lt. Governor? Now it may be that the answer is he tried, but was rebuffed by Governor Minner and the General Assembly. But it puts the Carney campaign in a defensive posture. Campaigning on leadership and experience is a good idea when things in the state and country are going great. It is a horrible idea when change is desired, and when 80% of the state and country think we are going in the wrong direction.