Again, I Hope I’m Wrong About Bob Gilligan
The general consensus (excluding me, Burris and Brian S.) is that he is going to get something done. I suppose If I were reading tea leaves instead of reading Gilligan’s cryptic utterances in the NJ I’d say that the haircut Bob is sporting in the dead tree edition of the NJ is a step in the right direction.
Sorry. No picture in the online version of the story.
I hope you’re wrong, too. But I tend to judge politicians by their past actions rather than by their words and my own wishful thinking. Color me skeptical.
I have confidence in Bob Gilligan. The open government legislation is going to be the first bill out of the box….I’d bet my socks on it! You’re judging Bob Gilligan from a post where he was in the minority…albeit minority leadership, it’s still in the minority. Members of the House sent a pretty clear message last night by chosing Pete S and Valerie L over Helene K. (As hot as MM thinks Helene is, she is part of the old gaurd and a real party player). The members of the House sent a message that the same old, same old will not be new again.
The only way any of it works though is if the Senate ousts it’s archaic leadership. If nothing changes there, it will be futile to have control of the House for the first time since damn near forever. Let’s face it. There is no money to argue about this time around because the state has no money to spare. This is the perfect time for open government bills, sexual orientation bills and whatever other non-money bills have been locked away repeately over the last several legislative sessions.
There’s really no room at the top in the Senate for any of the old gaurd. They have summarily proven themselves unworthy of leadership. They have impeded the work of fellow democrats for too long. If any of them are permitted to maintain leadership positions, they will continue along the same path they have paved for themselves. Whether you have a Republican or a Democratic senator, just have to contact them and impress upon them the importance of changing out the old for a new form of leadership. It isn’t just the rules, folks, because these people have already proven they are not honorable enough to follow the rules. We have to give the House the help they need to pass good legislation on to the Governor’s office . Jack Markell ran on eminent domain, open government and equal protection under the law for everyone but if the legislation never reaches his office for approval, he won’t be able to do much about it. It can’t get there from here with Adams, DeLuca, Blevins and Cook. That is the bottom line.
Sorry for the long post. As my Godson once said, I’m pissed off and mad too!
I’m not pessimistic about the house, I’m pessimistic about the senate.
I don’t think the powers that be will allow that power to escape from their grasp. There’s just not enough new school in Dover to overrule the old school.
The only way I see it happening is if Markell throws his weight around and gets it done. Adams and crew will support his governor. If we learned anything from the eminent domain veto override is that Adams will support his party’s governor no matter what the cause.
So, aside from someone over his head pulling rank, it ain’t happenin’.