Comment Rescue: A Self Rebuke

Filed in National by on December 26, 2008

The special election totally caught DelawareLiberal with its pants down. Perhaps the gen. election results combined with Tobin’s number crunching gave eveyone the impression that the outcome was a forgone conclusion. Perhaps not.

Perhaps we just got caught up in holiday silliness and bullshit as Mr. (Mrs/Ms ?) Kavips suggests….? Maybe the candidate and the state party sucked and should have tried harder to get our attention…? Bloggers want to blog. We are the cheapest of cheap dates. Right?

For whatever the reason – we dropped the ball. The special in the 6th was exactly the kind of race that we should have been involved in and (with its 75 vote margin) was exactly the kind of race in which we could have had some impact.

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Jason330 is a deep cover double agent working for the GOP. Don't tell anybody.

Comments (26)

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  1. Rebecca says:

    For whatever reason, the Democrats in the 6th District didn’t bother to show up for this one. The Republicans did. They always outperform us on turnout. This time, even though we were the favored-to-win, their turn-out trumped our registration. It happens more than I care to think about. Republican are just more dedicated voters than we are and if we don’t take our people by the hand and carry them to the polls they don’t bother. Very sad, and I don’t know how we instill urgency in our voters.

    Migliore was a good, solid candidate. He was chosen by the local committee as the best in the district. The party did it’s work and id-ed the necessary voters to get the job done. But, last Saturday they didn’t bother to show up. They lived within a couple of miles of the polling places and they had a thirteen-hour window of opportunity, but they couldn’t find twenty minutes to get the job done. Sheesh.

    I do dispair of my fellow dems sometimes.

  2. P.I. says:

    There are parts of the special election that went unreported. Most interesting is the fact that Mr Kovach, the Republican candidate, was present at the Democratic candidate selection meeting where he wanted to submit HIS name as a contender for the seat. Apparently, he got the feeling it was a ‘done deal’ for Migliore and slipped into the Republican slot. So, question is, is he a republican or is he a democrat?

    Then there was the election strategy. The D’s should’ve taken the seat. Totals numbers were in their favor. But, on election day, it seems Migliore volunteers were sent out to target the ‘undeclared’ voters in the heavier republican EDs. Migliore won in every ED in the heavier D districts and, maybe with a little harder push in those neighborhoods, the outcome might have been different.

    On the other hand, maybe Migliore wasn’t the best candidate…a bit demanding and bullyish…Anyway, the election is behind us and I imagine there will be more (special elections) to come in the months ahead….Stay tuned.

  3. P.I. says:

    Rebecca….looks like we’re reading from different playbooks….

  4. jason330 says:

    Setting Migliore and the party’s GOTV pros & cons aside, I don’t think bloggers who want to have input on issues and elections that are important to them can afford to “sit out” elections and issues that they regard as less important.

    We sat this one out.

  5. R Smitty says:

    I think it was simply election fatigue after a monumentous occasion on Nov 4. You all had a huge fight and a tremendous result on Nov 4. It’s very typical to have all that energy release and fatigue fill the void afterward.

    If, and this is a big “if” as I have no facts on it, only theories, but if the State Democratic Party knew of Rep McWilliams leaving and arranged for her to stay through the General and force this into Special Election status, then y’all have yet another grievance to deal with. This easily was a Dem Tidal Wave year and this being an open seat on Nov 4 would have all but guaranteed it staying a Dem seat at that time. It seriously wasn’t all that hard to see this as a hard-to-retain seat in a special election so closely behind that huge General Election. Think about it, after such a huge surge on Nov 4, who wants to be bothered by this, outside of core voters? Nov 4 marked a finish line for the longest Presidential campaign marathon in history. People were done.

    In theory, this was a strategical bomb, but what are the facts? Was this a planned hold through the general, or was it legitimately learned about too late in the process?

  6. Unstable Isotope says:

    I agree Jason, I think we all sat this one out. I think I thought it was an overwhelming D district so it was in the bag. A lesson to us all, I think. I hope the 6th RD will have a vigorous race next time around.

  7. Joanne Christian says:

    Being pleasantly surprised by the outcome, I agree with Smitty on this one. I cringe at the the expense involved at a Special Election on the heels of the General. That made for some expensive maneuvering on the party’s part. Not as expensive, as Carneyvil, but it did cost a seat. I am hugely intrigued (as many of you know), by your PDD, and would have thought this a fabulous pet project, that could be manageable as a victory. Am I allowed to ask, if anyone knows, how involved were they? Seventy three votes, should definitely keep Mr. Migliore in election mode, and Mr. Kovach on his toes. Isn’t that what we want? Congratulations to Mr. Kovach, no doubt it was a difficult post to work for, and to Mr. Migliore and the rest, sometimes you just shake your head and say “Well, that’s politics..” Keeps us coming back heh?

  8. Lee Ann (aka Minner crony) says:

    Something I read here a few weeks ago made me start thinking that Diana did know she was leaving before the election. I have been searching for the comment, but can’t find it. If so, RSmitty is right – that was a huge tactical blunder because political sea-change tsunamis like Nov 4 only come along once in a generation. The Ds should have 27 seats in the House (29th, 35th and 6th) — now we have 24. Still a majority, and pretty striking considering that just a few short years ago, after 2002, the R majority was 29-12. I hope Ds are not complacent with 24 seats, including one held by John Atkins, who had a lifesize cardboad cutout of George W. Bush in his House office. Back when he was a Republican.

  9. Christmas frenzy might have been involved in the voter turnout.

    Combine that with the desperation of the GOP vs the complacency of the Dem constituencies….

    The GOP took advantage to break the losing streak like an addicted gambler hoping for just one small win.

  10. jason330 says:

    That’s another reason why we should not have let up.

    Breaking the DEGOP’s spirit once and for all would have been a good thing.

  11. Lee Ann (aka Minner crony) says:

    I am mostly interested in having relatively friendly committee chairs as Jack (and DNREC) try to get legislation through. Although there is still that Desk Drawer. How’s this for cynicism: A very high D appointee told me that the Desk Drawer is necessary because the House passes “controversial” bills knowing they will wind up in the drawer.

  12. anonone says:

    Breaking the DEGOP’s spirit once and for all would have been a good thing.

    You’re the best, Jason. Happy new blogging year!

  13. How’s this for cynicism: A very high D appointee told me that the Desk Drawer is necessary because the House passes “controversial” bills knowing they will wind up in the drawer.

    How about electing Senators who are willing to grow a set and vote instead of letting a powerful senator be the scapegoat?

  14. Rebecca says:

    Joanne,
    PDD had a few folks volunteer, but nothing like the response we had last year in the Special Election for Bryon Short up in the 7th. We were worn out from November and took this one for granted. Oooops.

    Lee Ann,
    I find the “House passes controversial bills” argument condescending and offensive. And I purely hate living in a state that is basically held captive by an old Dixiecrat with unlimited terms.

    Also, the party learned about McWilliams resignation right before Nov 4th and after the filing deadline. There was nothing we could do about it. She ran unopposed, if you recall. Don’t know what the law requires when there’s only one candidate, the filing deadline is past and having her withdraw would lead to no race at all — throwing it into a Special Election anyway.

    P.I.,

    From you account it sounds as though we made a tactical error, and with a 73 vote margin that can kill you. On the other hand, I’m still totally frustrated with our D voters who need an engraved invitation to do their duty as U.S. Citizens.

  15. Another Mike says:

    No matter the timing, I think the way this played out had an effect on the election. McWilliams is re-elected, then almost immediately steps down. Her successor, picked by the party, figures to win easily in a D district.

    Voters are ticked off and decide to send a message. Enough of them flip their votes and Kovach is in, Migliore is out.

    And the idea that the House passes controversial legislation because it knows it will never get through the Senate is quite old. And it won’t change until that fossil from Bridgeville is gone.

    Growing a set is the last thing on their minds. Two issues illustrate this: the override vote on the eminent domain veto, and the attempt by Karen Peterson to get 11 votes on her petition to get SB4 out of committee. All of a sudden these open-government crusaders were exposed for the meek, scared lemmings they are.

  16. Growing a set is the last thing on their minds.

    Exactly. We have two years before a bunch of these ball-less bastards are up for reelection. The Bridgeville fossil is one of them. If a focus needs to be made on the state of politics in this state, it is sorely needed on making the government as open as it can without Open Government through the action or inaction of those we elect to make decisions on our behalf, not allow them to pass the buck to the Grinch of the Senate.

  17. Rebecca says:

    Another Mike,

    You give folks way too much credit for caring. There were probably 30, maybe 40 people in the entire 6th District who had any idea of how the process worked, how Migliore was chosen, or much else. And of those, maybe a dozen found fault with the process.

    No, just look at the turn-out percentages. That tells the tale.

  18. anon2 says:

    I see what Rebecca’s saying, about voters not having a clue about the selection process, but it did ring an alarm bell in my head that the person the Democrats chose was an attorney who worked for them.

    There was no one else with a shred of independence? They had to pick someone who’s directly taken his marching orders from the party? Someone whom the Republicans can pretty easily paint as a professional Dover insider?

    If I were a voter in the district, which I’m not, that would have made me ask some serious questions of Migliore.

  19. jason330 says:

    According to Tobin, Migliore won in 7 of 12 election districts and Kovach won in 5 of 12 election districts.

    The Republicans have their dog whistle: Wha! Democrats want to raise my taxes!!

    The moronic imbeciles on the right eat that up. Maybe we need some dog whistles for the hard to motivate losers on our side.

  20. liz says:

    Democrats in the 6th were a bit fed up with yet another ex Biden selection…that was the word. I am in the district…guys at the firehall decided they would stay home rather than have yet another Biden ex as their rep. People felt they didnt have a real choice, just another dem picked for them. I agree with Smitty Diane should have left early and not let the election slide into a “special election”, if that had happened a dem would be in the seat.

  21. John Tobin says:

    The election results are a matter of public record. Here is the link:

    http://elections.delaware.gov/results/html/stwres.shtml

    I think this is a case where “past performance does not guarantee future performance”, as the mutual funds like to say. I liken it to the Weather Channel predicting a 70% chance of rain. It’s possible it won’t rain,but to be safe wear an umbrella.
    By the numbers this is a Democratic district, but only if the Democrats come out in numbers not too much less than the Republicans. If Democratic turnout had been just a few percentage points higher, Migliore would have won.
    Prior to the election I thought Migliore’s extensive use of radio ads on local news-talk radio would be a help. Now I am wondering if in an election where a state rep seat is the only thing on the ballot, he was talking to people who already planned to vote which is not the group he needed to address. I think this radio format might help down ballot candidates during a general election to get those who plan to vote to notice their race, but in a special election the focus is on turning out casual voters ( I am talking about folks who follow sports and American Idol closer than politics)who probably don’t follow the news-talk format as much.
    Casual voters are be a tough group to motivate, especially in a 30 day campaign cycle.I think the fact the 3 of 5 special elections since Jan 2007 had 18% turnout and the other two had 28 % turnout is proof of that.
    While I am as disappointed as Rebecca that people did not turn out, timing was dreadful and holiday distractions had an impact. As a friend who lives in the district mentioned beforehand, “ turnout will be bad,it is the last of shopping Saturday before Christmas and the day before Hanukkah”. To folks as dedicated as Rebecca, this would not have been an impediment,but to the casual voter it would be another excuse not to vote.

  22. kavips says:

    This conversation caused me to reminisce about one time when I was new to a district… I raced to get to the poll by 7:59 still unsure of my lower string of candidates.

    There at the entrance I met Republican Bob Conner. He shook my hand and said “I hope you vote for me: they’re telling me I really need your vote.”

    It worked.

  23. anon says:

    Did anyone during the campaign – press, anyone – ask Kovach why he didn’t run against McWilliams before she quit?

  24. John Tobin says:

    Here is the election of which you speak, Kavips. Bob Connor, a state rep at the time , unseated long-time incumbent Democrat Cal McCullough in a decidedly Democratic leaning district in 1980 .

    http://elections.delaware.gov/information/electionresults/pdfs/1980.pdf

    Calvin McCullough (D) 3,270
    Robert Connor (R) 5,971
    Richard A Cohen (J) 54

    Connor died while in office and his wife, Dori Connor, won a special election in 1997 for the seat she still holds over a decade later. The 12th Senate District remains heavily Democratic as far as registration with 17,546 Democrats to 7, 980 Republicans and 7,292 Others.
    Imagine how the Democrats felt after that special election, getting beat five-one! Losing by 73 votes in the 6th seems like something that could be overcome next general election. It was a loss ,but the 6th is not a district that is beyond recapturing.
    As of 2010, the 12th Senate seat will have been held for the last 30 years by a Connor family member.

    http://electionsncc.delaware.gov/special/1997_12th_sen.shtml

    DEBORAH L. CUOMO (D) 485
    DORINDA A. CONNOR (R) 2,554
    RICHARK K. TRUBEY (L) 64

  25. liberalgeek says:

    DTR interviewed him… But no one heard it… 🙂

  26. P.I. says:

    To all of the disgruntled Dems, I have one thing to say. GET INVOLVED. Every ED is entitled to have a committee person and an alternate. That’s the level where the candidate selection process takes place. The committees meet throughout the year maybe once a month (with a summer break and usually a December break). I belong to my district committee and all I had to do to join was show up because there are so many district ED’s with no representation. Then all you have to do is show up at meetings.

    The system isn’t great, but it’s a place to start to get your voice heard. It certainly isn’t a private club and I’ve never seen anyone turned away. If your specific ED already has a rep, you can be assigned to an ED that doesn’t have a rep. Truth is, there are vacancies up and down the state. I got involved because I didn’t like the way things were being done. Little by little, and liberal by liberal, we can turn things around.

    When someone tells me they stayed home and didn’t vote because of Biden (or any other lame ass reason)…it pisses me off. Not voting does nothing to improve anything….Not voting is an ignorant and childish choice to make when you consider that one person is going to win the seat whether you vote or not. It might as well be the person that BEST represents your political philosphy.