I am El Somnambulo, and I am a listaholic. 2009, IMHO, was a great year for Delaware progressives, maybe the best ever. Both equal rights for same sex couples and open government legislation were signed into law. A governor with a progressive vision began to make his mark on the state. A president began to place his imprint on the country with help from one, and only one, member of the Delaware delegation.
Today, I salute those people holding elective office in Delaware who did the most to advance the progressive agenda this year. There are a couple of notable omissions that I will address as well. Counting down from Number 10:
10. Dr. Michael Katz-State Senator, 4th RD-Not only did he succeed Chateau Charlie and defeat yet another Clatworthy, but Katz has quietly begun to make a difference on health-care issues in Dover. His influence will only grow as Senate leadership becomes more transparent.
9. Joan Deaver-Sussex County Council-By being a lone sane voice in this cesspool of deal-making and interest-swapping, she appears to be an outcast. If there is any hope for Sussex County, she will prove instead to be a harbinger.
8. Bill Oberle-State Representative, 24th RD-A RINO, Oberle provided essential support to pass Markell’s revenue measures. As the original sponsor of HB 99, Oberle has fought for its passage for close to a decade now. He has long since made amends for his initial political ascendancy based on opposition to ‘forced busing’.
7. Tony DeLuca-President Pro-Tempore, Delaware State Senate-While DeLuca is hardly a progressive when it comes to his political philosophy, he was a vital cog in moving both open government legislation and rights for same sex couples through the Senate even before he succeeded Thurman Adams as Pro-Tem. He, in effect, repudiated some of the obstructionism for which the Old Guard was known. One can only hope that this augurs well for the future of open government.
5/6. Tie between State Rep. Terry Schooley and State Senator Dave Sokola-Always among the most effective behind-the-scenes progressive leaders, both have become more influential as leadership has changed in both the House and the Senate. It doesn’t hurt that both were early and consistent supporters of Jack Markell, either. Schooley, through the Kids’ Caucus, has helped enact some landmark legislation, including Matt Denn’s initiatives to ensure that needy children receive health care. Sokola has been in the forefront of education reform, and has actually tried to put some bite back into the previously-toothless Sunset Committee. And both are ‘grownups’ in the often-disfunctional playpen that is the General Assembly.
4. U. S. Senator Ted Kaufman-So this is what a Democratic U. S. Senator from Delaware could be! Maybe not worrying about being reelected frees one up to follow one’s conscience. If so, we can be thankful that Kaufman has a conscience. We can also be thankful that his working knowledge of the Senate has enabled him to be more than a placeholder. He has had an important and positive impact on the health care debate, and he has furthered the progressive cause in so doing. If the Beaudhisattva doesn’t run, I’d be all in with Kaufman, and he’d easily defeat Metamucil Mike in the faceoff.
3. House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf-This is how it’s done, folks. Schwartzkopf expertly used his power to push through the Governor’s agenda and to help enact several progressive pieces of legislation. In so doing, he effectively leveraged his Caucus’ position to force and/or cajole the Senate leadership to act, something that had not happened previously. As an early and loyal supporter of Jack Markell’s, Schwartzkopf is by far the most well-positioned and influentual legislator in the House. Fearless, but not reckless, he’s a born leader. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
2. Governor Jack Markell-Let the debate over whether he’s a ‘progressive’ begin. I say it’s a no-brainer. He has challenged the ‘Delaware Way’ and the orthodoxy that has been in place since the years of Pete duPont for the first time. He has signed both open government legislation and legislation barring discrimination against same sex couples into law. He has a vision for Delaware’s economic future and has already begun to carry it out. Two vacant auto plants? No problem. And, in both cases, the solutions are likely to yield ‘green jobs’, the kind that Markell envisioned when he brought West Coast wunderkind Colin O’Mara to Delaware. And, despite his challenging of the orthodoxy, he was somehow able to get a budget passed in the toughest of economic circumstances. A hell of a first year.
1. State Senator Karen Peterson-If this becomes an annual award, we should seriously consider naming it in her honor. She earns my top nod for perhaps the single gutsiest move I’ve seen by a legislator in the past 25 years–successfully petitioning the Open Government legislation out of Thurman Adams’ desk drawer. Failure could have consigned her to the legislative equivalent of Siberia. Karen Peterson didn’t care, she did what she believed was right. In many ways, Peterson could/should serve as an example to the ‘Democrats’ who seem to have been ‘Stockholm-Syndromed‘ into being wusses. We don’t need wusses, we need people like Karen Peterson, strong, dedicated to the progressive cause, and willing to take risks to get things done. Karen Peterson is an easy choice for me as Most Valuable for 2009.
Three Who Didn’t Make the List:
1. Matt Denn-No, my love affair for one of Delaware’s most essential policymakers has not abated. And, yes, by my own criteria, he should be high up on this list. (Hey, he’s both short and funny. I like short and funny.) This is a one-time-only protest vote. By running for Lt. Governor and not identifying a worthy successor, he bears some responsibility for the Rogue’s Gallery currently doing the plundering in the Insurance Commissioner’s office. I’ll see you on the list next year, Matt.
2. John Kowalko-There is not a single legislator more devoted to the progressive cause than Kowalko. He has a truly good heart. However, as I’ve argued on this blog previously, he has assumed a lone wolf stance, never shies away from a microphone to castigate others or claim full credit for something, and voted against an important part of the Governor’s revenue package. Unfortunately, his actions have had a decidedly negative impact on his effectiveness as a legislator. I would love to see John rethink his approach with an eye towards what he can do to have more of an impact.
3. Joe Biden-Round up the votes for health care reform, starting with your buddy Tom Carper. Then we’ll talk.
This list in no way reflects the collective consensus of the contributors here at DL. That is b /c there is no collective consensus here. Each of our minds works in mysterious ways that nobody, save perhaps Cassandra, can begin to fathom.
This list is designed to start conversations, not end them. So bring it on, suckers! Who would you include and who would you omit? And, if you put together your own list, please share it with us.