John Daniello gave the introduction, noting the Union hall we are in has a roster of out of work members – and that jobs would be the key agenda of the night.

Gov. Jack Markell gave the key note, with an early acknowledgement of the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Union. He then reviewed the Democratic Party’s electoral successes, and how many office we control now vs. in decades past (noting that John Burris was in attendance). This was followed by a comparison of politics and policies in Delaware vs. other states (and DC) – noting our bond rating, atmosphere of cooperation, teacher hiring, civil unions, etc. He generated significant applause inviting those who want to fight for something (jobs, equality, etc) rather than against someone to come to Delaware. He thanked his family and the attendees for all the work they do.

There are about 10-15 Occupy Delaware protesters outside on the other side of the driveway by the parking lot. They are holding signs and were having a polite conversation with some attendees who came out to note support for shared goals.

Pete Schwartzkopf honored Mitch Crane for the Sussex Democrats, although it was brief (as KWS was in attendance). Matt Denn praised Nancy Cook, the Kent honoree, at length, crediting her in part for Delaware’s bond rating. He also had a zinger about Republican being unable to find someone to run against Markell for “longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage”. KWS was up next for Wilmington, honoring activist and committeewoman Judith Giofre (and generating only muted applause).

Chris Coons is up, and he’s on fire. Lots of zingers about how poisonous the political atmosphere is in DC (“any day in Delaware is better than a day in DC”) and his freshman classmates in the senate (He said he told his wife “Honey, in six other states they elected Christine O’Donnell”). He praised unions, the protesters (“they should be mad!”), and Delaware Democrats in general. He talked about compromise, but also emphasized that when Republican refuse to give up an inch (noting the Lucy-and-the-football quality to GOP negotiations), we have to fight for our principles; and that the president was “finally” learning that. He noted that he’d better get to the point (because the Eagles game is starting soon), and effusively praised the hard work and selfless attitude of Committeewoman Jayne Fernsler on behalf of New Castle County. Coons is a fantastic speaker and the highlight of the night.

Bob Gilligan delivered a moving eulogy for Rep. Hazel Plant, presenting an award which her daughter Mary accepted. Likewise, John Carney presented a posthumous award to Wayne John Pollari, former chairman of the Brandywine Hundred Democratic Party, who passed away last month. Carney’s speech was a bit muted but very heartfelt. Polari’s daughter Andrea accepted the award, emphasizing the Democratic values she was raised with.

Tom Carper presented the final award to Kristin Barnekov-Short, wife of Rep. Byron Short, for her campaign work on behalf of Coons, Carney, and numerous local Democrats. His introduction was folksy and mentioned the Eagles. After the award, Carper closed with a more somber note about how important the upcoming election is. He said if Republicans controlled all 3 branches of gov’t for the past 3 years, America would no longer have an auto industry, and noted other accomplishments of the current administration.

Photos of the protesters:

It was pretty dark out there, so you can see the signs about as well as I could.

The Gingrich surge begins in Iowa, but not at the expense of Cain. Herman the Harrasser still is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination at 22%. In second place is…. Newton Three Wives Gingrich at 18%!!! Establishment favorite and serial flip flopper Mitt Romney is THIRD at 15%, and Bachman and Paul both get 11%.

David Brody:

“Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich were on stage together in what was billed as a classic Lincoln-Douglas style debate. As I sat and watched the entire event, I came away with one vivid impression: Did I just finish watching the Republican presidential ticket in 2012? Cain/Gingrich? Don’t laugh. It could happen. Romney has a ceiling of support and Rick Perry seems stuck in neutral.”

“Herman Cain’s poll numbers continue to impress and like Ronald Reagan, he seems to have a Teflon quality to him. Gingrich is steadily rising in the polls due to the fact that voters are starting to realize that this guy is REALLY smart and is an idea factory. Could this be a ticket that provides both style and substance?”

Tomorrow looks to be a great day in Ohio. Public Policy Polling (PPP) found that 59 percent of voters oppose SB 5, and will vote to reject that bill tomorrow during the referendum, while just 36 percent plan to approve it during Tuesday’s election.

“What might be most remarkable about the 23 point margin in this poll is that it’s exactly identical to what we found the first time we polled on this issue all the way back in March,” PPP’s Tom Jensen noted. “Voters were furious then and that anger has continued all the way to November.”

It couldn’t happen to a “nicer” party.

This gave me a laugh:

“There is nothing appealing about him at all. The rule prohibits me to disclose names, but his initials are Dick Morris.”– James Carville, in an interview with Politico, on his least favorite person in Washington, D.C.

The Reyes Family of Lewes is hosting a meet & greet for Mitch Crane on Sunday, November 13 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Mariachi Restaurant in downtown Rehoboth Beach (14 Wilmington Avenue). This is a free event, but donations will not be turned down.

Come and meet Mitch, the only progressive running for IC next year, and see what he’s all about. Great food, too (Mariachi is the best place in Rehoboth Beach for Latin cuisine).

I sat here this morning thinking about how to put into words what I feel and think about the Occupy Delaware situation and the Markell Administration’s and the City of Wilmington’s response so far to it. And then I read Kavips and find that he has basically said everything that needs to be said.

I have a lot of sympathy for Brian Selander, Governor Markell’s chief strategy officer, primarily because he and I are a lot alike. Practical. Pragmatic. Progressive but not purist. And I do not envy his responsibilities and obligations and the balancing act that is taking place. But I have also sympathy for the protestors. And I am afraid that sympathy wins out. As Kavips says:

This is not some ragtag group of protesters. These are former professionals, people currently employed or not, who are scared to death, that their country is going down the wrong path, fast. As much as you [Brian] and Jack have been scrambling to bring jobs here to Delaware, YOU KNOW THEY ARE RIGHT!!

We ARE going down the wrong path, … and HAVE BEEN, ever since the 2000 elections! And the nuts who got elected from conservative districts in 2010, haven’t helped!

Kavips goes on to make what I think is an ill placed analogy of this situation to the early Revolutionary War days, with Brian Selander taking on the role of the Governor General of Massachusetts trying to balance the interests of the crown and the colonists. If that analogy were apt, that makes Governor Markell …. King George III? Nah. Not really. Maybe the corporate overlords are the mad King George? Perhaps then, yes. But I digress.

It is Kavips’ opinion that Brian’s statement to the press last night struck the wrong tone.

“The state made a very reasonable offer with the use of state managed properties at Brandywine and Fletcher Brown park,” Selander said. “It was an offer that respected constitutional rights to be heard and assemble. They’ve chosen a different path.”

That paints the protestors as unreasonable. I’m sorry, but that dog doesn’t hunt. I think the Occupy movement has been very reasonable in their statements. I thought a conflict over Fletcher Brown Park would be unwise because the PR battle would have been protestors v. children, a battle certain to be lost. But Peter Spencer Plaza next to the City/County Building? Hey, that’s fair. That’s reasonable. It may be inconvenient and not pleasing to look at, but neither is Occupy Philly, which I have to walk around every morning. But I grin and bare it because I support the larger message, the larger purpose.

Bringing guns to rallies where bigotry and calls to violence are espoused, that’s unreasonable. Wanting your tents and your signs seen and not hidden away north of I-95, I think that is reasonable. I imagine Brian and the Governor are concerned about precedent. That allowing Occupy Delaware to camp with out a permit sets the stage down the line for more egregious groups, like perhaps the KKK, to do the same. And that is why cities and states set up the permit and fee process to discourage such groups, or at least to control them.

I admit that is a concern, but not an overriding one. The thing about hateful groups is that they tend to be hateful, and violent groups tend to be violent, and thus the police usually clear these protests for those reasons. Occupy Delaware is not hateful. Occupy Delaware is not violent. So I think that concern should vanish.

Kavips offers up what the Governor and his office should say:

“These people are citizens of this nation. They are protected by the U.S Constitution like everyone else. We are a fee-based society. Sometimes, like the poll tax, those fees get in the way of pure democracy. Heaven forbid, that democracy could only exist, for those who could afford to pay a fee. In fact, the Stamp Act by the British, that event that triggered the American Revolution, was exactly that. A fee for a permit. Currently, the Occupy Movement is representing the revolutionary spirit that created this country. Likewise, they represent the moral equivalent of those who felt slavery, despite it’s being sanctioned by the Federal government, was intensely immoral, and an abomination. They too, like those who said it was wrong to have a second class citizenry, based solely upon the color of ones skin, even though that too, was approved and sanctioned by State governments around this nation.

For this reason, we are going to issue permits for this group. They have the same right as every citizen in America, to make their grievances known. When the wealthy lost an election, they had money to advertise, set up rallies, buy media spokespersons, pour unheard amounts of money into tiny local campaigns. But when the poor want to do the same, we say, sorry, you can’t because you don’t have cash…. and your checks come back stamped: insufficient funds.

One must wonder, if our current mayor, yes, that one who got his start during the Civil Rights movement right here in Wilmington, would be here today, if he, failed, yes, failed to lead a protest on some steps near here, because to do so, he would have first, had to pay a fee?

A fee/permit system is the surest method to silence the poor. Yet those who can’t afford it, were expressly given the same rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. They were given them, simply because, we were going to be a nation designed like no other, where each person, no matter his income, had the equal right to life, to liberty, and to their individual pursuit of happiness..

Like Philadelphia to the north of us, Baltimore to the south of us, New York to the northeast of us, we too will allow these citizens of the Occupy movement, to make their grievances known, in their own way. Their symbol of communication, is with tents. We ask, and have been given assurances, that they will respect every other citizen’s rights and property, in their pursuit of expressing their message.

We wish them luck with their endeavor.

Occupy Philly, as well as hundreds of other Occupy movements around the country have been going on without incident or controversy. The only places where there have been clashes are where has been disagreement between public officials and the protestors over the occupation, which led to the police trying to evict or chase out the protestors (i.e. Denver, New York City and Oakland), which led to public attention and increased media coverage.

The only place where the protestors could have been described as violent was in Oakland, and that is because some anarchists came in after a march and started vandalizing. If the same happens here in Wilmington, feel free to chase them down, evict them, and arrest them.

Otherwise it is a peaceful if inconvenient protest.

Don’t clash with it. Respect it. And if you disagree with it, then ignore it.