Just in time for the 2012 Delaware election season, I’m starting a brand new weekly feature for all you political junkies out there.
Each Friday, I will review the political events of the past week. Events will include, but not be limited to, announcements, filings, retirements, intrigue, financial reports, debates, etc.
I aim to be comprehensive and, of course, entertaining. Accordingly, I will often evaluate/predict how meaningful (or not meaningful) each development might be.
I’m also pretty certain that this format will change as I get more accustomed to writing the weekly pieces.
Let’s roll!
1. Scott Spencer announces he will run for Mayor of Wilmington.
Long on ideas, short on political acumen, Spencer might at least bring some worthwhile proposals to the debate. Spencer’s upside is that some of these ideas might be considered by whoever wins the election. Otherwise, I can’t see him making a big impact unless he can somehow tap into some savvy political operatives who can turn these ideas into a viable campaign organization. Past experience suggests to me that that won’t happen, but I’m prepared to be pleasantly surprised.
2. Kevin Wade and/or his mindless minions announce that Wade will announce that he will run against Tom Carper in the US Senate race.
This could potentially have a significant impact. No, no, I’m not losing my mind. I know that Kevin Wade has no chance of being elected in 2012. However, assuming that Wade becomes the candidate, it makes the prospects of a primary against the hopeless Carper even more attractive. Why? Because Democrats will win this election regardless of whether the nominee is Carper or someone else. We know that reelecting Carper would be similar to reelecting a Landrieu or Ben Nelson. We know that Carper has long since abandoned the traditional principles of the Democratic Party. We know that the financial industry is the sole constituency that influences (controls, actually) Carper. We know that Carper is out of step with rank-and-file Democrats. All we need is a credible candidate. With Kevin Wade as the alternative, a credible progressive can challenge Carper with complete impunity, knowing full well that the seat is not at risk of flipping to the R’s. And knowing full well that keeping Carper in office is the next-to-worst alternative to having the seat flip.
3. Terry Schooley retires from U of D, says that she intends to seek reelection.
Per this News-Journal story, Rep. Terry Schooley (D-Newark) has resigned her position as the Head of the Kids count program at the University of Delaware, and has said that she will seek reelection in 2012. I consider Schooley to be one of the most progressive legislators in the Delaware General Assembly. She has been especially effective working on children’s issues and on education. The fact that she’s running again is good news for those of us who consider ourselves progressives and/or liberals. And, yes, there was some doubt as to whether she would do so.
4. Departments of Elections party like it’s 2010.
In the event that anyone from the respective County Departments of Elections has returned from vacation, would it be too much to ask that your sites be changed to reflect that it’s 2012? While you still feature the ‘ballot-qualified’ candidates for 2010, you have not yet updated your sites to reflect the likelihood that there will be an election this year, and that candidates will likely file, or perhaps have already filed, to run this year. Same goes for financial reports. Would be nice to read those as well. Thank you.
A slow week, I admit. But they’ll get better. And we’ll be here to cover every bit of it.