Insurance Commissioner Debate Tomorrow!
The first (I think!) Insurance Commissioner Candidate Forum will be held this Monday among the current officially filed Democratic candidates for the office:
Insurance Commissioner Candidate Forum
Monday March 26th, 2012
7:00 pm
Marbrook Elementary School
2101 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE
Filed candidates (as of this writing) are: Mitch Crane, Paul Gallagher and Karen Weldin Stewart.
This is a great opportunity to see these candidates up close and personal, and (I imagine) a great opportunity to go and ask questions of those who want this job. I won’t be able to go, unfortunately, but hope that many of you attend and let us know your impressions.
Tags: Debates, Delaware Insurance Commissioner, Karen Weldin Stewart, Mitch Crane
Thanks Cassandra.
I’m on the other end of the state, will it be on WDEL or WHYY live?
Go Mitch!
That’s a good question. I looked at the announcement over at the DelDems site and it doesn’t mention any broadcast of the debate. Anyone know?
The event is primarily for the “Mid-County” RD Democratic Committee members, yet it is opened to other registered Democrats. The purpose of the meeting is to allow the committee members to hear from candidates that are in a primary and allow the committees that wish to endorse a candidate to make an informed decision.
Each region of the County is likely to have them. The Mid-County’s next one will have the Candidates for County Council President and County Executive.
I have a meeting in Newark, unfortunately. I appreciate this DEM Committee for getting organized early in the year in sponsoring these opportunities to hear candidates and hope other committee will follow suit.
Other forums like this one are being planned for the Brandywine Hundred; Western County/Newark-Glasgow-Bear areas; Eastern County/New Castle,Red Lion, Delaware City areas; and Below-the-Canal. Watch the Deldems website for dates and places. http://www.deldems.org
Also, anyone who wishes to be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention should check the party website for announcements about the Delaware Democratic Party’s delegate selection process.
Cass: Why did you post a picture of KWS (and a decent one at that) but not of the other candidates? “Because she’s the incumbent and the others are her challengers” isn’t good enough so I hope you come up with something else. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you support her.
Anontoo,
I’m happy that you do know better and that you know that Cassandra has been very critical of Commissioner Stewart. Trust me when I say that the picture accompanying this post will have no impact on tonight’s debate or the election. There is no need to worry about minutiae; there are much bigger issues that ought to be debated and discussed tonight and throughout the race.
idealist: Ok, you’re right. Let’s focus on the big issues. I’m still appalled whenever I see her name and the word “Commissioner” linked together. Never dreamed she’d actually get herself elected. Good thing that particular mess will be over in a few more months.
Anontoo, We can certainly agree on that.
any reports from the candidate forum last night?
There were two big things out of the forum: Spivak and Mitch.
1) Dennis Spivak has filed and will be a formidable force. He presented himself well, knew the issues and positioned himself as the primary alternative to the incumbent.
2) Mitch Crane was a train wreck. It was strange to see so much hype and insider support for a guy who has no electoral track record, other then being a PA judge a long time ago, especially before the field was even full. A lot of people will regret jumping on his bandwagon when he finishes 3rd…He just is not a good campaigner. He was by far the most negative of the candidates and his constant lashing out suggests he is running out of a vendetta against his former boss. He would make a great deputy insurance commissioner but he does not have what it takes to win this election.
3) Paul Gallagher did not do anything to set himself apart from the pack. He looks like he will be a minor factor.
4) KWS was KWS. She had a nice touch when she credited Mitch for a project he worked on with her. On balance she did not do particularly well but with three men running against her she is in good position to get re-elected.
The big news from yesterday was not the forum but Spivak’s entry. Will the insider rush to Crane stop or even reverse itself? Spivak has name recognition and is a much better campaigner.
Has Spivak ever paid off the $100K+ debt from his ill-fated 2006 congressional campaign? Answer – NO! And where has he been since he lost that election? Nowhere to be found. He hasn’t been involved in any way, shape or form with the Democratic party and now he wants to run again? Sounds like he has Mike Miller syndrome.
So, anon, answer me this – how do you run against an incumbent without going after their record? How do you figure out what someone would do unless you know what they have done?
You’ve had some sort of axe to grind against Mitch since he announced. What’s your problem with him? Sounds like you are some KWS hack trying to buck up your gal by denigrating Mitch.
Nice spin, but I had a very different takeaway.
Most people I talked to said Mitch won the debate hands down. He was the only candidate who commanded a firm grasp of the issues and displayed knowledge of the office. He had the most support in the room coming into the debate and solidified that support coming out.
Spivack, for his part, had some nice lines, but his empty and somewhat awkward campaign promises made him seem like a “typical politician.” it was clear that this was his first day as a candidate as he gave only broad, generalized answers to even the most specific of questions. At times he seemed to simpky echo Mitch’s points but with less specifics. Other times he seemed to say things that were so patently false that KWS had to set him straight. Someone ought to ask him why he decided to run with less than 6 months until the primary.
KWS did herself no favors last night. She did ok when scripted for her opening and closing, but when asked a question, she appeared tone deaf. Her answers were full of “facts” that we’re later disproven all 3 of the other candidates or even the audience members. Her only saving grace is that Spivack might be able to pull in 10% and play spoiler.
Gallagher was a non factor, though he made it clear where he stood when he agreed with KWS on the Blue Cross merger.
I’ve said many times that KWS can’t speak extemporaneously because she has no education and no professional experience, plus as we all know she isn’t the brightest light in the chandelier to put it mildly. She proved it again last night. And “anon”: she WILL NOT get re-elected simply because she is the only woman candidate, which in by the way is a sexist statement. Her abysmal record and lousy reputation precede her. But you and her other groupies benefit from her incumbency and no doubt you want the gravy train to continue.
I agree with MJ that this latest “anon” is a hack for the incompetent incumbent and that Mitch performed admirably against his opponents, all of whom he outdid in every way.
Idealist you can’t be taken seriously. You polled the room before and after the event? Funny, I saw no such activity. Care to point to any demonstration of this roomful of Crane support? Claiming Spivack will be lucky to get 10%. Ha! What do you think Gallagher will get?
Spivack took one for the team in 2006. No one worked harder than him. Typical politician? SMH…Nobody votes on filing dates. He is in and a strong candidate. He has a job so he couldn’t run 24/7 like Mitch has since July. Why are you mad if he is a non-factor? We are the Democratic Party, not the Coronation Party.
It isn’t gender. It’s math…according to the Crane campaign itself…read the Crane-White press release. The anti-KWS vote will be diluted with more candidates, especially serious ones like Spivack and Crane.
If Crane folks think tactics such as attacking a boyfriend will win votes enjoy your top 3 finish in September…
It sounds like you are admitting that Spivack is only running to “take one for the team” again to help split the anti KWS vote
The world does not revolve around Mitch…I know this is hard for his devoted fans/staff to understand but Spivack is running because he believes he can make a contribution as a candidate and perhaps as a consumer advocate as commissioner. First Vincent White and now Dennis.. Why do you folks assume Cranie is entitled to the office and any other candidate is a fraud seeking to deny St. Crane? Why so scared of competition? If Mitch is as great as advertised voters will recognize that…Mitch is entitled to nothing. He has never won a single vote in Delaware, unlike KWS and Spivack. All Crane has is his little fan club.
The sentiment in the room was undecided. If any candidate gained it was Spivack…lmao at the room being pro-Crane; most people there knew nothing about him.
anon, you still haven’t answered the questions I posed.
Well anon, if you want to talk about what people have done in their lives, “winning votes” doesn’t count as any kind of achievement in my book. Anyone can win votes if they lie enough like KWS did. If she’d told the truth about never working a day in her life after flunking out of high school and living off men the entire time, no one would have voted for her at all.
Since few people running for public office have a totally invented background like impostor KWS, then Crane and probably Spivack will far outshine her in the achievements department. Your girl did nothing to deserve election and has done nothing to deserve re-election. In fact, it’s only because she’s being protected by the likes of Harris McDowell that she’s even still in office and not in prison where she by rights ought to be.
“Spivack is running because he believes he can make a contribution as a candidate and perhaps as a consumer advocate as commissioner.”
How would you know?
“The world does not revolve around Mitch”
And yet it does for you. It’s not unusual for people to align behind a candidate; what IS unusual is for someone to be so much AGAINST one single, non-incumbent candidate.
You’re fooling precisely nobody. Just once, try to find something commendable that KWS has done. Good luck.
Anyone notice anything about this bit from anon’s post @7:40?
4) KWS was KWS. She had a nice touch when she credited Mitch for a project he worked on with her. On balance she did not do particularly well but with three men running against her she is in good position to get re-elected.
This *is* the reason why Spivak is in this race, now, yes? Specifically to try to make sure that votes are diluted enough so that she’ll get re-elected.
Spivak left electoral politics in quite the huff after that last election (and I voted for him then, Full Disclosure). And alot of that huff had to do with *taking one for the team* and *Dems not coming through with money* and other whining BS that made me ashamed that I had voted for the guy.
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit that this anon is Spivak himself and instead of talking about his candidacy, he’ll be here for the duration bashing Crane. Which in many ways is a damn shame. This site was pretty supportive of him when he was running for Congress. Live and learn, right?
I also voted for Spivak in 2006. The only time I met him or heard from him was at the Sussex County Dems Spring Dinner in Dewey. He was handing out business cards telling people he was running for Congress. His speech was less than impressive. Actually, it was amateurish. Live and learn is right, Cass.
Crane fans/staff going unhinged…Spivack (who is me!?), White, Gallagher are all bogus candidates put forward by the mighty KWS? Only St. Crane is challenging this secret conspiracy? Quick, call the News Journal!
Geezer, because I spoke to him last night. I notice all these Crane people have nothing to say about the forum…other than Idealist and he was exposed as blatantly lying lol…
Claiming KWS lives off men? Now that is sexist…
First White, then Gallagher and now Spivack…Crane lovers savage any candidate in the way of their September dream. Which begs the question: why so insecure? If Cranie is as great as his fan club says he will win easily…
Spivack (who is me!?), White, Gallagher are all bogus candidates put forward by the mighty KWS?
You should give it up, man. All I talked about was Spivak. And White is out of the race, if you hadn’t noticed. And you were the one who said that Gallagher wasn’t going to be a factor.
So even in this you can’t keep your spinning bullshit straight.
And this Crane person didn’t go to the forum because I’m on work travel.
This is reason #2,455,998,032 why we need a different commenting scheme.
Different commenting scheme?
anon: I’m not going crazy. I’m asking a simple question that you can’t or won’t address. And pointing out that YOU are the one obsessed with Crane. I’m certainly not.