What the Appo referendum brings home for me is the fact that the Republican Party never sleeps. They are very good at playing the long game. There are no small elections for them. Whenever a voting booth is set up, it is an opportunity to build up competencies, mailing lists, donor channels and candidates.
If you doubt it, just look at how “Appo Truth” goes from being “all about the kids” and “we respect the teachers” to “Markell, Denn, Ennis, Hall-Long, and Walker must be defeated” in under 300 words. Beating Democrats is the north star, and a measly little referendum is acceptable collateral damage.
When you have no policies that can connect with most voters, all you have left is hustle and they have it in spades. Between hustle and their willingness (eagerness?) to not be bound by the truth, the GOP is still a force to contend with here in Delaware and nationally.
As Democrats, we only rally ourselves to match their hustle every four years. That doesn’t cut it.