UPDATED: Carney Gives Finger to LGBT Community
Update: John Carney belatedly signed on to the letter.
Seriously, what’s wrong with this guy? Rhetorical question. He’s a Republican. Anyway, from the attached article:
Forty-eight senators and 148 representatives have signed a letter calling on Obama to sign an executive order providing workplace protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
When Obama campaigned for president, he said he’d support such an order. He has not. So, 196 D legislators signed a letter to Obama (R’s were invited, none signed) calling on him to enforce this through Executive Order since the R’s are delaying consideration of a legislative remedy in Congress. Even Carper and Coons signed:
Yes, you know where this is going. The lone congressman in a state that has embraced equal rights based on sexual identity and sexual preference once again was Absent Without Leadership.
He. Is. Abysmal.
Somebody, anybody, up to a challenge? Carney doesn’t even pretend to be a Democrat any more.
Tags: El Somnambulo, ENDA, Rep. John Carney, Steve Tanzer Delaware
Hold on now. You can see the fix that he is in. If he signed this a leathery old Bridgeville Dixiecrat might make a sad face at him. That would be devastating.
Not if he conducts his ‘town meetings’ via phone.
He can continue to do what he does best.
Phone it in.
That’s worse. An edge in a person’s voice can be very hurtful. Can you think of Carney’s feeling for once?
Robots are now programmed to be totally devoid of emotion.
Carper was the prototype.
Hence, Carper Cyborgenics.
Not signing a letter does not equate with opposition. I do not know why Congressman Carney did not sign the letter.
Congressman Carney voted for the repeal of DADT. He supported repeal of DOMA. He has stated his support for ENDA.
John has always has an open mind on LGBT issues and has evolved in his thinking in the years I have known him. I don’t think their is validity to attacking him on this issue
It just dawned on me. What is Carney’s Mantra? Bipartisanship.
Since no Rethug would stand up for LGBT rights, Carney could not abandon his beloved ‘reaching across the aisle’ meme.
He should move across the aisle where he belongs. He can always find some weak-kneed D’s to abandon principle in favor of placating the Great Unwashed.
“I do not know why Congressman Carney did not sign the letter. ”
You can stop right there.
Having an open mind and evolving is not enough. Not when you’re Delaware’s Only Congressman.
When do you think he will have evolved sufficiently on his thinking? I predict ‘never’.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
His lack of signing may not equate to opposition, but it amounts to it. There is simply no excuse.
Since a Republican, any Republican, it seems cannot get elected in this blue state, I suspect those who wish to hold public office know they will need to campaign as Democrats. As voters, we’ll need to ferret out those who are R’s vs. D’s when we go to the polls. Can you tell the difference? I mean BEFORE, not after, they’re elected.
The playing of both sides of he street (that Mitch defends here) is the kind thing that pisses me off. There is no need for Carney to worry about Republican votes that he probably will not get anyway – or a few sour expressions from the Bridegville Democratic Club who will not be around to vote in many more elections.
So apparently his voting history matters less than him signing onto a pointless letter? Then when an advocate of LGBT rights and an activist like Mitch Crane jumps in to correct the record… he’s pretty much told to shut up because he’s not drinking El’s Kool Aid. I’ll believe Crane in this arena way before I believe El Som or Jason.
Believe your own eyes. If it looks like he is working both sides of the street, guess what…? He is working both sides of the street.
I do not know whether or not John Carney is “working both sides of the street”. While that has been a subject of previous posts on DL, the subject I chose to comment on was his not being a signator to a letter to The President requesting he issue an executive order prohibiting LGBT discrimination wherever such an executive order would have such an effect. I do not question John’s support for LGBT issues. As a former president of Barbara Gittings Delaware Stonewall Democrats and a current Stonewall board member as well as a board member of Equality Delaware Foundation, I know who our allies are. There is no question in my mind at all that John Carney is one. On the issue of LGBT rights, he should not be attacked.
It’s great to know that ‘one of our allies’ , by your own admission, has an open mind and is ‘evolving’ on the issue.
Just the type of ally you can’t count on.
You speak for yourself and, not coincidentally, the Sussex County Democratic Party.
You don’t speak for all supporters of gay rights any more than I do.
But I’m sure John is appreciative.
If Mitch Crane says that Carney is solid on LGBT discrimination, who am I to doubt it? And yet, I see this as fitting into a pattern of behavior that is problematic. I’ve heard him on those crappy telephone town halls, and read his mincing statements. It is all very Mike Castle/Tom Carper-esque, when he might have been an actual Democrat.
My problem is that he wants gays and homophobes alike to be “okay” with his brand of wishy-washy. That is a recipe for crappy representation.
Mitch – I know you talk to Carney. Ask him why he doesn’t want to be seen as Delaware’s real Democrat.
Perhaps someone should, you know, ask Carneys office why he didn’t sign instead of making S*#t up.
Or is Carneys position the new Malaysian airliner story for Delaware?
Oh, please. If this was just an isolated case, this probably wouldn’t be such an issue. But if you just put Carney’s name in our search engine, and see what comes up, you’ll see that this is part of an ongoing pattern when it comes to his serving in Congress as an alleged D from a blue state.
BTW, why don’t YOU call Carney’s office and see what kind of non-response response you get from them? It’s gotten old for a lot of us, but YMMV.
Is anyone surprised?
Frankly, I am surprised. There was once a time when appearing to be a “centrist” made sense for Democrats. That time has passed and there is a great deal of evidence to show that when Democrats identify with popular, traditional, left of center policies – they do very well.
I would have thought that one person in our congressional delegation would have picked up on that, but they are too beholden to the Clintonian vision of triangulation and compromise.
With the DEGOP on its knees, “bipartisanship” is still a fairly low risk play – but it is also an extremely “low reward” play. I simply don’t get why Carney is choosing it.
As a kid did he say, “I want to go into politics, to get very little done, scrape by, and have a very undistinguished career.” If not, what motivates the guy?
Mitch – you speak with Carney. Why don;t you ask him what his real goals are?
His office announced this morning that he will sign it
From Sarah McBride’s FB
Just spoke to Congressman Carney’s office and he has signed on to the letter urging President Obama to ban discrimination by federal contractors. John always intended to sign on, but the letter was released before his office confirmed with the letter’s author. Thank you, Congressman!
Oops, didn’t see that Jason posted my status. Thanks Jason!
So what you’re saying is that….
1. Mitch Crane actually knows more about John Carney’s positions on LGBT rights than El Som or Jason?
2. When determining a Representative’s beliefs, Mitch’s ground breaking theory of actually talking to his Congressman and analyzing his voting record on LGBT rights are better indicators than checking for signatures on a letter?
3. In the words of El Som… “BTW, why don’t YOU call Carney’s office and see what kind of non-response response you get from them? It’s gotten old for a lot of us, but YMMV”….. Obviously it hasn’t gotten old for Sarah Mcbride who received what looks to be a very direct answer.
Not to get too “meta” about blogs, but what’s your point? Everyone can’t be Sarah McBride or Mitch Crane with all the access they have. We are what we are. Part of a political ecosystem, playing our part, letting our elected Democrats know that we are paying attention.
This is a blog. Its purpose is to raise issues and to promote the “liberal” positions of the writer. if El Som had not raised the issue, we would not have found the answer. Hey-I read Delaware Politics, too. I just know that anything I would write there would be a waste and that pointing out the errors of the bloggers would take more time than I have.
I will say that I write as me. I do not use a pen name. I also would hope that people know I am speaking for myself, unless I add a title. On the issue at hand, I would just hope that my straight allies at DL would defer just a little to the opinion of LGBT activists on LGBT issues in Delaware. We do know all the players and believe me, we know where they all stand.
I hate to say this – but the mis-information and jumping to conclusions on this thread
and seeming personal issues with John Carney sound sadly like that other “lost ball in tall weeds” blog…..
Delaware Politics……
cant believe the vitriol over there either – especially ifs a Pat Fish post or a Don Ayotte post – I don’t think either would know what the truth was if it hit them
I do believe that Sarah and Mitch both being members of the LGBTQ community would be WAY ahead of these issues with our congressional delegation, more so than a spectator
just like Pandora usually has Education issues nailed and Cass is good all around but very good on minority issues.
lets castigate them AFTER they do something we don’t like, instead of accusing them before they make the mistake.
“Everyone can’t be Sarah McBride or Mitch Crane with all the access they have. We are what we are. Part of a political ecosystem, playing our part, letting our elected Democrats know that we are paying attention.” Hahahahahah!!! Excuses!! lol
Did Sarah use a secret bat phone to get an answer from his office? A bat phone that’s number is only given out to people with access? Maybe she did.. but I doubt it. Your point would have some merit if you pulled back when one of the state’s most respected champions of LGBT rights corrected the post. Instead, you fought back so that this non-issue could fit your narrative about carney. This leads me to question your ability to execute your role in this “political ecosystem”.
Bane, you need to use one name here — Bane or B. Cobain — and stop sockpuppeting.
Bane formerly known as B. Cobain… No “sockpuppeting” Just a constant effort to shorten the name out of sheer laziness. Maybe I should go to court to have my name changed officially.
Aoine wrote:
“…lets castigate them AFTER they do something we don’t like, instead of accusing them before they make the mistake.”
Uh, he didn’t sign a letter signed by 196 other Democrats. He says now that he always intended to sign it. Maybe yes, maybe no.
Or maybe, due to the issue being raised and people like Sarah McBride raising the issue, he signed it. We’ll never know. I know that many of us have called his office in the past and been blown off. This is arguably the first time that he actually responded due to people reaching out to his office. I’m glad he signed this letter. You can believe his story or you can remain skeptical. But, if highlighting this ‘omission’ helped push him to sign it, then I view that as progress, which is what progressives stand for.
I also encourage Aoine and anybody else just to search ‘John Carney’ in our engine. You will all find that we have ‘castigated him over and over for doing things we don’t like’. It’s an ongoing pattern on his part when it comes to abandoning progressive principles, nothing personal.
…..and since he signed it without his middle initial in black ink instead of the proper Delaware blue ink, its obviously an affront to all Delawareans….
And thanks to Sarah McBride we either a) know that he signed on or b) found out about it and signed on to it.
Either way the score: Sarah 1 Cynical Sit-on-yer-ass-complain-and-don’t-try-to-get-to-the-bottom-of-something Blogosphere 0
Right. An alternative explanation is that Sarah contacted Carney’s office BECAUSE she read about it here.
And took action. Which is one of the reasons we write the columns.
How do you suggest we ‘get to the bottom of something’ when politicians like Coons, Biden and Carney only selectively make themselves available, if at all? We have jobs, and not as investigative reporters.
Which is one reason we try to light a fire under the press when we think a story is being buried. I admit we have our limitations. So, if you’d prefer that we not call our elected officials out when we believe we have reason to do so, you might want to alter your reading habits.
” I also encourage Aoine and anybody else just to search ‘John Carney’ in our engine. You will all find that we have ‘castigated him over and over for doing things we don’t like’. It’s an ongoing pattern on his part when it comes to abandoning progressive principles, nothing personal.”
Gosh, you know what you sound like? One of those crazy ass Sussex conservative GOPer bitching that the candidate is CONSERVATIVE ENOUGH”
Carney is a Democrat………he is certainly NOT a progressive. He may sometimes support progressive idea and sometimes not……..but how progressive is progressive enough for you.
Do you have a list outlining a ” progressive Dem” or is it kinda like ponography- you only know it when you see it?
I suppose Don Ayotte just met his progressive counterpart ……..
Yep, that’s me. I guess I should be happy thanking our delegation for occasionally voting like Democrats in a state as blue as ours.
But I’m not. Maybe Don and I should get together for beers.
The blog’s name IS Delaware Liberal, y’know. And if you can’t tell the difference between this blog and Delaware Politics, you’re just not trying.
Betcha didn’t even click the search engine, did you? If you had, you would see that, on issue after issue, Carney’s not even a Democrat, much less a progressive. And you would see that several of our writers have penned articles on this, not just me.
But whatever.
If being a progressive counterpart to a tea partier means expecting a senator to support a $10.10 minimum wage (Carper doesn’t), expecting a Senator to support voting rights for all Americans by voting for the best-qualified person to protect those rights (Coons didn’t), and expecting a congressman to protect programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and SNAP from cuts rather than seek compromise with Republicans (Carney doesn’t), then I guess I’m a counterpart.
But these are, IMHO, basic core values of the Party. As such, I think that Democrats should at least reasonably expect that their elected officials would protect such core values. Our delegation doesn’t.
I admire your attempt to marginalize, however. You just might have a future at Carper Cyborgenics.
I have 2 contradicting arguments…..
1, Aoine… A state as democratic as Delaware should have a more left leaning representative. There will never EVER be a danger of a republican winning because the Dem is “too far left”… in fact, I dare say the only thing that can keep a Dem from winning all the time in Delaware, is apathy from Democratic voters because they don’t feel they have a true representative. In a more “purple” state, a congress-critter would have to be mindful of their vulnerabilities, and would have to vote accordingly. Not so in Delaware.
2.. El som… Carney is the one lone congress-critter from the entire state. He doesn’t just represent NCC…. or the area in between route 2 and 40… (i know you know this, it sounds like condescension, but im just really bad a making points.) The people at the bottom of the state are citizens who deserve some crumb of representation. SIDE TRACK…. What if Delaware had 2 representatives? (I also know how all that works). Surely people like Carney wouldn’t get the Dem nod, and the Southern part of the sate would keep nominating people the O’Donnell who would prOvide fresh Akin-esqu embarrassment for the GOP for YEARS.
Anyway, he DID sign the letter. It’s no use arguing over his position anymore. Not on this anyway.
“The people at the bottom of the state are citizens who deserve some crumb of representation.”
Please. It is the traditional democrats and liberals that occasional get to jump up and down about getting a crumb.
Dude. everything has gone against the downstate teabaggers. everything. You and I may not be happy with…. for example.. the ACA…. but the fact that it is a thing at all is the end of the world for them. Same with civil equality. We feel like it is going too slow, they feel like the fact gays aren’t executed is…. The end of the world.
It’s nice, sometimes, to take a step back from the battles we have yet to win, to revel in the anguish and utter defeat of others. 🙂