No DelDems Statewide Endorsements
So finally someone heard me! The DelDems Executive Committee decided to not endorse for statewide candidates this season. This is an excellent decision and one that recognizes that it is the voters’ job to vet and select the candidates that they thnk will best represent them in government.
In a break from tradition, the Delaware Democratic Party will not make endorsements in this fall’s statewide Democratic primaries for Congress, lieutenant governor and insurance commissioner.
The decision, made during a tense meeting of the party’s state executive committee, results from having many qualified candidates and a concern that party leadership’s endorsement would cause division following the Sept. 13 primary, committee members said.
I appreciated the history from Theo Gregory on how candidates were selected in a convention nomination process. But since that is no longer operative, it is well past time for the party apparatus to find other roles.
Daniello agreed there is the potential for division, but said the lack of endorsement marks what he sees as diminishing influence by the party apparatus. Part of the challenge for the party, he said, is popular sentiment toward less emphasis on the party’s role.
“Playing up voting for the man, not the party, does not help,” Daniello said. “It is a constant fight to keep the parties relevant, but that is our job,” Daniello said.
He said it has given rise to a situation where some candidates are not truly active in the party, which makes the party’s function of vetting them difficult.
“They never ran for anything and they come out of the woodwork and want to run for statewide office,” Daniello said.
What is difficult about Daniello’s take here is what is the Delaware Democratic Party’s value proposition? Who — even in the Party — could talk to you about the DelDem party platform? The party itself doesn’t have much of an identity outside of its candidates. Those candidates run off to get endorsements from a wide range of groups and who knows if these groups have goals, ideas, governing targets that align with the DelDem platform or whatever gets articulated as the Party’s value proposition. You have legislators at the top of the party apparatus who are just barely Democrats and yet the Delaware Dems endorse them routinely. The Party itself has a serious Identity Crisis and yet Daniello wants to provide endorsements that do little to clarify the relationships of these candidates to either the Party or to the Party’s platform.
Delaware is pretty solidly Blue for now. Which means that now is the time to make some progress towards racking up some achievements in tackling platform goals; energizing party apparatus and expanding the volunteer base; developing a more functional funding stream. From where I sit, it sure looks like finding candidates is definitely working. What needs work is some increase of quality of candidates — at least in being able to represent and endorse the party’s platform. Now we need to figure out how to get the RDs to stop endorsing before a primary.
(h/t to a anon friend for the idea of aligning D candidates with the party platform. This is an excellent use of the Party vetting time, really.)
What is difficult about Daniello’s take here is what is the Delaware Democratic Party’s value proposition?
Nailed it. There is no coherent Democratic Party brand, so what is the point of the party “vetting” anyone?
I suspect they just wanted to avoid choosing one of the Congressional candidates. In another year where there are clear binary choices of establishment-backed vs. outsider, I bet they go back to endorsing.
I was at Catherine Rooneys yesterday. Several workers and patrons shared with me their apathy with The entire Political System. They were Young And clear disgusted with business as usual. What does this say about our future leaders. This is not about anyone in leadership but in the absence Of genuine leadership, the people may listen to anyone who steps up to the podium. Good example, The Red Party does not have genuine leadership so they have settled for Trump. Thank You.
Daniello’s “constant fight to keep the party relevant” can mean anything he wants it to mean, other than seeing that elected Dems holding fast to some basic Democratic principles.
Fin de siècle ennui looms large over both parties. Every end can be a beginning though, and while the Dems chose a candidate who represents the end of an era, maybe next time they will pick a candidate that can kick off whatever comes next.
Bob Gilligan has a brain. Thank the Lord! Let the voters decide. So many of the party endorsed candidates have crashed and burned in recent years…….Let John Daniello keep alienating the rest of the party. That is his talent.
Does this mean that nobody gets Vote Tracker, or that everybody does?
I’m glad the party did not endorse. It’s not as if the party’s endorsement has been very helpful recently. Let the rank and file decide.
The current DelDem Party Platform was adopted in Convention in 2008. Attempts at updating it collapsed in the 2013 Convention leaving us with the original antique.
It took 1 1/2 years, after bringing an updating Platform drafting project to the Progressive Democrats For Delaware and then to Party leadership, to get a new platform drafting process underway a couple of months back. The Chair fought the idea for over a year, but finally the State Party Executive Committee approved the drafting process.
This is to their credit and the credit of the City and County Committees we visited who finally moved the Chair to approve. Sadly, a new platform won’t be submitted to a State Convention until 2017, long after both the primaries and general elections are completed.
A drafting committee is working hard now at creating input opportunities for the party’s base over the next several months and they should be appreciated too.
Shoulder to the wheel fellow Dems. We can get this done.
Better late than never.
I actually agree with Jason and El Som for once…. there’s hope yet.
All the candidates get access to VAN but Don Peterson because the 14th’s early endorsement.
Candidates can contract for VoteBuilder. There is a fee related to the office they are running for. It is not free.
The majority of candidates running in the statewide Primary have NOT contracted for the program.
I hate political parties. It’s mostly a self serving group of connected people. If the hateful and nutty republicans didn’t exist, there would be little reason to vote for democrats over greens, independents and socialists
Speaker Bob Gilligan was and is a leader blessed with sophistication and class that seems to be in short supply nowadays. His demeanor and political instincts that favor the voting masses over the entrenched demagoguery of the power elites is refreshing. Respect is an earned commodity and unlike others who would pretend to be leaders you’ve consistently deserved it and, more importantly, given it to all. Thank you my good friend, Bob.
Representative John Kowalko
Amen and hallelujiah to Rep. Kowalko’s comments.
(No offense to the atheists out there )
Some of us do our best to stay connected to the party to fight the status quo. Our district declined to endorse in the primary.
I was on the platform committee for 2008. We worked hard to develop the platform. Unfortunately, many holding office never read it. I don’t want to endorse anyone who can’t accept the values of the constituency. I don’t care how long they’ve been in office.
So if the last approved party platform is from 2008, I wonder what — exactly — RDs are using to “vet” candidates? Because now this looks like each group can come up with its own criteria to evaluate and endorse candidates.
Cassandra, there is an active state Dem. Platform Committee platform drafting effort going on right now online and in person at location near you soon.
It would be great for someone as vocal as you are on the subject to get involved in this process and support it. You don’t even have to attend a meeting to participate.
http://www.deldems.org/news/press/2017-party-platform-suggestion-period-now-open
2017 Party Platform Suggestion Period Now Open
The Delaware Democratic Party’s Platform Committee has reconvened and is drafting a new Party Platform to be presented at the 2017 Democratic State Convention.
The Party’s Platform is meant to be inclusive and reflect the wide array of viewpoints held by our state’s Democrats. We are going to need your help to meet that goal. Starting today, any registered democrat can submit their suggestions for the 2017 Platform by emailing them to Platform@deldems.org. The public comment period will remain open until October 31, 2016.
We will also be hosting a series of public platform meetings in each of the Party’s four subdivisions.
City of Wilmington
August 13, 2016 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Location: TBA
Kent County
August 27, 2016 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Delaware State Troopers Association, Cheswold
New Castle County
September 17, 2016 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Democratic Party HQ, New Castle
Sussex County
October 1, 2016 | 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Sussex Dem. HQ, Georgetown
No one speaks to what the real issue is – Daniello didn’t whip his votes and has lost the support of his Executive Committee = probable endorsements Townsend, Bethany Hall-Long, Navarro —all NCC candidates —good for the City standing up and being counted again in having the people decide. Looking strong Gregory and Gilligan-
—- Gilligan and Gregory came out strong-