DL Endorsement for U. S. Congress
Progressives have been waiting forever to have one of their own represent Delaware in Congress. The last time a liberal voice represented Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives was in 1966, when then-Representative Harris McDowell (the state senator’s dad) lost to Bill Roth. For the first time in 50 years, we now have the chance to elect a proven progressive and exceedingly effective legislator to Congress. A person with both intellect and heart. That person is Bryan Townsend.
Townsend is that rare public figure who has sought to do the right thing, even when it was to his own detriment. When Bryan challenged the corrupt Senate leader Tony DeLuca, he had to overcome the active involvement of the entire state Democratic power structure during his grassroots campaign, while suffering great risk to his professional career as an attorney. Karen Peterson and Dave Sokola were among the brave few who stood up for Townsend.
We now know that Townsend defeated DeLuca, which created a sea change in Dover. Bills that had never made it out of DeLuca’s desk drawer were now brought to the floor and were passed–civil unions, death penalty repeal, sentencing reform, voting rights for former prisoners, and gay marriage, among them. All passed with the help and often the sponsorship of Bryan Townsend.
Despite any ill feelings that might have remained following his defeat of DeLuca, Bryan quickly became a very effective legislator, and sponsored and passed important bills that required the ability to work well with his colleagues.
Here are just a few of his legislative accomplishments from this session alone:
* Prime Senate sponsor of the bill that did away with the criminal background check loophole for gun purchases.
* Passed legislation increasing the availability of legal services to the indigent.
* Passed legislation creating a way to address the problem of abandoned and vacant property through the creation of land banks.
* Passed legislation prohibiting housing discrimination based on source of income, which often means those who receive housing assistance payments.
* Passed legislation making it easier for those with juvenile criminal histories who have turned their lives around to get access to employment, education, housing, and credit.
All this and more in just one legislative session. He also sponsored some major ethical reform legislation which, predictably, got buried due to opposition from both lobbyists and legislators. In addition, he was a stalwart when it came to challenging the prevalence of high-stakes testing in our schools, which is one of many reasons why the Delaware State Education Association has endorsed him. As have, by the way, the Delaware Stonewall Democrats.
I want to focus on two of the many bills that demonstrate Townsend’s heart and empathy:
* SB 134, which ‘provides persons experiencing homelessness protection from discrimination while on the streets and when seeking access to housing, employment, and temporary shelter as necessary to end their episode of homelessness’.
* SB 59, which ‘creates the means for an undocumented immigrant to apply for and obtain valid driving privileges in the State of Delaware.’ This bill was signed into law.
Think about it–legislation that provides civil protections for the homeless and legislation that enables undocumented workers to deal with hardship. Two constituencies that don’t deliver votes. Two constituencies that have largely been ignored. But Bryan Townsend does what he thinks is right without resorting to political calculations. That’s why he is special.
Well, who is this Bryan Townsend fella, you might ask. He’s a product of Delaware public schools, the University of Delaware, Cambridge University in England, and Yale Law School. His mom has been a Delaware public school teacher for over 40 years. His dad was a police officer for the City of Newark. He is an attorney and has done pro bono work on behalf of children in foster care, victims of domestic violence, and veterans with service-related disabilities.
He also possesses a trait that makes him uniquely qualified among those seeking the Delaware congressional seat this year–he is an effective legislator. Not just someone who votes the right way, which he is, but someone who seeks to solve problems through the legislative process. Someone who identifies issues and crafts legislation on his own, not someone who waits for some special interest to bring a bill to him. He has already identified some of the legislative priorities he will seek to address in Washington–A $15 minimum wage; affordable college by supporting lower student interest rates and by providing two years of tuition-free college or technical training; universal pre-kindergarten; higher Social Security and Medicare benefits; and ensuring a woman’s right to choose.
Mike Castle once had a campaign slogan that resonated with many voters: ‘We only send one. Let’s send our best.’
That phrase resonates with me as well. We haven’t sent a progressive to Congress in over 50 years. I have no doubt that Bryan Townsend will immediately take his place among the best and most effective progressive legislators in the Congress.
Which is why we at Delaware Liberal enthusiastically endorse his candidacy and encourage you to support him in the primary on Tuesday, September 13.
Tags: Bryan Townsend, Featured
Such a great candidate. I’ve never looked forward to a primary day like this one.
The only candidate on the ballot I am excited about this year in Delaware. Bryan is a total breath of fresh air in this stale Delaware political climate.
Unfortunately, I don’t feel this way. I have big issues when it comes to Senator Bryan Townsend. This is a guy who ran on grassroots issues. One of those was education. Who gives a big and fiery speech about the problems with the Smarter Balanced Assessment, votes NO on it, and then reconsiders the bill when it is defeated and votes NO on it again? He gave me an explanation that Senator Greg Lavelle would have reconsidered it and he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction and have Lavelle take the wind out of his sails. WHAT???? Who adds an amendment to an already controversial bill to essentially have minors opt out of a statewide assessment when there was already controversy with some about parents doing it? Who sponsors Teach For America bills while getting endorsements from all the teacher unions? Who begs for people to get along during hotbed issues but also does things that cause some of those issues? Who does that? Bryan Townsend does all of these things, and more. I don’t disparage the good Bryan does. But the bad concerns me. A lot. At the same time, I have issues with many of the other candidates. But labeling him as this Delaware Prince of Camelot is very dangerous.
I wrote about this the other day on my blog. On my Facebook page for my blog, someone came right out and asked Bryan about this. He danced around the main question and gave his campaign email if they had any other questions. I responded to him ignoring what the person was asking and asked him flat-out to explain himself publicly. That was two days ago and he hasn’t responded.
Bryan knew I had this information. I reached out to him about it. Perhaps he regrets his decision with HB334 now, but he won’t talk about it publicly. For over two years, Delawareans have been under the assumption that everything that happened that day was the fault of Greg Lavelle. It wasn’t. It was Bryan Townsend.
I see it like this: Townsend is a good guy at heart with good ideas. But it’s almost like he has to put a Townsend stamp on everything. And that causes big problems. His track record for the progressive issues you talked about is great. But it’s when education comes in that I see a lot of talk but actions suggest otherwise. And for those who say I am a one-issue candidate, that is not true at all. But it is what I write about. When someone railroads bills, even if it comes from a good intention (if that is truly what it is), I have trust issues.
This is just opinion and speculation on my part, but I feel as though Bryan says one thing to get all the teacher union support, but then Jack or the DOE are whispering something else in his other ear and that is where we see things like HB334 and HB50.
When myself, DSEA, Delaware PTA, and many parents and concerned citizens were begging legislators to get involved with a matter concerning the Delaware DOE and their “Delaware School Success Framework” and a very controversial penalty if schools went under 95% participation rate due to opt out, I reached out to Bryan to intervene. Not only did he not intervene, he didn’t even bother to respond. At the same time, State Reps. Kim Williams, Paul Baumbach and John Kowalko were all happy to help out.
I don’t get Bryan Townsend. I don’t get the public image so many of you see because his inconsistency in what is good for students is his greatest weakness. In all those areas you mentioned, yeah, slamdunk, homerun, yay Bryan. But is that enough to send him to Congress? I hate to see what he could do to education bills at a federal level, especially since he frequently crafts bills himself…
For me, it comes back to that HB334 vote. There are certain things you just DON’T DO as a legislator. You don’t fight with every fiber of your being against a very controversial and non-transparent high-stakes test bill and then bring it back for reconsideration unless you want that bill to pass. His explanation about Lavelle is nonsense. Lavelle would have NEVER looked like a hero in this scenario. NEVER. He was pinned as the bad guy for years on this. Maybe he would have brought it back. He did flip his vote. But the bottom line is Bryan should NOT have been the one to do it. Especially not him if he was the one who fought the most against it. That is telling other legislators who originally voted no that perhaps he was wrong. Which could have triggered them to flip their votes. Like Ennis, McBride, and McDowell. And because he is the last on that roll call, he can sit back when it has already passed and say NO again. While I have some major issues with some things he has done, I have to give props to Lavelle for taking the heat on this bill for the past two years when Bryan Townsend rightfully deserved that heat.
Ah, purism is wonderful, Kevin.
I have to agree with Kevin on this one . Not a real liberal.
If Bryan wins, I think liberals will end up being disappointed more often than not.
I’d love to read a comment from you, Kevin, in which you didn’t schill for your own blog, except that’s firmly ensconsed in my “Pipe Dreams” file folder.
Kevin… I’ll be brief. You are the crazy old man (not that you’re old) who runs around the town square ranting about “end times” and wearing a John 3:16 t-shirt, the Henny Penny/Chicken Little of Delaware, if you will. Just so I understand it, because Townsend didn’t vote/behave exactly how you wanted on 334 and 50, nor respond promptly to your communication, you think he’s fake and disingenuous?
Bryan Townsend has the wide organizational support he does because his batting average on issues is pretty robust. He might not hit a HR on every piece of legislation he votes on, but then again, no one will. He’s demonstrated clear, unencumbered thinking (e.g. not beholden) on a variety of issues, not just the only issue you care about. Hell, some of the people you regularly fellate on your lightly-read blog as being “centurions of public education” are Bryan Townsend supporters…
But here you are, with one of your patented verbal-diarrhea comments, making the cognitive leap that because he didn’t perform to your liking on 334 and 50, he is therefore fake, phony, and unfit to run for Congress… There’s a small part of me that wishes you had the ability to understand the host of issues that must be dealt with, but alas…
Bryan Townsend will make a fine Congressman, even if he doesn’t pass your purity test.
Kevin, here you have a bad case of the perfect being the enemy of the good. That’s not healthy for politics. Given that parents STILL have the right to opt out, I don’t give the same weight to the Smarter Balanced bill. And support for the misguided school and teacher accountability uses of the test is waning.
Being better than Carney is a low bar. Townsend will be the best we’ve sent to Washington since Ted Kaufman, and he didn’t stand for election. We have elected Carper and Carney; this time why not send the best and the brightest?
One of the Democractic candidates is going to Washington. Which candidate do you think is better?
Lori, agree with what? Kevin is not saying Bryan is not a real liberal. I am not sure, after 19 paragraphs, what Kevin is saying exactly. He was miffled over some strategy on a bill once, and that somehow means he can no longer trust Bryan, even though Bryan voted the way Kevin wanted.
Ok.
Jesus, you purist progressives wonder why you lose so often. You all are petulant idiots who cannot let any little petty thing go.
So you agree with that, Lori? Ok. Starting to think you are just a troll. You arrived during the Eugene Young endorsement and you have been poo-pooing every non-establishment endorsement since.
Beats the hell out of corporate Carney
I read Kevin’s piece on Sunday. I’m not at all sure what to make of it. It revolves around the procedure that when a bill is defeated, it can be brought back from the dead and re-voted if one of the no votes makes a motion to do so. The bill was defeated, there was all sorts of politicking, Townsend asked to reconsider the bill, the bill passed. Townsend still voted no.
I think this is the summary of what happened. Bryan’s reasoning (which I don’t understand) was convoluted and maybe self-serving, so Bryan is suddenly all about Bryan.
Does anyone know if a bill can be brought up for reconsideration more than once?
Didn’t Bryan vote for a banking bill to help corporations? Look he alt to just thank Karen Peterson, without her he would still be working as a corporate lawyer. Oh wait, he is one. Bar set so low here. What’s wrong with Lisa then ? She is a liberal and a woman. Maybe that’s it, I see no women being endorsed on here
“ought” is the correct word.
|What’s wrong with Lisa then?|
I believe that the consensus of the DL team is that Bryan is the best candidate in the field. Hence this endorsement post.
lori, you had an opportunity to make your case for LBR right there in your comment. Couldn’t have had it set up any better if you had a tee to hit off of. And then: |She is a liberal and a woman. Maybe that’s it, I see no women being endorsed on here|
When I saw this article pop up in my email, I knew exactly who Del Lib would endorse without any hesitation. While it is great Bryan voted no on the same bill twice, HE BROUGHT IT BACK!
Imagine if this was the death penalty bill. Kim Williams voted no on it so she could bring it back for reconsideration. That is a strategy. She would then vote yes on it. Imagine if she brought it back and she was a swing vote and voted no again? You would be crucifying her and burning her at the stake! That is how things are done. You don’t bring a bill back for reconsideration knowing you will vote no on it again. If a bill is defeated and you are against that bill, you LEAVE IT ALONE. There is absolutely no justification for that unless you have issues with your ego, you have been given a favor, or you want the bill to pass but have the ability to please your supporters by voting no. For any of these reasons, I don’t trust Townsend. I think you have all been fooled by him. I think he is riding the progressive votes for his own power, not the good of the people. I have heard and seen far too much about him to suggest he is the “perfect” candidate for Congress. The fact that I would stick my own neck out to say this at the risk of drawing considerable ire from people is testament to this.
As for Puck and Prop Joe, whatever. Your opinion really doesn’t affect me in any way whatsoever. It’s not like my name isn’t attached to that thing you claim I schill for to which I didn’t provide a link. The hypocrisy surrounding this issue is astounding.
As much as I’d like to believe in Blunt Rochester, it’s that maiden name that puts me off. Her father was an empty suit, yet she’s using the name, so she starts off at -1. Beyond that she has no experience at holding office, so she’s still at -1. She’s a liberal? OK, if you say so, which puts her back to 0. I would usually deduct a point for supporters who want to vote for her based on her gender, but I’ll let it slide this time.
I, too, am unconvinced about Townsend’s commitment to liberal issues, so he gets a 0 there. But he does have legislative experience, so he goes to +1.
If he wins, will he disappoint liberals? Without a doubt. The reason Coons and Carney are so, well, not liberal is that most Delawareans see themselves as centrists; we have the largest percentage of self-described centrists in the country. So I don’t expect any Democrat we elect to act like a liberal.
The Delaware way, the corporate way. It’s why all the corporate crooks incorporate here
Anyone who doesn’t see Bryan as an effective liberal in a moderate legislature should re-read this post plus everything a lot of respected Dem groups like ADA are saying about him plus his courage in education. Kevin, whoever you are, please stop grinding you axe and help us push Bryan to a place he can do even more in a tougher environment.
Sorry I just thought this was a Liberal, progressive blog. I will start looking for another one. Please change your site to Delaware centrist. Should not judge Lisa due to her name, as the previous post stated. That maybe prejudge, I do understand the no experience as a legislator part. But she has held cabinet positions that had to make decisions. Not to be taken lightly. Everyone has there opinion which is great, but I thought a liberal website (blog) should vote for the most liberal candidate. That’s all
On your at then. As for the others candidates, I think that LBR or Barney would have been endorsed in a normal year. We just happen to be very lucky this year. Maybe it is a portend of a more liberal Delaware n the future
Anon, when Bryan owns up to all my questions, and he knows EXACTLY what they are, as well as the fact that he owns up to his own campaign finance records that DO NOT show a true “grassroots” effort, as well as his support for the America Competes Act and HB235 (which he cast a no vote on, once again, to please the Progressives), then maybe, just maybe, I could lift myself out of the cesspool of yucky thoughts about the guy, and potentially with extreme doubt and hesitation, even consider the guy as a viable candidate for Congress. This isn’t about grinding an axe. This is about smoke and mirrors. I’m just sorry so many of you can’t see the reality behind the façade. When 47% of his campaign contributions are coming from corporate attorneys, financial firms, lobbyists, and other special interest groups, I have to wonder how “grassroots” this campaign really is. And many of those contributions (while legal) come from the same individuals but under MANY different companies they are involved in. And that 47% doesn’t even include spousal contributions of those individuals. Nor does it include an extraordinary amount of contributions from folks associated with New Castle County Vo-Tech school district. $254k out of $543k raised as of the last federal filing…
Don’t believe me? You can see me schilling for transparency Prop Joe! http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/candcmte_info.shtml
I hope I love something one day as much as El Som loves Bryan Townsend. It’s really beautiful.
I had a longer comment but honestly, it doesn’t matter.
I still think Townsend is going to get his ass handed very readily back to him come election night. This is Lisa’s race. Barney in second, probably?, but this ain’t Townsend’s this year.
This race is clearly down to Townsend v. Blunt Rochester.
Barney will be third place for sure. Just a candidate looking for a high office.
@Chris I think they’re all candidates looking for a high office.
Interesting. I just don’t see LBR pulling that much support. I like her, but I didn’t find her very polished or natural (but it has been a while since i spoke to her).
She might do better than expected if this is really “the year of the woman”, but Hillary won’t be on the ballot in September to drive up those numbers.
I can’t even tell you who her constituency is.
An interesting point kinda came and went above: “We have the largest percentage of self-described centrists in the country.” Is that based on any actual data, or the collected wisdom of people you’ve spoken to on the street?
If that’s a real fact — yeah, that should make it harder to get progressive candidates elected.
It’s a real fact, at least according to Gallup polling:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/181505/mississippi-alabama-louisiana-conservative-states.aspx
Thanks, anonymous. Great point.
“Please change your site to Delaware centrist.”
Why, because you say so? The facts are the facts, it’s a centrist state.
“Should not judge Lisa due to her name”
Why? She’s using the name, so she obviously wants me to know it. Who’s stopping her from running as Lisa Rochester? She’s using the name because she thinks it will help her name recognition. I thought her old man was useless, so it’s a double-edged sword.
“But she has held cabinet positions that had to make decisions.”
That’s not legislative experience. Making decisions is not what being a Congresscritter is about.
“I thought a liberal website (blog) should vote for the most liberal candidate.”
Where’s the evidence that she’s the most liberal candidate?
Also, your crack about no women being endorsed here indicates to me that you prefer a female candidate. You sound like one of those people who thinks “liberalism” is nothing more than being OK with gays and giving women equal pay and spends a lot of time language-policing.
Meanwhile, on Townsend:
“plus everything a lot of respected Dem groups like ADA are saying about him”
Respected Dem groups are, by the inclusion of the word “respected,” not actually liberal. That’s why I gave him a 0 on liberalism. But I still have nothing but lori’s word that Rochester is liberal.
I’ve received direct mail from Townsend and Barney, but nothing from LBR…were it not for this site, I probably wouldn’t even be aware she was running.
Commonsense – even if that was rooted from a poll, it would be a meaningless factoid with dubious reliability. Everyone loves to tell people how balanced and independent they are, even when they’re extreme on the issues.
@JTF: Chris meant “any high office.” As I think you knew.
@liberalgeek her constituency are all of the people who don’t know who the else anyone in this race is and who are going to see her on tv.
put bryan townsend’s message (and it’s questionable authenticity) aside, i don’t care how many pizza stuffed college kids you have running around neighborhoods in newark, he doesn’t have the money to communicate and has said as much. this isn’t tony deluca, which, for gods sake has now been spun into some epic david and goliath story which it certainly was not.
people don’t spend tons of money on radio/tv advertising for shits and giggles. they do it because it works.
Paper discussing political “moderates”. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lsq.12110/abstract;jsessionid=FCE8CE0F93C77FB2670F65CB0962ECF8.f04t04?
Lets get this right ! I never said she had legislative experience . I agreed with( you as noted). I said she had cabinet experience that does make decisions and works with the legislators with bills . Enforces the legislation that is enacted by legislators, She is for equal pay, civil rights, higher min wage, child care legislation. Again I agree more Americans are centrist. But this site is not suppose to be centrist, it is left leaning or Liberal hence the name. That’s all I am just stating the obvious, Also I am a woman so maybe I am leaning that way. Yep prejudice, If Karen Peterson did not help him we would not be in this situation. She won that race, yes he worked hard but her work is what won it
Do you have an example of TV advertising influencing an election in Delaware? Philly, sure. NY/NJ, sure. Delaware? I can’t think of one.
“She is for equal pay, civil rights, higher min wage, child care legislation.”
So are the other candidates, as far as I’m aware. You said she was the MOST liberal. In what regard is she more liberal than the others? If she has come out for BLM, for example, that would make her the most liberal. But has she?
On the cabinet position, I said I don’t count that as relevant experience. Being in charge of a department is good experience, but not necessarily relevant, as the skill sets required overlap but nowhere near completely.
@JTF: She doesn’t have the budget for a saturation strategy on the TV ads, and they won’t matter much in the primary anyway. Democratic turnout in 2012 was just under 50,000, or 17%. About one-fifth of that came from the city. She should get lots of city votes, but she’ll win only if the Emily’s List people can help with GOTV.
Barney’s campaign:
After a run for State Treasurer that was a total debacle, he is a newly found liberal who boasts that he got all these tremendous bills done as Markell’s staffer ( even Rep. Longhurst called him out on this a while back) ….. then a lot of blah blah…..then the military service stuff….then more blah blah. Not buying it.
Townsend has gotten things done in Dover and took out DeLuca. Lisa has some roots in the community and is well intentioned and very nice woman.
Loritool, you have no clue. You must have spent NO time involved in Townsend’s race against DeLuca to spout your ridiculous theory.
Yes, this is a liberal/progressive blog. We think that Bryan Townsend will be the most effective progressive legislator that this state has seen in 50 years. All the things you say that LBR is for? Bryan has LEGISLATED on behalf of those specific items, and others, since he was elected. It’s nice that Lisa has come back to Delaware after 15 years to run for office, but being a cabinet secretary for Tom Carper provides no insight into how she will legislate.
I like Lisa, always have, and you’re welcome to your opinion. But your ad hominem disparagement of Townsend and our endorsement are a little over the top.
@JTF I can’t tell if your attitude is because you don’t like Townsend or if you’re just cynical, but either way it’s totally counterproductive if you’re actually a progressive. The word “grassroots” gets thrown around so much that it’s basically meaningless but one candidate in this race is actually running a grassroots campaign, and the presence of “pizza stuffed college kids” doesn’t make it any less legitimate. Young people are how Obama won in 08 after all, and the people that knocked on my door for Townsend were significantly older. Also Sean Barney doesn’t have a chance in hell of coming anywhere close to second, and if you paid attention to polls you’d probably know that.
Looking entirely past the ideologies of the candidates, you can’t seriously tell me that LBR is going to win solely by loaning her campaign enough of her own money to buy some second-rate ad spots on late-night cable tv. What is even her message? Democrats win in the field. Bryan’s the only candidate who has attempted to reach out to me. When somebody doesn’t even make the slightest effort to even create the appearance of a ground game their support is never going to be anything other than soft. Maybe you’ll know that by September 14.
@liberalgeek uhm…. jack markell…..
If you remember, that was the last bright shining liberal star you guys had your mouths agape and willing for. Worked out well, I see!
And maybe if Townsend stopped spending money on consultants he’d actually have money to do a campaign.
But keep knockin them doors kids!
@JTF What exactly do you think a campaign is? You sound like one of those people that counts yard signs on their commute to work and decides that whoever has the most (and the biggest) wins because “name recognition”
OK, JTF, you’re nuts. I’ll have to go check, but Markell v. Carney wasn’t decided on TV. It was decided by GOTV and a very aggressive grassroots campaign (including getting R’s to change their registration).
JTF: You’re right about Markell. He talked a good game. He snowed us. Here’s the difference. We had no way of knowing what Markell stood for, unless ‘financial literacy training’ counts. We had to trust what he said.
We have a real good idea about what Townsend stands for b/c he’s actually had to vote, to put his name on legislation, and to sponsor legislation. As to Barney or Rochester, neither has demonstrated what they really stand for. Actions, not words.
@NCCDem I don’t have a problem with Townsend, I just don’t think he’s going to win. Apparently that’s a thought crime around here. However, I think the mythologizing of him (or any of these guys) is a bit… nauseating?
They say that the most dangerous place in Washington is between Schumer and a camera. I think the most dangerous place here might between some of your lips and Bryan Townsend’s ass.
I also find your argument(s), if there are any in there, difficult to parse. But, I’m bored. So, let’s see if I can pull out the threads:
You: “The word ‘grassroots’ gets thrown around so much that it’s basically meaningless but one candidate in this race is actually running a grassroots campaign, and the presence of “pizza stuffed college kids” doesn’t make it any less legitimate. Young people are how Obama won in 08 after all, and the people that knocked on my door for Townsend were significantly older.”
I don’t know how Townsend’s campaign is any more “grassroots” than anyone else’s. People often run grassroots campaigns, or say they are, because they don’t have any money to run a real campaign. So what else are you going to say? Also, I guess you’re trying to say Barack Obama won in 2008 so Bryan Townsend is going to win? I fail to see the parallels between either, but if you do, then that just reinforces my belief that there is a dangerous cult of personality here. Unfortunately, for you, that’s created a bubble which is going to pop very loudly in September.
You: “Also Sean Barney doesn’t have a chance in hell of coming anywhere close to second, and if you paid attention to polls you’d probably know that.”
Yeah, I don’t know. If Vote Vets puts in a ton of money and they do a bunch of TV, I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Again, my argument is predicated on the fact that Townsend does not – and has admitted to this – have the resources for, nor the plans to, do real mass communicating. It has nothing to do with Townsend himself, really, it’s just how.. ya know… politics works.
You: “Looking entirely past the ideologies of the candidates, you can’t seriously tell me that LBR is going to win solely by loaning her campaign enough of her own money to buy some second-rate ad spots on late-night cable tv. What is even her message? Democrats win in the field. Bryan’s the only candidate who has attempted to reach out to me. When somebody doesn’t even make the slightest effort to even create the appearance of a ground game their support is never going to be anything other than soft. Maybe you’ll know that by September 14.”
“Democrats win in the field.” Hurrah hurrah. I have no idea what that means. You might as well say, “Well, it’s all going to come down to turnout.” Do you have any other glittering campaign generalities you’d like to throw out? LBR is an attractive candidate for a number of reasons that we don’t need to get into. She also has money and apparently a media strategy and the ability to pull outside money which, if she does, is absolutely, 100% game over. I don’t care how many door contacts have been made.
@liberalgeek agree to disagree – but personally i think the spend on tv and how much more markell did, played a BIG part. not the only variable, but silly to ignore it as a major factor.
looks like Barney has hired some online campaigners…lol!
Ok El, My apologies if you think I am over the top on Townsend. If he wins the primary I will certainly vote for him. I said he worked hard , that I agree with. But no way without Karen would he have won. Or some others too by the way
“If Vote Vets puts in a ton of money and they do a bunch of TV, I don’t see why [Barney] wouldn’t.”
Not enough vets to matter in a primary. Most vets aren’t Democrats anyway.
” i think the spend on tv and how much more markell did, played a BIG part. ”
Because Markell spent $4 million. That’s what I mean by “saturation.” That’s how you make a dent with broadcast advertising — constant repetition. Rochester lacks the money for that.
Markell is ’08. He dramatically outspent Carney on TV…though the election was unbearably close, Carney was up in the polls before Markell’s TV buy, and lose by a hair after…so I think it can safely be said TV had a big part to play in that.
Though it’s impossible to ever say one particular thing caused someone to win (particularly when the election is so close)…Markell and Carney both had huge field operations, and Markell was able to claim the “change” mantle…all of which contributed.
I’d encourage anyone supporting Lisa to actually attend one of the debates or forums she participates in. I can’t imagine anyone coming away thinking “she was clearly the most qualified person on stage.” Harsh as it may sound, she comes off only slightly more polished than Sarah Palin. LBR could be a fine candidate someday, but I think spending some time in a lower level position would do wonders for her confidence and knowledge of the issues.
“Carney was up in the polls before Markell’s TV buy, and lose by a hair after”
I have never seen any data supporting the idea that polling in Delaware is accurate. His internal polls might have said that, but those polls weren’t released to the public so we have no idea how accurate they were. Remember, all Romney’s internal polls showed him winning. Sometimes pollsters tell candidates what they want to hear instead of the truth.
In general, and any real pollster would tell you this, primary polling is nowhere near as accurate as general-election polling.
So your contention might be true, but the polling evidence you cite isn’t going to make your case.
Yeah, conceded. Delaware polling should always have the caveat of “FWIW….” But using the evidence we have…
The other important distinction to make between ’08/’16 is that Markell spent $1M blanketing the air at full saturation for like a full four weeks. That is VERY different than LBR spending a couple hundred thousand on weak cable buys…
As for VoteVets, if they put their shoulder into the Barney campaign it could be huge…they have a history of spending up to $2M on even longshot races (Seth Moulton was 70 points behind John Tierney before VoteVets got involved. Also, VV doesn’t just message to Vets, they message to everyone…they do general bio advertisements, issue ads, etc…anything on message for broad persuasion. There hasn’t been any sign yet of them putting significant (or any?) resources into Barney, but if they do it could/would be a game changer.
Same with LBR and Emily’s List…but I very much doubt Emily List is going to make any kind of serious investment. They have bigger fish to fry.
It’s been a long time since Delaware had a race like this for this important an office, where name recognition is near zero for three candidates, all of whom seem qualified. I wouldn’t risk a bet on this one.
You’re right. If either of the big outside organizations decides it needs this seat enough to throw money this way, it could make the difference. In that regard Townsend is odd man out, because he has no such backing.
^^ Exactly JTF’s point and don’t think nat’l orgs don’t know that a dollar goes much farther in DE compared to other states.
anon2 I can promise you 99.99999% of people voting on the 13th will not have attended a debate.
I linked to Bryan’s campaign contributions above. Take a look at the MANY corporate attorneys in there. Look at all of them. It is a bonanza of who’s who in Delaware corporate attorney law. Take a look at, aside from mom and pop donors, who is really driving this campaign. Nobody wants to address this point. Is Bryan truly a Liberal Democrat? Or a Corporate Democrat pretending (and succeeding) to be a Liberal Democrat?
ya and Terry Strine and friends 15k in contributions…
Watch what you say lol. I said that and got yelled at by El Somnambula. You might prove, when this is said and done he is really a centrist!!! Dino Go LBR
oh man i forgot about terry strine.
This guy does not think before he speaks and that is an issue. Just like the issue last year at the U of DE.
He takes too much from the corporate sector.
Suggestion: consider using some unique tag for all these endorsement posts so they’re easy to find. This one’s tagged “Delaware”, the Matt Meyer one is tagged “National”, and clicking either tag brings up a bunch of posts that are irrelevant when I just want to know who you endorse for each race.
Expect a much larger than average vote turnout in Wilmington for the primary due to the mayor’s race which I think is where this race gets decided. I like Lisa a lot and I think she’ll win – but I’m not at all sure this is the best outcome. I wish she had decided to run for a different office where she could make a difference locally.
Wait, so people living and working IN Delaware support Bryan? Tell me how that’s worse than an outside lobby like EL or VV pouring money into a campaign?
You know what wins campaigns? Money. You know who has money? Lawyers.
I’m sure every candidate would love to tout that their average contribution is $27, but in a State whose population is less than a million that’s not really feasible.
I would rather have a candidate supported by Delawareans than an empty suit propped up by contributions from Hank in Omaha.
I would rather have a candidate supported by Delawareans than an empty suit propped up by contributions from Hank in Omaha.
Your problem, of course, is that candidates reach out to their networks to fundraise. There are plenty of Delawareans whose networks are pretty broad and pretty diverse. It is probably suicide for a new candidate for a big office to just decide that they will only take money from Delawareans. That kind of campaign doesn’t get off the ground too quickly. Having a strong network of supporters is an asset every place else.
Let’s see, Delaware incorporates what, 85% of U.S. companies? And Delaware has a gazillion or something corporate attorneys? Who needs to go out of Delaware to read between those lines!
“Expect a much larger than average vote turnout in Wilmington for the primary due to the mayor’s race which I think is where this race gets decided.”
The mayor’s race was just as contentious four years ago and it drew just over 10,000 voters. I didn’t make up that number. For comparison, 20,000 in Wilmington voted in the November general election, when the winner of the mayor’s race was a foregone conclusion.
“Who needs to go out of Delaware to read between those lines!”
Most corporate legal work is civil in nature. What’s your point?
Not sure. This blog sure does get a lot of commenters using some form or variation of anonymous. It’s getting hard to keep track of who’s who!
You said something about corporate lawyers and reading between the lines. I just wanted to know what you read there. You might have skipped a line.
Yes, Wilmington is full of corporate lawyers, and the city government would quickly go broke without them. I’m no fan of corporations, but much of this legal work involves one corporation suing another, and the lawyers take a chunk out of both hides, so there’s that. And every level of government gets its cut, too. Somebody has to pay the freight around here.
The courts, particularly the federal court, are the cornerstones of Wilmington’s economy. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, slippery as it might be.
^ Soixante-neuf
NJ reports Townsend just got the Muslim community endorsement….he has this race in the bag!
I read the endorsement and skimmed the comments. I’ve read campaign stories elsewhere. My question: Has any candidate other than Sean Barney even mentioned foreign policy, especially the use of the military abroad?
This race… and the Lt Gov race for that matter.. are true mysteries. Everyone has their theories, but nobody really knows how this of going to play out.
I’ll be looking to see who has actual humans knocking on the doors of actual Dem primary voters over the next few weeks. As I recall, That’s how Markell beat Carney.
@bruce: This TNJ story illustrates your point — Barney is the choice if you’re voting with foreign policy in mind.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/firststatepolitics/2016/08/15/congressional-debate-differences-appear-foreign-policy-thinking/88389350/
Just BTW, Rochester is the only one of the three who’s squishy about supporting the Iran deal. That makes her the least, not the most, progressive of these three candidates.
So much of Barney’s money is out of state. Can’t support that if he doesn’t have much Delaware support. Maybe he can shoot for a county row office after this defeat.
Chris I have to admit , reading your comments LMAO!!! Well put
As a ‘newbie’ to this site (this is my 2nd post), I have to say I’m a bit surprised by the amount of vitriol I’m seeing. I would hope that we, as liberals, could discuss stuff like intelligent adults and respect others opinions, even if we disagree with them.
Now, my 2 cents on this issue. Bryan has been my State Senator since I moved to DE, and I have to admit that I been thrilled with his representation, and am a strong supporter of his, and have been since he announced his candidacy for Congress.
I have always been suspect of the opinions of those who are one issue voters; they have a bad habit of throwing the proverbial baby out with the proverbial bathwater. Bryan has been a strong supporter of LGBT rights (one of my primary issues, as I am gay), human rights in general, is opposed to the death penalty, and done all the right things as my representative in the State Senate. I’ve spoken to him on numerous occasions, and I find him bright, enthusiastic, and committed to doing the right thing. THAT is why I am supporting him.
As for the other candidates, I have numerous reservations about them. The only ones who count are Lisa Blunt-Rochester and Sean Barney, as the polls show that these are the 3 viable candidates in the race.
Sean Barney is a nice guy, I’m sure, and I am thankful for his service to our nation in the armed forces. However, I was totally unimpressed with his disastrous run for Treasurer two years ago. He came across as completely unqualified for the job as opposed to his Republican opponent, and he only won the primary because he was running against a corrupt incompetent in Flowers. Pretty poor resume here.
Lisa Blunt-Rochester sounds like a very competent candidate and someone I could definitely support in the future. However, as she has no real record to support her positions, and as I really don’t know where she stands on many issues, I can’t see why we would support her over someone with a proven progressive track record like Bryan.
I also cannot put any stock in all this malarkey (sorry, Joe!) about Bryan having a lot of corporate attorney’s supporting him. He IS a corporate attorney, for God’s sake! Would we be surprised if a teacher was running for public office and was supported by teachers? Should we be surprised that Sean is being backed by his fellow veterans? Believe it or not, attorney’s are people, too (and yes, I HAVE eaten with some!). They are not all money grasping crooks. As long as there are corporations, there will be corporate lawyers, that’s the way of the world, and we should not be disparaging a profession just because we don’t like big corporations. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who own very small ‘mom & pop’ LLC’s who need corporate attorneys just to shift through the legal process (for the record, I am NOT a lawyer, nor have I ever owned a corporation. I worked for NYS for over 30 years as a teacher, a human rights specialist, and with the NYS Tax Dept.).
In my opinion, Bryan is not ‘the lesser of 3 evils’, he is the real deal, a progressive Democrat, and, while I may not agree with him on every single issue, I KNOW that we will be proud of him as our member of the House of Representatives.
Thanks for that thoughtful comment. The vitriol is mostly from people who have an immediate and tangible stake in the outcome of the primary. Also, I agree with your tale on Sean Barney. That loss to Simpler haunts my thoughts.
@Joe, maybe a minor point but Barney didn’t win the Dem Treasurer primary, Flowers dropped out a week or two before the primary.
Rufus, point taken, and many thanks, you are correct. Flowers did drop out, but after the deadline for his name to be removed from the ballot. In any event, he did humanity a favor by going away and fading into obscurity he so richly deserves.