The Speculative Attorney General Political Thread
Because politics abhors a vacuum. Who do you like? Who do you think will run on both sides? Who do you want to tout? This is the place for it.
I’ll start. I don’t know who will run, but I do believe that there is one prospective candidate who is clearly the most qualified. And, not for the first time, I’m in total agreement with Rufus Y. Kneedog. That person is Kathy Jennings. What people tend to forget is that being an effective AG requires being an effective administrator. Nobody in Delaware has more experience in ensuring the smooth operation of a Department of Justice than Jennings. While working for Matt Denn, she was responsible for all state prosecutions and, according to the News-Journal, ‘supervise(d) a staff of more than 250 people’.
County Executive Matt Meyer recently appointed Jennings as his Chief Administrative Officer. So, perhaps the timing would not be optimal for her to run. However, the time really wasn’t optimal for Denn to leave the Lieutenant Governor post to run for AG. My one question regarding Jennings is whether she is a candidate at heart. Maybe she prefers to be an administrator. However, should she choose to run, she would be a formidable candidate. And she may already be fed up with having to deal with Karen Hartley Nagle, so maybe the door’s open.
That’s my take. What’s yours?
I’ll be fascinated to see what people think.
As Jason said in his intro to the Denn announcement, you can’t blame anyone for deciding to take a breather from all this mess. Wears me out, small as my contributions might be.
But I’m moving towards the ‘it’s decided in a room, I just never get an invitation” point of view, the more I play. Certainly people just TOLD me who was supposed to get every vote at the state convention. Sometimes I think that’s because they’re more informed on qualifications, sure. But sometimes I think it’s because I’m just not on the memo. It amused me that Matt apparently didn’t put the current state chair on his memo. I suspect there was a lot of talking in that room, after.
And, what the everloving is up with Labor? When the WNJ is writing about trivialities like who is (or is not) running the government, you know it’s having an impact. There must be a balloon launch somewhere, after all.
I’m just hoping the result of all this is not another round of special elections.
Brooke is expressing the ennui I was about to express echoing SussexAnon from a previous thread.
How does Jennings look to the REAL shot callers? (You know they guys that wear $2k suits that sometimes sit at the front of the Dem Dinner if someone famous shows up yet you never see them anywhere else, who always give us centrist pro-business practically 80’s republicans for the statewide seats)
Of course, the key is to stop them from calling the shots.
Grassroots, pipples…
A lot of times the ones who might be very good at the job make POOR candidates. Different skill set.
I do want someone strong and independent and will do the right thing, not the usual DELAWARE WAY !!!
But who is going to agree on what “the right thing” is? You couldn’t put 20 people who write and comment on this blog in a room and get agreement on every issue…much less on the order the issues should be addressed.
So anyone elected is going to disappoint (at the least) or completely piss off (far more likely) some percentage of the people laughingly referred to as their ‘base.” When you add in having to pull at least a few swing voters, or across the aisle moderates, you’ve set a task that is impossible.
Anyone who correctly identifies it as such might seriously consider some line of work that pays better and costs less. Hence the rise of mediocrity.
Kathy Jennings has testified in the General Assembly in support of the death penalty. So that would seem to disqualify her from getting support from most of the progresssive community. and she supports habitual offender laws. She’s not progressive, FYI. The Attorney General isn’t a manager or administrator – the state needs someone with a progressive vision and strong leadership. It’s like cooking – the results you get from a 5-star chef or someone who only follows a crockpot recipe.
Heard @ Dover City Hall last night that Sean Lynn was sending invites to join an exploratory committee.
Just what we need!
I actually believe this rumor. Three different millennial political junkie types mentioned his name to me in the last two weeks. This is a bad sign.
As is consistently displayed all over all culture, millennials have horrible taste.
One person’s purity test is another person’s job interview.
Sean Lynn is one of the very few bona fide progressives on virtually every issue in Dover. Explain to me again why he’s deserving of scorn.
I believe it’s Sean Lynn’s progressive bona fides that GOP2018 objects to.
Sean Lynn is one of the most intelligent and caring people that has ever served as an elected in this state. He is highly qualified, cerebral, progressive and realistic about the limitations of pure idealism. He would make a fine AG who supports and does not surreptitiously oppose fairness and transparency. An AG who would not be reluctant to render opinions when requested by the General Assembly and I know for a fact that he understands and appreciates the separation of powers. He understands the limitations of DOJ to independently spend taxpayer money without regard for the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the General Assembly to vote on all such disbursements. He knows and has practiced the law of Delaware in Delaware. The cops and the eye for an eye, (put them all to death) seekers would fight tooth and nail against him. The status quo party apparatus would vigorously oppose him, but he is of that special character that could prevail. I would endorse him for that office in a heartbeat if he chooses to do so. No purity test here, just good old-fashioned appreciation for an intelligent and genuinely caring public servant.
Representative John Kowalko
RE, the gravity of your Gen X cynicism is so strong nothing can escape it. You’re practically a black hole.
The resurrected corpse of Eugene Debs could be running for AG and I bet you would be complaining about him being a “middle manger type”.
The first sentence of Sean Lynn’s banner on his Facebook page mentions growth & attracting jobs. How’s that any different than Carney? First fucking line of his “branding statement” or whatever you kids are calling it.
You’re just upset that you have terrible taste. It’s ok. I can teach you.
Kowalko’s comment resonates with me because I trust him. Like Al said the other day, candidates convince voters, not the other way around.
Seriously, RE? Maybe you should spend more time reading about what he does in the General Assembly than what’s on his Facebook page. Equating him to Carney shows intellectual laziness. You need to get out of your own head every now and then.
Check out pretty much any Pre-Game/Post-Game piece and you’ll find out a lot more about Lynn. It’s all right here at Delaware Liberal.
It was a question. I’m not equating him to Carney. I will say I don’t like the branding.
The idea that you don’t think I know anything about what Lynn does or what I’m doing is mistaken.
If you’re looking for a love fest I know another Delaware political website you can visit.
Let’s see if Lynn runs. Let’s see what he runs on. Then decide who to vote for. You lot have love in your eyes. Very sappy. It’s been my experience that that is usually a bad sign.
Hey, I’m not prepared to vote for Lynn yet. I’d like to know if Bryan Townsend is going to run. I DO know that, based on both of their public records, they offer a lot.
The ‘get outside of your own head once in awhile’ suggestion is constructive criticism. I do think that sometimes it can be a negative for what otherwise is usually strong analysis on your part.
That’s fair enough. I think there’s this idea that I’m not open to these people. I am.
I’m a cynical, pessimistic curmudgeon. I understand that. However, I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything is the thing. Candidates need to convince me. I’ll compromise when I cast my ballot. Before then, no.
How about Ian McConnel, who was chief deputy under Beau Biden (before Jennings took the role under Denn); former state solicitor; and former head of the fraud unit? Denn became attorney general because he was higher up in the Democratic food chain than McConnel: the establishment wanted to make Denn AG, after he did NOTHING as lieutenant governor (and even though he had no trial experience). McConnel had staffed the AGs office and had run it when Biden was sick. He’s the most qualified — much more so than Jennings — and a former Marine to boot!
Keep the names coming.
Ian McConnell would be an excellent choice. He ran a very tight ship when Biden was on leave and he hired some of the key people, like Matt Lintner, a Stanford law grad/potter Anderson partner, to run the consumer protection division. Jennings used to report to McConnell, when Biden was Attorney General. She might be good, but McConnell did the job of attorney general when Biden was sick. He knows the people there. He ran the place before morale started to suffer under Denn and many people started to leave. McConnell would need no training whatsoever…
Ian McConnell would be great. Ex military guy. Smart and would do the job with honor. If Sean Barney (Please don’t run Sean!!!!!) doesn’t run him over, Ian would be great. But he would have to give up a big corporate paycheck at CSC.
Well, McConnel would have to run. Running is hard. I’m not aware of his ever having run for anything. Same for Jennings, although talk of her running went back as far as when she worked with Charles Oberly.
That’s not to say that neither has a chance, but we don’t know how they’ll do as candidates, or if they have the fire in the belly to do so. Although the nascent McConnel boomlet could well have some activity behind it as I sense something somewhat coordinated here.
BTW, ‘ex-military guy’ means nothing to me. Barney is ex-military, Carper has military experience. Need I go on?
Agreed. The ex military stuff does not impress me either. I honor the service, but don’t expect me to elect a person just for serving. Sean Barney never quite seemed to grasp that concept both times he was defeated. Need to articulate to the voters you are independent, not beholden to anyone and against the Delaware Way.
Bryan Townsend
William “Bill” Bush
Oberly
That’s just a few of the names I have heard thrown around….that’s in addition to Jennings and Lynn.
While I like Charlie Oberly and his bulldog demeanor (Brandywine HS reference deliberate), the one thing we know is that he will never go after a crooked Delaware politician. As Federal attorney, he was in a unique position to do so, especially with the criminal behavior of the Minner Administration, and he never did so despite a raft of evidence.
In fact, that’s a question I look forward to posing to any and all prospective AG candidates: Will you enable your office to go after those who have abused public office for personal gain?
Let the Townsend love fest begin…
Is Velda Jones Potter an attorney? Asking for a friend…
Seriously, though, what are the criteria/qualifications for the best D candidate?
-can actually run the DOJ (experience working at DOJ, or actually practicing law and managing other attorneys, has the respect of DOJ employees and attorneys)
-can win the election (either has political experience in running/winning statewide and raising money, or will be able to get up to speed quickly)
-a real progressive (anti-DP, pro-decriminalization/legalization, in favor of fair and effective policies that reduce crime/increase public safety that do not result in merely mass incarceration/recidivism)
Not sure anyone mentioned so far meets all of these. Who does?
I know you meant that first line as a joke. If she was an attorney, she’d be too knowledgeable to allow Sam Guy to handle their legal affairs.
It’s up to the electorate to answer the question. I guess my answer would be the person with the most progressive bona fides who can win. Which may be someone different than the most clearly progressive candidate. Or, it may not.
I have two other issues I want to see addressed: (1) are they willing to challenge the Delaware Way corruption that has become epidemic? (2) Are they willing to address social justice by challenging such outrages as civil takings, to use but one blatant example? I know that the AG has to walk a fine line with the cops, but I want an AG who will change the mentality that the cops are above the law.
Brooke: ‘But who is going to agree on what “the right thing” is?’ How about we start by using the new Democratic Party Platform? It is pretty good. Which candidates performance/beliefs most closely align?
Sure, use it.
But that won’t help the candidates/electeds. Because someone whose litmus test is the stand they take on the death penalty is going to vote differently than someone whose core issue is marijuana. And, instead of sharing our half a loaf, we will fight over the scraps.
Or not. Perhaps we will all agree. That would be nice, but I have no money bet on it.