Carper is Stonewalling Calls to Divest
Dem Senator Carper is now just trying to run out the clock and pray September 6th hurries up and gets here.
Each day looks worse for Carper and local and national news outlets continue to examine his execrable record. Today it is the fact that Carper talks big about fighting the opioid epidemic, but the fact is that has received major campaign donations from the very companies his state is suing over their role in the crisis.
The Harris campaign was quick to make an issue of it:
“I call on Carper to immediately return campaign contributions from opioid companies and to divest of those investments,” says Harris. “Other lawmakers, including Carper’s colleague Claire McCaskill, have done the same.”
Meanwhile, seven hours into the controversy, the Carper campaign is flummoxed and stonewalling the challenger’s call for some semblance of alignment between what Carper says and what he does.
If he makes it through today without commenting, I think the 3 day weekend probably gives him enough breathing room to maintain the stonewall through primary day.
From an election “X’s & O’s” perspective, you can’t say that his strategy of running out the clock and praying that September 6th hurries up and gets here is a bad one.
Carper’s strategy probably correct. Most of the media attention has been progressive/national/specialty. Folks like us get pumped up over the issue, but it’s not a big deal to John Q. Voter.
WDEL, State News and News Journal aren’t going to follow it every day, press him for answers and see if he does anything. Even if they did, holiday weekend papers (and radio) reach fewer readers(listeners) than normal.
Hope I’m wrong.
MW is right. The time to push this line of attack out was a month ago. I think this is too late. Kerri’s team knew about this stuff months ago, but seems to have kept their powder dry for a last-minute push. Too bad.
In fairness, the article came out Friday morning with this information.
https://readsludge.com/2018/08/31/vowing-to-fight-epidemic-delaware-senator-takes-money-from-opioid-makers-sued-by-his-state/
I guess we’ll see next week.
One of the interesting unknowns here is the influence/effort put forth by the traditional D establishment — labor unions, especially DSEA. They’ve endorsed Carper — that’s the Delaware Way thing to do — but will they go all out in pushing their members to the polls to vote for Carper? Or will they sit on their hands? Blue-collar union workers have a lot to like about Kerri. Same with Millennial teachers still paying off their college loans. If the union rank and file decides not to play follow the leader, the endorsements could become quite hollow.
Six days time.
MW, those endorsements will ring hollow regardless. They were made months ago when only a select few even thought that a serious challenge to Carper was possible. They were the obligatory ‘we’ve endorsed you, now please don’t screw us’ endorsements.
There is no earthly reason from a policy perspective for the rank-and-file to want Carper to win…unless they dream of a $9 minimum wage.
“One of the interesting unknowns here is the influence/effort put forth by the traditional D establishment — labor unions,….”
I remember the Carney/Markell primary. The unions were standing around some polling places with Carney stickers, but didn’t seem to into it. I guess we’ll see.
You’re so right, Jason. We were phone banking like crazy for Markell, and the union had paid members to hand out lit and hold signs. They weren’t into it at all.
An army of teachers sure as shit ain’t going to the wall for Carper. Pretty sure that Harris will win the majority of their votes.
Carper presided over the formation of the white flight charter schools which devastated public education, and the teachers know it.