Highlands Bunker – Probably the best one so far
I loved the conversation about how the establishment party is going to try and contend with the progressive wave that is kicking their asses all over the state.
Jason330, Jordyn Pusey, and Tye Grier join Rob and Karl in the virtual bunker to talk about the results of the 2022 state primaries. What were the results, what do they mean, and what happens next?
Show Notes:
Just finished listening. Gotta remove that “probably” from the headline.
Great episode! For those that haven’t noticed, KMG changed her page to “McGuiness for Delaware”
We noticed… lol
“McGuiness for McGuiness” would be more accurate and (if she won whatever race she is considering), it would give her a mandate to do what she really wants to do anyway.
High hopes.
Funny to hear Jorday Pusey’s hostage photo op story.
I was going to call Angie Harris and ask her what was happening during the photo op KMG moment with her at the Labor Day picnic. I didn’t even know if KMG attended based on the lack of her image in any of the other event photos. Harris definitely looked “caught” and KMG “gotcha” in that moment.
KMG will not go down quietly but she did very likely give us enough juice to guarantee an end of the reign of Pete Schwartzkoft, so thanks for that.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Officer Schwartzkopf, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
What the hell does KMG have on him? We all know what she has on Ernie but why would the most powerful man in the state legislature throw away everything for her?
My theory: He was besotted by love and played for a sucker–much like Emil Jannings’ teacher fell for Marlene Dietrich’s nightclub chanteuse in Josef Von Sternberg’s “The Blue Angel”.
Good episode, though I don’t know that I’d call it the best (I seem to recall episode 3 being a real banger)
I think we’ve already seen the shape the Establishment counterpunch is going to take in Becca’s race. Lots of special interest money was poured into that district, Establishment House Dems were out in force on election day and earlier (both Krista Griffith and Bud Freel were poll greeting for Deb at Lombardy Elementary and Bud had a Nnamdi shirt on underneath his Deb shirt), and there was clear, concerted effort to get Republicans to switch parties in order to stop Becca. The Route 40 corroder might be lost for the Establishment, but I think they view places north and west of Wilmington as their domain and they’ll fight to keep it in moderate hands.
I’ll be very curious to see what they do in Mike Ramone’s and Mike Smith’s district and whether they’ll be multiple Democratic candidates running representing the branches of the party.
Well, Larry Lambert already handily dispatched Ray Siegfried. And it took a special interest village to rescue Deb Heffernan’s sorry ass.
Will she run in two years? Will she even be ABLE to run in two years? If not, Becca’s already got 1200 ID’d supporters in the bank.
The senators in that area are pretty progressive. Sarah McBride, Kyle Evans Gay, and Laura Sturgeon.
Much like RD14 is a liberal oasis a conservative desert, RD7 is a working class island in the middle of a whitebread middle-class ocean. Claymont shifts the gravity there.
And yeah, Deb may well be on her last legs and the counterpunch won’t be unstoppable, but I think if we keep thinking every moderate will be taken down like a Viola or Jaques we’re going to be in for a rude awakening. I think the days of Establishment Dems not bothering to campaign or having mobility issues that prevent them from door knocking are coming to a close.
As to your last point, I think that brings up an interesting question: with Schwartzkopf leadership being increasingly unable to block or kill progressive bills from coming to a vote, how will Dems who were elected before 2020 start behaving and voting? I know and have work/campaigned for all the women you mention and I think they’re all great, but I think it’s going to be interesting to see where the progressive/moderate fault lines start shifting from here on in.
Great comment. You are right. The “progressive” campaigners might have some sleepless nights when they have to vote for progressive agenda items. I think McBride shows how to thread that needle. It is all about paying for it.
And this is (below) what I was trying to get at in the episode. There is no way the establishment is going to continue to put up bewildered stiffs and retired cops. A pushback is coming.
Right I think you’re going to see a lot of candidates who are younger, are savvy with social media, have nice families that look good on a website or a lit piece, and who are good on things like Abortion and LGBTQ issues but who fight tooth and nail any legislation that raises taxes.
Forgive the use of crassly overused term, but the Overton Window is shifting leftward here in Delaware, especially on social issues. The distinction between who is a progressive and who is not is going to become much less clear, and the fights it’s going to cause are going to get very messy.
True. Except–Larry won in a district that was pretty whitebread before redistricting. Graylyn Crest, Kingsridge, the Ardens, Hilton, Meriden, and the like. It’s now a solid D district with more of Claymont and more racial diversity.
However, Sean Matthews is straying from the reservation and could be subject to a D challenger in 2024. And Deb’s district is poised to elect a more progressive D if she doesn’t run in 2024.
RD7 was certainly *more* whitebread than it was before the redistricting but Claymont was always (or at least since 2012) the majority there, population-wise. Claymont is much denser than all the surrounding neighborhoods. Even with low turnout compared to the rest of the district, the Claymont EDs just swamped all the other EDs.
And, with no shade against Ray Siegfried as a person or a legislator, I think he just ran a pretty lackluster campaign.
Something to keep in mind: The areas that are now voting for moderate Democrats were electing moderate (or worse) Republicans 20 years ago. Before 2000 the entire northern tier of the state, every district along the Pa. border, was represented by Republicans, though as Joshua notes, Claymont has always stood apart from the rest of that territory.
I believe, though I don’t have the data to prove it, that the kind of people who moved below the canal, ostensibly for larger, cheaper building lots but just as often to flee the desegregated school districts busing created, turned that area more Republican while draining the northern tier of its more conservative elements.
So it’s not surprising that these areas aren’t progressive. The marvel is that they’re Democratic in the first place. If you had told me 30 years ago that Greenville/Centerville would elect a Democrat, any Democrat, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Percy Bysshe Shelley — Poster boy for the Working Families Party. Could do worse, although I’m not sure he ever had an actual job.
I was at my place in Ocean View for a few days this week. I looked fo Pete at both of his breakfast spots on Monday and Tuesday, no dice. I was really looking forward to continuing our conversation from Election night:)
HA! Love it.
Get his ass
Just scored a ticket for the Jamboree. Gonna rock my MWA shirt! And give Russ Huxtable a check!
I wonder if Pete and/or Kathy are showing their faces at the Sussex County jamboree tomorrow. It will be interesting.
They will show, no doubt. Watch out for photo hostage moments!
It’s a brazen world over there.
Oh pleasepleaseplease. I have the PERFECT music for the occasion.
The future ex Speaker was not amused. Told me I had a short memory and wouldn’t do a selfie with me in my MWA shirt. I told him my memory was fine and reminded him that I got him a key endorsement that was big on getting him past the R front runner , Mike Meoli in 2002. Bullies hate to be challenged , F him!
Did KMG show? Was she with Pete?
My informants tell me she did not.
No need for informants she was not there. Lydia was front and center and warmly received. Pete opened the with comments about how great the last session was.
Event was snubbed by Coons , Carper and Carney. Highest electeds we’re BHL and LBR