How Pete ‘N Val Snookered Their Caucus–And What It Means
The short answer? They lied. Pete told everyone he was running against Val. Val told everyone she was running against Pete. Then, suddenly, miraculously, on Saturday, they were a team again. It caught most of the caucus flat-footed as there were several scenarios that had been prepared, or at least talked about, to install a more progressive leadership team.
From all reports, it was a long and contentious caucus, with a Festivus-like airing of the grievances where Pete and Val nodded their heads and said they would change. After 14 years in leadership. Right.
Despite getting snookered, the votes were almost there for a leadership change. I’m told that, had Becca Cotto defeated Deb Heffernan, had Shane Darby defeated Nnamdi, and had Frank Burns prevailed, the votes were there. Which reminds me: Matt Meyer, go fuck yourself! Ditto for everybody else who carried this chemical industry enabler on their backs. You’re all chemical industry enablers now.
I don’t have a firm confirmation on this one, but it’s a doozy: Speaker Pete allegedly said that he’d serve as Speaker for one year, would then resign from the General Assembly, and that Val would become Speaker. Needless to say, no such binding contract will ever be signed. Can anyone, under deep cover, either confirm or deny this rumor?
Progressives are aiming a lot of arrows at Sean Matthews, who allegedly played a key role in the scheme to keep the Toxic Twosome in power. He will no doubt be rewarded handsomely for his perfidy. Time for him to be primaried and defeated. I’d rank him somewhere around #6 of those who should be challenged on my initial list:
1. Franklin Cooke
2. Lumpy Carson
3. Stephanie Bolden
4. Nnamdi
5. Bill Bush
6. Sean Matthews
7. Deb Heffernan
That’s just for starters. Will need more time to think about it.
So, what does this mean? It likely means more of the same. Committees engineered to stop progressive legislation from advancing, even after it passes the Senate. Little or no action on police accountability. Little or no action on environmental protection with both Val and Deb playing gatekeeper on such bills. No protection for renters. Maybe, just maybe, legalized pot can overcome the Governor’s likely veto, but I’m not holding my bong breath.
But, most of all, it means that the House will be in the thrall of the impediment known as John Carney, whose views are completely unlike those of, say, the Delaware Democratic Party. The Senate wrested its independence from the Blinkered Bean-Counter last term. The House could have, but opted not to.
One final note, something I’ve emphasized time and time again: You can’t believe anything Pete ‘n Val say. Nothing. Hopefully, the new caucus members have learned their lesson.
Well shit. They got played.
Putting their faith a Valerie Longhurst challenge to Pete was dumb. I think we can all agree on that. It was an unexpectedly naive, rookie move by people like Baumbach, Morrison and others who I never thought of as naive.
Now it is easy to say in retrospect, but even in forespect who says “I trust Valerie Longhurst.” Nobody.
Aieee! The shitty excuse for good government…. It Burns! And tends to stink as well. As noted it’s more of the same. The famed, and hated, Kop Kabal goes one, and on. WTF??? Government should not be based on “They got played”.
Well, Pete ‘n Val also played their ace in the hole–the Fear Card.
I think more education has to be made to the public on the block leadership can put on good and needed legislation. If you are a Rep and you are not part of the solution you are the problem. That caucus has time and again allowed a sexist and racist man to be reelected to the leader of the house. That is a reflection of all of those with tenure in the house. Sean will probably take Mitchel’s spot on JFC in return. A primary for him should be easier than the race I was in. I mean his no votes alone for his district should be able to get him booted out between the gun vote and weed he has got to go. Maybe I should go house hunting…
My view, I don’t agree with the “they got played” angle. Because here’s the truth. They shot their shot. It wasn’t like some other secret strategy was available they should have done. It was this or no challenge at all.
Key is to learn the many good lessons from it. And I’m confident those who need to learn them will in fact. Taking a punch and getting back up is what we’ve been doing since 2016.
Seems like it’s working to me.
OK, but.
Did having misguided faith in what Longhurst was saying after the primary preempt finding a better strategy? That’s the misstep in my view.
No. Some people didn’t believe either Pete or Val. But, there weren’t enough available votes once Pete and Val sprung their plan.
Hopefully, those who believed them have learned their lesson.
And, if you look at that list of D’s who should be primaried, there are some excellent targets.
You guys are following this, I’m not, but from what’s been presented here it seems they did get played, in that they were going to support someone who has never once even pretended to be progressive. How is that the wrong read?
It’s not. Val was the bigger liar of the two, and she even threw some $$’s to progressive candidates (who she knew who would win, but still).
She’s a REALLY GOOD liar. Common sense would say that she can only get away with it once, but it didn’t work like that.
REV I like your analysis best. I also don’t see this as necessarily dispositive of the Session, you have Madinah, and Morrison and Ms. Romer who got to see this useless piece of dung campaign on the street against them. Karma is a bitch, but she is also patient!