A Pre-Post-Mortem
To me, this is the lede that must not be buried:
The Delaware Democratic Party, DSEA, and several other groups of whom you might expect better, endorsed Bethany Hall-Long for Governor even though they knew about her violation of campaign finance laws and other various and sundry unethical activities.
They knew, at least in part, because virtually BHL’s entire campaign team quit after she refused to exit the race following the reveal of her and her husband’s commingling of campaign funds with their personal finances. This happened well before the endorsements were made, but well after BHL’s refusal to release the Audit That Wasn’t An Audit.
This is why ‘the rats’ like Val Longhurst, Stephanie Hansen and so many others immediately scrambled to protect BHL: Because they, like Bethany, have personally benefited from the casual corruption that represents the Delaware Way: Jobs they don’t deserve, piles of someone else’s money at their disposal, power for power’s sake. That is what support of BHL is all about–protecting their ill-gotten turf. They, and BHL, have been enabled by the likes of Anthony Albence of the Department of Elections and State Auditor Lydia York, who have slow-walked information that would deep-six what remains of her campaign.
All these people know that BHL is corrupt, and yet they instinctively circle the wagons around her.
The Delaware Democratic Party, as we know it as a legal entity, is beyond redemption with its current leadership. (BTW, didja know that Betsy Maron only contributed to one legislative campaign this year?: A $600 max check to Our PAL Val Longhurst. A long way from the blue collar working-class roots of Betsy’s dad.) Editor’s Note: This post has been edited to remove a reference to ‘someone’s kid’ who a commenter suggested might be akin to casting aspersions on a non-public person. No such aspersions were intended.
We know that DSEA, under its current leadership, ignored its rank-and-file in endorsing BHL. We know that they have ignored requests from members to revisit the endorsement.
Pretty much Bethany’s entire campaign has been ‘endorsed by Democrats, endorsed by teachers’. I have a feeling that, come tomorrow, Democrats and teachers will put the lie to those claims.
After which, there must be an absolute housecleaning of those entrenched sell-outs who have protected their own turfs at the expense of the public and the Party. Real Democrats must reclaim the Party from the cynical insiderism that pervades it, and teachers must reclaim DSEA from, well, the same sort of cynical insiders.
Oh, and lest you wonder, it all starts by voting for anybody other than BHL tomorrow.
I have eliminated the sentence that has so offended a Certain Someone.
I want to make sure that, in NO WAY does this post now suggest that someone related to the Party chair who has interned with Carney and Coons who represents developer interests with governments, AND is a registered lobbyist with the Delaware Public Integrity Commission, is a public person.
We square now?
Man, the (one would hope) final mail piece from BHL is quite something.
She (or perhaps more likely Jimmy Maravelias) steals from Kamala Harris:
“Let Matt Meyer Know We’re Not Going Back!”
When We Fight, We Win!!!”
She (or Jimmy M) calls him MAGA Matt.
When one thinks of it, the stealing is a non-story. Not after she and her husband have stolen signs, have stolen private information, and have stolen anywhere from $30K to $300K of their donors’ money. And have ferried government funds to their transactional partners via a slush fund.
This may well be the most relentlessly corrupt campaign in Delaware history. Even her supporters know this. Everybody but that dim-bulb of a Governor, that is.
I don’t know anything about the aforementioned young lawyer, but i can say with some certainty that his mom and grandpop are the 2 worst Dem chairs in my 52 years of voting in Delaware:). They can do rock paper scissors for number 1 worst.
Disagree about John.
Man, we had some bad ones.
Joe Farley comes to mind.
Agree to disagree but Farley is a strong contender:)
The ad was paid for by the Building Stronger Communities Third Party PAC, meaning all those union laborers in New Jersey had their funds hijacked to satisfy the personal animus of one Jimmy Maravelias.
I think even primal scream therapy is cheaper.
If Matt meyer and Marcus Henry win maravelis should be run out of town as soon as possible. He will have lost all influence, done.
Moreover, Betsy Maron, one of the most ineffective Democratic leaders in recent memory should resign.
Tomorrow will be fun for many reasons.
I don’t understand why everyone is picking on BHL for either incompetence or fraud. It is not like she gave her daughter a job.
Yep, Party couldn’t WAIT to get KMG out of office, and they were correct to do so.
Same party, same leaders, have closed ranks around BHL, whose misdeeds far exceed anything that McGuiness did.
Voting for Matt Meyer tomorrow and hoping for the best, as noted little has changed and the bad actors remain entrenched. Such is life and Delaware politics.
The endorsement videos are pretty bleak.
Hamas hasn’t published as many hostage videos as this lady has over the past few weeks.
Hamas isn’t as desperate.
Well done. I Lol’ed.
I’m loving Matt Meyer’s Hello Kitty t-shirt. Someone needs to tell BHL that your negative advertisements aren’t supposed to make people like your opponent more.
Anyone else get a wild last minute anti-Marcus Henry text from KHN? It’s a little late for that.
Voting for George Frankel for New Castle County Council President. like Hoover and Val
but Frankel is the one.
Will vote for Henry and Meyer as well
Which of these candidates will sign a pardon for me to get my voting rights back? That’s who I’m… well, I guess not voting for.
Point of order. That link to “Betsy’s husband” isn’t Betsy’s husband. That person is under 30.
I think Betsy’s husband is semi-retired.
Then it’s her son. Because I brought up the contributions for Maron, and this guy has the same address as Betsy. Doe’s Court in Hockessin.
Yep. Must be her son, Tyler. Her husband’s name is James.
I’ve known Betsy a long time.
Didn’t realize it was THAT long.
LG. How are you feeling right now? Pretty pumped??
We all appreciate your years of service. Have a great rest of the week.
That we do. These party jobs can be thankless jobs.
I always appreciated the fact that you were scrupulously fair as County chair.
I think our resident sock-puppet was being facetious. Like I’d be drummed out of politics because I dared try to keep them honest.
That’s how I read that too. MC has been pretty consistent in their tone.
Those of us who know LG know he’s the real deal, and anyone against him probably are just posers.
Cut the crap. This isn’t the place for your flame wars. If you want to confront him, do it elsewhere. Keep it up and out you go.
Fine. These guys have a bad enough day ahead of them. No need for me to pile on.
My day is going to be fine. Y’all think I’m as worked up as you are. I’m not.
In fact, unless my plane crashes tomorrow, I think the rest of my week will be fantastic.
Yeah, I think that’s it. I wonder if you want to edit the post or if you intend to bring people’s children into your debate.
“Tyler served as an intern to both Senator Chris Coons and Governor John Carney, working directly with the Governor’s Policy Advisor. ”
I dunno, sounds like a nepo baby in the making to me. People should know about him.
Weird flex.
How so? Do you doubt he’s prepping for a public post?
He literally has nothing to do with this post. As far as I can tell, the only thing he is is a young lawyer with a pair of lawyers as his parents. He isn’t responsible for whatever sins ES thinks his mother has committed. He’s probably still in his 20’s and doesn’t have anything to do with this.
In fact, I’ve known Betsy for a decade and attended fundraisers, etc. and I cannot even remember meeting her husband.
Betsy seems like fair game, but it’s weird to bring spouses and children into a debate about party politics.
“The only thing he is is a young lawyer with a pair of lawyers as his parents.”
Oh, please. One of those lawyers runs the Democratic Party, just like his grandfather did. He’s hardly Joe Schmo.
Here’s his page at Morris James:
https://www.morrisjames.com/people-Tyler-J-Maron.html
You just see a young lawyer because that’s all you’d like us to see. He might be a wonderful person, but that resume tells me he’s going into the family business and/or lobbying. I appreciate knowing that, which I wouldn’t if El Som hadn’t made his mistake.
You can play the naif. I don’t have to.
Is he a public person? Betsy surely is. John Daniello surely is. But Betsy’s son is arguably not a public person. And yet the link up top still suggests that he is somehow casting a shadow on his mother (misidentified as his spouse).
No one is discussing anyone else’s wife, child, parents, etc. on here. You wife and kids are irrelevant to conversations here as are pretty much everyone else’s. The link was an obvious error. Why compound it by being an intransigent asshole?
For the reasons already stated. “Public figure” has nothing to do with it.
I’m not casting any aspersions on him, just pointing out that he’s going into the family business. You’re hardly a disinterested observer, so you ought to back off on who you call an asshole.
Re-read the post. It is casting aspersions on someone purported to be Betsy’s husband, who, nefariously, has some clients. Except it isn’t her husband and if he has clients, he certainly isn’t some high-powered lawyer (quick math puts him somewhere around 26 years old).
And you don’t have to be an asshole to act like one. And coming after someone who has literally done nothing except live his life is assholish behavior and you keep doubling down on it.
I’m not responsible for what someone else wrote. Re-read the byline again. If he wants to fix it he can.
For my part, I wouldn’t have known about this kid if it weren’t for the error, and I’m glad I do now. I’ve watched nepo babies enter Delaware politics, on both sides of the aisle, for a long time, and I’m glad to keep my eye out for another one.
What I posted is the very public page he has at Morris James. Does he know you’re minimizing his specialties and experience?
As for who’s dragging this out, let’s see…that would be you.
Now it’s your turn to re-read. I know that ES wrote it. I replied to his comment and you came here to bitch and moan about how it was completely fine to discuss people’s kids. That was your choice.
“People’s kids” is not what I discussed. One kid. One very well connected kid. Stop pretending otherwise.
Look at his page again. You think a guy whose area of expertise is legislative, who cites his ties to Coons and Carney, isn’t fair game for a blog about Delaware government? Get serious.
Just got back from, you know, campaigning.
Just love to see my every syllable parsed. Believe me, most are not worth parsing.
Yes, it’s true, Tyler Maron is not Betsy’s husband, he’s her son.
He’s not a kid. He’s an attorney who, by his own linked bio, seeks to help developers cut through regulation.
Which is indeed a far cry from John Daniello’s working class roots. Oh, and he emphasizes his practice in ‘governmental affairs’. BTW, no aspersions were cast.
Saw this on local Coast TV tonight in Sussex County and may be interest to some. CoastTV Anchor Madeleine Overturf sits down with Democratic Governor candidates Bethany Hall Long tand Matt Meyer o talk about her 2024 campaign.Both were asked about the negative ads and got some pushback from the Anchor. Both are about 17 minutes.
https://www.coasttv.com/news/bethany-hall-long-talks-2024-campaign/video_325498d2-137b-5b8d-9bd0-141f38e00f5f.html
https://www.coasttv.com/news/matt-meyer-breaks-down-his-2024-campaign/video_26370735-e1fc-597c-8f2d-cd03e18b5f50.html
Just finishing up Matt’s interview. Gonna listen to BHL’s next.
That anchor is a good interviewer.
Couldn’t finish BHL’s. She only lied when her lips moved.
Victimology as a campaign crutch.
Call the wahmbulance. “Negative ads” is a catch-all, and if people can’t tell the difference between made-up bullshit and calling out a crook, that’s on them. Grow the fuck up. Life is still nasty and brutish, it’s just not short anymore, unless you’re on Medicare Advantage.
Ba Dum Tiss.
Good Morning to everyone except Bethany Hall-Long and her campaign of morons.
Went to vote in Eastern Sussex this morning at 9am, and people were trickling in slow and steady. None of the other Karens I chatted with knew anything about BHL’s campaign finance woes, not even the BHL poll worker.