Coward Carney Vetoes End Of Life Legislation

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on September 20, 2024

Alternate Title: ‘Carney’s Discomfort Causes Excruciating Pain For The Terminally-Ill’.

Waited until after the election to even retrieve the bill, then vetoed it almost immediately:

In his veto letter to state lawmakers, Carney said he does not believe there is “firm consensus” on the issue within the medical community.

“Although I understand not everyone shares my views, I am fundamentally and morally opposed to state law enabling someone, even under tragic and painful circumstances, to take their own life,” he wrote. “As I have shared consistently, I am simply not comfortable letting this piece of legislation become law.”

Translation:’I am more comfortable in having people die in excruciating pain because, gosh darn it, I’m just not comfortable signing this.”

A despicable act from a cowardly idiot.   Were there a Delaware Hall Of Shame, he’d be in on the first ballot.

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  1. Alby says:

    Catholics, man. Having invented god they’re now intent on playing him.

    • paul says:

      If you think ANY of the teachings of the itinerant preacher from Galilee survived Emperor Constantine’s rebranding you’d be 100% wrong.

      • Alby says:

        The church we know came later. Jesus was trying to reform Judaism, not found a religion. We have Saul of Tarsus to blame for that.

  2. Jason says:

    Delaware’s arbiter of morality. What a fucking a-hole.

  3. Yaheard says:

    A lazy and petty and stupid man. Disgraceful person whose legacy is basically Bethany Hall-Long. Sadly Wilmington has to deal with him for four years but then he and his sycophants need to truly be drummed out of politics.

    Btw speaking of UD. Isn’t Albert Shields, one of his many dopey yes men, at UD? I wonder if he had anything to do with the auditors report delay. Inquiring minds would love to know.

    • From what I heard, the Auditor’s pretext/excuse for delaying the release of the report was that UD ‘had to sign off’ on it. Whatever that means. They already made clear that they don’t believe the law applies to them.

      Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. You know who can make sure it does? The General Assembly.

  4. Here is the roll call on Baumbach’s HB 140:

    https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?legislationId=130281

    You’ll note that it barely passed in the Senate.

    I think the House vote would have been more lopsided but, if memory serves, there was a funeral that day and several likely ‘yes’ votes were absent.

    But check out the no’s in the House. Some interesting stories there.

    Sean Matthews was a no. He’s gone.

    Franklin Cooke was a no. He SHOULD be gone.

    Michael Smith and Mike Ramone were both nos. I’m sure Nick Beard is already aware of that. Lyndon Yearick was a no, Tracey Miller please note.

    I hope that Matt Meyer puts out a statement stating that passage of this bill will be one of his earliest priorities as Governor. The people overwhelmingly support it, Mike Ramone doesn’t.

    • Steven Fackenthall says:

      Probably a silly question, but generally do legislators share why or why not they voted some way? Clearly this was a popular bill from general public perspective, but do those “no” votes get challenged at all?

      • El Somnambulo says:

        Not a silly question at all. In this case, pretty much everybody who voted no explained why. Mostly religious beliefs and ethical/moral concerns.

        Most didn’t explain why their concerns should be more important than the agonizing choices loved ones are forced to make to accommodate the final wishes of the individual.

  5. The MoMo says:

    The Senate Dems put out a strong statement on the matter, condemning his action and also highlighting how he selectively chose commentary to fit his viewpoint. Unclear on veto override though, I think that is because it goes back to the originating Chamber, meaning Val would have to be willing to take it to Special Session, right?

    • Even so, the votes definitely aren’t there in the Senate regardless, unless some senators have a change of heart. It only passed 11-10.

      D’s voting no: Darius, Spiros, Nicole Poore and Jack Walsh. You’d need three of the four to flip.

      • Polet says:

        Kevin Caneco can take out Nicole Poore. Check out the lines. Seems like very similar districts….

        Just saying of course…

        • BLT says:

          We got rid of Val. Time go focus on ousting senator “Not So Poor.” We can replicate the Kamela and Pinkney campaigns to get rid of her

  6. Joe Connor says:

    Yay for the Delaware way and the sanctimonious progressive/liberals for helping inflict this POS on my city for 4 years!

    • A decent candidate unbesmirched by scandal would have won.

      • mediawatch says:

        Except that none of them wanted to run or they had moved out of the city (e.g., Paul Calistro and Eugene Young).
        In other words, the smart folks had no interest in the job, and that left a choice between one besmirched by scandal and a God-fearing empty suit.

      • Joe Connor says:

        Or maybe the black woman with the black husband who wasn’t on the ballot was held to a different standard than the white dude who used his position to benefit his chamber and donor friends and who nearly destroyed health care for thousands of state retirees and employees. But he at least will go home at night regulary questioning why he decided to move next door;)

        • Puh-leeze. She had her own issues, which were well-chronicled.

          I’d have voted for her, but let’s not outfit her with a halo.

          Someone without those issues likely could have won.

        • Alby says:

          If you’re going to follow your spouse into politics you have to deal with the damage by association. Ask Hillary.

    • Alby says:

      C’mon, Joe, you don’t think having to deal with City Council is punishment enough?

      • mediawatch says:

        To my point … no one with a functioning brain would wish that punishment on themselves.

      • Joe Connor says:

        I do look forward to seeing him deal with Shane’ , Christian and since they tried to ratf**k Colby he will be extra fun. Shane’ endorsed Alexander Hackett as well, so yea you’ve got a point.

  7. bamboozer says:

    I watched my wife die slowly from early onset dementia, as such I ask who benefits from this game? I see the right to choose your own death as a part of Bodily Autonomy, it’s your life, not some politician and not some church. Leave people the hell alone for once, in life and in death.

  8. Pope Adope says:

    Shorter Carney: “Look, I’m a shitty Catholic too!”

  9. stan merriman says:

    My former Church, Gov. Carney and yours apparently, chose to slaughter millions of those they thought infadels in the name of justice and Grace from their Creator.. How do you square that with this primitive ruling of yours?

    • Alby says:

      FWIW, the House Republicans seem happy about it. From their newsletter:

      State Rep. Rich Collins (R-Millsboro) expressed his opposition to the proposal when it was debated in the House in April, saying the option could lead to seniors being coerced into prematurely ending their lives. “I was an insurance agent for 37 years, and I sold life insurance and investments,” he told his colleagues in the chamber. “I had situations during my career where…the children of an older person made it clear they wanted their parents to go because of the money. I have a lot of concerns about some people’s motives.”

      When you’re as lovable and generous as I’m sure these Republicans are, that’s a legitimate worry.

  10. Bane says:

    Another perspective…

    This bill has been stalled in the legislature for more than a decade. It only passed as a going away present for a retiring legislator. Now we’re acting like its the building block of Democratic government. GTFOH…. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”

    Is it cowardice to veto something that he told the legislature repeatedly that he’s against? Everyone was well aware that Catholic John was never signing an assisted suicide bill and I highly doubt that Wilmington has a large activist assisted suicide demographic that would have lost him the Mayoral election if he vetoed this bill on any day of the calendar year. The legislature could have delivered the bills to him to force him to make a timed decision on them way before the election, but they didn’t. Why? The knew he wasn’t going to sign this. They delivered all of the other bills that they wanted signed before they left for session. But not this one. I think you’re missing the true cowards here because of your disdain for Carney. IMHO

    • KentCoKat says:

      This seems like a rational take. I don’t know the machinations of how bills get from the legislature to the governor. Does the governor have the ability to request when bills are sent over? If so, perhaps more Delaware Way shenanigans from the old guard.

      • Sussex Worker says:

        The time period for signing/not signing/vetoing a bill does not start until the Governor receives the bill. Bills are not sent to the Governor until he requests them. That is how Carney is able to delay action until long after a Session ends.

        • Bane says:

          While it is true that the clock starts when the Governor receives the bill, the legislature can deliver a bill to the Governor to force the clock to start, and they do it regularly. He has 10 days after its delivered to him to make a decision or it automatically becomes law.

    • El Somnambulo says:

      It did NOT only pass as a going-away present for a retiring legislator. It passed because, after a lengthy process, the General Assembly FINALLY had enough humane legislators to pass it. Guess what? There will be even MORE legislative supporters of the bill come November. So, it will be passed, likely in January, and Gov. Matt Meyer will sign it. A prospective Governor Mike Ramone would almost certainly veto it b/c he consistently opposed the bill while in the House.

  11. Beach Karen says:

    I believe there’s going to be a three-week period after Carney is sworn in as Mayor where BHL steps in as Governor to fill the gap. Could or would BHL have signed that bill during her short stint in the Governor’s Office?

  12. Carneyage says:

    Bashing Catholics is bigoted and shitty. Just like most Jews don’t promote the homophobia of the Old Testament and most Muslims don’t embrace the Quranic passages which call for beating your wife if she doesn’t bend to your will after three requests, most Catholics are not behind what Carney did.

    Carney’s religion never precluded him from supporting reproductive choice. I want to know what this was really about and who benefits.

    • Alby says:

      The American Medical Association opposed it. I’m not cynical enough to suggest that maybe they want to prolong patients’ suffering while the medical bills pile up. Or maybe I am.

      • Carneyage says:

        I was thinking the same thing.

        And given that he was petty enough to endorse Eugene Young out of spite toward the McBride family (nothing against Eugene, it’s just that Carney always goes with the anointed candidates like Sarah), it could be anything.

        Money, a grudge, a favor, hmmm

        • Bane says:

          Maybe he was supporting the person that he hired and worked with. Didn’t know Sarah was entitled to his support over Eugene. Why don’t you just say the quiet part outloud.

          • El Somnambulo says:

            Oh, bullshit. Carney’s enmity for McBride, and vice versa, is well-known. It’s why, when she made her floor speech on behalf of paid medical and family leave, she mentioned that the bill could have, and SHOULD have, been even better had Carney not threatened to veto it.

            • MC says:

              I’m genuinely confused. What’s the quiet part? Why don’t you say it out loud?

              I personally find it amusing that Carney apparently thought his endorsement would result in Bethany winning. Houghton was going around saying he would “carry her body” over the finish line.

              How’d that work out? Lol.

  13. MC says:

    Im not surprised that John carney did something shitty because that’s what he does. Sadly the city of Wilmington will be deprived of leadership for four years – but very thankfully the state will have a governor who will actually do things now. And hopefully a governor and general assembly who will take a look under the hood at what they’ve been up to and hiding for the past 8 years. I suspect there’s a lot.

    Regardless, no one will ever remember John Carney. He will be an obligatory mention in the history books, and that’s it, because he accomplished nothing…. Spare breaking the back of Delaware way from the weight of his neglect and hubris. And we can be thankful for that.

    By the way. Did he ever issue a statement after his corrupt loser of a lt governor – who he endorsed and did tv ads for – got obliterated a few weeks ago? Or did he just huff and puff and take his ball and go home? What a guy.