Delaware State News Highlights Carper’s Support from Out of State PACs
Kerri Harris’ ability to clearly define who Tom Carper is during this primary has been world class. I mean, Kent County Democrats waking up to this on the front page of the State News isn’t something anyone could have predicted.
Challenger takes aim at Carper over PAC money
DOVER — The Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate is a study in contrasts, particularly when it comes to the influence of big money on the American political system and how the candidates view corporations.
The Sept. 6 election features three-term incumbent Sen. Tom Carper and challenger Kerri Evelyn Harris, pitting the party’s liberal wing against those who prefer an approach based more on centrism.
Through the first six months of 2018, Sen. Carper has outraised his opponent about 19-to-1, collecting just over $1 million.
He reported about $1.021 million in donations, compared to the approximately $53,000 raised by Ms. Harris.
The two differ greatly in where they get their money, something Ms. Harris has emphasized in her bid for would what be a titanic upset, perhaps even surpassing tea party favorite Christine O’Donnell beating Rep. Mike Castle in the 2010 Senate Republican primary.
More than half of Sen. Carper’s 2018 contributions came from political action committees, such as those run by companies like Bank of America, Microsoft and Walmart, although the term also includes groups like the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, League of Conservation Voters and Laborers’ International Union of North America.
As of June 30, the latest filing deadline for the Federal Election Commission, Sen. Carper had raised just over $530,000 from PACs, with 99 percent of that coming from out of state.
I have some quibbles with Matt Bittle’s use of “liberal” and “moderate” here but overall all, first rate.
“I am concerned about the influence that these donations had, and will continue to have, on Senator Carper’s decisions regarding legislation and the use of his platform,” she said.
“It has become commonplace for career politicians to take donations from whomever; this has created a unbalanced system in which the average voter has their voice muted by the dollars leveraged by large corporations and the very wealthy. I have committed publicly to refusing corporate money to ensure that even the perception of influence is eliminated from the equation.”
I think the aggregate in-state donations figures breakdown something like:
Carper 13%
Harris 87%
At least this was the breakdown late last week.
I think identifying the people’s candidate and the corporate candidate should be rather straightforward.
I remember a few weeks ago one of our “Sussex” friends mentioned his grandmother in Selbyville… Unless she retired from her job as a managing director at Barclays Bank I think determining the most relatable candidate, the one who most represents the interests of a regular person, is pretty clear.
This is totally unsuprising to us, but when you read this, and consider the case of say Al Franken, it’s wierd.
https://lawandcrime.com/the-great-threshing/we-asked-every-senate-democrat-how-they-felt-about-senator-tom-carpers-admission-he-slapped-his-wife-none-of-them-seemed-to-care/
Franken engaged in some horseplay that was over the line. I have no issue saying that it was creepy and not good.
Carper gave his wife a black eye.
I’m 100% in solidarity with MeToo. But what counts for what is very unclear to me.
I wish one of the ladies at Blue Delaware would take on this case. Maybe give their view.
The one who needs to be confronted with this is Kirsten Gillibrand.
The issue here is corporations using their money to buy laws, elections and politicians like Carper and Coons. The supreme court threw open the gates to this evil game, but it has always been played in less obvious ways. As noted grass roots support can overcome the big money advantage, but it’s far from easy. Expect this will not end in my lifetime.
I do hope the Kerri campaign will text this article out to the primary voters? If they don’t it hurts them badly. This article is manna from a reporter that is reporting the facts.
Just saying.
Can we consider not calling Tom Carper’s positions “centrist”? With Republicans moving to a pay to play model of governance, discussions of left, right and center seem to make little sense at all. When one of the two major parties no longer believes in any semblence of democracy, what is the point of talking left, middle or right? Tom Carper is in the camp that feigns democratic principles in order to coninue to ride high on the waves of rewards reserved for compromised political operatives, i.e. elected officials.
Yeah. In 1990 they had a word for people with Carper’s positions. Republican.
Chris Coons’s first vote as Senator was to vote in favor of tax cuts for the rich.
Carper and Coons not moderates or centrists.; they are conservatives. They are part of that branch of conservatism known as corporate Democrats. They would sooner “reach across the aisle” to a right wing Republican than to a left-of-center Democrat.
Conservative has lost all meaning. The Republican leadership follows some inscrutable formula for whta conservatism is now. The GOP leadership has abondoned every value conservatives used to hang their hats on. It is only about money and who has money to play, both in electoral politics and the use of lobbyists. Neoliberals don’t want to discuss corruption any more than the Republican leadership. Liberals consider it a key topic of conversation since GOP and neoliberal promises are empty relative to the old middle class and the burgeoning poor.
https://twitter.com/pinko_snob/status/1031289414406877184
Of course! I mean when Harris campaign workers are actually feeding the homeless!
Can’t have that….
I think the Carper people are fucking this up about as much as we could hope for. Instead of pretending he’s progressive, which everybody knows he’s not, he should be bragging about bringing home the pork and pointing out that Kerri Harris won’t do that as well as he does.