The intersection of “Open Government Avenue” and “Wind Power Street”
Dave Burris (for his myriad of faults and just wrong-ass shit that he believes) is a credit to his party. The open government movement has taken a huge leap forward this week and he needs, not only congratulations but support.
Having said that – he is still a partisan hack when it comes to pointing the finger of blame for the sorry mess that we are in. Like me, he tends to view the sins of his fellow party members as lesser sins.
He seems willing to give Charlie Copeland and Terry Spence a pass when it comes to being on the take with regard to wind power – just I tend to shrug off McDowell and Thurman Adams’ opposition to open government. [For the record, I once dismissed “open government” something that is important to bloggers but does not resonate much outside of the blogs.]
So where does that leave us? My feeling is that if you pull the lens back on both issues a the truth that comes into focus is that these issues are not so much Repub vs. Dem issues but are “power fossils” vs. everyone else issues.
Democrats need to jump on this bandwagon sooner or later. The funny thing is, the reputation of Republicans is in such sorry shape that, if this thing passes with Dem help, people still won’t believe it was a Republican idea.
Perhaps it’s worth pointing out that Sen. Copeland took part in the two leadership meetings (not open, no public record) that brought the wind power process (very open, extensive public record) to a screeching halt.
Dave Burris will never ever criticize Charlie Copeland and that is a stone cold fact.
Anybody who supports open government should try to get to Leg Hall at 2:00 on opening day of the General Assembly, Jan. 8, 2008. Come and support members of DEFOG (Delawareans For Open Government) as we politely ask our Senators to pass a meaningful FOIA bill for the G.A. That bill would be SB04, sponsored by Senator Peterson and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives. This is a citizens’ issue, not a party issue. Everyone is welcome! DEFOG members will have signs, tee-shirts and buttons available. Ya’ll come!
Lest anyone doubt that this is political posturing masquerading as policy, check out Burris’ saluting of Wayne Smith’s next-door-neighbor Jim Bowers, ‘who really got the ball rolling’.
Rep. Bryon Short, who defeated Bowers (who is not so coincidentally running again), is a sponsor of HB 68, which would have prevented Smith from abandoning his office for a cushy lobbying job. What is Bowers’ position on THAT bill?
Short also is a co-sponsor of HS1 to HB 60, which opens up virtually all legislative meetings to the public, and he is a prime co-sponsor of SB 135 along w/Sen. Peterson, which shines much more sunlight onto FOIA.
Short has proven to be a REAL reformer. Trying to turn a non-entity like Bowers into ‘Mr. Open Government’ shows how blatantly cynical this enterprise actually is.
I totally agree this is political posturing. But it’s a hell of a posture. I think Dems should call their bluff by passing it. And by amending the contract reporting to include all agency contracts, not just schools.
What is a “power fossil?”
__________
“Lest anyone doubt that this is political posturing masquerading as policy….”
It is political but it hardly follows it is only “political posturing masquerading as policy.” If the Repubs are bluffing then the Dems should take Anon’s advice above:
“I totally agree this is political posturing. But it’s a hell of a posture. I think Dems should call their bluff by passing it. And by amending the contract reporting to include all agency contracts, not just schools.’
The problem w/ the Senate Dems is that they won’t even give political posturing to the people of this state. They just give Thurman Adams and his incessant “no” to open government.
There is no way to dodge the plain facts. The Repubs have already gone beyond applying FOIA to the legislature and are now thinking in terms of facilitating affordable and nearly instant records access. They are on levels about this issue that we Dems haven’t even begun to discuss.
All the excuse making in the world, all the evocations of George Bush’s name, all the dismissals of these initiatives as merely political, will not keep us from eventually reaping the neglect we have sown by letting the Republicans take this issue from us.
Let’s face it. We all know what the Dem Party’s plan is: wait until Adams retires or dies. One prominent Dem said it again to me last night. While the Repubs are beating us to death w/ these initiatives, our “initiative” is to rely on time to take out Adams.
That’s pathetic.
It is pathetic, slow and not even very effective. When a person is replaced by father time he is more likley to be replaced by a close likness.
Amen, Jason!!!
“Lest anyone doubt that this is political posturing masquerading as policy, check out Burris’ saluting of Wayne Smith’s next-door-neighbor Jim Bowers, ‘who really got the ball rolling’.”
I deliberately left any reference to Bowers as a candidate off for precisely that reason. He was a driving factor in all of this. He was at the meetings, on the calls. What am I supposed to do, leave him off?
And by the way, since you brought it up, signing your name on to bills as you’re asked is not being a REAL reformer. Hell, HS1 for HB60 had 25 cosponsors and passed unanimously. Come on.
Dave –
Kick Copeland’s ass on wind power one time. Toss me a crumb.
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you Copeland’s position on wind power.
Hey Dave, If Copeland likes windpower get him to tell Russ Larson what he thinks about it.
It probably sounds a lot like Gary Stockbridge’s position on wind power.
Dave once again reveals himself to be little more than a partisan hack. Short took the initiative to sign onto those bills, he wasn’t invited. Short worked closely with Sen. Peterson to develop SB 135, he wasn’t a passive bystander.
And if ‘Open Government’ is such a Republican ideal, why hasn’t the House Republican leadership allowed a vote on HB 68? Is it because there are rats other than Wayne Smith looking for a soft landing in Lobbyland? And if ethics in government is such a Republican clarion call, when will the legislative leaders holding up windpower reveal any involvement they might have with Delmarva? And why are two of the selfsame promoters of this ‘open government’ package two of the people who did the most to stop the windpower initiative? Could it be they wanted to change the subject?
I agree that the ossified Democratic ‘leadership’ in the Senate is a major impediment to genuine reform. But there are Democratic reformers in both house and senate caucuses, which only highlights the hypocricy of turning the release of this package into a partisan political event designed to prop up an undistinguished would-be Wayne Smith sock puppet.