High School
From Celia Cohen’s latest:
Ruth Ann Minner was still the governor when the new Delaware General Assembly began in January. The Senate was still refusing to believe that John Carney was not the next governor.
Jack Markell, the guy who was the new governor, was met by the Legislative Hall gang with the sort of smirks usually reserved for substitute teachers. Never mind that Markell and the majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives were Democrats.
How high school is this? As a writer for Delaware Liberal I am not one to criticize banality, gossip and all around juvenile content. Indeed, you will see all three on these pages on a daily basis, as we attempt to maintain a nice balance of the silly and the serious. But this is the very serious and very respected Delaware Grapevine, written by the very knowledgeable Celia Cohen, who had the whole political establishment so upset over her absence from blogging that they bankrolled her return to sycophancy.
Was the political establishment shocked at Markell’s close win over Carney last September? Sure. But does translate into the entire Senate, with all of its constituent 21 members, being so gobsmacked with disbelief that they remained in denial for five straight months? Are they all so petty as to treat a Governor who won with 62% of the vote over the very respected Bill Lee with smirks and snickers? In Celia Cohen’s world, yes. And perhaps in the real world too, there is some of the smugness that is displayed whenever an new kid at high school sits down at the lunchtable. Which brings us back to a recurring theme: high school. Cohen’s columns never left it.
The Democratic majority in the House was new and very raw. Rep. Bob Gilligan, the new speaker, was the only one who had ever served in the majority, back in the 1970s and early 1980s. Neither Gilligan nor Matt Denn, the new Democratic lieutenant governor, had any experience presiding over the floor action. Fortunately for both of them, the high-flung language that flows from their podiums is written down in a script.
So Gilligan has over thirty years of experience in the House, but he can’t handle legislative jargon unless it is written down in front of him? Matt Denn, a lawyer and former Insurance Commissioner, similarly cannot grasp Robert’s Rules of Order unless he reads from a script?
An open government measure empowered the constituency, once Sen. Karen Peterson, a Stanton Democrat, daringly forced a vote with a surprise motion to bring it before the chamber. It was as jarring to the Old Order as Rosa Parks refusing to move to the back of the bus.
Begin Seth Myer’s voice: Really? Comparing the old secretive Delaware Way to southern segregation in the 1950’s? Really? Well, maybe she has a point there. She does that once an a while.
Reading Celia’s high school take on the Delaware Way makes me wonder if she or the practitioners of the Delaware Way are still there. In high school.
While people are parsing Celia, who is basically reduced to writing nostalgia for her septuagenarian readership, could someone please translate this sentence from her take on Uncle Thurm’s funeral into credible English?:
“This was Bridgeville triumphant, maybe the first sane moment in a post-Sept. 11 world.”
Yes, the first sane moment in a post-Sept. 11 world was a funeral harkening back to ‘Our Town’ America.
Really, she didn’t used to be this bad.
Did she?
Fascinating, really.
It’s called setting up the story. Any chipmunk can mock someone else’s prose, I suppose. Most of her comments are fairly defensible. Yes, it’s likely that Denn, like most lawyers, wouldn’t have passed a pop quiz on Robert’s Rules.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if a Senate whose leadership had schooled the previous four governors, driving several of them furious, were ready to welcome this new governor to the NFL with a few head-slaps.
I don’t love the Bville triumphant line, but she has the guts and perseverance to put it out there, under her own name. 1,000 words fairly quickly after adjournment. Try it some time; it’s not easy.
Reminds me of Dana Milbank sniping at Nico Pitney. The exact same “cool kids” high school attitude exists in the national political media. The truth is that establishment hacks like Celia Cohen and Dana Milbank approach their position the same way that paparazzi photographers and celebrity gossip columnists do. It’s all about popularity – talking about popular people makes them popular, and their primary goal is to be popular enough to talk to popular people directly.
Given that the Delaware Way seems remarkably well grounded in the social business of high school, it seems appropriate that The Way’s most ardent documenter write as though chronicling the goings on for the last day of cafeteria.
XS – Analogy misses. The only sniping I hear is at Cohen. Unlike Milbank, who indeed has nestled himself in the establishment, Cohen is a free-lancer, having refused to work further for Gannett. To cavil about “popularity” is nuts: Cohen is a retiring sort who craves no personal spotlight. She turns down TV and radio appearances for which Milbank and his ilk will beg.
Those under 50 may not realize the leading role that Cohen played in the attempt to unionize the N-J newsroom, 1989-93, and how she and other union symps were made to pay for it.
Cohen has broken many stories – including in her current role, including this year. Her work has caused embarrassment and consternation – because of its accuracy and credibility – to Pete du Pont, Dick Heckert, Duckin’ Dan Frawley, the Rev. Dr. Al Plant and many others.
Turning down appearances is not the same as shunning popularity. You don’t see Matt Drudge on TV much either, and he’s certainly broken some big stories that embarassed some very deserving people. But he is every inch a socialite and a gossip.
No one suggested that Celia never wrote an important story. At issue is the nature of her writing, and the mentality behind it – she writes like a gossip columnist (creating drama even when there is none – “The Senate was still refusing to believe that John Carney was not the next governor”) crossed with a sports reporter (hyperbolic metaphor, syrupy sentimentality – “This was Bridgeville triumphant, maybe the first sane moment in a post-Sept. 11 world”).
When there’s drama-filled news, she reports it. And when there isn’t, she invents it.
Celia was absolutely correct about the Senate (and House) being in denial about Carney not winning the primary. For you all to think that is not true tells me that you are not as knowledgeable as you like to think you are.
The difference between Celia’s “online magazine” and blogs is that she researches her stories extensively, talks to sources, etc. Blogs tend to be more about an immediate reaction. There is room for both so I don’t understand why you guys spend so much time sniping about her.
Xs: I generally like your posts, and you seem like a decent sort, so I suggest that you back off just a bit more. Everyone who writes without an editor – including Cohen, xstryker and me – will exaggerate. Part of the curse of ultimate free-lancing is the absence of an editor; there are times when Cohen’s prose cries out for the editing that made her a thoroughbred in the stable of Mullinax, Moyed and Tresolini.
It was, however, neither exaggeration nor gossip to say that the Senate remained shell-shocked that its preferred candidate was not headed to the podium on Jan. 20. It is beneath insipid to call Cohen a “socialite.” To compare her to Drudge is to torture the language.
Needless to say, I prefer when we’re both firing in the same direction. Have a good Fourth, and let’s pound away for EFCA, public option, sentencing reform and Choice.
Really? Then I would like to know her source for her assertion that Denn and Gilligan cannot string two words together while presiding over their respective Houses without a script. That seems downright damning, if you ask me, and worthy of a banner headline and a story unto itself.
The fact that it is a throw away sentence in this piece leads me to believe it is either pure gossip or a pure falsehood, neither of which is worthy of the respect you grant it.
Yes, there is room for Celia and blogs, but I have news for you: Delaware Grapevine is a blog. It is nothing more than a blog. She is writing her informed opinion, as do we. The only difference between her and us is that she used to be a professional journalist, whereas we weren’t, and that she is paid now to blog, whereas we do this for free.
DelDem: Calmes-toi. It’s no secret to anyone who’s visited Kent County since 1973 that Bob Gilligan, lovable in all respects, is not to be confused with Lawrence Tribe. Yet, she said nothing against his ability to string together two words or two hundred.
It’s no insult that the one-time Claymont High POD teacher or the bright young LG would need talking points when ascending the podium for the first time. It’s only self-defense. You or I would need them. Watch the first-termers who preside over sleepy Congressional sessions on C-SPAN as they glance to the staffers for parliamentary advice.
Your final paragraph is correct. It’s a nice paraphrase of Gertrude Stein, who might have concluded her Thursday night by saying, “A blog is a blog is a blog.”
Belinsky – would it make you happier if I noted that the fact that we’re talking about Celia’s column indicates that we obviously find it worth reading, though irritating? No doubt that she has invaluable sources and good instincts. On the other hand, her coverage of Mike Castle is fawning and affectionate.
One interesting moment on Tuesday happened when Celia walked into the Senate in the midst of some confusion on the floor. She had entered through the side door and was thus entering into the room about even with the front row of desks.
There was a moment where the whole of the Senate seemed to share an inside joke with her as they asked her how they were supposed to vote. I think it was Bonini who had changed his vote once and was about to change it again.
It was as if an old friend had walked in and she had never left.
Commentary on Celia Cohen aside, how sad is is that our elected officials were in shock about Carney’s loss more than 2 months after Election Day? Really, it was a lot longer than that since the gov’s race was decided the day of the Democratic primary. I was shocked when the Cardinals beat the Eagles for the NFC title back in January, but I wasn’t surprised when the team playing the Steelers two weeks later in the Super Bowl was wearing red and white, not midnight green and black.
And half the senate should not have been surprised at Karen Peterson’s daring move with HB1 since she had to have 10 of the others on board to force the vote. The only people really caught off guard were Adams, DeLuca, Blevins, McDowell and one or two others.
The post-9/11 line, however? A bit over the top. And this is coming from a former sportswriter.
“Cohen is a free-lancer, having refused to work further for Gannett. ”
While true as far as it goes, this misses by a wide mark the true story: She left because they weren’t going to let her continue her hagiography of Delaware politics and politicians rather than actually cover what they were doing. She did, just as DD said, act as if Dover were high school — just as far too many of our lawmakers do.
And while she was, indeed, involved in the union movement, your statement about those involved being punished beggars belief. Its biggest backer was Merritt Wallick, still there after all these years. Tresolini was, too. So much for everyone on the union side being “punished.”
“Are they all so petty as to treat a Governor who won with 62% of the vote over the very respected Bill Lee with smirks and snickers?”
Your post lost all sense of reality with that quote.
Mike Protack
Yes, Mike, wallow in that a while — you couldn’t even come close to defeating a guy like Bill Lee. Pathetic.
Delaware Dem, It is not an insult to say they use a script. Anyone who presides over the House and Senate uses a script until they memorize the basics. Even after memorization they still need it on hand for obscure motions etc. Stop being so defensive.
Geezer’s recollection is dimmed from his fifth-hand sources. Union folks were indeed punished.
Union newsletter contained a story by Cohen headlined: “Gannett to Moyed: ‘Drop Dead’,” eviscerating one of the Gannett goons’ negotiating positions.
Geezer’s pro-Gannett leanings not to be taken seriously.
Geezer has no pro-Gannett leanings, and his sources aren’t fifth-hand. I have no interest in trashing Celia, but there are plenty of people out there with no love for Gannett but no love for Celia either. You, on the other hand, sound like someone with a dog in the fight.
Sorry, Geezer, but your instinctive defense of the vicious union-busters at Gannett speaks volumes.
Sorry, Belinsky, but your instinctive defense of Celia Cohen speaks volumes, too. If you knew who I was you couldn’t credibly make that statement. Let’s just say my knowledge of this is first-hand.
Whatsa matter, Bel, cat got your tongue? Please point out where I defended the union-busting goons at Gannett or sacrifice all credibility.
Both of you sound like you have dogs in the fight…
I still don’t understand why Celia Cohen bothers you all so much. It really doesn’t matter if you like or not, you read her and that’s what it’s all about.
Thanks for the note of sanity, Interesting. Had just popped back to find obsessive bellowing hadn’t ceased, even on an inviting holiday weekend. Let’s cease the friendly fire and move on.
PS to Xst – Fair points in your last post last evening.