Atkins gets weakest of four punishments
Here are the winners and losers:
John Atkins: Big Winner. You can now drive drunk and beat up you wife if you are a state rep. The precedent has been set.
Wayne Smith: Winner. He had to hurry up his quitting, but landed a big money job without having to piss off anyone at Leg Hall.
Ocean City PD: Losers. Atkins affair forced them to openly admit that they are screw-ups.
M.A.D.D: Big Losers. Rallying to the defense of the inept OCPD, they showed that they are a fund-raising outfit more than anything else.
Dick Cathcart: Really Big Loser. Censure shows that he is going to be a weak, caretaker majority leader. The Censure leaves the impression that Atkins threats to disclose Cathcart’s skeletons worked. What is Dicky hiding?
Delaware Citizens: Really, Really Big Losers. The “circle the wagons” feel to the Atkins censure shows that it is “us” against “them” and the “them” are our elected officials.
UPDATE: Here is a link
Tags: John Atkins Diet
Nice rundown. I cross posted part of this on in NJ’s comments section.
The full House does not have to accept this recommendation of the Ethics Committee. Even the News Journal pointed this out — that some legislators want Atkins GONE. WGMD is reporting that Pete Schwartzkopf (target of recent online gossip) wants Atkins out.
What about the other members of the committee? From the interview I heard on WDEL this morning, Rep Gilligan was quite satisfied with the recommendation. He alluded to the entire committee being in agreement.
I haven’t heard anything from Lee, Spence, or Keeley, though.
Like Hube said, the entire House now gets final say.