El Somnambulo's Latest Posts
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 19, 2012
Hmmm, this one’s really interesting, at least politically. HB 363(Keeley) requires that bail bondspersons be residents of the State of Delaware. Say-y-y, Isn’t Robert Bovell, who ran against Helene Keeley in 2010 in a primary, a bail bondsman? Why, yes, yes he is. He also ran for mayor as an R, and has run on the so-called ‘Working Families’ Party line. And, isn’t Robert Bovell running for mayor of Wilmington in the Democratic primary this year? Why, yes, yes he is. And isn’t Dennis P. Williams, who is also running as a D, a co-sponsor of HB 363? Why, yes, yes he is. So, here you have a bill introduced on June 5, 2012 that just happens to address the occupation of one of the co-sponsor’s rivals for Mayor. And, as I read the synopsis, this bill would have the effect of eliminating out-of-state competitors of this erstwhile candidate from his profession. Sure as shit smells like a big stinky quid pro quo to me. Can Bovell’s withdrawal from the race and endorsement of Dennis P. Williams be far behind?
Delaware Political Weekly: June 9-15, 2012
Up until now, the calculus, at least as I saw it was simple: The more challengers who oppose an incumbent, the more likely the incumbent will win. However, the Democratic Party’s endorsement of Crane, and endorsement that, according to Party Chair John Daniello, “wasn’t close”, changes all that, IMHO. Crane had already built a strong grassroots organization, a lot stronger than Stewart’s. Crane had already raised a lot more money than Stewart. And now, the Party, and especially the district committees who strongly backed Crane, will line up behind his candidacy. The 10-15 people who gather on Harris McDowell’s porch can, in no way, counteract that. I’m speaking as an analyst here, not as a partisan (Crane partisans, of whom I’m admittedly one, no doubt will cringe when I say this), but, barring something unforeseen, I now see Crane as a strong favorite to win this race, and I’m not sure that even the combined ‘forces’ of Stewart, Spivack, and Gallagher can put up a serious threat.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 14, 2012
Hoo boy, we’re gonna have us a (figurative, one would hope) Shoot-Out At the Not OK Corral today. The Sheriff of Nuttingham and his Posse Comatosis will finally have to, um, face the law(makers). Thass raht. HB 325(Schwartzkopf) occupies the Top Gun position on today’s Senate agenda. It’ll pass, and I don’t think it’ll take Gov. Markell too long to sign it. Leaving only the question: Will Sussex County’s self-proclaimed top lawman honor the law of the land?
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 13, 2012
Internet gambling’s almost here. Guess it beats turning people upside down and shaking the coins into the seat cushions. And what would an internet gambling bill without even more sops to the racino industry? Hey, at least it’s a reverse-Robin Hood where the rich at worst don’t get their taxes increased and at best they get more blood money from the degenerates. HB 333(Viola) passed the House yesterday by a vote of 29 Y, 8 N, 4 Not Voting. There are no ideological lessons to be learned from the roll call, as supporters and opponents came from all political stripes. Did I mention even more sops to the racino industry? Yep, more $$’s for thoroughbred and harness purses. Oh, and something to do with waiving racinos’ licensing fees for slot machines.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 12, 2012
The payday loan bill passed the Senate and the Governor says that he will sign it! No amendments, and only one no vote (Mike Katz, whose actions get more inscrutable by the day). Congratulations to sponsor Helene Keeley, Paul Calistro, and to a dedicated and politically-savvy group of supporters. If you contacted your elected officials on this bill, consider yourselves congratulated as well. No, the bill doesn’t have everything supporters would have liked in it, but it’s a major improvement, and it’s more than I thought would get through this General Assembly. A rare victory for progressivism in Dover. Savor it.
Delaware Political Weekly: June 2-8, 2012
She richly deserves one. She is the primary sponsor of the Delmarva Power special interest legislation that would literally make the powerless powerless. Whether James D. Burton of Caravel Hunt is a legit challenger is open to question. Couldn’t turn up anything on the Google, so, spies, I turn to you. Anyone know anything about this guy? Anyway, both Longhurst and Burton filed since our last report, and will face off in the D primary in September.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 7, 2012
Campaign finance reform passed the Senate yesterday, and heads to the Governor. My sophisticated analysis can be summed up as follows: HB 300(Gilligan), good. HB 310(Longhurst), bad, but nowhere near as important as HB 300. It’s really kinda like a hitchhiker, with 300 driving the car. And so insubstantial that 300 probably wouldn’t ask for gas money.
Kids, if you’re as alarmed at that last paragraph as I am, you can do something about it. I fear that I am in the early stages of TAS (Tortured Analogy Syndrome)
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show, Weds., June 6, 2012
Brad Bennett announced he would not seek reelection to the 32nd Representative District seat. He did it publicly on the House floor, he did it with dignity, and I wish him success in addressing the issues that led to his announcement. The legislative agendas ran true to form yesterday, with both the good and the […]
General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, June 5, 2012
No doubt the big action of the day will take place in party caucuses, where members of the Joint Finance Committee will brief members on the markup of the budget.
It’s always possible (wishful thinking, I know) that, after two weeks of soul-searching away from Dover, some legislators may announce that they’ve decided to retire. Of course, careful readers have already detected the Jeff Goldblum-sized Fly in the ointment, the very notion of soul-searching by politicos.
Extortion? Puh-leeze.
First it was plagiarism, now it’s extortion. Mike Katz may be a doctor but, judging by the way he throws overheated charges around, he’s sure no lawyer. And he looks less and less like a progressive all the time. Which, perhaps, is what he wants in his R district, but it’s not something I, for one, need. Nor do progressives.
In fact, he is using his claim of ‘political extortion’ to justify his burial of National Popular Vote legislation in his Senate Elections Committee. Might I point out that Katz sought the office of President Pro Tempore on a promise of not ‘desk-drawering’ legislation, which is exactly what he’s done? HB 55(D. E. Williams) passed the House on June 7, 2011. President Pro-Tem Tony DeLuca assigned the bill to the Senate Administrative Services/Elections Committee, which certainly appears to be the correct committee, on June 8, 2011. It has sat there for almost a year now, even though three committee members, Senators Blevins, Marshall, and Sokola, support its release from committee. Katz has joined two Rethugs, Senators Booth and Lawson, in keeping HB 55 bottled up in committee.
Delaware Political Weekly: May 26-June 1, 2012
1. A Candidate For the Rest of Us? To Be Determined. Long-time New Castle County employee Jonathan Husband announced that he would run for New Castle County Executive. Husband is the Engineering and Environmental Services Manager in the County’s Division of Special Services, and is also active in Fox Point civic activities. While I haven’t […]
Goliath Trying to Smite David. Get Out Your Slingshots.
In this case, Goliath= Rob Tunnell, Reybold Homes, and Rethuglican legislator Rep. Ruth Briggs King, among others.
David=The Delaware Manufactured Home Owners’ Association.
The issue? Whether the 30,000 to 45,000 Delawareans who reside in manufactured housing communities are to have ANY protection from the powerful development community.
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