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Delaware Political Weekly: June 17-23, 2016.
Dennis Williams can’t defend himself, so he won’t defend himself. He still wants to be reelected. Anyone else see the disconnect here? This News-Journal article lays it out there for all to see. In fact, city resident Erin Lee exposes the mayor better than I could:
Wilmington resident Erin Lee: “Why won’t you show up at the debates??”
Williams: “Why should I when all I will be is the punching bag. I will not get a word in because the deck is stacked against me.”
Lee: “If you don’t have a spine and can’t stand up and defend your plans and ideas for our city against a few other people, how can you say you can stand up and be a LEADER of our city?? You aren’t a leader, you’re a little boy.”
Williams then goes on to insult her. A little boy with anger management problems and a disastrous record. The article also demonstrates how Williams takes credit for stuff that happens in the City even when he has had nothing to do with it. As to the arts community he touts, the city’s involvement has gone to hell ever since he got rid of Tina Betz, who actually knew what she was doing.
The problem, though, is, he will almost certainly win reelection unless the field of challengers shrinks considerably before the primary election. I sincerely hope that there is serious polling going on, and that the projected also-rans drop out. I mean, let’s face it, Williams has been even more disastrous than Karen Weldin Stewart. And he could well be reelected the same way that she was.
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 22, 2016
Something rare: An important bill passes and goes to the Governor. And the sponsors threaded the needle with this one. HB 325 (Osienski), which ends the ridiculous practice of automatically granting a gun permit if a criminal background check cannot be completed in three (!) days, barely passed the Senate with a Senate Amendment, and barely passed the House for a second time. It now goes to the Governor. For some reason, the bleeping legislative information system no longer enables me to provide a direct link to the roll calls. So let me point out that, in the Senate, one R voted for the bill (Cloutier) and one D voted against the bill (Ennis). In the House, not a single R voted for the bill, and the following D’s (remember their names) voted against the bill: Andria Bennett, Lumpy Carson, Mike Mulrooney, and Trey Paradee.
Oh, and yet another important bill heads to the Governor. SS1/SB 163 (Peterson) removes the requirement that those convicted of three non-violent felonies (‘Three Strikes and You’re Out’) automatically be sentenced to life in prison. Several R’s voted yes during yesterday’s House vote, and I salute them: Hensley, Miro, Ramone, D. Short, and Yearick. Only one D voted no: Lumpy Carson.
Oh, and one notable bill was defeated or, more accurately, didn’t achieve a 2/3 supermajority vote. SB 262 (Townsend) would have created a regulatory framework for the Uber and Lyft networks, among others. Specifically, the bill would seek ‘to ensure the safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness of rides provided by Transportation Network Company Drivers within the State of Delaware and to preserve and enhance access to these important transportation options for residents and visitors to the State.’ The bill had 13 yes (the 12 D’s plus Cloutier) and 8 no. One vote short of a 2/3 majority. Guess which side is getting those campaign contributions.
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 21, 2016
Welcome to a Very Special Primal Scream Edition of the Pre-Game Show. Time to cue my best Howard Beale/Howard Dean…..
Delaware Political Weekly: June 10-16, 2016
aren Peterson Retires. Who Will Succeed Her?
You can’t replace her. She really has been Delaware’s Best Legislator for perhaps as long as she’s been a legislator. And let’s talk about the term ‘legislator’. To me, she was such an effective legislator because she took on the big issues, and was successful in enacting some of the most progressive legislation in recent memory. No one has meant more to equal rights for all Delawareans than Karen. She is truly an historic figure, and deserves to be recognized as such. Her combination of idealism and legislative smarts simply can’t be replaced.
Someone, however, will succeed her. If I had to bet, I’d bet on Tim Sheldon. Sheldon, you may recall was Tom Sharp’s hand-picked choice to replace Sharp, who basically was living at the beach when he left office. You may recall that Peterson had her car tires slashed during that campaign. It’s not fair to place the blame on Sheldon. But it’s pretty clear that the construction trade goons who backed him had no problem employing such intimidating tactics. Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had pretty much a clear field going into the general election. The only other name that I’ve heard who might actually run is Val McCartan, who is Patti Blevins’ Chief Staffer. I like Val, but I don’t see her as a glad-handler who is going to go door-to-door in a tough campaign. She is a highly professional and skilled Senate staffer, but I don’t think she has the candidate gene. I mean that as a compliment.
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 14, 2016.
Today’s House Agenda leads off with a bill that increases penalties for talking or texting on a hand-held device while driving. I support the bill, although I question the assertion that ‘novice drivers’ are most likely to ignore the law. Based on my observations, virtually everybody ignores the law. The bill also adds points for a second offense and thereafter. Good.
The agenda is highlighted by two anti-discrimination bills. HB 316 (Heffernan) ‘makes it clear that an employer is expressly prohibited from taking adverse employment action against an individual based on his or her reproductive health care decisions. HB 317 (Rep. K. Williams) ‘prohibits discrimination in employment based upon an individual’s caregiving responsibilities’.
HB 400 (Baumbach) incrementally, and I mean incrementally, expands the use of marijuana oils for minors. This time, by ‘by classifying pain, anxiety, or depression, if related to a terminal illness, as a qualifying condition in the Delaware Medical Marijuana Act for patients under the age 18, who will still be restricted to using CBD and oil products.’ The only thing objectionable about this bill is that it accepts the notion that any minor who could incidentally ‘get high’ via governmental imprimatur must be prevented at all costs.
Delaware Political Weekly: June 3-9, 2016.
We’re gonna do something different this week. I’ve put together a list of candidates/incumbents who have not yet filed. It’s an interesting list, and, in some cases, provides insight onto the candidates themselves. Especially at the very beginning:
GOVERNOR: John Carney continues his rope-a-dope with Delaware voters. His non-candidacy candidacy reeks of cynicism and dismissiveness of the public. He keeps coming up with rationales for pushing back his candidacy/filing. First, it was something like a 6-month deference to Beau, then it was a hip operation (or was it, more optimistically, a brain or heart transplant?). Now it’s so as to not interfere with the work of this governor and the General Assembly. We all know the real reasons: (1) He doesn’t have to do anything as the coronation is well under way; and (2) He has no vision to share, so why dredge up just how uninspiring he was eight years ago? The Democratic Party deserves criticism for not at least trying to get him out there. By ‘out there’, I don’t mean empty glad-handing. He’s doing lots of that. No, I mean, what does he stand for? Let me give you just one example. The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce recently bestowed an award on Carney, and Carney was only too happy to show up to receive it. The State Chamber of Commerce is now on record as wanting and planning to gut Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act. How does Chamber award recipient Carney feel about that? He ain’t talkin’. Cynicism all around.
Colin Bonini hasn’t filed either, meaning the only major party filed gubernatorial candidate is Lacey Lafferty. My theory? BFFs Carney and Bonini will file together and then hold a joint Bar-Bro-Que where Bonini can crack quips and Carney can try to muster up a smile.
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 9, 2016
Let’s start with (what I think is) the most interesting bill on today’s docket, and see what you think about it. HB 375 (Bolden) changes the date of Delaware’s primaries from September to the ‘fourth Tuesday in April’. I used to strongly support making the primaries earlier, thought September was too late, but now, I’m not so sure. I think that April is too early. The reason the April date has been chosen is because that’s the date of Delaware’s presidential primary. For now. But that date has floated around for years (remember when Delaware wanted to go head-to-head with New Hampshire?), and there is nothing to guarantee that won’t happen again. Especially since the rules of the respective parties at the national level can and generally do change every four years.
Here’s what’s even worse, IMHO. With an April primary, the filing deadline would be pushed into late February. Meaning, assuming that an incumbent files and isn’t challenged, then announces that they won’t run after the primary date has passed, the party voters would be shut out of the nomination process. It would be done by the district committee and/or county party. It would circumvent democracy, much like Rebecca Walker did in the 9th RD by delaying her announcement until after the July filing deadline. Only it would be in February.
I understand the mantra that campaigns are too long, and they are. However, this bill essentially makes campaign primaries shorter and general election campaigns longer. Except that, in many races, the primary election is the general election. Would we be better off if, say, the primary for US Congress and Mayor of Wilmington were decided in April? I think the advantage would invariably shift to the ‘established’ candidates at the expense of insurgent candidates.
While I think that June would be a desirable alternative, legislators are not gonna support that with the current legislative calendar. As written, I think that the bill protects incumbents and the parties at the expense of challengers, so I don’t support it. But, what do YOU think?
Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 7, 2016
It’s shaping up as a quiet June as the Joint Finance Committee has pretty much finished up their work.
Bottom line: State employees get a raise (!) but teachers don’t, other stuff gets cut, no new revenue sources added to mix, corporations extort millions, which is why other stuff gets cut.
Here’s the News-Journal story.
We discussed this last year. There appeared to be a legitimate chance then that additional revenue could be raised via corporate franchise fee increases and/or creating a couple of additional tax brackets for wealthier citizens. Instead, Pete Schwartzkopf cut his own deal with the Senate Rethugs, and gave the finger to progressive members in his own caucus. That essentially doomed any new revenue streams for this year, as the legislators/lemmings were not going to raise taxes in an election year.
However, they were more than willing, desperate even, to throw tens of millions of dollars at DuPont and Chemours, allegedly to ‘save’ jobs and Chemours’ corporate headquarters. I know it’s redundant for me to point out that the sole reason for Chemours’ existence is to enable serial world-class polluter DuPont to get out from under clean-up liabilities. The invevitable Chemours bankruptcy (‘Hey, we’d love to clean up this toxic environmental disaster, but sadly we don’t have the money to do it’) inches ever closer to reality. A sharp-eyed tipster shared this video account with us. It is must viewing. Hey, we all knew it at the time and wrote about it at the time. Doesn’t bother the Generous Assembly. This should be a crime of the highest order, but it’s likely legal thanks to a bought-and-paid-for Congress. Markell, Levin, and the General Assembly are rewarding and enabling this activity by throwing tens of millions at it. The Delaware Way, ladies and gentlemen.
But, I digress.
Why I Don’t Think Trump Will Be the R Nominee for President.
Now, hear me out. I’m thinking out loud here, but I don’t think that Trump will accept the nomination for president. Why? Because I think he’ll drop out before the convention. I understand that one should never overreact to a given day’s or week’s political events, but, in the last three days, the fall race […]
Results of the Complexities of Color Wilmington Mayoral Debate Focus Group
You’ll remember that the CoC in conjunction with the Metropolitan Urban League Young Professionals, Delaware Young Democrats Minority Caucus and IMAC hosted a Mayoral Debate at Ezion Fair on April 18. One of the potentially interesting things that could come from that debate was some polling data — in the form of a focus group — that might start shedding some light on the state of this race. I’ve permission to share this results memo on Delaware Liberal (I will post the actual memo later today — I can’t do that from here right now):
The Deliciously-Ironic Demise of Ken Starr
I can’t make this stuff up. We all remember Ken Starr. The self-righteous, lip-pursing prig/special prosecutor who took great delight in preparing an ‘ independent report’ designed to get Bill Clinton impeached, and designed to provide every salacious detail the prudish prig could produce. The man reeked of moral rectitude. As the Huffington Post reported: […]
Matt Denn Comes Right Out and Says It: Delaware Is A Police State.
This is one of the most important stories of the year. Attorney General Matt Denn admitted that the main reason why no officers were charged in the shooting death of Jeremy McDole was b/c the law enabling police to shoot first and face no consequences is so broadly written that it’s virtually impossible to charge police in any shooting. From the News-Journal article:
Denn’s decision didn’t rest solely on the facts of the case. Hamstringing the AG’s efforts was that Jeremy “Bam” McDole was killed in Delaware, a state that essentially immunizes law enforcement officers from criminal responsibility when they use deadly force in response to a perceived threat.
Here, a police officer doesn’t have to prove the use of deadly force was “actually necessary to protect the officer against death or serious physical injury,” according to the recent state Department of Justice report. “All (the officer) must show is that he believed that to be the case at the time that he used deadly force, whether that belief was reasonable or unreasonable.”
So, am I missing anything here? If an officer states that they ‘believed’ there was a threat, even if no other reasonable person would believe such a thing, he can shoot at will and w/o fear of consequence.
Delaware Political Weekly: May 13-19, 2016
We have a Democratic Primary in the 9th RD.
OK, kids, some of you (well, LG) will remember that this was the district that Rebecca Walker vacated after the filing deadline in 2014, meaning that the voters didn’t get to pick the D nominee. R Kevin Hensley defeated D appointee and Walker choice Jason Hortiz, a former R candidate for Clerk of the Peace, 3290-2950 in the 2014 General Election. You may also remember that, back in 2010, Walker, who had lost to Dick Cathcart back in 2008, told the RD committee that she wasn’t running. Into the breach stepped one Richard Griffiths, who was endorsed by the committee. Then Cathcart ‘retired’, after his dirty dealings at Del-State were revealed, and Walker jumped back in. She defeated Griffiths handily in the primary, 970-258, and edged out John Marino in the general, 5583-5301. Then, of course, she got a job where she can help the police cover up evidence that police might, just might, have been engaged in wrongdoing. (Have I mentioned lately just how corrupt and incestuous the politicians in this state are? Oh, and did I mention that her husband is an ex-cop?)
But, I digress. Richard Griffiths has filed to run in the 9th, and he has a primary opponent, one Monique Johns. All I’ve got for Griffiths is his 2010 announcement notice. Johns appears to be, uh, the wife (‘First Lady’) to a Bible Fellowship pastor. I know that Liberal Geek was real high on Griffiths back in 2010, can you fill us in on what’s going on, Big Guy? Can a D knock off Hensley this year?
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