The Soft Corruption of the Entitled Class

El Som points out that maybe I was being a little hard on Jennings, and as I think about it, I agree. The tough part of Jennings job in this case was prosecuting corruption that was so "ho hum" and run of the mill. In fact if McGuiness had committed all of the same crimes in ANY OTHER elected office it would not have caused a ripple. If ever discovered or discussed, the corruption would have been waved off. The excuse making on process grounds, and procedural technicalities would have held, as usual. Kathy had the bad judgment to practice her waste fraud and abuse directly in front of a staff that perceives its job to be discovering instances of waste fraud and abuse. When over half of the office became whistle blowers the din of whistles blowing became much too loud to ignore. And yet, if you gave Kathy a shot of sodium pentathol and asked her if she did anything untoward, she would happily say she didn't. She thinks giving friends no-bid contracts, rigging up pretend make-work jobs for relatives, and paying for stuff with the company card is what is suppose to happen. They are typical perks. And chintzy, penny-ante perks at that. When Kathy peevishly slammed the $20 on the table to pay off part of her Sirius XM bill she must have been thinking, "Pete doesn't have to deal with this nit-picky bullshit." Looking around at legislators getting on boards and making bank from organizations that are funded by the very legislative body they serve on - would ...

Kathy McGuiness Trial Winners and Losers

Winners

David Sokola, Bryan Townsend, Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman  - Plainspoken truth: “...a brazen willingness to circumvent the same open government laws and accounting standards she was elected to enforce.” “Any public official engaged in these behaviors is unfit for public office, but especially the state’s top financial watchdog,”

Steve Wood - Mr Razzle-Dazzle took what looked like an open and shut case and created enough doubt in the jury room to beat the most serious charges. Highlands Bunker (REV & BILL) -  The daily coverage was really good. It was a great test case for their style of new media. Treading the razors edge between comedy and tragedy, they won admirers among Kathy haters and Kathy lovers alike. Lydia York - Probably wouldn't have been moved enter the Democratic primary for the office of Auditor of Accounts is the current auditor wasn't so awful.

Losers

Peter C. Schwartzkopf - Even more exposed as corrupt a-hole for his tireless support for his corrupt buddy. John Carney - Such weak Tea.  Doesn't call for her removal but...“He finds it difficult to understand how the auditor, who swore an oath to place the public interests above any special or personal interests, can continue to serve the people of Delaware effectively given the circumstances,” said spokeswoman Emily Hershman. Kathy Jennings - Her office didn't come off great with the win.  Does Woods really have grounds for appeal?   He sure seems to think so. Kathy McGuiness -  Says it was "political" which is ironic because she didn't do a goddam fucking thing in office that wasn't "political". Delawareans - We've had a self-aggrandizing, do-nothing auditor for years and still do.

Kathy is Running – Congratulates Herself for Raising the Profile of the Auditors Office

If you are wondering if KMcG suffers from narcissistic personality disorder, this quote is illuminating:
When McGuiness was asked, as a recurring theme her actions had been simply to raise the profile of the Auditor's Office and was she concerned with what Friday's conviction might mean for the impact on public perception of the office, she said: "I think more people will know that Delaware has a State Auditor."

DL Open Thread: Friday, July 1, 2022

Democrats Vote Against Renters' Protection.  Somehow, SS1/SB101 got to the floor. And lost.  Here are those D's who voted no: Nnamdi Chukwuocha, Stephanie Bolden, Sean Matthews, Peter Schwartzkopf, Franklin Cooke,…