Tag: Featured
DL Endorsements for the General Assembly
We have a few primaries in races for the General Assembly that we, as liberals and progressives, would like to weigh in on. We have an open seat in the 9th Senatorial District, a challenger to Speaker Schwartzkopf in the 14th Representative District, and a rematch between current Representative Sean Matthews and former Representative Dennis Williams in the 10th Representative District.
DL Endorsement for U. S. Congress
Progressives have been waiting forever to have one of their own represent Delaware in Congress. The last time a liberal voice represented Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives was in 1966, when then-Representative Harris McDowell (the state senator’s dad) lost to Bill Roth. For the first time in 50 years, we now have the chance to elect a proven progressive and exceedingly effective legislator to Congress. A person with both intellect and heart. That person is Bryan Townsend.
DL Endorsement for New Castle County Executive
Sometimes voting is an exercise in prevention, as in preventing someone from gaining office; or rejection, in rejecting a failed incumbent. You are not necessarily voting for an alternative, but against a failure. Other times, and hopefully more often than not, you are voting for the best candidate for the job. And sometimes, you can do both. And Democrats can do both on September 13 in voting for Matthew Meyer, and against Tom Gordon, for County Executive.
And doing both is necessary to save our state and county Democratic Party. Delaware, right now, is a one party state. Especially in New Castle County, which is more Democratic than Sussex County is Republican. The danger of one party states, or one party counties, is that they tend to become corrupt and abusive. And that is when the one party of the one party state collapses, either through the weight of its own corruption, or because outside forces have become strong and popular enough to depose him.
Twice now, Tom Gordon is the leading indicator of that trend. You would have thought we would have learned our lesson the first time. He previously served two terms, from 1997 until 2004, until he was forced out during a federal corruption investigation during his second term. Gordon and his chief administrative officer, Sherry Freebery, were indicted and accused of engaging in a criminal enterprise that included using county police officers to campaign for candidates of their liking. Further, Freebery was accused of accepting a “loan” of more than $2 million from a county landowner who needed county approval for a golf course project. It was also alleged that the county settled a sexual harassment lawsuit to avoid public disclosure of a sex scandal that included intimate relations between Gordon and Freebery. Gordon and Freebery had been charged with racketeering, wire fraud and mail fraud.
In the end, however, the prosecutions failed to eradicate the cancer that was and is Gordon. Freebery admitted to lying on a bank loan, a felony, and Gordon pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors for failing to provide accurate tax information for two employees who performed political work on county time. And Gordon found his way back into county government by defeating an ethically challenged Paul Clark in 2012. County voters took a chance that Gordon had changed and learned his lesson. They took a chance that he would bring back the roaring 90’s without the corrupt taint.
They were wrong.
DL’s Endorsement for Insurance Commissioner
I was just going to say that we endorsed Trinidad Navarro for Insurance Commissioner because he is not Karen Weldin Stewart, but fuck that. It is an election year, and the Insurance Commissioner isn’t some bullshit job like Lt. Governor. When Matt Denn was in the office between 2004 and 2008, he was squarely on the side of the insurance consumer, and he had a huge positive impact on Delaware’s small business by fixing how worker’s comp was calculated for companies that have great safety records. Conversely, Karen Weldin Stewart has been a shit show. Anyway, I knew that my usual lazy half-assery wasn’t going to cut it, so I took a hard look at Navarro and this is what I found out.
Trinidad Navarro is exactly the kind of Democrat that this backward piss-poor excuse for a Democratic establishment needs. He annoyed the fuck out of John Daniello when he ran against a sheriff that had been in office since before Delaware’s motto was changed by then Governor Tom Carper to “The Usury State.” And here he is again, taking up a campaign against one of the so-called democrats that thinks that large multinational corporations are in need of a champion.
DL’s Endorsement for Wilmington Mayor
In most Blue States, the usual source of Democratic progressive governing is from its major cities. The Editors of Delaware Liberal have often lamented the fact that Delaware’s biggest city has been lacking in a more progressive political vision at pretty much every level. There’s one candidate in Wilmington’s Mayoral race who is finally advocating a comprehensive progressive vision for governing Wilmington — a vision that is inclusive of the entire city, that is committed to bringing city government practices into the 21st century and will start the work to tackle some of the social justice issues that damage and hold back some of our communities. Delaware Liberal is proud to endorse Eugene Young for Mayor of Wilmington.
The State Financial Reports reveal the state of the race
The 30 day primary financial reporting deadline for state candidates facing a primary election just passed. You can view the reports here by entering the last name of the candidate in the highlighted “committee name” field. The reporting period is not quarterly like it is in federal races. Instead it is from the beginning of the year until August 14.
Some observations: Who was loaned Lacey Lafferty over $86,546? And what in God’s name has she spent it on? I sense perhaps another Christine O’Donnell situation here.
Money is certainly not everything. Races, especially local races, can be won on the ground. State-wide races, a little less so. This fundraising tells me that the LG race is a two woman race between the Republican McGuiness and State Senator Bethany Hall Long, with Ciro Poppitti coming in third, Eaby and Fuller tying for fourth, and Sherry Dorsey Walker coming in last.
Kathy McGuiness’ list of financial supporters reads like Charlie Copeland’s Rolodex. ABC, the anti-union Right to Work Association of Builders and Contractors, donated $1,200.00. Seriously, Pete Schwartzkopf needs to be run out of town on the rails for foisting this Utahn Republican on us.
Rep. Harold “Jack” Peterman (R) has died.
According to the Governor’s office, Representative Jack Peterman has died. He was retiring from office this year, not running for reelection after having missed much of the last two years of the session due to illness. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year. Our best wishes and deepest sympathies extend to his family, friends and colleagues.
We will have more information as the story develops.
WDEL’s Amy Cherry Exposes Corruption in County Farmland Deal
By far the best journalism being committed in Delaware today is being done by WDEL’s Amy Cherry. She has effectively chronicled the stink of corruption permeating the proposed farmland deal between the Gordon Administration and a couple of well-connected farmers. Here are the links. Go ahead and read/listen to them. I’ll wait.
Trump is a Real Threat to the Republic – the Smoking Gun
Trump and his team are laying the groundwork for challenging the legitimacy of the election in the event of a Clinton win. This is flatly anti-American rhetoric which brazenly states that a Trump loss will be met with an attempt to provoke “a constitutional crisis” and “widespread civil disobedience.”
What A Crisis in African American Leadership Looks Like
“Our communities have fared better over the past 24 years (under an African American mayor) than under previous administrations, at the expense of those who previously benefited, and there is a strong effort by those others to regain control of City Government,” wrote Fullman.
“So much so that folks have paid candidates to enter the race or are paying black individuals to garner support for white candidates in the African American communities (Norman Oliver for Mike Pryszicki [sic]). Don’t be fooled. Join us Wednesday evening to converse directly with Mayor Williams to get the real story.”
Bill Clinton’s Speech
This started out as a comment, but morphed into a post. Last night I was asked a question on the DNC Convention post, “Was Bill Clinton’s speech sexist?”
No.
Oh, you want more? Ok.
Here are my thoughts on Bill’s speech. I disagree with Maddow. It wasn’t sexist, but it was a fascinating gender role reversal. Bill Clinton was the first man to give the traditional First Lady speech.
The role of the First Lady speech is to share personal stories of her and the candidate’s life together, to show what a good and loving parent the candidate is, to remind everyone of their spouses accomplishments, their strengths, etc.. Basically, the First Lady speech is an reminder and introduction to the candidate by the person who knows them best.
Bill did just that.
In money race, the three main Congressional candidates all lead a category
Bryan Townsend has raised $531,644.82 for his Democratic Congressional primary campaign so far, as of the quarterly finance reporting period ending June 30. That tops Sean Barney’s $418,205.04 and Lisa Blunt Rochester’s $353,246.35. Meanwhile in the 2nd Quarter (from April 1 to June 30), Barney outraised Townsend and Rochester $210,307.29 to $175,971.44 and $138,353.98, respectively. Finally, in terms of cash on hand, Lisa Blunt Rochester leads the pack, with $320,257.32 to Barney’s $278,623.81 and Townsend’s $247,633.74. However, Lisa’s lead in Cash on Hand is because she leads in another category: the candidate who has lent the most money to her own campaign. She has donated $178,900 of her own money to her campaign. So really, her actual Cash on Hand minus her loans is $141,357.32.
But there is something interesting about Barney’s money….
Wilmington Mayor’s Race — Undecided Leads the Pack
The News Journal released the results of their poll last night, which shows the race being much closer than the common wisdom (including mine) would have suggested. Here’s the numbers:
Kevin Kelly 18%
Mike Purzycki 14%
Dennis Williams 13%
Theo Gregory 11%
Eugene Young 9%
Norm Griffiths 8%
Robert Marshall 2%
Maria Cabrera 2%
Undecided 21%
The margin of error on this poll is 5.8 and reached landlines only. This surveyed likely Democratic voters. This polly also asked about registration and primary practices — where we find that this group of likely Democratic voters think that it should be easier to switch parties to vote and that primaries should be open.
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