He was simply doing his job in these cases. Suppose he was called on to defend the recent cop killer and got the charge reduced and allowed him to ‘duck the needle’? Would this be an issue in a future campaign? Nice as the guy is, a public defender might bring a lot of baggage to a campaign that was not a hurry-up affair.

Yelling ‘lobbyist’ might appeal to the NIMBY crowd but it was obviously not a winning issue.

Many of the NIMBY types want to stop all development once they move into one.

As for El, he is being disingenious. Anyone who spends time in legislative hall knows that I am right. I know several lobbyists off line and on average they are more informed about a varity of issues than the average legislator. They tend to be part friendly policy wonk and part salesperson.

Someone who is paid to have an opinion has the right to run for office, but the people have the right to discern whether or not her opinions are her own.

Unfortunately there was little choice in this race. I wish a Libertarian has stepped up. Might have been a game changer.

Similarly laughable is Rethug David’s description of a lobbyist: “A lobbyist is just someone who helps people exercise their fundamental constitutional right to seek redress of their grievances.”

That might apply to John Flaherty, but virtually every other lobbyist is a paid hired gun for some special interest looking to gain advantage from the General Assembly, usually at the expense of people who are getting screwed b/c they don’t have the $$’s to have their grievances heard.

Really, David, it’s time to toss away those high school texts from the 1950’s, and take a look at what happens in real life right here in Dover. Exxon-Mobil (if indeed they can be called ‘people’) will always have their ‘grievances’ heard. The people living downstream from Exxon-Mobil? That’s another question entirely.

They are not heinous criminals who can or should be banned from seeking the votes of their citizens. The idea that the most informed people should be banned from serving is mind boggling.

Every one should be able to stand for office. The people have the right to select them or not. Depriving the people of their right to choose is anti-republican form of government.

Re the Special, what do you expect from that portion of Sussex County? A lobbyist representing the entrenched interests fits the district profile to a T. Robinson ran a good race. If he moves somewhere where people use their brains to think, he might have a future in politics.

Legalities aside, I like a Republic where a person can lobby the General Assembly, and if frustrated by legislative inaction or bad action, can run against his or her legislator later that year. Eliminating that possibility would likely not be popular.