Comments on: DE Rethugs Prove the Obvious: All About Politics, Not Responsible Governing

By: El Somnambulo

El Somnambulo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:06:23 +0000

We’re getting far afield here. The point is that Cathcart can walk down the bleeping hall to speak to the Governor. Instead he sends out Open Letters to the press.

By: cassandra_m

cassandra_m — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:03:54 +0000

Boards often have multiple committees that have varying degrees of authority to do various tasks. You have to presume that the board meeting in your analogy is always and everywhere illegitimate which IRL is seldom the case.

There is a very great deal of business that won’t get done if you wait for an invite to the meeting.

By: DB

DB — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:49:38 +0000

“But board members is a very bad analogy.”

People elected to represent shareholders in decisionmaking is a bad analogy for people elected to represent citizens in decisionmaking?

I don’t think you and I will ever be on the same page, but I hope that day comes at some point.

By: cassandra_m

cassandra_m — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:43:21 +0000

You aren’t going to get very far complaining. But board members is a very bad analogy. Nonetheless, a board member is going to pick up the damn phone and get in the room. Standing outside whining is cause to know that he isn’t up to being a board member.

By: Unstable Isotope

Unstable Isotope — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:41:56 +0000

Not guilty!

By: DB

DB — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:40:15 +0000

“I wonder what management they’ve ever had in the private sector that would find whining about a meeting you weren’t in acceptable behavior?”

Having six corporate board members meet behind closed doors making deals and critical organizational decisions while leaving four board members out would be cause for a complaint in my book.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:10:38 +0000

Jason, just pointing out that using “skank” to illustrate your point is female-specific. Wouldn’t it be nice if, while womens health is under attack by the Right AND the “center” men on the actual Left took the pledge to avoid female-specific pejoratives?

By: cassandra_m

cassandra_m — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:34:59 +0000

And so is the local GOP — I was thinking about this on my way to lunch. For a group of people who persistently make the case that the private sector behavior is to be emulated, I wonder what management they’ve ever had in the private sector that would find whining about a meeting you weren’t in acceptable behavior?

By: jason330

jason330 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:49:57 +0000

Some say Ginger Gibson is a skank. Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just reporting what some say. Which brings me to my larger point. The reason the local and national media allows the GOP to run this scam is because they are as lazy as a hungover blogger on a snow day.

By: John Manifold

John Manifold — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:20:14 +0000

As I’ve said before, Ginger Gibson can be easily manipulated by whoever is feeding her that day.

By: Steve Newton

Steve Newton — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:52:39 +0000

Oh, UI, I wasn’t criticizing you for mentioning it–I was just pointing out that in a legislature dominated by UD alums or Lonnie George relatives that to have Dick Cathcart as “our guy” is …

Well, let’s just say it sucks to be us sometimes.

On Nancy Wagner the less said the better.

Keep your eyes peeled; I will have a significant piece in the NJ arguing the DSU case in 2-3 days.

By: Geezer

Geezer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:45:06 +0000

Indeed, DSU is a latecomer to the hire-a-legislator game. They’re sort of like Fanny Mae in that they might be guilty, but mainly they’re just playing catch-up with operators who have gamed the system for a lot longer.

By: El Somnambulo

El Somnambulo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:31:49 +0000

I recognize what you’re saying about Hoff. Maybe my criticism is better directed at the News-Journal for virtually always having a plain vanilla quote from either Hoff, Pika, or predecessor Soles. Point taken.

As for Del-State, maybe the absence of ‘bagwoman’ Nancy Wagner from the General Assembly had a financial impact.

And, Steve, I hope you’ll agree that I am equally critical of cozy legislative relationships with UD, Del-Tech, and the like, and have written about them pretty extensively.

By: Steve Newton

Steve Newton — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:15:13 +0000

Delaware State University’s politically-connected bagman Dick Cathcart

I do not necessarily argue with the characterization, but I would point out that if you look at DSU’s budget allotment by the State last year, we got cut by a larger percentage than either UD or Del Tech.

So if Cathcart is our primary hope for funds at DSU, then I think the same applies to him as applied to the Bush administration fighting a “war for oil” that resulted in $3.50/gallon gas: if you are going to do it, at least do it effectively.

As for Sam Hoff, it is important to know that when the WNJ interviews him, they are generally on the line for more than 30 minutes. Then they pull one or two lines of their choosing–not his–to represent his viewpoints. Blast him if you will when he appears on radio or TV and can speak for himself, but recognize that he does not control what the WNJ chooses to print.

By: cassandra_m

cassandra_m — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:04:55 +0000

I’m glad you write this up — I was going to try to later if no one did.

Apparently what the local repubs have decided to take on from their national counterparts is the whinge as a substitute for a real argument. So the way they think they’ll be elected is to discredit Jack Markell AND to not produce any real solutions. Note a couple of things:

1. Whining about not arranging a meeting does not do anything to actually offer up any solutions for fixing a budget. People who are supposed to be governing should stop pretending that complaining earns them their paycheck for the day.

2. Complaining about DEFAC when they are bringing in bad news (pretty consistent with bad news everywhere) is just plain stupid. It was the CW last year that the economic news would not be better for the state in 2010 and it was CW that the 2010 budget would be at least as bad.

3. And Copeland’s contention that DEFAC shouldn’t use the current government budget as its baseline is seriously off the mark — the only people who should be making decisions about the size of government are the electeds. DEFAC needs to work from a reasonable (and nonpolitical) baseline and that is the current budget.

So while these people could have had this meeting with a phone call, they all trot themselves out in front of Ginger Gibson and show themselves still without a single idea for actually addressing the upcoming budget problems.