Ken Simpler Thinks That Seniors Are Stealing From You
He argues in this piece over at Town Square Delaware that seniors who are taking advantage of Medicare Part D subsidies and co-pays are stealing. To be fair, the analogies and even the basic metaphor here are incredibly tortured. Starting with trying to make the hold up a bunch of convenience stores somehow the equivalent of presenting an insurance card to get a discount on medications, then moving on to claim that savings from the Medicare Part D aren’t savings, then working at trying to wrap around all of it around no free lunches, government taking, the NJ needing to report better and Astra Zeneca laying people off. (This was sent to be by a GOP pal, who noted in his email to me “You will have a field day with this!”)
The take away from this piece is that this so-called businessman doesn’t know how insurance works. If you have private insurance, medications are typically covered in a tiered fashion. Your employer (or whoever manages this for your employer) very often negotiates better pricing for medications in the Tier 2 level of the Formulary. Your co-pay is higher here, but you are usually paying less than full price. And why not? Negotiating a better deal is supposed to be how business is run, right? This is how payments to doctors, hospitals and other facilities work as well — the “in network” providers have agreed to a negotiated price. Out of network providers typically have not, which is why you pay more for care outside of the network. The negotiation of pricing is key to how private insurance works now.
But Ken Simpler wants you to know that when the government does this negotiation on behalf of seniors , that *this* is stealing. Even though the government negotiates rates for its employees covered by insurance; even though the government negotiates medication pricing for the VA; even though the government negotiates pricing for Medicaid medications. It is only stealing when seniors using their Medicare Part D benefits use those subsidies and lower rates.
Even then, Medicare Part D doesn’t allow Medicare to negotiate a better price for medications. This was part of the deal for pharmaceuticals to not object to the ACA. What *does* happen, though, is that as the “donut hole” is closing (it should be completely closed by 2020, I think), and once you reach the coverage gap, there are discounts on many medications that senior have to pay out-of-pocket for. For 2014, the discount for name brand medications is 47.5%, and 28% for generics. The discounts increase for 2015. These aren’t negotiated rates, since these discounts do not cover all Medicare medication purchases, but are meant to ease the costs when you get to the plan donut hole. Pharmaceutical companies are providing discounts on some of their drugs — like they do for plenty of other insurance plans — and there isn’t one of them that is suffering because of these discounts. (They may be suffering for other reasons, but these discounts are not their problem. Because they would stop offering discounts to EVERYBODY if that was the case — every business person gets this.)
Letting Medicare actually negotiate a better deal for medications not only a good idea, but this counts as a business Best Practice that should be implemented for this program. Why should private insurance just get the better deals? And getting a better price on meds isn’t stealing when your employer does it, nor is it stealing when a major buyer like the government does it. But here we have one more GOP “businessman” who is peddling a load of bullshit that would get him kicked off of the board of any company he would suggest should stop negotiating for a better medication price. Squaring the circle between wingnut ideology and how business really works should be a bigger problem for the GOP, except that their base are folks who will never be in a positions to look at these kinds of business considerations anyway.
Sean Barney highlighted this piece by Simpler comparing armed robbery to getting discounted medicine for seniors in his press release after the election. Good for him, because there are plenty of us who want to know how is it that a so-called “finance guy” doesn’t know how negotiations for medical services actually works?
Tags: Featured, GOP Bamboozlement, Ken Simpler
Anybody else besides me worried about Republican turnout in the primary compared to Dems? Does the lack of party messaging on what we stand for and why it is important to everyday people other than candidate/office holder statements of their activity plus local party events have anything to do with this very concerning situation? Am I needlessly worried about motivation and passion?
Pssst Stan…..native Delawarean, who left and returned. Historically, Rs have always shown up for the primaries in excess of Ds. It’s the darn elections, when the rest of you show up! No need to worry, Ds have this down without the rehearsal dinner :).
And Sean Barney thinks that the long-term unemployed should have their benefits cut and be forced into volunteer service. So what’s your point?
I believe the point is that Ken Simpler is calling seniors thieves. Is your point that having an opinion about unemployment benefits makes it wrong for you to point out outrageous statements — written ones, in fact — made by an opponent?
OK, point taken: You’re an asshole.
I’d expect this kind of writing from a Republican. My point is that both candidates have made stupid arguments. But I’d rather have a Republican with experience who wants to do the job than another Carperite Democrat who simply wants a launching pad.
And if you’re being honest, he’s not calling seniors thieves. He’s calling the government a thief, which is what Republicans do.
So, I went and read the article pretty carefully, and perhaps I need glasses, but I couldn’t find Mr. Simpler calling seniors thieves. Rather, he called the U.S. Government a thief by mandating in federal law (the PPACA or Obamacare) that drug companies sell drugs at reduced prices to seniors. He then correctly observes that in order to sell the drugs at lower prices to some, drug companies will sell the drugs for more to others. That’s his point.
So, when the News-Journal claims that the new law is “saving” seniors money, it’s true that seniors are paying less, but it’s also true that others are paying more to make up for that discount. After all, if all it took to “save” money was to pass laws ordering companies to sell goods for less, then Congress would pass laws telling companies to sell everything for less. What’s really going on is that some are being made to pay more, so others can pay less. It’s a form of taxation.
That’s Simpler’s point. If you think it’s okay, or want to debate whether it’s good public policy or not, do that. But, as the old saying from Econ101 goes, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Companies have to make a profit or they’ll go out of business.
Simpler was trying to be clever by noting that the “savings” story appeared next to a story about robbery, but really the so-called “savings” were nothing more than a mandated requirement that drugs be sold for less to some resulting in others being charged more, or, put another way, the government is “robbing” some to help others pay less. Perhaps not as clearly written as some of the snarky folks here might like, but hardly the sensationalistic stuff that this post suggests.
Anono and “Really?” –
It always boggles me when people try to distinguish “the people” from “the government”, which is of course “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. If he’s calling the government a thief, he’s at least calling senior citizens willing accomplices who lobbied the government to steal on their behalf.
If you have to split hairs to defend someone’s statements, it’s a bad statement. “If you’re explaining, you’re losing”.
More to the point, the US government IS THE ONLY GOVERNMENT IN THE WORLD barred from negotiating drug prices. The drug companies, not the government, not the seniors, are the thieves.
Yeah, I don’t want a Carperite either. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend the Republican isn’t a “free market” liar.
it’s true that seniors are paying less, but it’s also true that others are paying more to make up for that discount.
Well, no, actually, they are not. Because lots of Americans are getting discounts on medications from a variety of courses — you have a negotiated deal from your employer (is that stealing? Because that is the key question), you have cards from drug stores giving you discounts (and still Americans pay more for their meds than almost anyone else — no single payer plan on earth pays full price for meds) and so on. Those discounts come from the extraordinary markup that these companies impose on their meds.
So seniors are saving money. If you are getting meds from your employer (not Tier 3), so are you. Why is one stealing and the other not?
Well that didn’t take long. I was convinced Simpler wouldn’t reveal right wing crackpot ideology until after he was elected.
Oh, “it’s a form of taxation.” No. Thats a form of capitalism, or what I would call, robbery. Selling drugs in this country for $3.00 per pill while in Canada it costs $1.05 while, still, in Asia, the pill can be bought for .80 is robbery.
To call it a taxation scheme completely ignores the reality that drug companies are robbing the American consumer. Get serious, would the drug companies charge less to the Medicare Part D drug recipients without gov’t negotiation? No. Cause a pimps gotta make his money.
The seniors in this household don’t appreciate being called thieves. Not that we ever would have voted for Simpler but still, nasty, nasty, nasty. Good move by Barney to call him out on this.
I am shocked – shocked I tell you – that you all are willing to be a part of this attempt by Barney to distract from the fact that he has no money management experience and is a pure Carperite. I’ll remember this in a couple of years when you’re complaining about Barney like you complain about Carper and Carney.
(By the way, I’m legitimately shocked that Barney sent out a link to an article that said that the long-term unemployed should have their benefits cut and be forced to volunteer for nonprofits, and no one here seems to give a hoot.)
Do not mistake my dislike for Simpler as some wholehearted embrace and endorsement of Barney. Since these are the only two in the race I will choose the D not because I Barneys number one fan, but because I don’t want to give the Rs anything resembling an endorsement of policies and/or a shot at higher office.
The treasurers job is little more than making sure the checks or direct deposits go out on time and filing a few reports annually. Chip Flowers has taught us that any move towards transparency, input on investments or anything else resembling money management is strictly a no-no and not in the job description.
I think SussexAnon raises a good point here. Even aside from who, exactly, he’s accusing of a crime equivalent to armed robbery is the fact that this article shows that he’s MUCH farther to the right than his campaign has suggested thus far. I would hope that his words give pause to good progressives here that want to protest a “Carperite”.
Sure Anono, Simpler is a financial guy, but i think this pulls back the curtains a bit more to show us what TYPE of financial guy he is. He’s apparently not the apolitical hedge fund manager that he’s trying to pitch. He’s the kind of finance guy that sees senior citizens getting a break on medication as wasteful spending (and taking money out of the pockets of Big Pharma!), and isn’t afraid to mince words about it. Say what you will about whatever shoddy pro-business third-way policies are being implemented by current officeholders – it’s leaps and bounds better than the ol’ tea party public services slash-and-burn.
I think that regardless of the technicalities of if he’s calling the Government criminal or senior citizens, this is pretty revealing of Simpler’s true political inclinations.
He’s yearning for a “simpler” time when all that stood between seniors and their good health was the size of their wallets. None of this no-good Government intervention.
“Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.”
–Franklin Delano Roosevelt
http://fdrlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/19361.pdf
This was done by a “Financial Guy” too. A GOP one.
…..and NJ’s bond rating goes down again….. from yesterday.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/09/citing_christies_pension_payment_cuts_and_budget_problems_sp_downgrades_nj_debt_rating.html
Financial genius those Republican’ts.
Interesting side note, my spell check is now recognizing Republican’ts as correct spelling. Is Skynet now active, learning and left leaning?
I think it best to stay away from these health care/insurance issues when you’re running for Treasurer. ANY payment is too much for some, and overpayment seems to be the cry of most. Leave that round of fire for the insurance commissioner. Just sign your name and cut the check, without borrowing trouble. It will find you soon enough.
“Since these are the only two in the race I will choose the D not because I Barneys number one fan, but because I don’t want to give the Rs anything resembling an endorsement of policies and/or a shot at higher office.”
This is why we keep getting a stream of corporate Carper/Markell/Carney/Schwartzkopf moderates. Because people like you will always come home and be good little boys and girls. This is an opportunity to send a message to the whole Carper/Markell cabal on behalf of progressives. Simpler can’t do any damage as Treasurer. Chip made sure of that.
Since I have witnessed the clown show known as GOP meetings first hand, no, I won’t be voting for Simpler. With very few exceptions, at some point, republicans must answer to their corporate “property rights free market all gov’t is bad masters” and do their bidding. Now that Simpler has been quoted with the same craziness, he lost what little chance he had of me voting for him.
And since you have no idea who I am, get a clue. I was against Carper by supporting a guy that I personally do not like and knew had zero chance of winning while everyone else on this blog sat on their f-ing hands. And, like I said, I am no big fan of Barneys. My personal interactions with him in the past have been less than stellar. But at least I know he isn’t buying the GOP rhetoric hook line and sinker on things (as Simpler has now shown).
SussexAnon — They thank you. They really do.
TLDR – Dems are pooping themselves now that Simpler beat Sher, and Barney looks like a sitting duck.
No one is pooping themselves over who gets elected Treasurer. It’s a relatively weak office, as Mr. Flowers discovered.
Did anybody think Sher was going to beat that kind of third party spending?
Did anybody think Chip stood a better shot against Simpler?
Be assured there is pooping. Not about the office itself, so much as any Republican holding any office. Delaware Democrats are a special kind of Kmart crazy. Who could have ever imagined that endless fail after fail would still sucker them in every November.
“Who could have ever imagined that endless fail after fail would still sucker them in every November.”
Yep, Republicans must have to REALLY suck at offering an alternative in this state for D’s to keep winning elections.
“I am not a witch”
“Democrats are Nazis”
“I am the supreme law enforcement officer/superbeing of this county”
“Its not statutory rape, she was 18 (and I am 54) so its not creepy or illegal at all”
Did anybody think Chip stood a better shot against Simpler?”
Of course he did. That is why they had to take him down, regardless of damage to the party. Does anyone think the Delaware establishment really gives a rat’s ass whether a D or R is in that office?
It is a little to late to remind everyone to be careful what you wish for. No matter who wins, you all are going to love your new treasurer. You fought so hard to put him in office.
I really should have qualified that with “except Puck.”
“Did anybody think Sher was going to beat that kind of third party spending?”
She had higher name ID going in and spent $250K of her own money, mercilessly pandering to the extreme right in a Republican primary. Of course she should have won.
And suddenly the foaming left realized there were no more Christine O’Donnells, no more Jeff Christophers, no more…..fun.
The sane Republicans have been there all along, but ignored or drowned out by the liberal media. Crazy sells better, and in covering it, they brought out more crazy.
The last 14 years have been nothing but a minstrel show of liberal criticism of ideology that had little basis in reality. For every supposed conservative zealot, there is a butch militant wearing a leather strap on. Bogeymen all.
The real story would not sell any papers, or get any web site hits.
There is nothing sane about claiming that seniors are stealing. There is nothing sane by claiming that Big Pharma is being victimized by discounts they offered to provide. There is nothing sane about claiming that Big Pharma somehow had these discounts imposed upon them.
If you are going to wrap yourself in the insane narratives of wingnuts, then you get to be just as insane as they are.
And the one name rule applies to you, too, Metamucil.
And while I’m at it, Ken Simpler Thinks Chris Christie Gives Good Speech.
Oy vey.
Wonder what this “Finance Guy” thinks of Chris Christie’s financial management:
New Jersey’s credit rating has been downgraded more under Chris Christie than any other governor
Seven downgrades of New Jersey’s credit ratings under Christie gets him close to the Sam Brownback Financial Management Hall of Fame, I think. And yet, for the entire time Jack Markell has been Governor (even under pretty dire conditions), Delaware’s bond rating has maintained its high rating. Pretty good for a minstrel show!
Mother Gump said it best.
“There is nothing sane about claiming that seniors are stealing.”
Nor is there anything sane about stretching a bad metaphor to its extreme in order to make a political point. Even the News Journal said that Simpler didn’t say seniors were stealing. The stretch was so egregious that Carperite Barney got fact-checked by the News Journal, which they never do.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2014/09/10/marshalls-win-stands-recount/15418459/
Nor is there anything sane about stretching a bad metaphor to its extreme in order to make a political point.
The metaphor is his and when you compare the behavior of a guy holding up convenience stores to someone handing over an insurance card for cheaper meds — you get to conclude that he thinks that seniors are stealing.
As for the NJ — all they said was that Simpler’s piece did not explicitly say seniors were stealing. And since we are mostly dealing in tortured metaphor AND in wingnut ideology, all I can say is DUH. Not exactly much fact-checking in that, right.
I am, however, highly amused at how fast wingnuts run away from their wingnuttery when they think they are on the verge of bamboozling enough people.
Overheard on the Titanic: “Hey, where’s my chair?”
“As for the NJ — all they said was that Simpler’s piece did not explicitly say seniors were stealing.”
But yet you did. And the Carperite wing of the party continues to benefit.
Nuttingham –
“I really should have qualified that with “except Puck.”” – This gave me a good laugh, thanks 🙂
Anono – “And the Carperite wing of the party continues to benefit.”
Perhaps, but supporting Simpler does even more damage to progressive causes than supporting Carper. Suggesting otherwise was the strategy up until now, but I think that message is firmly out of reach after this, so at this point you’re just beating a dead horse.
Metromucil – Once you mentioned “the liberal media” keeping down the sane republicans, you lost any credibility. If you want someone to blame, just remember the political leanings of the news network that hired Sarah Palin and continues to give a megaphone to Christine O’Donnell. Someone is certainly putting crazy on display, but Rush Limbaugh isn’t a member of the “liberal media”.
The Titanic is sailing the seas of the treasurer’s office? Seems like a big boat for a small pond.
If Simpler focuses on the office, he can win. If he gets baited into sounding conservative on broader issues — and he is conservative, so it shouldn’t be hard — he will lose.
One thing the supposedly “sane” Republicans don’t yet realize is that their “sane” economic positions are being disproven by the day, so talking about their “sane” policies will sink them.
As for the insane Republicans, represented by our aperient newcomer, please keep it up. Every word from a teabagger creates a vote for Barney.
@anono: So noted: Criticism of Simpler helps Barney. Electing Barney helps Carperism. We get it. Some people are going to vote for Barney anyway. Live with it.
I’m calling BS on this:
“The sane Republicans have been there all along, but ignored or drowned out by the liberal media.”
The “sane” Republicans sure loved them some tea party crazy when it wasn’t directed at them. Save your tears. This is your monster, Dr. Frankenstein. The crazy wasn’t created by liberals. “Sane” Republicans own this.
And the Carperite wing of the party continues to benefit.
And since the Carperite wing of the party is down with your agenda, it is tough to see how you are harmed here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHsx1cvACkY
It was a good run, but the bill has come due. Brave faces, ladies and gents!
Really, Metromucil? But what can we expect from someone who thinks a blog post is tldr and uses the word poop liberally. Well… actually we expect a toddler, and you’ve delivered. Nice job.
“poop liberally”
Yes, she did say that.
So Simpler’s campaign strategy is to gloat? Sounds like a winner.
What was Flowers’ strategy? Weldin Stewart’s strategy? Gordon’s strategy?
Strategy….please. Dellywhere isn’t a sophisticated political landscape. Bus in Philadelphia thugs for the polls, call up gullible union faithful, win New Castle County lung cancer vote. End of story.
No one is tripping the light fantastic north of the canal. Get over yourselves. You need the Morlocks, gentle Eloi, but never forget you’re both made out of meat.
If Barney beats Simpler (thanks to the Philadelphia thugs, gullible union faithful & lung cancer vote) that means the DEGOP didn’t pick the authentic conservative. Wash, rinse, repeat.
The crazy will always be with us. Matt 26:11
“What was Flowers’ strategy? Weldin Stewart’s strategy? Gordon’s strategy?”
Didn’t need one. They’re Democrats, and there are lots more of them than there are of you.
Yes, we’re all made of meat. In your case, especially the head.
“So Simpler’s campaign strategy is to gloat? Sounds like a winner.”
I don’t understand this statement.
For the record, I’m not a conservative. I’m a progressive who wants to see somebody finally teach the Carperite wing of the Democratic Party a lesson and who feels like this is the best opportunity to do that. I understand now that this is not the best forum for that argument.
“I’m a progressive who wants to see somebody finally teach the Carperite wing of the Democratic Party a lesson…”
Just as Carper’s only foe is Father Time, the Carperite wing of the Democratic Party appears to be with us until civilization’s collapse. Maybe 2 years from now.
Bring your sunscreen, Jason. I’m sure you were just ahead of your time.
Unless…need I point out the obvious?
Geezer: “Didn’t need one. They’re Democrats, and there are lots more of them than there are of you.”
Definition of insanity….same actions, but expecting different results. Who’s detached from reality?
Stop trying to convince us and work on your own team, Metro. They’re your biggest challenge.
Matthew 26:11 = “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”
No wonder you are.
But, Pandy, you are the Republicans our party needs. Trust me, dear, you’d get better results for all if you’d take up the task. Your wish list might get a little shorter once you see the puzzle pieces, but you’d make one hell of a good GOP Jiminy Cricket.
If we take the perspective of whom to we want to go further up the ladder in Delaware politics, as of right now, it appears of these two, Simpler would probably be better. Not that we know too much about Barney. I’m putting a lot of credibility into Deldem’s scathing piece on him, in making this assessment.
For one, and I may be the only one, I think the outcry over this little read Town Square piece is overblown. I think Barney’s campaign just tripled this articles readership, and that is assuming that only the people commenting here have read it.
Unreadable nonsense.
I will never vote Republican because of their stance on women issues. Yep, you have a long way to go, baby.
I don’t know. It is just a tall order for Simpler to pull a reverse Markell and get a bunch of Dems to split the ticket because he is the finance guy in the race. I’m sure he was bummed when Flowers bowed out.
He is clearly serious though. Simpler’s campaign web site and video are very good, but it feels like a “get the name out there” kind of thing to me. If he has a good showing maybe he is thinking that he is well positioned for a run at Peter Schwartzkopf ? Anyway, he is in it for the long haul.
If lightning struck and he won this race, would that mean the sanes have triumphed over the crazies. I doubt that.
Have faith, Jason. And keep looking for them. Outside of Sussex County of course.
Pandy, I think you enjoy the “women’s issues” solely for its wedge element. You’d be surprised at how much common ground could be forged.
Unless you quiver with delight at bags of mutilated fetuses, you respect human life. The hard part is figuring out how to move that into policy and practice, without trampling on privacy and personal freedom.
@metro: I doubt very seriously that you and I would agree on what the preferred results are. Just as I don’t need to be hit by a train to know it would kill me, I don’t need to vote for Republicans to know they are bad for humanity.
The folks you should be trolling are the Valenzuela voters. If you can’t get them, Simpler has no chance at all. They’re the ones who disagree with you, supposedly. Your comments about abortion clear that up, though. You’re not sane in any sense, except for understanding that your actual views are not welcome, so you’ll hide them.
Oh my! A wedge issue? You guys don’t get it, and when I read your “bags of mutilated fetuses” comment, it’s apparent you never will. Common ground? Not seeing it in your comment. But thanks for dismissing women and their issues as a wedge issue. How’s that been working for you guys?
As I noted, if sending a smug troll to a liberal blog is supposed to win support for Simpler, I’m not seeing it.
The more you talk about abortion, the more Simpler is going to lose by.
And Bambi thought the hunters could be reasoned with….
And Geezer, don’t care who you vote for. Just like pointing out that none of your smug victories so far have panned out. Even Bryan Townsend has been a little Paul McCartneyish. You guys are aspirational yo-yos.
No real problem with that either. Just own it for God’s sake.
Metamuscil wouldn’t be here trying to troll this thread if it wasn’t a problem for his guy.
Just own it for God’s sake.
Exactly, Cassandra!
One more thing, Metromucil… Thanks for giving us the heads up on where your candidate stands on women’s issues. I’ll be sure to quote you.
What does “Paul McCartneyish” mean?
I don’t believe for a second that you don’t care who people vote for. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t care.
Many Democrats will vote for Barney with their noses held. They might be encouraged to vote for Simpler, but not by trotting out abortion as an issue.
I, for example, like Simpler’s qualifications for this job, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t grow up a rich kid, and if it’s given him an attitude smug enough to side with pharmaceutical companies against retirees, it’s going to cost him. He is who he is. Own it.
From candidate to candidate to candidate, the years tick by. You can label it, attach it, claim it however you want. It goes far beyond that.
Bottom line is that that I’ve come to just not like many of you based on the narratives you have laid down. You cheer and jeer candidates from afar. I’m more interested in the stink of you, not anyone D, R, L, or whatever who is running.
You all suffer from this delusion that there are white knights and black knights who will restore order or destroy the kingdom. Snortle.
You are the currency being traded here. Put it to better use.
The only high ground you have in Delaware is the registration advantage. Everything else, in every race has been a disappointment. Half of the people that you believe “vote with you” would just as quickly beat you senseless in an alley. But you soldier on with gaudy on your side.
Markell, Carper, Coons, Carney, Gordon, Flowers, Weldin Stewart, and on and on.
You stump for these lumps on “ideology” and they burn you every time. You’d have better odds riding the elevator with Ray Rice.
“What does “Paul McCartneyish” mean?”
You pine for John Lennon, but at best you get mildy self-serving Paul.
Truth is, most of the time you get Ringo Starr, but I didn’t want to lay that on poor Bryan.
Shorter Metromucil: I got nothing. Waaaa! Get your own house in order.
“Many Democrats will vote for Barney with their noses held. They might be encouraged to vote for Simpler, but not by trotting out abortion as an issue.”
Well, let’s hope Simpler doesn’t trod in that pile. Any state investments in abortion facilities? No? Then I’m hopeful Barney and Simpler will keep it confined to money management.
Moving on, I’m more interested in the logic of people voting with their noses held. If it’s that bad, I skip that line. Left President blank in 2000 and 2008. Didn’t make a difference to the outcome, but made a difference to me. Couldn’t give my vote to anyone who didn’t earn it. We’ll see how 2016 shakes out, but I’m not hopeful.
It will be a low turnout affair, ground game will rule. Neither candidate is getting help from the top of the ticket. Barney has the keys to Dad’s campaign Ferrari, but if he goes into this thinking that he has been anointed, it will bite him in the ass.
Based on what I saw on primary day, Simpler has put together a pretty good operation. Simpler doesn’t have any party ID on anything. He even eschews the traditional Red, White and Blue and appears to be running as an Independent or a representative of the “I know about Finance” party. Not a bad choice in view of the appeal that the GOP brand has among general low-info voters.
Is that enough? How hungry are the “reasonable” republicans for a win? To me they seem pretty hungry. But can they donate the requisite shoe leather? How much does not being able to depend on the usual whack-jobs and zealots hurt? It should be interesting.
Shorter Pandora, 24-7: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!
If that list is supposed to apply to people here, you get an F for Fail. There’s not a name among them that had unanimous support here, with the possible exception of Markell. As with Obama instead of Hillary, you vote for the unknown hoping for liberalism vs. the known centrism of the candidate the leaders want. The same with Markell over Carney. Turns out, as with Obama/Hillary, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference.
That DOESN’T mean you vote for the Republican, although if you want a Republican in office as a protest, treasurer is the right office for it, as it carries no power.
There might be unrealistic lefties out there who really, really think voting for Democrats is progressive, but I’ve never met any.
Jason: “Barney has the keys to Dad’s campaign Ferrari, but if he goes into this thinking that he has been anointed, it will bite him in the ass.”
It’s insights like that that almost make me think you could be salvaged. Find the left-leaning libertarian in you!
Geezer: “There’s not a name among them that had unanimous support here”
And yet I’m willing to bet 95% still voted for them. If you don’t think that’s part of the problem, keep expecting different results…..
“Left President blank in 2000 and 2008. Didn’t make a difference to the outcome, but made a difference to me.’
So why brag about it here? I never vote major-party on the presidential line either. So what?
“I’m more interested in the logic of people voting with their noses held. If it’s that bad, I skip that line.”
How wonderful for you. None of that changes the fact that virtually all elections in this country are two-person races, in that either the Democrat or Republican will win. When discussing politics, there’s not much point in pretending otherwise, other than to make yourself feel good. You clearly value that, which is why you’re masturbating here.
And voting for Republicans will get you different results all right. Which is why “different results” isn’t the best way to describe the goal.
Uh-oh. You’re a libertarian? No wonder your personality sucks.
Geezer, clearly your pitchfork is so much nicer than all the others in the mob.
And no, not so libertarian that they’d have me. Just too much of a free agent to make nice with the others.
“Then I’m hopeful Barney and Simpler will keep it confined to money management.”
And you think the folks here are naive for hoping for different results? Bwa-ha-ha! The whole thread is about the fact that Barney is OBVIOUSLY going after Simpler on Republican policies. Your hope has already been shattered. Get used to it.
What mob? The mob pointing out that you’re masturbating here? I don’t think any real libertarian would be talking about bags of bloody fetuses. Certainly not a libertarian who ever looked into the garbage at an abortion clinic.
Yep, Geezer, he exposed his, and his candidates, hand with that comment.
“One more thing, Metromucil… Thanks for giving us the heads up on where your candidate stands on women’s issues. I’ll be sure to quote you.”
Actually, Sher Valenzuela was pretty clear – Simpler is a liberal on abortion and gay marriage. She said so in her mailer.
That’s a pretty amateurish line of attack, taking what one random person says in a blog comment and assigning it to the campaign.
You should go work for the Carperite Barney with those reaching skills.
Geezer: “The whole thread is about the fact that Barney is OBVIOUSLY going after Simpler on Republican policies. Your hope has already been shattered. ”
Red meat, exactly as you ordered. What, are you feigning a diet now?
What makes you think I have a dog in the fight? Pointing out Simpler’s flaws is not an endorsement of Barney. Look up my comments on Barney in the archives.
@anono: “Random people” don’t show up on this blog in election season. If you’re looking for people fresh off the turnip truck, try SuxCo. Also, tossing around “Carperite” doesn’t work for Republicans; y’all think he’s a raving liberal, and we know it.
“That’s a pretty amateurish line of attack, taking what one random person says in a blog comment and assigning it to the campaign.”
Par for Pandy. We’ve gone rounds on this one before. I drop it in just to push her over the edge and show that she can’t keep her cold fury in check.
We’ll need a serious heat wave to defrost her now.
Apologies to the rest!
If you’ve gone rounds with her before, then it was under a different name. Another sign of paid trolling.
Geezer: “What makes you think I have a dog in the fight? ”
I stand by my 95% comment. You’ll toe the line, though you doth protest too much.
Geezer, tell me where to get paid!
You are the one who linked your candidate to abortion. Nice going, sport.
But what’s really sad is the fact that you think you have a better chance of convincing DeLib commenters to vote for your “bags of mutilated fetuses” guy than you have with Republicans. Hop on over to Delaware Politics and work on your base.
No, Pandy, I linked your political inflexibility to it. You make it too easy.
It’s about YOU, dearie. Your dream come true!
At least Jason has shown he can parry, dodge, spin and thrust.
“Hop on over to Delaware Politics” ???
Nah, far too boring.
You’ll stand by an opinion. How brave.
I don’t think you’ve fooled anyone here. We know who you’re voting for, too, and it ain’t because you think Carper is too conservative.
Geezer: “We know who you’re voting for, too”
Doubt you could predict 30% of my picks (or abstentions) correctly.
I’m only talking about this race.
An anonymous person on the internet telling strangers what his voting patterns are is a sign of something, and if you’re not getting paid for this, it’s not a sign of something good. Is it really this hard to get women to pay attention to you?
Geezer, you have no comprehension of the depths of my political soul, but I think you’d end up with this expression:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yEx3OJuZnnY/Tm-mf1ZCJPI/AAAAAAAAC3I/jBzU6I3LFjk/s1600/scared%2Bface.jpg
Delaware Politics, whatever or wherever that is, cannot possibly be any more boring then the comment section for this post. The esoteric “inside-baseball” bickering about these local candidates reminds my of middle school cliques talking about their rivals. Really riveting stuff. I won’t be able to get my cock hard again till I get this out of my mind.
Wake me when Metro gets around to how awesome Simpler is for the article he is quoted in and why that is a reason to vote for him.
Please, don’t call yourself a Libertarian. From the Libertarian Plank:
1.5 Abortion
Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration
And right back to the only thing that matters to the left….
Please do not base your thoughts/opinions of the candidates off of one anonymous poster. This thread began by talking about the op-ed piece Simpler wrote in 2012 that Barney brought out within the hour of Simpler winning the primary. The op-ed piece is fair game: Simpler wrote it, Barney opened the door to it, and Simpler responded to it. Metromucil’s opinions on what he thinks Simpler does and does not support policy-wise is based in nothing but speculation. Apart from broad statements made in the primary – Simpler’s been married for 23 years to one woman, he has three children – he has kept his message, and his entire campaign, focused on the treasury and what he, as a finance guy with the necessary experience, can bring to the position. If a topic isn’t directly related to the treasurer’s office, Simpler has not openly discussed it. That should be where people’s opinions come from. Not one individual’s assumptions of what that candidate believes in.
Haven’t a clue what Simpler, Barney, (or Flowers) really thinks on broader political issues. I just know how DL thuggies will base their vote. Sher was their dream candidate. That’s the original point to my first post. She offered ideology, not Treasurer’s skills. Any race with her in it would have strayed from any discussion of what the office actually did.
Shorter Metromucil: No Sher, no fun.
Longer Metromucil: Read above, for no point or purpose related to any one specific office or set of candidates. This was about the “candy” race for DL faithful. No sweet tooth satisfaction shall be had it seems.
“And right back to the only thing that matters to the left….”
Uhm, you brought up abortion and claimed you are a libertarian.
But, please do try and convince us that Simpler is the guy based on the article that started this thread.
“If a topic isn’t directly related to the treasurer’s office, Simpler has not openly discussed it.” Nice damage control. Except when he wrote an op-ed in 2012
Don’t need to convince of anything except what you already know. You won’t have Sher Valenzuela to kick around, and GAWD, that just hurts, don’t it!
You are all, every single one of you, Christine O’Donnell junkies. Sher was the closest bit of comparable fun to be had this election.
Pretend there is something interesting going forward if you want. But you’ll miss her. And you can’t wait to see what she runs for in 2016. Maybe Santa will be good to you and COD will return. Why take the substitute, when you can have the sugar?
As for the abortion issue, it snaps Pandora off like a bear trap. Why not use that? I plead guilty. With a smile.
Shorter Metromucil: No Sher, no fun.
Go back to the original post. Simpler looks like he is going to provide his own fun. Certainly claiming that seniors are stealing is a juicy start. Which is why you are even here, right? To try to deflect from that.
Wingnuts always show their stripes. And there are plenty of wingnuts to show up to try to get people to “look over there!”
Get over yourself and smell the wingnuttery.
I’ll leave it to Simpler and Barney to spice up their own race.
And I’ll stick with the DL lament: No Sher, no fun.
The minute I saw “More jobs, less government” on her otherwise unreadable magazine ad signs, I knew we had a good rodeo brewing. Thought she’d stay on, but the GOP bull threw her off.
And that….makes for no DL fun.
You keep saying that.
And you keep providing clear proof otherwise.
I think you mean “No Sher, no care.”
She really isn’t a priority here.
BTW she is no Christine O’Donnell. She has a job, and a company that she helped build with her husband. Big big difference.
Sher is a priority is as much as her absence leaves you feeling peckish for junk food. The Barney/Simpler tussle that gave birth to this thread is banana chips by comparison.
It reeks of effort.
And for that, I extend my pity.
I see a Sher restraining order in someone’s future.
Speaking of reeking of effort, is Metamucil still here trying to deflect from Ken Simpler’s wingnuttery?
I’m still paying attention to the fact he thinks seniors are stealing when they extend their Medicare cards to the pharmacist.
Anyone else deflected from this?
Nope.
Previous comment blocked.
WIN.
“Reeking of effort” was a welcome, if accidental, bit of self examination.
Your life will improve once you discover women.
I expect Simpler will provide plenty of wingnuttery just by being a conservative, even a “moderate” one. Look at how much diversion you have provided just by being a garden-variety dick.
I expect Simpler will provide plenty of wingnuttery just by being a conservative, even a “moderate” one.
Then that will give Barney, as a robust champion of Democratic values, plenty of opportunity to call Simpler out on his crackpot Republican economic theories, right? What more could a Democrat ask for than such an opportunity to show contrast and draw distinctions?
“I’m still paying attention to the fact he thinks seniors are stealing when they extend their Medicare cards to the pharmacist.
Anyone else deflected from this?”
Considering the attack on this came from Barney as a distraction from the fact that he has no finance experience at all and is a Carperite Third Way lackey, you’re doing yeoman’s work in trying to keep people focused on the attack and not the lack of experience.
So no, I wasn’t distracted from the distraction.
You have to understand that “Carperite” is not a perjorative outside the DL bubble. Carper gets re-elected with something like 110% of the vote (I could be slightly off on that). Delaware is only blue on the outside. Inside it is purplish and full of DINOs. That is why it was a mistake to help Barney get his foot on the ladder.
“I’m still paying attention to the fact he thinks seniors are stealing when they extend their Medicare cards to the pharmacist.
Anyone else deflected from this?”
Of course he believes that. He is a Republican. But Simpler is the logical protest vote in this race. My case for Simpler is this:
1). No matter how wingnutty. he can do no damage as treasurer, and
2). In a future Senate race, I would much rather try to find a real Democrat to run against Simpler than Barney.
At least that is the gist of my thinking. I realize I might be being unfair to either Simpler or Barney, so I reserve the right to revise my analysis as the campaign progresses.
Spare me so-called progressives and their “protest” votes.
No matter how wingnutty. he can do no damage as treasurer,
On the one hand, this is true. He’ll be right at home among the folks you guys thought Chip Flowers was trying to keep in check.
On the other hand, a GOP Treasurer becomes a cause celebre for the GA GOP. After the GA spent two years telling the Treasurer that his was NOT a finance job, the GOP will suddenly find all kinds of government expansion– located in this office — they’ll be in favor of.
It would be amusing to watch these so-called progressives turn themselves into knots trying to justify all of this. Still, you’d think that progressives would want to try to be on the side of financial dignity for seniors not the mealy mouthed resentment staked out on behalf of Big Pharma.
“Still, you’d think that progressives would want to try to be on the side of financial dignity for seniors ”
The jury is still out on that for Barney. In my mind he still has to overcome his Third Way roots and that organization’s known antipathy to Social Security and modern center-left policy.
With everything we know about the modern GOP, giving any Republican his start in politics looks like a bad idea.
That said, hoping that Carperite Dems retain their humanity once elected feels just as foolish.
Puck, good point. The No. 1 complaint about our congressional delegation is its obsession with cutting social security and medicare/medicaid. We should badger Barney into stating his position on the “Grand Bargain” so loved by his political patron. If he thinks seniors are too well-compensated and need their benefits trimmed, vote for Simpler.
“After the GA spent two years telling the Treasurer that his was NOT a finance job”
Your spin skills are quite polished, Cassandra. The GA said that the Treasurer had to abide by the CMPB guidelines, and could not invest at will. They did not say it wasn’t a finance job, which it most definitely is. Take in the money, pay out the money, watch over the people doing the investing. All finance. All things that Simpler has done. None of which Barney has done.
I was at the JCC the other night and Simpler hit it on the head when he said Barney would either try to redefine Simpler, or redefine the job to suit his limited skillset, to distract people from the fact that he’s not right for the job. You’ve attempted to do both for him in these comments. Maybe now you can get that Carperite achievement badge over at Barney HQ.
I’m with Puck. This is the protest vote.
” If he thinks seniors are too well-compensated and need their benefits trimmed, vote for Simpler. ”
Well, he already promoted the idea that the long-term unemployed should have their benefits cut and be forced to work for free at nonprofits, and promoted deregulation in the energy sector so that big companies like Boeing, Gibson and Google don’t get sued.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/garyshapiro/2013/01/23/six-ways-to-create-economic-growth/
And then the Carperite deleted the post from his Facebook page, but not his Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BarneyforDE/status/507922247399772160
You’re really going to go to the mat for this guy? Not only is he way too Third Way, he’s running a terrible campaign.
And I just noticed the nice “cut the deficit” suggestion at the end of the article.
Impressive.
True, but Simpler is hardly in a position to point those things out.
As far as his experience in the field, that cuts both ways. What’s to stop him from chumming up with his compadres in the banking/investment community?
See, I don’t believe for a second that you’re a disaffected liberal. If you were, you wouldn’t tout Simpler’s experience — you’d be wary of it. YOUR problem is that, if we’re supposed to worry about which candidate could do more damage in the future, a successful Republican can cause more mischief than another Carper will. Sean Barney will have to elbow his way past many Democrats to gain a broader platform; Simpler will have no company up on that Republican stage.
So take your “protest vote” back to Simpler HQ and explain that liberals aren’t the suckers you thought they were.
“What’s to stop him from chumming up with his compadres in the banking/investment community?”
The Cash Management Policy Board and the Legislature. Pretty sure they made that clear this year.
You can keep saying that I’m not a progressive, but it doesn’t add a bit of truth to it.
Simpler wants to be like a sports referee on the field that just does the job and no one notices. He’s a boring guy, in a boring job with no power. And he can never be Governor or Senator, because he’d be evenly matched in those races against a Denn or a Biden or a Carney and our registration advantage would bury him. So yeah, I think this is the right time for a protest vote.
Are Puck and kavips supposed to be from Simpler HQ, too? I haven’t seen them around the water cooler.
Some people immediately have a bone to pick because of party affiliation. As I see it, both are close to identical, both are close to third way. I will look and make a better analysis closer to the race, but right now, I see two similar people: one fresh, and one who’s always worked for Democrats who cut the wrong way.
This race deserves some mulling before picking winners.
Puck and Kavips have been commenting here for years. You just showed up, conveniently echoing arguments made by others.
No, it doesn’t change anyone’s mind about any of this to know that you’re a Republican pretending to be a progressive, but it should relieve you of the burden of pretending to be progressive yourself.
“As I see it, both are close to identical, both are close to third way.”
And that’s the idiocy we know and love from Kavips.
Look at it this way: Most of us are not happy with the choices for Treasurer, and we consider Treasurer to be a gateway office. So in a future Senate race, who would you rather run against – Simpler or Barney?
Barney will have a clear path to a sinecure for life. Simpler, being a Republican in Delaware, will be comparatively easy to take out.
I’m not voting for Treasurer, I’m voting for the future.
@Puck: Exactly the basis I will decide on as well. As I noted, because the Democratic field is more crowded, Barney could wind up less dangerous than Simpler. I will be paying attention during the campaign before making up my mind.
Great comments. This one is a real head scratcher.
“Take in the money, pay out the money, watch over the people doing the investing.”
Yes. Watch only. No input. Ever. As we found out with the Chip debacle.
Considering the treasurer has no say in where the money is invested, I am not sure what sort of super advanced experience in finance you have to have to basically balance a checkbook, make sure the checks are going out on time and file an annual report.
When Simpler says “lets make it Simpler” he means by making seniors pay more for medicine. No thanks.
As I noted, because the Democratic field is more crowded, Barney could wind up less dangerous than Simpler
The field doesn’t seem to be crowded when in comes to John Carney.
a real head scratcher.
Barney could resolve it by butting down some stakes firmly in the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.
As you mentioned, outside the DL bubble there are not enough Democrats in the Democratic wing for that to be a sensible strategy.
This thread reminds me once again that we are the freaks. The people who don’t think governments should be organized around making banks more profitable are the crazy ones.
Roosevelt Democrats….We are as useless as the Green Party.
Although , I guess you can argue that we beat H Clinton (the 3rd way) and got our candidate Obama (the progressive (realativly speaking)).
So our votes can add up. We just have to be a little less cool with being sold out.
We just have to be a little less cool with being sold out.
You need to work harder at getting a Congress that might support better Presidential candidates.
As you mentioned, outside the DL bubble there are not enough Democrats in the Democratic wing for that to be a sensible strategy.
Generally true, but in this race I think my strategy is the most rational (vote for the Republican instead of the Carperite). I wasn’t willing to make that trade over a Senate seat with Senate control in the balance, but for DE Treasurer it works for me. We have more Democrats, now we need better Democrats.
And because of the Dem registration edge, Barney has nothing to lose by coming out as a strong Democrat, if that is in fact what is in his conscience. Nothing to lose that is, except the support of Carper.
Great point Puck.
Agreed. And that’s why we have to pin him down, not with what he’s said in op-eds, but how he’s going to behave moving forward.
Y’know, there’s an important point lost in all this: Ken Simpler could have responded to Barney by clarifying that he’s on the side of seniors, not Big Pharma. HIs failure to do so indicates that he still sides with Big Pharma.
They’re only saying it’s a distraction because it’s true.
“Yes. Watch only. No input. Ever. As we found out with the Chip debacle.”
Wrong. The Treasurer sits on the CMPB when the guidelines are made, and then supervises the cash managers who invest the money within those parameters. So it does matter if someone has experience. Chip wanted to have the authority to decide what the parameters were, without the CMPB. But nice try.
That begs the question. What does Sean Barney bring to the CMPB?
“Ken Simpler could have responded to Barney by clarifying that he’s on the side of seniors,”
He said, in the op-ed, that the government paying for seniors’ medication was a “politically conscionable act.” But feel free to glaze over that if it helps you make your argument.
See the current Treasury’s org chart here. Once the guidelines are set, the Treasurer himself isn’t especially crucial to the subsequent transactions. Certainly Chip Flowers isn’t doing anything but collecting a check at this point and the professionals who do the day to day money management continue to do that. And I’m going to point out again that the GA just spent the last year or so telling Chip Flowers that his job was NOT a finance job. Heck, while Chip Flowers was mismanaging his own travel budget, the state’s funds were doing fine.
The Treasurer is one of nine on the CPMB — meaning that the world continues to revolve with or without him. Which we’ve already seen over the past three years, right?
Simpler wants you to know that he gets that Medicare Part D is good politics, but he still thinks that seniors are stealing from Big Pharma.
“Barney has nothing to lose by coming out as a strong Democrat.”
LOL good one. This has been postulated for Carper, Coons and Carney. Never seems to work. There are bankers, credit card companies and corporate attorneys that have to be kowtowed to.
Ditto to Cass on Treasurers job.
I just remembered where I met Ken Simpler. He is a complete prick and shit head of the first order. I will kit be voting for him on personal grounds. I’ll post on it somte this week.
Will not be voting for him. (Stupid phone)
He said, in the op-ed, that the government paying for seniors’ medication was a “politically conscionable act.”
But economically unconscionable?
“And I’m going to point out again that the GA just spent the last year or so telling Chip Flowers that his job was NOT a finance job.”
Is this being handed down from Carperite HQ? Because it’s starting to pop up everywhere, regardless of its complete lack of truth.
The job – DONE PROPERLY – is a finance job. Are there employees in the department who are professional and know what they’re doing? Sure there are. Do you think those people want to work for someone who understands and appreciates their work? You bet your ass they do.
And you’re telling me that someone with 20 years of finance experience can’t make a .25% difference in the management of the flow of money? (Actually, please don’t embarrass yourself by making that claim.)
“But economically unconscionable?”
Not what he said. He said it’s an honorable thing to do, but let’s not pretend that the money for it doesn’t come from somewhere. Sure, it’s boilerplate GOPer-speak, and I’d have been happier if he’d gone further to the side of seniors, but let’s not pretend there’s a lick of difference between him and Third Way Barney ideologically.
I maintain my position: this is the right time and the right ballot slot for a protest vote.
Protest vote, my ass. Voting for Simpler because you think he’ll make a difference is not a protest vote.
What you consider Republican boilerplate is also known as telling his base what it wants to hear. Let’s see him repudiate his backers as you demand Barney do. You’re rushing to judgment without considering how much damage Simpler could do. Again, not a protest vote.
Is this being handed down from Carperite HQ? Because it’s starting to pop up everywhere, regardless of its complete lack of truth.
This just means that people are listening to me! Delaware has had plenty of Treasurers who weren’t “finance guys” and the state’s money is collected, accounted for, invested and disbursed without a glitch. Certainly it all worked when Velda Jones Potter was there, right? Certainly Chip Flowers was not a finance guy AND he was already botching running his budget, but the State’s money is in good order. Tom Carper, a finance guy? The point is that financial acumen has never exactly been the chief qualifier for this job, and the state’s finances are set up to run without many fingerprints from the Treasurer. Which is why Flowers wanted so badly to expand the job. And many of the Simpler partisans pulled a lever for Colin Bonini to do this job, and forget about finance, Bonini can’t quite get basic math right.
And you’re telling me that someone with 20 years of finance experience can’t make a .25% difference in the management of the flow of money?
And this really depends upon whether that option is available to you within the very restrictive sets of investments the law lets state cash get invested in. Which is why the day-to-day folks are more important — the big picture is set by law and by the Cash Management Board.
He said it’s an honorable thing to do, but let’s not pretend that the money for it doesn’t come from somewhere.
Um, no. He said that this money was being stolen from Big Pharma. Without acknowledging that Big Pharma agreed to those discounts in return for not having to discount the rest of the medications bought under Medicare Part D. They were not forced into it, they are not victimized by it, and by his logic, all of the discounts your employer gets for you for medications are also stealing. This isn’t even rational, much less a demonstration of any business sense. And somehow a guy who can’t follow the money in a basic discount transaction is supposed to have all kinds of cred as a “finance guy”. You’re the one who should be embarrassed here.
” Tom Carper, a finance guy?”
Tom Carper got a B.A. in Accounting. Janet Rzewnicki is a CPA. Jack Markell came from a finance and consulting background. So yeah, there was some finance there. I wouldn’t hold up Velda or Chip as shining examples.
“Which is why Flowers wanted so badly to expand the job. ”
As does Barney, for the same reason.
“And this really depends upon whether that option is available to you within the very restrictive sets of investments the law lets state cash get invested in. Which is why the day-to-day folks are more important — the big picture is set by law and by the Cash Management Board.”
Who manages the day-to-day folks between semi-annual CMPB meetings? Also, forget the investment portfolio. I’m talking about the day-to-day movement of billions of dollars. You don’t think someone with experience can pick up a .25% efficiency margin in there? That’s 10s of millions of dollars into the General Fund that can be spent on teachers or roads or whatever. And the savings is ideology-free.
“Um, no. He said that this money was being stolen from Big Pharma”
You keep saying that, even though everyone including the News Journal said that he didn’t. But based on my calculations, if you say it four more times, it might be true by then.
“Let’s see him repudiate his backers as you demand Barney do.”
You mean the guy that told the wingnuts where to stuff it when they demanded he campaign on social issues? The guy who got labeled as some massive liberal by his opponent, and didn’t argue back? I’d say Simpler has done way more repudiating than Mr. Third Way.
“What is every bit as criminal as Mr. Sutton’s stealing, however, is to report on the two events as if one is a taking and the other is not.”
What part of that don’t you understand? If you want to be honest about it, you’d point out that Ken Simpler thinks government is thievery. He very much DID say it’s thievery. THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE ARTICLE.
Could you kindly fuck off now?
By the way, “The News Journal” in the context you use it is John Sweeney, so it’s not worth much.
And what kind of dick thinks that it’s “every bit as criminal” to steal as to use the wrong terminology? Please.
“You mean the guy that told the wingnuts where to stuff it when they demanded he campaign on social issues?”
That’s a disagreement over tactics, not goals.
You’ve really revealed yourself at this point. You’re no progressive, and I resent your lying about being one.
Was there a huge collapse in the treasury when Velda and Chip took office because of their lack of a financial background?
Character is what you do when no one is looking. Simpler wrote this article when “no one was looking” in so much as he wasn’t a candidate yet. Bulk discounting is how capitalism works. Its not stealing. What BigPharma charges for drugs in this country IS stealing. Even a finance guy should be able to see that. Unless he is a vulture capitalist. Which by this article it sure sounds like he is.
Do I really want a treasurer who is going to get into the numbers and say “ya know what would really save money is if we raised bus fares because those people are stealing at the moment.” No I don’t want that. I already have a Governor who is close enough to that position. Everytime you ask him about public transportation he goes right to how it operates at a loss.
“Which is why Flowers wanted so badly to expand the job. ”
“As does Barney, for the same reason.”
From the Barney website: “I will restore the focus of the Treasurer’s office on its core responsibility of protecting the integrity of payments made with taxpayer resources.”
You must have slept through the primary where Barney was running as the Un-Chip candidate.
om Carper got a B.A. in Accounting. Janet Rzewnicki is a CPA. Jack Markell came from a finance and consulting background. So yeah, there was some finance there.
An accounting degree or a CPA does not a “finance guy” make. It makes accountants, not investment experts.
Talk about embarrassing yourself.
“From the Barney website: “I will restore the focus of the Treasurer’s office on its core responsibility of protecting the integrity of payments made with taxpayer resources.””
Where on his website does he mention handing over kids to the banksters at a tender age?
“An accounting degree or a CPA does not a “finance guy” make. It makes accountants, not investment experts.”
Finance is more than just investing. Accounting is not a part of finance? Is that Third Way accounting?
“He very much DID say it’s thievery. THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE ARTICLE.”
“A taking” is a common legal reference. It’s not the same as stealing. Come on. You guys aren’t this stupid. Why pretend to be?
“Um, no. He said that this money was being stolen from Big Pharma”
“You keep saying that, even though everyone including the News Journal said that he didn’t.”
In Simpler’s own words :
“What is every bit as criminal as Mr. Sutton’s stealing, however, is to report on the two events as if one is a taking and the other is not.”
Finance is more than just investing.
Not for this job, it isn’t. Besides, go back and read your own damn posts. It is the investing portion you keep claiming is going to be so bloody fabulous.
This is how I know you are conservative trolling here — who else would start pretending that he doesn’t have a written history of writing here AND that no one else will remember?
How thick can you be? The words are clear. The entire analogy is to theft. Give it up. He says one is treated as legal and the other not, but both are equivalent. Again, what part of that don’t you get?
Please explicate the sentence I highlighted earlier: “What is every bit as criminal as Mr. Sutton’s stealing, however, is to report on the two events as if one is a taking and the other is not.”
As I read it, he is saying that calling the funds in question “savings” instead of a “taking” is as criminal as theft itself. Do I take that literally, in which case do Iwant a guy with that kind of judgment in elected office? Or do I take it as hyperbole, in which case do I want a hyperbolic hysteric who plays to the cheap seats in elected office?
“Besides, go back and read your own damn posts. It is the investing portion you keep claiming is going to be so bloody fabulous.”
I haven’t changed my mind on that one bit. There is a heavy input and oversight role in the investment portfolio that will be undoubtedly better run by someone who’s done this kind of thing before. And let’s be honest, Chip’s antics cost the state money. His was the worst portfolio performance maybe ever. But you were trying to diminish the role, so that Mr. Third Way could seem more palatable. Thus, my response.
“Please explicate the sentence I highlighted earlier: “What is every bit as criminal as Mr. Sutton’s stealing, however, is to report on the two events as if one is a taking and the other is not.”
Sounds like he’s calling the News Journal criminals. And again, “a taking” means something very specific. Had he said “as if one is stealing and the other is not,” you’d be on stronger ground.
I agreed long ago that it was a stupid analogy, and that it revealed his conservative leanings. This did not surprise me, given the fact that he is a Republican and is expected to have those views. My whole point throughout this exercise has been to point out that there’s very little ideological difference between the two. And if the choice is a GOPer and another Third Way Democrat, then I’m going with the guy with the huge margin in significant and relevant experience. And the fact that it serves as a protest vote is just icing on the cake.
Yes, it sounds like he’s calling the News Journal criminals. That’s the most charitable way to read it, and it makes him sound like the idiotic, hyperbolic tea party members he’s wooing. Third Way vs. Tea Party might be an easy decision for you, but it’s not for me.
He does call the News Journal criminals, but he does note that both the armed robbery and the discounts that the government negotiated are the same — they are both “a taking” which is another way of saying that someone was stealing. Usually used in reference to the government, but the net is still stealing.
And let’s be honest, Chip’s antics cost the state money.
AND you have no way to know this. No Way. If you can back up this claim, then show your spreadsheets.
“TLDR – Dems are pooping themselves”
Probably the most insightful comment on this thread regarding the liberal panic over Simpler.
There’s no liberal panic. The debate is whether liberals should vote for a conservative Democrat or a conservative Republican. Panic is for the pants-wetting party, the GOP.
But if Republicans want to tell people that Simpler is going to coast to victory, go ahead. Misplaced confidence is a common character trait among the SuxCo mouth-breathing set.
Also, please learn something about the internets. Changing your screen name repeatedly to make is look like more than one person weakens your point.