This is getting tiring.
The News Journal reports that New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon “still isn’t ruling out a campaign for governor in 2016.” Why would he rule it out? The juggernaut that is John Carney is not that intimidating. Indeed, if Gordon gets in versus Carney, I have Gordon as the favorite.
“I have not made up my mind,” Gordon said during a brief interview on Thursday. “It’s still early. I haven’t said no to it.”
Earlier this week, in an article talking about Governor Markell’s endorsement of John Carney for Governor (which I am sure the Carney camp really appreciated), a spokesman for Carney said the Congressman has made no decision regarding 2016.
There is nothing I hate more than playing coy in politics. A decent interval has passed since the death of Beau Biden. It is not disrespectful to the Biden family to begin planning a run and to talk about your plans. The Sussex County Jamboree is coming up at the end of August. If you are running for Governor, you better be there and you better be speaking. So it is time to get of the pot, gentlemen.
“So it is time to get of the pot, gentlemen.” OK, where’s the “f”??? Somebody got “F’ed” here and I want to know who?
Can’t say I care for either would be governors at this point, suspect either would be Markell Part II. Or worse.
If this, indeed, is the primary, Carney could wear a white hat, while Gordon wears a black hat. That is how the campaign will play out. Carney has money in the bank and no skeletons in the closet. Gordon has…well, the TV ads should get interesting. Gordon has not seen that level of scrutiny in a campaign that voters actually care about, yet.
WE need more choices! We need someone to make tough decisions about; education, our economy, crime!
The weakness of the Dems could draw in Simpler, even though this is going to be a Dem wave year nationally.
Matt Denn, our desperate state and party cry out for you.
Indeed, if Gordon gets in versus Carney, I have Gordon as the favorite.
Ugh. Just ugh.
Oddly enough, I have heard from 3 different (and usually good) sources this week, that the Jamboree may be where Announcements Are Made.
You hate play coy in politics? That’s fucking hilarious. That’s all there is.
Sick of Carney and his corporate owership
Run, Matt, run!
El Som,
Curb your enthusiasm.
I share your hope but … let’s temper it with reality.
Carney’s main problem in 2008 was that he seldom, if ever, distanced himself from the disgraced Queen Bee during his eight years as lieutenant governor.
My memory isn’t perfect, but I don’t believe that Denn, in his six years as lieutenant governor, strayed from the Markell line on any significant policy matter.
Why now should we think he would be any different from Markell … or from Carney?
I agree that we can hope, but that’s all we’ve got.
(And this is in no way an endorsement of Gordon, who could best serve the state by moving to West Virginia.)
why am I going to moderation!!!!!!!!
Can someone tell me why they don’t like Gordon?
I just don’t get what’s so bad about the guy. I sure as hell would prefer him to Carney
I like what the guy has done for the community and seems to do for everyone, not just the self important leaders of it
“Can someone tell me why they don’t like Gordon?
I just don’t get what’s so bad about the guy. I sure as hell would prefer him to Carney
I like what the guy has done for the community and seems to do for everyone, not just the self important leaders of it”
Does anyone have a numbered list prepared to show donviti?
apparently you don’t
1. Racketeering charges
2. Illegal campaign finance charges
3. Illegal wiretapping charges
4. Bribery charges
5. Using county employees to work on his campaign during work hours
6. Former CAO convicted on felony counts associated with these charges
7. Former chief of police convicted on felony counts associated with these charges
There are many, many more, but I am sure they will all come out in the press should he run.
I second JL. Not to mention his generally awful attitude with staff, council, and members of the public. The fact that anyone is considering Gordon at all is an absolute travesty. Only in NCC would a guy be a convicted of criminal because of what he did in an elected position, then get elected to THE EXACT SAME POSITION again. Amazing.
wiretapping…lol, that’s so NSA, who even cares
Apparently, the FBI seemed to care at the time, as well as the folks being “tapped.” But I guess you can “lol” about it if you are a Gordon fan. That would seem appropriate for that crowd.
Picture Gordon with the state cauffers at his disposal. That would make for an interesting news cycle, for however long his tenure lasted.
Being Lt Gov has got to be the worst job in Delaware Politics. If you distance yourself from a sitting Governor you’re disloyal. If you stay quiet and do your job you’re a lackey
Damned if you do Damned if you don’t
Mediawatch: Denn demonstrated progressive cred as IC, and I think he’s doing a real good job as AG.
OTOH, ‘Concord Coalition’ Carney betrays not an iota of progressivism. He’s got a record of ‘crossing the aisle’, in fact he TOUTS it, as a generic congress critter.
If a visionless aparatchik is what you’re looking for in a governor, Carney’s the guy.
John Carney always attends the Jamboree and will again. All statewide elected officials who attend will speak, as will statewide candidates who have announced or who are announcing there. I have tickets!
El Som,
No, I’m not in Carney’s corner.
Surveying the field, I’d have to say I prefer Denn — not because I believe he will support progressive causes but because I hope that he will. I have no confidence in either Carney or Gordon as a progressive leader. With Denn, all I have is hope, but that’s more than I can say for the others. But I’ll hardly be surprised if he becomes governor and becomes a Carper/Carney/Markell clone.
FWIW, the DelDems booth at the fair had just one volunteer signup form that I saw – for Team Carney.
Not saying people don’t fib or change their mind, but I was in a meeting with Denn and he out right said he wasn’t running. He did not hem and haw or say he hadn’t decided, he said he was not running.
Carney has been elected statewide 5 times leading the ticket in most if not all those races. He will be governor for the next 8 years and I think a lot better one than we have now Even if Carney didn’t avail himself to a campaign taking advantage of the many past and present Gordon negatives, Gordon would be lucky to get 25% of the vote. The competent Gordon Government was run by Sherry Freebury and Ron Morris with Gordon being little more than Sherry’s puppet. Carney is well liked by democratic committee people throughout the state who are looking for an opportunity to correct the mistake made in the Carney Markell Primary. Gordon absent a few city committees has no relationship with the party. He has no money nor has he demonstrated (again absent Sherry) to raise any. His government is a clown show.He has nearly depleted the surplus which will result in a significant tax increase which will be accelerated by his spending like the much cliched drunken sailor. Paying millionaire farmers over $30,000 an acre for development rights on farmland opposed by most of the farmers in the state . The latest head scratcher was his proposal to give without being asked a $750 bonus to one of the most overpaid municipal unions in the Country. He does this just as they’re about to commence contract negotiations> He spends Capital funds like they don’t have to be paid back. He might want to forget being governor and worry about whether he can keep what he has
“He will be governor for the next 8 years and I think a lot better one than we have now”
No truer words!! Sooner the better to get Markell out of office!
@ Godfather: Gordon was convicted of a crime while serving in office and yet was re-elected to the same office again. I didnt think he had a chance and yet he steamrolled Paul Clark. I think you are underestimating him.
The $750 is not a head scratcher at all.
Excuse me, Rufus….
But my meth-head cousin Kenny could have beaten Paul Clark that year. Not only was he considered unsavory, but he was also considered incompetent. As much of a criminal as Tom Gordon is, nobody would call him incompetent. He is very competent. He absolutely means to do the unethical things he does, like overpay for farmland and hand out exorbitant no-show contracts to his pals in Wilmington. In 2016, he will have the best team that taxpayer dollars can buy.
You seem to forget what happened when he ran against a real candidate in Chris Coons. He got his arse handed to him.
@Bane … You seem to have forgotten that Gordon did not run against Coons in 2004 — Sherry Freebery did, and it was her arse that got handed to her, by a 67-18 margin, with the lamentable Richard Korn running slightly behind Sherry.
So, we still don’t know what would happen if Gordon had to run against a real candidate but there’s a good chance we’ll find out soon. Bonus pay last week, a grandiose plan to improve county parks this week. Who knows what his handlers will roll out in the next week or two? The strategy is clear, roll out lots of ideas with broad public appeal for whose costs he will not be held accountable and then try to tell a statewide audience that he’ll do for them what he did for (or to) New Castle County.
@Mediawatch …. I’m not talking about 2004. You forget that he ran against Coons in 2008 in, what seems to be, a very forgettable showing of 65% – 35%.
I mean you can bury your head in the sand and act like he didn’t run, but that doesn’t make it true. The results are even on the internets, until Gordon supports a law banning the results of the September 2008 primary.
http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect08/elect08_primary_election/html/election.shtml
This is post is aptly titled.
@bane … my bad … at a certain age you get better at remembering ancient history than the recent past. I guess I’m at that point. So I checked the ’04 results and didn’t go to ’08.
See, this I don’t get:
Carney is well liked by democratic committee people throughout the state who are looking for an opportunity to correct the mistake made in the Carney Markell Primary.
Actually, I do get that Carney is well-liked by the D infrastructure, but I do *not* get how Carney might be a corrective to the last several years. The biggest difference here is that Carney won’t try to sell himself as a progressive.
The point is absolutely correct Tom Gordon didn’t beat Paul Clark.Paul Clark beat Paul Clark. Both had extremely high negatives but Paul had his wife out there doing land use. They were both so disliked that 20 % of the primary voters voted for two county bureaucrats that they knew nothing about not to mention those that didn’t vote at all. If I were Gordon, I would draw any confidence from the 2012 primary.A good democrat would have beaten him.
“demicrat” is brilliant. If it is your coinage, you have made the world a better place.
I see you edited it. A brilliant typo nevertheless.
There were two other candidates in the 2012 county executive primary, assuring a split of the anti-Clark, anti-Gordon vote. I’d be grateful for background on which was legit, and which was Gordon’s beard.
To John Manifold. I don’t know if one was a beard. All I can tell you is that he hired one and kept the other in a high level position. But knowing Gordon his ego would let him accept the need for a beard. Draw your own conclusions
Gordon’s beard was Bill Shahan, bought, backed and paid for by Tommy Two Tone. Shahan was in the race to help split the Dem voters in the primary, so Tommy could have a shot at beating Clark. The other Dem was running to run and hoping for a win, but wasn’t a Gordon lackey. Unfortunately, a winner of the Dem primary by default, wins the election due to the voter registration numbers advantage.