Delaware Political Weekly: November 17-23, 2017
1. 1982 Called. They Want Their AG Election Back. Faced with the possibility of having either a pro- marijuana legalization candidate (David Skoranski) or a ‘nut’ (Tom Neuberger), as one party flak put it, the R’s are rumored to be pushing for Richard Gebelein to be their AG candidate. If the D’s nominate Charles Oberly, we would indeed have a rerun of the 1982 Attorney General’s race. Oberly squeaked out the win by a grand total of 1177 votes statewide. 92,917 to 91,740. BTW, 1982 was one of the most fascinating years in Delaware political history. It was the year that Tom Carper defeated scandal-ridden incumbent Tom Evans, who had apparently dallied with Paula Parkinson. It was the year of ‘Landslide’ Oberly. And it was the year that the D’s took control of the House, which they kept for only one term. Nobody saw that coming as the R’s had controlled the House redistricting process, but it happened. Check out Lonnie George’s R opponent in RD 1. That’s right, folks. That noted Republican, Ted Blunt. For a trip down Memory Lane, look through all the results. How many names do you recognize? I first got hired by the House after this election, thus starting my two decades-plus in Dover. Here is a deep trivia question: Which D legislative winner was not seated, and why? Even before the D’s took control of the House, they were already down one legislator.
2. Political Insider To Run For Paradee’s House Seat. Bill Bush, former legal counsel to Ruth Ann Minner and current legal counsel to the House Democratic Caucus. He’s also a member of the, wait for it, Del-Tech Board Of Trustees. And, if memory serves, he was one of the trustees who did not support Murray Hoy, who originally succeeded Lonnie George. In fact, who needs memories when we’ve got the record? Yup, Bill Bush was one of the guys who turned up the heat on Hoy to vamoose so that Mark Brainard could get the job. In other words, it’s hard to imagine a worse D candidate to succeed Paradee. A lawyer who enabled Ruth Ann Minner to cut the Tiganis an illegal break, a lawyer who enabled Tiny Tony’s illegal ascension to a position in DOL, a lawyer who is joined at the hip to Mark Brainard and Pete Schwartzkopf. Some other site wrote this about Bush: “Mr. Bush works as a lawyer who works for the House of Representatives Democratic caucus and was legal counsel to former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (though we won’t hold that against him).” Well, I will! More candidates, please. Speaking of that other site, you notice how they don’t provide attribution when they take a story directly from our site? Two stories not posted elsewhere, not in any paper, only here. Hey, they’re welcome to our table scraps, just give us a proper citation please.
3. Three-Way R Primary For Bushweller’s Seat?
Looks that way. Camden Mayor Justin King has announced that he will file for the R primary. He would join Jason Stewart and Donyale Hall in the primary. King is, wait for it, a former Camden cop, who has made it his priority to increase police presence in Camden. Hmmm, let’s think about this. One white candidate and two black candidates running in a Republican primary. Who do you think has the edge?
4. Filings. Other than Bill Bush, no other filings this week.
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss and whaddayathink?
Here’s a mega thumbs down on Bill Bush, is this all we got to put up for AG?
it is REALLY bad if we are going to see a rerun of a 1982 race for AG (that’s 36 yrs!!)…. where is all the bright young emerging talent on both sides of the aisle?
Well, the Rethugs are apparently pulling the plug on Skoranski, if my tipster is correct.
At least the D’s will have choices. As will the R’s. They can choose Neuberger, who you categorized as a nut.
@El Som: “Nut” is Republican shorthand for “he talks over my head.”
I do hope you plan to disclose the trivia answer if the peanut gallery doesn’t answer timely. You’ve piqued my curiosity on this one.
Thanks!
Sorry, Dan, didn’t mean to keep you in suspense, but I had to work today.
Here’s the story. In the 26th RD, D Richard Myers defeated R Rich Davis by 16 votes. The district had been redrawn and there wasn’t an incumbent in that district. Marian Anderson, who had represented the 26th, was elected as the rep in the 25th.
Before he could even be sworn in, it came out that Myers had taken money from his own civic association. So, he was not seated. Although I can’t find it in the archives, I believe a Special Election was held, and I know that Rich Davis became the State Rep.
All I remember about Richard Myers is that he was a dead-ringer for then U-Md. head basketball coach Lefty Driesell.
BTW, and this may drive Dan crazy, Myers was not the only legislator to lose his seat during that session of the General Assembly for ethical matters. Who was the other legislator, and who was his successor? Hint: Both were Democrats from north of the canal.
Didn’t Tigani cut his sweetheart deal with the Minner Administration in 2006, when he signed the lease with DelDOT for the land in Milford? It’s my understanding that Mr. Bush didn’t become Minner’s counsel until February or March 2007, so I’m not sure how you could tie him to that scandal considering he wasn’t even working for Minner at the time the deal went through?
You forgot to mention that Mr. Bush has served on the Caesar Rodney School Board (as President and Vice President), on the board of trustees for the Modern Maturity Center, and on the board of the Greater Dover Boys and Girls Club. God forbid a civic-minded and dedicated member of our community step forward and attempt to serve as the elected representative for this district. How dare someone who has spent years of his life volunteering and giving back put himself out there to do even more.
We in the 29th District have been incredibly fortunate to have Mr. Bush working on our behalf in countless ways for many years already and we’d certainly benefit from having someone with his experience and commitment to our community being our voice in the legislature. It’s pretty obvious that you have never met or spoken with the man that you’re attempting to denigrate in this post, but thankfully you don’t speak for the people in this district.
I love the trolls. Notice what ‘facts that matter’ were omitted. He was one of the key architects of the move to force Hoy out as the head of Del-Tech. So that, um, Ruth Ann Minner’s ethically-bankrupt Chief of Staff could get the position. (An ethically-bankrupt Chief of Staff who hired Bush for the position on Minner’s staff. Scratch-scratch.) Not even at issue. As such, he would be the latest in a string of Del-Tech puppets pulling the strings on behalf of that connected institution in Dover.
Kids, if you’re gonna be a troll, spare us prose like “(w)e in the 29th District have been incredibly fortunate to have Mr. Bush working on our behalf in countless ways for many years already and we’d certainly benefit from having someone with his experience and commitment to our community being our voice in the legislature.” It, uh, gives you away.
Bottom line: A guy whose nose has been browned at the backsides of Schwartzkopf and Brainard, among others, will be a rubber-stamp for those guys in Dover. Any district could/should do better than that.
Good job with the whataboutism and glossing over your inaccurate statements about Mr. Bush’s connection to the Tigani scandal.
With regard to Tony DeLuca and his job with the Department of Labor, didn’t he take that job in 2005? I guess I’m wondering how Mr. Bush could have been responsible for Tony DeLuca’s “illegal ascension” to his DOL position if he wasn’t counsel to Minner until two years later?
Just to recap, you’ve provided four reasons for people to not support Mr. Bush. Two of the four are not factually accurate, as you’ve assigned blame to him for things that occurred before his tenure with Minner commenced.
The other two concerns you’ve raised are Mr. Bush’s perceived connections to two individuals, and his assumed future support for our state’s only public community college.
Your assessment has nothing to do with what policies Mr. Bush may or may not support, his involvement in the 29th District, or even his potential electability. Have I summed that up correctly?
Fact checking your fabrications and sharing my opinion as someone who will actually cast a ballot in that district doesn’t make me a troll. I thought trolling included spreading false information and asserting baseless claims as matters of fact. Maybe I have those confused though?
The connections aren’t perceived. They’re real. Or did you not bother to read the link to the News-Journal article about Hoy’s ouster, Bush’s role in it, and Brainard’s elevation?
He now serves in a job at the pleasure of Pete Schwartzkopf. You may or may not have read this site before, but we’ve outlined how Pete has stomped on D priorities like a higher minimum wage and higher taxes for Delaware’s wealthiest.
While you may be right about when Bush came on board, he came on board at a time when the Minner Administration had been revealed to be an ethical sewer. What did he do to clean it up? If he did anything, it wasn’t revealed while he was there. And there is no doubt that he carried the water of the guy who hired him for the job when that guy was Lonnie’s choice to succeed him. A guy who is utterly unqualified. Mutual backscratching and oh so Delaware Way.
In fairness, though, Bush WAS there when Minner declined to fulfill her constitutional obligation to submit a budget proposal before she left office. Did Bush advise her to do that?
I have a question. Will Bush, like Lonnie’s daughter, push legislation to give Del-Tech the right to tax every Delaware property owner w/o even going to a referendum? I know the answer. The answer is yes. Bush would represent Del-Tech and would do the bidding of Pete Schwartzkopf. I repeat: You couldn’t possibly find a worse person with a D in front of their name to represent that district.
1) Are you sure you’re using the word “oust” correctly? I thought Hoy was offered the job at DelTech but elected not to accept. Can you oust someone from a position if they were never in it and if they decided on their own not to take it?
2) I thought almost every Democrat in the House voted in favor of the bill that amended PIT and added an additional bracket last session or is this roll call from 7-1-17 not accurate? http://www.legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=25985
3) I’m not sure about you, but I think if I were Governor, I’d prefer my legal counsel to keep my confidences and not reveal any advice or guidance they provided, nor any action they took on my behalf while I was in office. I’m pretty sure discretion and keeping confidences are ethical tenets of that particular profession, but given I’m not an attorney, I can’t say that with 100% certainty.
4) FYI, after spending two whole seconds googling this, here’s Minner’s recommended FY 2010 budget proposal: http://budget.delaware.gov/budget/fy2010/documents/operating/vol1/intro.pdf
5) I’m confused as to why you hate DelTech- are they failing our children? Are they not working with employers to provide a better trained workforce? As a former DelTech student, I’m shocked that a self-proclaimed progressive liberal would oppose our only public community college in the state. I’m not sure about the proposal you’ve referenced but haven’t there been credible accounts that the school is in desperate need of capital improvements? Or are those fake news, too?
You of course are apparently unaware about how Pete Schwartzkopf cut a deal with the Senate R’s in 2015 and went against the wishes of many in the D caucus. Now you’ll be less unaware:
http://delawareliberal.net//2015/07/08/schwartzkopfs-budget-deal-deplorable-was-it-also-illegal/
On the Minner budget, while you were technically correct, she didn’t submit a balanced budget, as required:
http://delawareliberal.net//2009/01/16/governor-minners-last-budget/
A mere half a billion dollar revenue gap. Leave it to Markell to figure it out.
As to Hoy, I know you can read, so I know you’re playing games.
FACT: COS Brainard hires Bush to serve as Minner’s attorney. (I don’t know the answer to this, Facts, but was Bush already a member of the Del-Tech board, or was he appointed afterwards? And, if so, by which governor?)
FACT: Lonnie George creates a new ‘Executive vice-president’ position specifically for Brainard, who is being groomed to take over for Lonnie. Brainard had moved directly from the Minner Administration to Del-Tech.
FACT: Del-Tech’s board, which is completely comprised of Lonnie loyalists, nevertheless goes against Lonnie’s wishes and selects Dr. Murray Hoy instead of Mark Brainard to be the new president. Maybe you can tell me why. Probably had something to do with those pesky qualifications that one candidate had and that the other candidate did not have.
FACT: The two opposing votes are Bush and Steve Maiorano, who is described in this News-Journal piece as Lonnie’s best friend:
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/education/2014/08/04/brainard-named-president-delaware-tech/13589211/
Fact: Bush and Maiorano even refuse to then vote unanimously, in the spirit of comity, to support Hoy.
Fact: After being lowballed on a contract offer, Hoy bows out, citing both Bush and Maiorano:
“”One of the nay votes is an attorney for the Legislature, which speaks to the concern of swaying the legislators,” the email continues. “The other is Lonnie’s [George] best friend, which speaks to Lonnie’s continuing influence.”
“The chair[man] told me that he asked for a unanimous vote when it was clear that I would be the selection, but the other two wouldn’t relent,” the email reads.
The two “nay” votes came from board members William Bush and John M. Maiorano, Stellini said. Bush has served as an attorney for both the Delaware House of Representatives and the governor’s office.”
Fact: ‘Doctor’ Mark Brainard, who is not a doctor, and has no educational bona fides, is then selected as Del-Tech’s president in accordance with George’s wishes.
I’ve seen the Delaware Way in action for far too long to ignore that this was the Delaware Way at its worst.
As to Del-Tech, I have nothing against Del-Tech, but I DO oppose giving them a designated revenue stream (revenue streaming out of homeowners’ pockets to Del-Tech) with no mechanism for voters to vote on it. There is legislation before the General Assembly right now that would do just that:
http://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?legislationId=25700
I’ll leave it to Alby to underscore just how much less Del-Tech charges in tuition due to legislative largesse. Which is fine, but now they want more, with no accountability, directly from the taxpayers?
Here’s what I wrote when the bill was introduced:
“*Harris McDowell and ‘Doctor’ Mark Brainard are at it again. Trying to let Del-Tech take money out of your wallet w/o any sort of referendum. Just the say-so of Del-Tech’s Board of Trustees. SB 50. Quite a few legislators who should know better are on the bill, including at least two former Del-Tech employees and, of course, Melanie Smith, Lonnie George’s daughter. Might be time to light up the phones. This is a money grab where none is justified.”
Hey, Bush would have a two-fer. Vote for the bill, then vote as a member of the Board Of Trustees to rip off his constituents.
You can play this game forever. But Bush has demonstrated that his loyalties lie with those who have scratched his back. Great for the Delaware Way, bad, IMHO, for Delaware.
And here, for context, is an article dating back to 2009 that demonstrates how Lonnie George turned Del-Tech into a Delaware Way institution:
http://delawareliberal.net//2009/06/03/chris-barrishs-story-on-lonnie-george-is-must-reading/
BTW, asked and answered. Markell had to have appointed Bush, since he did not appear on the list of board members in the comments section. Keep in mind, though, all nominees had to go through Lonnie. Also keep in mind that the D leader in the House at the time was Bob Gilligan, who had a long career at–Del-Tech.
Can you provide the citation in the Delaware Constituion or in state code that mandates that requirement RE a Governor must propose a balanced recommended budget? Article VII, Section 6 speaks to the fact that a balanced budget must be enacted by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor, but there doesn’t appear to be a mandate that the Governor recommend a balanced budget anywhere in Article VII, Article III, or anywhere else in the DE Constitution.
Also 29 Del. C. c. 63 makes no reference to a balanced recommended budget:
“Title 29 § 6335 Changes in budget plan by Governor; submission of proposed budget and Budget Appropriation Bill to General Assembly.
(a) The Governor upon receipt of the report of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget may make such changes in the report as the Governor may deem necessary or desirable in accordance with the Governor’s own best judgment and conclusion and shall submit the budget report as prepared by the Governor based upon the report of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to each House of the General Assembly, on or before February 1 of each year, and at the same time the Governor submits the proposed budget, the Governor shall submit copies of a tentative bill for all proposed appropriations for the budget, clearly itemized and properly classified for the ensuing fiscal year. This bill shall be known as the “Budget Appropriation Bill.”
(b) The budget itself shall be in such form that it can readily be analyzed. The Budget Appropriation Bill, together with the Governor’s message and all data accompanying it, shall be a public document and shall be printed, duplicated or otherwise mechanically reproduced as soon as presented, and copies thereof shall be furnished to each member of the General Assembly, to each state agency and to all of the newspapers published in the State and it shall be given such other publicity as the Governor deems proper. All dollar amounts in the Budget Appropriation Bill shall be stated in thousands of dollars, rounded to the nearest $100.”
Here’s an article quoting Hoy as to why he declined the job- it appears he had major concerns about language in his proposed contract (similar language was eventually included in Brainard’s per this article). The Board of Trustees Chair indicated it was a money issue but Hoy refuted that notion, given the money he’d make from his Wor Wic pension combined with his salary and likely eventual pension from DelTech which would have sufficed:
https://amp.delawareonline.com/amp/13938311
Looks like Mr. Bush was appointed by Governor Markell to the DelTech Board of Trustees:
http://www.legis.delaware.gov/Nomination?nominationId=966
I respectfully decline to respond to any points you’ve included in your reply that fail to link to a source outside of your own writings on this blog. I believe facts actually do matter, hence why I’ve refuted the numerous inaccurate statements of fact you’ve alleged in your post and subsequent comments. As Democrats, we should make extra sure that what we publish is fact-based and as accurate as possible. I’d encourage you to work on that.
“As a former DelTech student, I’m shocked that a self-proclaimed progressive liberal would oppose our only public community college in the state.”
Can the crap. Smart people oppose it because it is a money funnel from the taxpayers of Delaware to a politically compromised institution. Do you disagree?
“The Board of Trustees Chair indicated it was a money issue but Hoy refuted that notion”
What, no salt? The money offered was a major cut from what Lonnie made, as you well know. What Hoy said doesn’t trump what the board president says; at most it calls it into question if you grant it equal weight, which I see no reason to do.
“I think if I were Governor, I’d prefer my legal counsel to keep my confidences and not reveal any advice or guidance they provided, nor any action they took on my behalf while I was in office.”
Whatever it was he did, he sure kept Ruth Ann Minner from facing the music on that Tigani deal. That, I suppose, is one of the benefits of being a downstate insider. Or did he have nothing to do with representing her on that after he was hired?
DelTech’s needs for capital spending are necessitated by the increase in students caused by free tuition for many and tuition among the lowest quintile nationally — in an area above the average in cost of living.
This would not be objectionable were it not for the political corruption that lies at the heart of DelTech’s growth and success. Where I come from, community colleges operate at the county level, not the state level. As a result of being tied into the General Assembly’s largesse through Lonnie George, we fund a community college at a higher level than Delaware State University.
If the university to which the state gives the most money were forced to accept a larger number of Delaware students in their freshman year, DelTech would have fewer students, cutting the need for bricks and mortar. (I’ll leave aside for the moment that Wilmington perennially has the most empty commercial real estate in the country, space that could be converted at much lower cost than building from scratch.)
I have no knowledge of this person and cannot endorse or fail to endorse him, but any connection at all to Ruth Ann Minner is enough to move him to the bottom of my list, and any connection to DelTech is enough to keep him there. DelTech has more than enough support in Dover. It needs someone willing to put a brake on its outsized ambitions. The claims you make for its results are nowhere quantified. Have a link?
Not sure how long you’ve resided in Delaware, Alby, but very few services are funded at the county level. Roads, schools, and prisons in other states are funded at the county or local level; historically that hasn’t been the case in our state. While you might not like that, it’s why DelTech is funded at the state level and not through the counties.
In 14 Del. C. c. 51 and 14 Del. C. c. 65 respectively, both UD and DSU are defined as corporations, whereas 14 Del. C. c. 91 defines DelTech as a public institution of learning for high school grads or those unable to attend public high schools and is governed by a board of trustees.
Because UD and DSU are corporations, I’m fairly certain they have fundraising opportunities and abilities which DelTech is legally prohibited from engaging in as a subdivision of the state. There is a DelTech Education Foundation, but it is strictly limited to using any funds raised to support DelTech students in need of assistance with paying their tuition.
Meanwhile, gifts given to and funds raised by UD and DSU can be utilized in a variety of ways including establishing new buildings or capital improvements to existing buildings, to support program development for undergrads and graduate students, and to help fund athletics on campus to name a few.
I point out these differences to highlight how our other “public” institutions have the ability to fundraise for capital projects, whereas DelTech is limited to whatever funding it receives in the Bond Bill each year to make whatever capital investments it needs.
FYI, I didn’t make any claims, I merely asked questions about their (DelTech’s) results. See the question marks at the end of each sentence? They indicate that I’m asking a question, not to be confused with offering my opinion or stating a fact. Can you provide a link where DelTech is failing Delawareans?
Finally, the entire Tigani debacle was not known until Minner was out of office. It was first reported in 2009 or 2010 – long after Mr. Bush’s tenure as Governor’s counsel ended. El Som’s attempt to paint him with the Tigani brush is simply not supported by the facts or the timing of when that deal was struck and later when the scandal broke publicly.
If the Minner connection is a disqualifier for you, then I guess you should probably discontinue any support you have for our current Governor, Attorney General, and Congresswoman- all three were members of the Minner administration in various capacities. Perhaps you (and El Som) do not support any of those elected officials already, but if you do, I thought your hypocrisy should be noted.
I’ve been here a long time. I know why DTCC is run at the state level. I was pointing out that it allows the administration’s hands to get deep into the public’s pocket.
“Because UD and DSU are corporations, I’m fairly certain they have fundraising opportunities and abilities which DelTech is legally prohibited from engaging in as a subdivision of the state. ”
As a taxpayer, this is not my problem, and I am under no obligation of “fairness” to this operation.
You have entirely failed to engage on the political corruption involved. As such, I’m not interested in continuing this, as I suspect you either are Mr. Bush or are closely aligned with him.
My colleague explained that this political insider status, all those affiliations you cited as reasons to vote for him, are exactly the reasons a progressive would not vote for him.
This is not a court of law. I am under no obligation to give Mr. Bush the benefit of any doubts. Indeed, you have failed to give any reason to vote for him other than his civic involvement, which are pretty much the things I’d expect to see from a politically connected guy who wants something more to put on campaign literature. I know dozens of people who fit this profile who do not have what I consider his unsavory ties.
BTW, the payoff trip to Quebec happened in 2007. Is it your contention that Bush knew nothing about Minner’s involvement with Tigani, which apparently continued while he was aboard? Or did he come aboard after that flight? And how do you come to know so much about Mr. Bush’s employment record?
“FYI, I didn’t make any claims, I merely asked questions about their (DelTech’s) results. See the question marks at the end of each sentence? They indicate that I’m asking a question, not to be confused with offering my opinion or stating a fact.”
Don’t be cute. They were asked in the style of rhetorical questions, as if the answers were obvious. You didn’t mean them as serious questions, you meant them rhetorically. Maybe you shouldn’t brag so much about your education.
“Can you provide a link where DelTech is failing Delawareans?”
As an educational institution, no. I looked long and hard for any documentation either way. I found none, but since I wasn’t getting paid I didn’t search exhaustively.
As a political retirement home and featherbedding destination, yes.
“Indeed, you have failed to give any reason to vote for him other than his civic involvement, which are pretty much the things I’d expect to see from a politically connected guy who wants something more to put on campaign literature. I know dozens of people who fit this profile…”
As a board member serving on the governing boards for two major nonprofits that serve vulnerable communities in Kent County, I’ll agree that there are plenty of candidates and elected officials with similar citations on their resumes. It’s quite common for both to be affiliated with community based nonprofits serving their districts before running for office, Not sure it’s always the case that people sign up for these volunteer gigs to pad their future palm cards, though.
However, Mr. Bush’s tenure on the CR School Board certainly makes him uniquely qualified when it comes to his knowledge and expertise relating to education policy that the legislsture considers each year. 1/3 of our state’s annual operating budget is spent funding education. Currently there are a couple of former school board members in the legislature- Rep. Kim Williams and Rep. Deb Heffernan come to mind- both are well respected education policy wonks. Given the challenges we face in K-12 education in Delaware today, I’d argue there’s a considerable value-add to having one more former school board member in the mix, one that isn’t from NCC as well.
If you know dozens of people who have worked with large nonprofits and have served on their local school boards – if they are democrats you should definitely convince them to run for something. Most voters appreciate that there are people who step up and serve in these volunteer positions, which are unpaid, thankless, and often take time away from a person’s work and family time.
Policy wonks! Thank fucking Christ for that. We’re saved.
Some are Democrats, some aren’t, but I would never try to convince someone to get involved with something as crooked as state government.
My point was that there are dozens such people who are not sullied by their prior political involvement. And I think you know that. Look around at those boards you serve on. Ask your fellow volunteers why they don’t run for office. Why don’t you, for that matter?
“Not sure it’s always the case that people sign up for these volunteer gigs to pad their future palm cards, though.”
But it’s nearly always the case with someone who already has participated in government. Mr. Bush is an insider. He knows how the game is played. As do you, apparently.
You are entitled to your opinion of Mr. Bush, as we are entitled to ours. You have said nothing to change my mind. As I said, the things you consider features, I consider bugs.
I’m still thinking of running for Senate against Carper. Maybe If I start a twitter war. Who is the most hated person in New Castle county, I need name recognition up there? I’m thinking this has legs..
In all fairness I have known Bill since we were children. Let me tell you a non political reasons he is worthy of a vote. When my son was a young boy, maybe 12, he didn’t really have a male role model. His dad was mostly absent and my father had passed. My boy started making some wrong decisions, getting in trouble at school. Bill, who is a talented musician, thought my boy needed to learn guitar. He lent him a guitar and amp. He took time and paid attention. He taught my son. He mentored my son. Today my son is 21. He is not super successful. But he is a fantastic guitarist and song writer. He will amaze you with his profound conversation, insight and philosophy. If you ask him who his positive influences are he will tell you Bill Bush. I have no doubt, without the guitar and the life lessons Bill instilled in my young man and continues to do so, he would be dead or in jail. Also, He never asked for the guitar or amp back either, when I tried to give it back, he said that guitar belongs to my son, since he learned to play on it. You might not like that he is a part of the “establishment” but I know he is a good man that cares about the next generation and while he may not vote the way I want him too all the time, I think he represents genuine progressive ideals more than not. I don’t live in his district, but I was hoping he would run for AG so I could vote for him.
Thank you for that, Jab.
In all honesty, that’s the kind of thing that makes people vote for a candidate and as with you it’s more important to many voters than whether the politician votes the “right” way all the time. It’s why I am friends with some diehard conservatives — I would trust them with my children.
People who ally themselves with Lonnie George, Mark Brainard and Ruth Ann Minner represent the worst of the good-ol-boy Delaware Way. Cronyism, nepotism, closed-door bargaining and the rest of that 1980s-1990s garbage must stop. For that reason alone, Bill Bush is an awful candidate.