Fisker’s folly costs Delaware more than tax dollars

Brian Selander responded to harsh criticism from DelawareGOP chairman John Sigler about the Fisker layoffs.  He cited Congressman Castle and President Bush as Republicans who joined the Democrats in their scheme to pick winners and losers with taxpayer dollars.  Perhaps Mr. Selander wasn’t paying attention last year but Delaware replaced Congressman Castle BECAUSE of support for plans like this, Cap and Trade and universal healthcare (which Castle voted against after spending more than a year campaigning in FAVOR of it).  Perhaps Mr. Selander has been too busy holding on to Governor Markell’s coat tails to see that a majority of Delaware Republicans have rejected the big government/massive spending by the Bush Administration.    The bottom line is that there are always going to be the Olympia Snowe’s and the Mike Castle’s of the world who will side with bad ideas.  Picking a handful of people who don’t see the forest through the trees is laughably short cited and unfortunate to come from someone in the Governor’s office.

The reality is that Fisker, like Blue Water Wind before it and Bloom Energy in the future is another in a string of government green energy busts that will in the end cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.  Fisker was touted to be one of the biggest and best opportunities that will revive our state’s economy.  It was supposed to be a success story in the American Green Energy plan but it’s been plagued with a series of failures.  Now, 26 employees in Delaware (40 more in California) and a number of subcontractors are being let go.  This after Fisker fell behind its production schedule and poor sales results, after experiencing exploding battery problems similar to that of the Volt, after being “unable to find a suitable contract manufacturer in America” and moving operations to Finland “temporarily” and all this AFTER receiving a promise of $529 million from the Department of Elections ($193 million paid out thus far).  Even industry experts and alternative energy supporters are pointing to Fisker as an example of what NOT to sink money into.  WDELnews reports that Chelsea Sexton, an alternative fuel advocate, has beencritical of the Fisker “investment”:

"We have yet to see enough substance from Fisker at any point to justify the investments that have been made. So as frustrating as it is to see people lose their jobs, I also can't condone the DOE revising their loan, when they haven't met what they're supposed to do,"

The Blaze news service sums it up quite well:

So, let’s see if we got this straight:

1. Fisker Automotive is given $193 million of a $529 million DOE loan to produce two lines of plug-in hybrid cars and, presumably, create jobs
2. The company is unable to find a contract manufacturer in the United States, so it outsources manufacturing jobs to Finland (the company vehemently denies charges that it has used any part of the federal loan to fund manufacturing operations in Finland)
3. The automaker falls behind its production schedule and experiences“delays” in its sales (i.e. poor sales), depleting its capital
4. But to qualify for the rest of the $529 million loan guarantee, the company has to maintain a certain amount of capital
5. Therefore, in order to meet this DOE benchmark, Fisker Automotive decides it will save money by laying off an “undisclosed number” of employees

Considering that this is yet another government-sponsored clean energy investment that has experienced layoffs, and contrary to what Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s says, Fisker Automotive hardly seems like “proof positive” that the White House’s efforts to create new jobs are working.

In the end, who is hurt by this?  The Delaware (and American) taxpayers for one as hundreds of millions of dollars are once again squandered on yet another massive government failure.  Also beaten about the head and neck are the Delaware UAW members whose jobs were snatched from them by the failures of Chrysler and GM.  They were promised new opportunities with Fisker and that has been snatched from them.  Delawareans who are already facing a crisis of confidence have also been hurt.  Who are they to trust?  Our government has failed them time and again by simply overstretching their role and reaching into the private market.  It’s time we stopped that and focused government on what it should be focused on, which is creating a climate that promotes business expansion in the private market, encourages competition and ensure that the market customers have unfettered access to the products they want need and desire. 

Governor Markell and DEDO head Alan Levin have shown that good intentions alone will not fix our economic problems.  I have no doubt that they want to see jobs back in Delaware but there can be no doubt that they’ve failed to deliver them.  Why?  Because instead of allowing the customers and the citizens to decide what businesses come to Delaware and thrive and what businesses leave, they’ve taken to picking the winners and losers themselves.  The results?…Blue Water Wind and Fisker.  It’s about time we sent a message that what we need is a new direction.

Chad Livengood: Lies Packed In with More Lies

If you've been reading over the last few days, it's not secret that Chad Livengood of the news journal is nothing more than a Democrat smear machine.  His latest blog piece, posted as though fact, is more evidence that journalism is dead.  Unfortunately, Livengood relies on the political stylings of the well travelled  Maria Evans, who, desperate to remain relevant, is writing a book about Christine O'Donnell.  It should be pointed out that Maria Evans doesn't know Christine O'Donnell and certainly doesn't know enough to write a book but if the rest of the Delaware political establishment are any means test, I imagine there will be fewer words than pictures.  The Delaware political establishment culture talking or writing about something they know nothing about is really just par for the course.

Chad Livengood, a once decent reporter whose story on timecards shed light on the dirty Democrats in Dover, now has a history of leaving facts out of stories, smearing candidates and now, flat out lying.  The crux of Livengood's latest piece is an audio tape provided by the same people who were found yesterday to have flat out LIED to the FEC about Christine O'Donnell.  I'm sure Chad didn't know that though, he takes their word for the gospel.  His argument for believing them?  Maria Evans provides audio...oh well, gee, audio has never ben doctored before, and because Maria Evans (who helped develop the failed strategy of attacking O'Donnell with lies during the 2010 election) provided it, well why not take it for the gospel right?  Well Chad might get a pass on this, he clearly doesn't know what the heck he's talking about.  In his blog, he cites a blog as "conservative" but for those of us who know "Hube", we know he is anything BUT conservative.  He's one of the Maria Evans, Mike Castle, Tom Ross RINO's.  In fact, here's video of one of their buddies, Mike Stafford, who was discredited during the 2010 campaign for being a liar and one of the most corrupt people in the party, siding with the liberal progressives.  For someone who calls themselves "conservative" I think this is pretty radically leftist.  I guess we should be wary of allowing people to define themselves huh?

The reality is that I would trust Christine O'Donnell's version of events over the establishment Republicans version 7 days a week and twice on Sunday but I don't have to do that.  Why?  Well because Haley Barbour's own words in print, back up O'Donnell's claims. 

The truth is that when O'Donnell says that it took Haley Barbour to introduce her, it's factual.  When she says she wasn't invited, DESPITE being the U.S. Senate candidate, it's TRUE.  When she says that Haley Barbour gave her accolades, well this letter proves that he's certainly done that.  Meanwhile, Maria Evans and the Delaware GOP leadership claimed that O'Donnell violated campaign finance laws and THAT was a lie, as the FEC reveals in their finding of NO WRONG DOING...I'd like to point out that I have not seen this reported by Mr. Chad Livengood at the News Journal.  Wonder why that is, maybe I should ask Maria Evans to send it to him.

Where do I go to get my Reputation Back?

Today I recieved some news that is just, well vindication that the Truth shall set us free. After being publicly smeared as a campaign finance violator by the Delaware Republican Party simply for supporting Christine O'Donnell over Mike Castle. The FEC had previously reached a split decision on the matter but the investigative committee found no reason to believe that the O'Donnell campaign nor I had done anything wrong. Here is a link to the entire report and here is the excerpt that vindicates me.

Finally, the complainant alleges that the O'Donnell Committee's press secretary stated on his Facebook page that he speaks to TPAC "daily. The complainant also states that TPAC was planning a radiothon during which O'Donnell would make an appearance. OGC recommended finding reason to believe that violations of the Act occurred based on those facts. We disagreed.

We note again that "opening an investigation to determine whether we could discover a basis for those suspicions runs counter to the statutory constraints imposed on the Commission. That "reason to believe" requires more than mere speculation has been established in prior enforcement matters. For example, in MUR 4960 (Hillary Clinton), the Commission summarized the requirements as follows:
The Commission may find "reason to believe" only if a complaint sets forth sufficient specific facts, which, if proven true, would constitute a violation of the FECA. Complaints not based upon personal knowledge must identify a source of information that reasonably gives rise to a belief in the truth of the allegations presented...

Unwarranted legal conclusions firom asserted facts, see SOR in MUR 4869 (American Postal Workers Union), or mere speculation, see SOR of Chairman Wold and Commissioners Mason and Thomas in MUR 4850 (Fossella), will not be accepted as true. In addition,... a complaint may jbe dismissed if it consists of factual allegations that are refiited with sufficiently compelling evidence provided in the response to the complaint...

Similarly, in MUR S467 (Michael Moore), the Commission stated that "[purely speculative charges, especially when accompanied by a direct refutation, do not form an adequate basis to find a reason to believe that a violation of the FECA has occurred." Therefore, under the Act, before making a reason-to-believe determination, the Commission must assess both the law and the credibility of the facts alleged. To do so, the Commission must identify the sources of information and examine the facts and reliability of those sources to determine whether they 'reasonably [give] rise to a belief in the truth of the allegations presented." Only if this standard is met may the Commission investigate whether a violation occurred. These requirements are not met here.

Assuming that the radiothon was paid for by TPAC, mentioned the candidate, and was broadcast shortly before the primary election, the available information, including the Facebook posts at issue, provides insufficient basis for a reason-to-believe finding. First, the Facebook posting for the event does not indicate whether or not O'Donnell was set to appear. While a Facebook post by Evan Queitsch, apparently directed to a WDEL radio station employee, reads "@Jensen 1150 WDEL let me know if you want to know about the Tea Party Express as I speak w/them daily," OCiC states that the posts on their face do not satisfy the conduct prong. We agree. And even if TPAC and the O'DonnellConmiittee were in daily contact, such contacts would not be sufficient to meet the conduct threshold. More specific information is necessary.

Our unwillingness to find reason to believe a violation occurred based on the O'Donnell Committee's original response is bolstered by later confirmation that Mr. Queitsch was not a member of the O'Donnell campaign during the primary campaign. Therefore, the complainant's accusations in this matter, including one of which was based on tiie incorrect factual implication that Evan Queitsch was the O'Donnell Committee's press secretary, provide insufficient basis to find reason to believe.

My question is, where do I go to get my reputation back? When do I get to repair the damage that this false complaint has done to my career and potential political aspirations?   Mr. Tom Ross, do you even care that you've destroyed the career of an innocent person?  What about you Michael Toner?  Do you care that your false allegations have impacted my career? 

Also, to the media, you were quick to print my name in your articles alledging that there was wrong doing involved here.  Now that Christine, TEA Party Express and I have been cleared of wrong doing, will you print your retraction and apology on page A-1? 

CREW complaint against O'Donnell thrown out by US Attorney

For the 2nd time in two months, the U.S. Attorney has dismissed a complaint against former U.S. Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell.  The second complaint, filed by the Soros funded Citizens Against Government Waste, alleged that O'Donnell violated campaign finance laws by paying rent and buying food.  NEWS AT 11!  This complaint, like that filed by RNC attorney Michael Toner on behalf of the Delaware Republican Party, cost O'Donnell election to Delaware's Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden and it cost the Republicans yet another seat.

In an act of desperation, Mike Castle and his friends leading the Delaware Republican Party filed a complaint against Christine O'Donnell with the FEC alleging misconduct with the TEA Party Express group.  The complaint came just a week before the September 15th Republican Primary and was an attempt to Their accusation was that O'Donnell's campaign coordinated with the TEA Party Express in order to stage events and raise funds.  Unfortunately, as with most FEC complaints, this one fell on its face because there were few, OK ZERO, facts in it.  As someone with firsthand knowledge of the case (you'll find my name in the complaint, listed as "Press Secretary" a position I never held within the campaign), I can attest to the absurdity of the entire argument.  First of all, the supposed "link", the "Press Secretary" (me) was not even a member of the campaign until AFTER the Primary campaign had ended.  Second, while I was referred to as "a spokesperson" for Christine O'Donnell on air by local radio host Rick Jensen, I immediately corrected his misstatements on air.  Early last month, the FEC dismissed the complaint for a lack of evidence.  Despite media reports to the contrary, it is expected that the FEC lawyers who filed their report "split along party lines" will clarify their statement and remove all doubt that there was no evidence to support the claim.

With that said, the claim did not derail the campaign as Mike Castle and his cohorts would have liked.  So what do they do?  Simple, they sell the lies that they had been spinning throughout the campaign to the highest bidder.  In this case, the George Soros funded liberal hit group CREW took the reins.  Well known in Washington for their partisan attack dog tactics, CREW filed their brief on Sept. 20th, just 5 days after O'Donnell had defeated Mike Castle in the Delaware Senate Republican Primary.  Turns out that CREW's fearless leader on this crusade was none other than Melanie Sloan.  Miss Sloan is a former Federal Prosecutor who made her name representing former CIA Agent Valerie Plame in a case against the Bush Administration which even the Obama Administration tossed out on its face.  She was also publicly admonished by the judge in the Scooter Libby trial for trying the case in the media instead of the courtroom.  This led Miss Sloan to CREW but not before she worked for Delaware's own, Joe Biden!  Well isn't that a "special" connection?  Oh, it gets better.  Sloan used her own father to file the claim against O'Donnell since it must come from someone in Delaware.  The CREW complaint was simply a compilation of ridiculous lies made up by the Castle campaign early on which were intended to paint O'Donnell as frivolous with money and illegally using campaign funds. 

In a shocker, the CREW team could only find the same two discredited witnesses from the beginning of the campaign to attack O'Donnell and wouldn't you know it, one of them has now been found to have filed a knowingly false affidavit.  Turns out that David Keegan, who had done some VERY brief consulting work for O'Donnell when she ran against Joe Biden back in 2008, simply lied about his relationship with the campaign and knowledge of specific events (which apparently never occurred).  Sloan herself may have violated the law but in the very least, as an attorney, Sloan certainly violated ethics rules while filing false complaints and making outrageous statements like "Christine O'Donnell is clearly a criminal, and like any crook she should be prosecuted,".  That's interesting Miss Sloan, because today we learned that the US Attorney disagreed.  In fact, it turns out that your witness David Keegan and potentially YOU Miss Sloan, are the crooks and criminals here.  I certainly hope that you are prosecuted for YOUR crimes against Ms. O'Donnell and the lies you perpetrated against her.  I say it's time to start holding people accountable for their false statements against candidates.  Enough mudslinging and demagoguery, anyone willing to ACTUALLY debate issues?  I certainly hope that Ms. O'Donnell pursues charges against Keegan, Sloan and CREW.

It's official

After much consideration, I have decided to support John Sigler for Chairman of the Delaware Republican Party and Greg Lavelle for Vice Chair.  I have waited until I could have as much information as possible learn all I could.  I feel that for Chairman of the Republican Party you can do NO better than John C. Sigler, former NRA National President and a longtime Republican and Reagan conservative.  He's the right person at the right time and in the right place.  On the Vice Chair side, I know Don Ayotte and I know Greg Lavelle.  Both are fine gentlemen with spirit, energy and integrity.  Lavelle adds the dynamic of bringing the elected officials BACK to the table of party politics.  No one can accuse Greg of being as conservative as Don, and that is a plus for Don, but Lavelle gave such a passionate defense of family values in objection to S.B. 30 that the Democrats cut debate early to ensure the bill would pass.  It's my belief that Dover SHOULD be involved in party politics, it's also my belief, much to the chagrin of some, that all sides need to be represented and Greg brings a balance I think that Don lacks.  In addition, while I like Don, I just don't believe that he is ready to be Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Delaware Republican Party. 

Most of this will not sit well with some in the conservative circles and as of this writing I have gotten at least a few calls/emails about the fact that I am supporting Lavelle of Ayotte (though mysteriously no one seems to care that I am not supporting Mike Protack.  Besides, anybody is better than Tom Ross.

Announcing my endorsement for GOP Chairman

I've been holding off on this for a while.  People have been asking who I am going to support and I have been cautious.  I know that my endorsement doesn't affect a ton of people's opinions but I also know that it does affect some.  I wanted to meet, speak with and digest each of the candidates for chairman of the GOP.  I owed that to the people who look to me for guidance or for assistance.  I've paid the money to see them debate and I've read all 17 pages of their plans.  I think every one of the three candidates for chair has a place in the party.  I have said that for some time.  John Sigler has a tremendous resume, a Rolodex that few if any in the state can match and the passion and foresight to infuse the party leadership with conservatism.  He has the pedigree and value set to rebuild and to heal the party.  Mike Protack has perhaps THE best plan for the organization, communication, outreach and platform of the party that I have seen anywhere.  The question with Mike is, can he heal the party division given his past?  Don Ayotte has more fire and energy than people 1/2 his age.  He's smart and he has great ideas for outreach.  My concern with Don is that he may have trouble bringing in high dollar donors. 

I am announcing my endorsement of John Sigler for Chairman of the Delaware Republican Party. I believe he is the best equipped to bring together the old and the new, the conservative and moderate and the TEA Party and party elites.  I also think his Rolodex is going to be tremendously beneficial to the party.  I would also like to see Mike Protack as Vice Chairman and Don Ayotte as an outreach coordinator.  The Chairman and Vice Chairman MUST come from different counties and Mike has developed a plan that is second to none.  As Vice Chair, he would be able to work with John to implement a plan to rebuild and energize the party and bring people back to our ideas of Freedom, Liberty and Opportunity.  Don Ayotte has tremendous energy and incredible outreach ideas.  We need him in the party, we need him involved at the statewide level and we need him working to bring people to the table.

I'm urging all of the delegates who value my opinion, to cast your vote for Chairman for Mr. Sigler at the convention on April 30th and to also cast your vote for Mike Protack for Vice Chairman.

Delaware GOP filed lawsuit against wrong Republican candidate for U.S. Senate

That's a big oops. It turns out that there was some funny business when it came to campaign finance in the Delaware Republican Party but it wasn't committed by Christine O'Donnell. Instead the violations were committed by none other than former Congressman Mike Castle. The Delaware GOP overtly claimed that O'Donnell used campaign funds for personal expenses in a suspicious pattern in 2009-2010. This argument is largely based on the idea that she had not filed a Statement of Candidacy (the form required by federal election law for a candidate to be official). The following is information that has recently come to light:

Yet O'Donnell's "pattern" was similar to Mike Castle's "pattern" of campaign spending, except that O'Donnell declared herself a candidate (technically, exploring a candidacy for office) in January 2009, whereas Mike Castle did not actually become a candidate until October 2009. (Actually, O'Donnell's pattern of campaign spending in early 2009 is more obviously proper than Castle's.)

The DEGOP's lies were based upon the falsehood that O'Donnell was not a candidate for office at the time the expenses were incurred. In fact, she undeniably was.

From January 2009 through June 2009, Mike Castle used campaign funds for:

$587.64 for food & beverage at CAFE GELATTO, paid on February 6, 2009. (Remember: Castle's Statement of Candidacy was filed October 19, 2009.)

$2,588.88 for food & beverage at the Capitol Hill Club restaurant in Washington, DC, paid between March and May 2009. Again, Castle filed his Statement of Candidacy in October 2009. The U.S. Senate campaign was up in Delaware, not in Washington, D.C. However, Castle was a Congressman in D.C., eating out in Washington, D.C. off of campaign contributions.

$245.77 at WHO'S COOKIN' for FOOD & BEVERAGE, paid on 3/27/2009

$594 at FLOWERS BY YUKIE between January and March 2009.

$219.80 at HAPPY HARRY'S on 1/14/2009

$13,499.35 in unspecified credit card charges, creating a "slush fund" for Mike Castle's expenses that are not identified on FEC reports.

$873.70 at the TIMBERLAKE restaurant down in Washington, D.C., not in Delaware where the campaign was, paid on 12/19/2008. Castle was of course a sitting Congressman at the time. However, his personal expenses for food down in Washington, D.C. should not be paid out of his campaign funds up in Delaware. Congress was in its Christmas recess on December 19, 2008. Food related to either Castle's Congressional activities or personal living in Washington, D.C. should not be paid out of campaign funds for the election up in Delaware.

$120.00 at GALLAGHER & GALLAGHER for food & beverage paid on 4/29/2009.

$1,298.67 to COMCAST cable from January 2009 through June 2009 -- again months before Mike Castle was actually a candidate.

$500 for gala tickets to the Chowder & Marching Club -- IN MARYLAND! This was not an event in Delaware.

$546.25 to AMTRAK for travel from March 2009 to May 2009 - before Castle was a candidate.

Mike Castle -- although an elected official for almost 40 years -- has somehow amassed a personal fortune worth over $3.5 million. Perhaps we've discovered part of Mike Castle's road to riches: Pocket his congressional salary, then live off of campaign donations for his personal living expenses? At least if those accusations are hurled without any foundation at O'Donnell, might we ask the same questions about Mike Castle? Or are questions about certain people off limits?

While Christine O'Donnell was clearly a candidate for U.S. Senate in January 2009, so that all of her campaign expenses are legitimate, it is Mike Castle who fails the very same test advanced by the Delaware Republican Party. The smears spread by the DEGOP were then handed to Ginger Gibson at the Delaware News Journal, who published a March 2010 hit piece smearing O'Donnell. These charges were later picked up by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in a criminal complaint based on David Keegan's affidavit.
On March 20, 2009, O'Donnell filed a "Statement of Candidacy" for the 2010 U.S. Senate race with the Federal Election Commission.

In December 2008, O'Donnell posted a message on her 2008 campaign website urging volunteers to keep their campaign signs for probable use in 2010. In January 2009, O'Donnell began informing supporters privately of her status as an exploratory candidate for the 2010 U.S. Senate race. Her campaign finance reports show trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with donors and potential supporters, as well as meetings in Delaware with potential donors and supporters.

The Statement of Candidacy is normally filed only after a person has been a candidate for a while, and exceeded a $5,000 threshold of donations or expenses. So O'Donnell was a candidate prior to March 20, 2009. Castle, however, exceeded the $5,000 donation / expenditure threshold very early in 2009, but Castle did not file his Statement of Candidacy until October 2009. Therefore, Castle did not have the intent to be a candidate until October, and from January through September 2009 was using campaign funds for personal purposes. At least, that is the very same argument used by insiders in attacking Christine O'Donnell.

The Delaware Republican Party started in December 2009 -- weeks after Karl Rove's attempts failed at co-opting the tea party movement for Mike Castle -- to circulate smears, likes, and slander against Christine O'Donnell. The "DEGOP" was obligated to remain neutral among primary candidates for the Republican nomination until the State GOP endorsing convention held March 13-14, 2010, in Rehoboth Beach. Instead, the DEGOP not only launched assaults to sabotage Christine O'Donnell to help left-wing Mike Castle (a fiscal liberal and social liberal), but did so with savage personal attacks which were lies and slander.

With this kind of dishonesty by Tom Ross and the Delaware Republican leadership, it is time to start over with a fresh team of leadership for Delaware's Republican future.

With these new revelations about the 2010 Republican candidates for Senate, I hope that intelligent moderate Republicans, who were sucked in by the lies of Tom Ross, Priscilla Rakestraw and Mike Castle will hold them accountable by their own standards and call for their removal and dismissal. Ross, Rakestraw and Castle have done damage to the party that will linger for many years. Their plan appears to have been to burn the party down if they couldn't maintain control. I sincerely hope that the next chair of the Delaware GOP, whomever they may be, moves forward and brings along people Like Glen Urquhart and Christine O'Donnell who energized and revitalized the Delaware GOP in 2010. They deserve not only our thanks but our apologies for the way they were treated.

Taking a Stand for Sanity

Jack Markell was elected in 2008 after a long primary with then former Lt. Gov. (now Congressman) John Carney.  Carney was considered the more liberal of the two and at the behest of nationwide conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, thousands of Delaware Republicans changed their political party affiliation not only to ensure that Markell was the gubenatorial candidate but also that Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in a move dubbed "Operation Chaos".  This move in Delaware created artificially high Democrat registration margins, gave the liberals in the Delaware Democrat Party a dataset to use in order to claim a massive liberal mandate. 

The Delaware Republican Party has been largely silent in the last 3 years as Jack Markell and the Democrat controlled General Assembly has "balanced the budget" by using accounting tricks and half measures that ignore the real roots of our problems, the rampant over spending and bloated size of Delaware's state and local govenrments.  To be fair, I should point out that government largesse is concentrated in State government, New Castle County government and Wilmington city government.  While Sussex and Kent have largely controlled the size of their governments, the northern half of the state has exploded.  While some descrepency is expected since the majority of Delawareans live in New Castle County, government has taken advantage of that fact.  We can no longer be silent about the fact that Jack Markell and his ENTIRE administration is failing the people of Delaware.  This includes DEDO chief Alan Levin who is the real reason why the GOP is silent about Markell's failures.  Levin was brought in by Markell to show his bi-partisanship and was hailed as a brilliant economic mind.  Delaware has a higher unemployment rate than it did when Levin/Markell took over, a higher unemployment rate than the national average and is continuing to lose jobs left and right.  HSBC, Wilmington Trust and countless small businesses have laid off thousands since they took office.  Fisker has yet to build a car, the University of Delaware hasn't yet created a job at the Chrysler plant and the reopening of the Valero plant has produced a net loss of 200 jobs.  Yet, the Delaware Republican leadership is SILENT...because of Levin.   Mr. Levin, you HAVE FAILED.  It's time that you followed the lead of former DelDOT chief Carolann Wicks and resign.  Perhaps you could start another drug store and create more private sector jobs than you have as DEDO head.

I'm not willing to pull the same punches as the Delaware GOP leadership.  They live in a world where a few ultra rich people control their every move.  I don't.  Where I live, the people of Delaware MATTER.  Where I live, jobs need to be created and created NOW.  Where I live, spending is out of control and the answer is to cut the size and scope of government.  Where I live our children are failing and out administrators make millions in unearned taxpayer dollars.  Where I live we owe them a better education system and a better chance at making it.  Where I live the city of Wilmington needs an injection of hope, capital and common sense.  Where I live is with you, the people.  This is the first in a series that will highlight the problems we face and how we fix them.  I'm not going to sugarcoat it folks, our situation is dire.  With that said, we can survive and if we work together we will.  I don't pretend to have all the answers but I know the fools in office now don't seem to have any.  Let's rescue Delaware.

Delaware's Irrelevant "columnist" Attacks TEA Party and O'Donnell

Delaware's lone statewide newspaper employs some rather strange people.  One such individual, the often drunk (rumor has it he spends about 75% of his time in his favorite bar in a state close to a coma) Ron Williams falls into fits of rage and his drunken state keeps his stupid filter from working properly (read: at all).
I only bring this up now because Ron has gone and done it again.  Perhaps the oddest part about this, is that the News Journal editors (yes I'm aware Ron is an assistant editor of the opinion pages...but someone should review his work), presumably sober and rational, actually print his drivel.  Maybe more surprising, is that anyone still reads his column. 

Well someone does, and that's why the record must now be set straight.  The people of Delaware are being sold a bill of goods by an evil and corrupting old fart with a drinking problem and a lack of class.  In his column called "Are Republicans just going to hand over the keys to the newbies" back on Feb. 26th our own "Uncle Ronnie" once again waded into the waters of insanity and took his readers with him.  Maybe it plays to the target audience of the News Journal, mindless liberal progressive zombies but those of us with a few brain cells left are wondering about JUST a few things...

First, Ron opens his column with a couple of rather insulting remarks, one aimed at the thousands and thousands of Delawareans who have turned out for TEA Party rallies and the tens of thousands of Delaware Republicans who bucked the trend and supported O'Donnell in the 2010 Primary against RINO Mike Castle.

"I've been trying to pin down a Delaware Republican or two on the question of how the party is going to deal with the tea party faction, especially in Sussex County, and the likes of dear little Miss Christine O'Donnell."

Mr. Williams, the Delaware Republican Party isn't going to "deal" with the TEA Party faction...oh it's TRYING to...but the reality is that the TEA Party is a non-partisan effort to fight the kind of corruption that leads someone like Ron Williams to suggest that the Delaware GOP is going to "deal" with anything.  You see Ron, for those TEA Party folks who are registered Republicans, they ARE "Delaware Republicans" meaning that THEY will determine who runs the party, not a few elites.  You see, the TEA Party has awakened the GOP electorate to the fact that the party has been controlled by a small and elite few who have incestuously kept the power of the party consolidated within their ranks.  These same people have watched their fundraising base dwindle and have continuously thrust forward RINO Mike Castle despite the fact that he voted with the Democrats more often than with Republicans and despite some very odd votes (he voted to impeach President Bush and for Cap and Trade).
Further, your "dear little Miss..." statement is both condescending and ignorant.  Christine O'Donnell ran back to back TOUGH races against two opponents who used the large Democrat registration advantage and every nasty, dirty and disgusting  trick they could against her.  They attacked her for being a woman, called her stupid and worse yet not a peep out of the so-called "women's rights" defenders.  Some sources on the far left even dug up complete and total lies about Christine's "sex life".  These are things you would NEVER hear about male candidates.  Despite the nationwide smear campaign and millions of dollars spent trashing her, despite the fact that her own party leadership undermined her campaign at every turn and despite the fact that your paper, the News Journal, assigned their very own personal smear artist to the race, she STILL beat Mike Castle in the Primary and scared the CRAP out of Coons in the general.  For that alone she deserves more respect than what you've given her.  Of course, it could just be the whiskey talking...

Just a few paragraphs later, after attacking O'Donnell for the idea that she might be as rhythmically challenged as she suggests, Williams again insert his foot into his drinking hole:

"I don't completely understand how Christine O'Donnell, who lost a U.S. Senate race in Delaware by one of the widest margins in modern times, is considered a "star" by television producers. But that's why I'm not a television producer and they are."

As usual, Mr. Williams is playing fast and loose with the truth...well ok, he's pretty much completely wrong.  O'Donnell lost the 2010 General election by 14 points.  Now that is larger than the campaign would like but not insurmountable, it's really only a 7 point swing.  With that said, the loss remains at 14% so, is Mr. Williams right?  Is this one of the widest margins in modern times?
2008: Markell defeats Lee by 15% 
2006: Tom Carper (D) defeats Jan Ting (R) 70.2% - 28.7% (42% GOP loss)
2004: Carney defeats Ursomarso by 26%
2002: Biden defeats Clatworthy 58.2% - 40.2% (18% GOP loss) - keep in mind that if you speak to GOP insiders like Priscilla Rakestraw...she claims that this was a tight race...
2000: Minner defeats Burris by 20%
Not to mention there are a HOST of local and state rep races with similar defeats.  In fact, O'Donnell's 7 point swing in the face of overwhelming odds is rather impressive.  Perhaps Ron forgot these, whiskey has a tendency to make me that way too.

In addition to mischaracterizing O'Donnell's performance in the General Election, Williams goes right for an "objective source" when he reaches out to Tom Ross, the Delaware State GOP Chair who publicly said that O'Donnell could not be elected dogcatcher, made up a story about a fake death threat in a desperate 11th hour ploy (he's done this before in tight primaries to sway public opinion) and filed a frivolous lawsuit against the campaign which remained an active stain on the campaign throughout the entire general election season.  Tom Ross and the "Republican Party leadership" consistently undermined Christine and fabricated stories.  Pardon me if I question whether or not Mr. Ross even RECIEVED phone calls from other GOP chairs.  Much less that they used the term "that wacko from Delaware" (in the event that it did happen, how sad is it that these other state GOP parties are so weak that they rely on the smallest state in the union to get their candidates elected?)

"Because of the national publicity, state Republican Party Chairman Tom Ross was getting telephone calls from several fellow state chairs, including those in Connecticut and New Mexico, who were seeing a drop in the polls for Republican candidates in their state. They attributed it to that "wacko from Delaware" who's making all Republicans look like goofballs.

Ross also told me recently that the chances of newcomers to Delaware joining the state Republican Party had been undermined by her. People with political convictions, and money to contribute, don't want to join a party with people like her."

O'Donnell raised $7 million from all over the country in the face severe odds.  Most of it was raised in just 6 weeks.  From February through September, Delaware supporters were discouraged and viciously threatened for showing public support for or donating to Miss. O'Donnell.  For the sake of argument, let's pretend that Tom Ross isn't a lying, conniving snake in the grass capable of selling his own mother to his father and give him the benefit of the doubt that these calls actually came in.  Are these claims accurate?  Let's start with the raw figures:

There were more registered Democrats in 2010 than there were in 2008 in fact, since 2002, the Democrat registration has jumped 31% and just since 2006 it has increased 19%.  Some of that is due to Republicans who became Democrats to vote in the primary that elected Jack Markell (how's that working out for us?) as Governor.  Most of it is due to an influx of NJ, PA and NY liberals who left the states they helped destroy for the relative safety of Delaware and have begun to destroy THIS state.  In addition, only 81% of Republicans supported their own nominee in 2010.  This is of course because the nominee was NOT Mike Castle because had O'Donnell not won, the party faithful would be EXPECTED to fall in line.

Further numbers bare an even more incredible reality for the Delaware GOP.  Since Christine O'Donnell has been a U.S. Senate nominee, the percentages have increased:

28.7% - 2006 - Jan Ting vs Tom Carper
35.3% - 2008 - O'Donnell vs Biden (other notables this year: Judge Bill Lee (Governor) 32%, John McCain 37%, Copeland 38%)
40% - 2010 - O'Donnell vs Coons

Remember, Jan Ting was SO liberal that he actually switched to the Democrat Party after he lost handily to Carper.  And lest ye think that despite the numbers above, O'Donnell caused a drop in Republican voters:
In the 2006 midterm elections, 90,176 Republicans voted.  In the 2010 midterm elections,  102,225 Republicans voted.  In addition, a third party firm, Viae Consulting found the following:

• Christine O’Donnell’s candidacy did not drive Democrats to the polls
• Christine O’Donnell drove more Republicans to the polls to vote
• New Castle County Republicans jumped the party line to vote for the Democratic opponent
• New Castle County Republican registration was lower in 2010, than in 2008.

O'Donnell was not the only person to recieve criticism.  After Ron felt that he had sufficiently attacked the Republican Senate nominee he turned his ire on the Republican Congressional nominee and those who chose him over Michele Rollins.

"The congressional candidacy of Glen Urquhart, whose campaign was run by a renegade, off-the-reservation Vance Phillips, current member and former president of Sussex County Council, was also not conducive to raising legitimate money. Why in the world would Republicans not vote for an attractive, independently wealthy, and brainy lawyer like Michele Rollins, they would ask.

Well, good question. You'll have to ask the tea partiers and right-wing extremists like Vance Phillips and his ilk."

So it seems that Mr. Williams just hates conservatives.  Vance Phillips is a respected member of the Sussex County Republican Party, former Sussex County Council President and current Sussex County Council member.  He has a long history of community involvement and in 2007 he was the state Vice Chairman of the Republican Party.  Like his friend Al Mascitti, Williams seems to think that anyone who believes in God, believes in being fiscally responsible or supports a small government is "an extremist".  Ron, Michele lost for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because the people of the Delaware Republican Party are TIRED of being told who to vote for and of supporting candidates like Mike Castle who do not represent them.  Rollins stood with Castle, she aligned herself with him and THAT is why she lost. 

Williams then goes on to attack Mike Protack who is a constant source of ire from the Delaware political establishment. 

"And now you've got Mike Protack, another perennial loser who has never garnered a legitimate party following, running for state party chairman."

It should be pointed out that, as someone who is plugged into Republican politics, Mike Protack has not said he wants to be Party Chairman, he hasn't announced an intention to run for that office.  The only names I have heard officially in the ring for state chair are Tom Ross (the current mistake) and Don Ayotte who is a Sussex County favorite with limited support in Kent and New Castle County.  This is laughably wrong and it serves to show that both the News Journal AND the Delaware GOP leadership are TOTALLY lost when it comes to what is going on within the GOP.  Later in the story Williams mentions John Siglar, the former NRA President who supported Christine O'Donnell as a potential candidate for Republican Party chair.  The problem is that he names Siglar as a party leadership favorite when in reality Siglar is being courted by the conservative wing of the GOP.

"Finally, Ron Williams ends his rather aweful column but before he does he says this:
I finally received an answer that at first I thought was simply flip and sarcastic. But the more I thought about it, it might not be a bad idea, at least in the short run. 'We're just going to give them the keys and let them run the show. See ya later.'"

This might be the best idea I've heard yet.  Under the leadership of Ross, Rakestraw and Castle the Delaware GOP has become irrelevant.  They've resorted to cutting deals with the Democrat Party in order to retain a semblance of power in the state.  Turning over the keys to the "newbies" who were able to rally together and defeat one of the 3 most powerful politicians in Delaware might actually help the cause.  In fact, I can almost guarantee that we would do a better job than the current crop of cronies who gave continuously depleted funds, been ineffective at raising money, have no real message and absolutely no leadership. 

Tom Ross is a an abject failure as Chariman.  I had misplaced hope after the election that he would be able to rally the troops under the banner of freedom and liberty but he's squandered every bit of political capital he had with the majority of Republicans who voted against Mike Castle and the establishment status quo.

Priscilla Rakestraw is a little like legacy computer games.  It's old, doesn't really work right but man it was cool back in the day.  She's the longest serving National Committeewoman in the entire GOP...cool...ok I'm over it.  She's also quite vidictive and as you can see in this video, a little out of touch:

Laird Stabler is a good guy and fortunately he has stayed above the fray.  Unfortunately he has not been able to fight against the other party leaders.

Mike Castle is finally gone as the party figurehead but there is noone who stepped right in to take his place.  That has caused a bit of a problem as the party transitions and the GOP chair flops like a freshly caught fish on the floor of the boat.  Castle has 10 years of service in the Congress to give people an opinion on where the Delaware GOP stands, which is just left of the majority of the country.  Apparently that doesn't play as well in Delaware as they thought.  As the party ideology moved left, their numbers of representation plummeted.  Since the early 80's when Pres Reagan and then Gov. Pete DuPont led America out of the dismal 70's, the Delaware GOP has drifted to the left and moved so far that it has alienated it's base and blurred the lines between the GOP and Democrat Party to the point that people no longer even see a difference.  A fresh conservative approach would actually FIX the Delaware GOP but that isn't Williams' goal.  His only plan here is to demonize conservatives, attack Republicans and assinate the character of everyone in the process.  It's my sincere desire to see Ron Williams unemployed but I hold out no hope of the News Journal doing the right thing and firing this lunatic drunkard.  It's more likely that the Delaware GOP actually hand over the keys to the newbies than the News Journal do the right thing here.

Written by Evan Queitsch - I Evan Queitsch hereby certify that I am stone cold sober and have not touched a drop of alcohol in 24 hours. 

Maybe Williams could end his columns with the above line...naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Sussex County ED Chair Responds to Delaware Republican Official

Jeanette Talylor responds to Mar Spicer.  Spicer's letter is below.  I've also attached some video.

Mary,

WOW!  You must have been at a different meeting.  I was at the one at Del Tech in the Carter Partnership Center auditorium.  As a new ED and a long time member of the GOP, I was terribly impressed that there was actually business conducted at this meeting.  That is something I haven’t seen done anytime lately.  The meeting was quiet and well ordered,  (thanks to the incredible job done by Vance) .  Oh yes, there was a lady yelling just prior to adjournment – but I’ll get to that.

There was no “double standard” or “dichotomy” that I saw.  Vance Phillips was elected Chairman Pro Tempore by a majority vote.  I did notice, however, that you failed to mention the first vote with 104 ballots cast by a voting membership of 78 (apparently two voters abstained) that required a second vote done by roll call ballot because somebody was a-cheatin’, which is kind of sad don’t you think for those who have tried everything in their power to keep any business from actually being attended to for months now at Sussex GOP meetings?  I wasn’t even going to mention how juvenile that was, as that kind of goes without saying , but, oh what the heck, it’s time to put on our big boy and girl panties.  Since we (the conservative group) knew going in that we already had the votes needed to get some actual business done and as I know most of them personally and can attest to the honesty and integrity of THAT particular group, it pretty well stands to reason that we know who was behind the cheating shenanigans. 

Now, to get back to the dichotomy and double standard.  Vance, according to the existing rules, was entitled to appoint a Parliamentarian Pro Tempore and he asked for any objections – THERE WERE NONE from the voting body present.   (Unless of course, those 26 ghost voters were simply not heard by us mere mortals)    Brent Wangen is a registered Republican and is very well versed in  Robert’s Rules of Order and standard Parliamentary procedure.   The existing rules state that the Chairman may appoint a Parliamentarian “unless the committee has provided otherwise”.    We were not provided the opportunity to provide otherwise as the  current chairman unilaterally chose Bruce Fitzgerald as his appointed Parliamentarian.   Oh yes, I know he said he got the majority vote of the Advisory Board for his appointment.  There are only a few small issues to be taken up with that.  Hmmmmmm, where should I start?   Well, the Advisory Board has no capacity or in legalese – jurisdiction – in this matter.  If you read the existing rules, the Advisory Board’s sole function is to maintain relationship with Republican voter elected officials at all levels.  Also, based on the behaviors exhibited by Mr. Fitzgerald at the previous meeting, he is NOT well versed in Robert’s Rules of Order nor standard Parliamentary Procedure.  Also, Mr. Fitzgerald resigned of his own accord publicly – I believe the next day on WGMD and also called for Mr. Sams to step down.  I could be wrong, I didn’t hear it – only heard about it.  Oh, but enough of that, let’s move on.

The “substitute” agenda contained ALL (that means every single item) from the original agenda but was in a different order to prevent yet another filibuster to prevent any business from being attended to by the voting members present.  This has been an ongoing tactic at past meetings and our purpose was simply to be able to conduct new/old business of the Sussex County GOP.   There was nothing hidden – the agenda was passed out to all voting members for review and comparison to the old agenda. 

“Character Assassinations” are not exactly what I would call a resolution to ask for a resignation of a Chairperson who is lacking in true leadership skills and has received a majority vote of no-confidence.  I have heard very few people say they dislike Ron Sams, on a personal level; most everyone likes him.  But the facts are there for all who are interested to see.  There has been NO REAL BUSINESS accomplished in the Sussex GOP for months! 

I can’t address the media being asked to leave and the doors being closed at past meetings – I have always seen members of the media present at our meetings so I’m not sure where that is coming from.  I do know that the media didn’t lead the exodus when Tom Ross rose to speak as those recording the event captured every word that he uttered.  A rather large contingent from the gallery (that means spectators) rose and exited when Tom Ross rose to speak.  A few of the voting members joined them.  Others (myself included) tried to stick it out just as a matter of respect.  I did notice, however, that although he made some rather nasty comments about our request for Ron Sams’ resignation (an ongoing issue for months now) that he said absolutely nothing about the 104 ballots cast by 78 present voting members.  You would think that cheating would be an issue, wouldn’t you?

More spectators and members left when Ross started mudslinging at Christine O’Donnell – who by the way,( if you were listening to the Treasurer’s report) has made significant contributions to our operations.  That’s when I had enough and left.  This party has shown little or no regard for the VOTERS’ choice in this state and has gone about choosing the candidate they wish to support prior to the primary.  In case you have forgotten, the conservatives in this state won our first and main initiative last year in eliminating Castle.  O’Donnell was the PEOPLE’S choice in the primary (by a 65-35% margin!) and the GOP is charged with carrying forth the VOICE AND VOTE of the people of the Republican party – NOT THEIR OWN AGENDA.   I guess not everyone has quite gotten the message that we are tired of the good ole boys (and girls) politics at every level. 

Most of you aren’t aware of the many previous attempts to get Ron Sams to resign over the last several months but it has been well documented.  He was contacted by a great many people in an effort to get him to resign so that we can pull this party together and move it forward as a voice of the Republican voter in the State of Delaware .   Ron was presented with a significantly large number of signatures from voting members of the SCEC and offered the opportunity to resign with grace and dignity.  Hell, we even offered to throw him a party, tell everyone what a great job he had done in the past and how hard he had worked.   He was also told that failure to resign would result in the resolution and public attempts to strip him of his title due to the lack of confidence by a majority of the voting membership.  Please note the word  M A J O R I T Y, it’s important.

As to embarrassing Ross – well, I can say we really didn’t have to – he just opens his mouth and embarrasses us.

So far as publicity goes, WBOC and WGMD are actually kind of small potatoes; I understand much of what Ross had to say is posted on YouTube for anyone with a computer to view, anywhere . 

As for “thug tactics”, well, I haven’t seen or heard any of that either so I’m not sure from what quarter that is coming but it isn’t coming from the conservative voting members of the SCEC.  To my knowledge, none of us have threatened anyone with bodily harm.  We strive to set a higher standard for our activities and the conduct of business.  So far, we have succeeded in doing just that as the meeting was quiet, orderly and well conducted – we actually got through Old and New business without a filibuster from one or more elected representative who only wishes to hear himself talk.   That was the ONLY purpose in moving Ross to the end of the meeting on the revised agenda.   Both Vance and Brent did an outstanding job of maintaining the rules of order and abiding by the existing rules of the SCEC. 

No one started yelling until after Ross began his rather insipid and petulant tirade against the Sussex County Republican voter.   This occurred just prior to adjournment of the meeting at 9 pm

So, gee, I don’t know what meeting you were at but it wasn’t the Sussex County GOP meeting on February 16, 2011 at the Carter Partnership Center auditorium on the Del Tech Community College Campus in Georgetown, DE. 

And, by the way, I thought that I might pay a visit to the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club monthly meeting so I started looking for a calendar and meeting times.  Unfortunately, I, like most of Sussex County Republican Voters – WORK FOR A LIVING and, therefore, can’t attend a Wednesday luncheon. 

Perhaps if you were more accessible to the voting public, you may be more in tune with their voting habits and political attitudes.  We are pretty much fed up with the elitist and self-serving attitudes of the old guard and we’re going to take our party back to the people, where it belongs.   I’m glad you are happy to see a good turn out and a passion for change.  Baby, you ain’t seen nothing’ yet!

For the readers, if you live in my district and wish to be heard, call me.  As a representative of the district, I intend to be accessible.

Jeannette Taylor

2nd ED 41st District

Millsboro, DE  19966

302-245-4192

LETTER TO EDITOR: GOP

     Screaming women and character assassinating men dominated the GOP meeting at Del Tech’s Carter Hall Wednesday evening, February 16, 2011.

     The double standard and dichotomy began when the Acting Chairman, Vance Phillips, stated that he needed a Parliamentarian and immediately appointed Brent Wagaman, an individual many people thought was a Registered Libertarian, not a Republican.  There was no review of Brent's credentials, no motion to permit him to serve.  Yet when Chairman Ron Sams did the very same thing prior to the January, 2011 meeting, Mr. Sams was verbally castigated and the Parliamentarian, Bruce Fitzgerald was pressured to resign for “the good of the Party”.

     Motions were made, a substitute agenda approved and the character assassination of Chairman Sams began.  It was all I could do not to laugh out loud!  The very same actions, or “lack thereof”  had been practiced by the 3 previous Sussex County Regional Chairs!!!

     So, what was different now?  A hidden agenda had to be fulfilled!  The media were invited whereas in previous situations, the media were asked to leave and the doors were closed.  The hidden agenda became very obvious.  Media were present to record the character assassination and the walk out when Tom Ross began to speak in an effort to publicly disgrace them and to force elected officials to resign from their non-paying jobs.  Does anyone remember when the Primary election results became available in September 2010?

     Vance Phillips telephoned WGMD to say that Ron Sams, Tom Ross, State Party Chair, Priscilla Rakestraw, National Committee Woman and Laird Stabler, National Committeeman, “had to go” and that the “Delaware Republican Party will never be the same”.  Aren’t those the same words that came out of the mouth of Christine O'Donnell when she lost the Senate seat in the election?

     Having witnessed the effort to embarrass Sams and Ross, I wanted to hear the additional chapter in the effort to dismantle the Party.  WBOC carried the planned character attack on the 11:PM news Wednesday evening.

  

     The following afternoon, I even turned on WGMD after the 3pm news to hear what Bill Colley would say.  Colley stated that he led a “walk-out” when Tom Ross began to speak, and indeed he did, a half dozen or so folks followed him out the door, and as Colley stated, they left the door open to hear what was being said.  Colley’s rude behavior and continued character assassination seems to be the new norm for those few who choose to follow him.  Several dozen of us turn the dial or literally turn off WGMD after the 3PM news.

     On the positive side, it is very exciting to see the passion and increased numbers of people interested in Republican politics.  I do, however, wish the thug tactics (with actual threats of bodily harm or in the case of Sams and Ross, character assassinations) would stop.  Does “praying” behavior apply to politics or are they only words to be spoken?    I wish that civility and respect for others would return to Sussex.

Mary Spicer, President,

Delaware Federation of Republican Women

PO Box 611

Lewes, DE.  19958

302-645-7767

The Delaware GOP needs new leadership

You be the judge of the current leadership situation in the Delaware GOP

Where is our response?

In the last 3-4 years Delaware has lost two auto plants, an oil refinery, 750 jobs at HSBC and now hundreds more will be leaving Wilmington Trust thanks to the merger with M&T Bank.  These are just the bulk losses.  Gone with them are THOUSANDS of support jobs and small businesses whose customer bases lost their jobs in these major layoffs.  Since 2007 it has been one hit after another but what do we hear from our leaders in Dover?  *Crickets* *Crickets*

To be fair to the Markell administration the auto plant closings occurred on the watch of Governor Minner.  Of course, Jack Markell was Gov. Minner's Treasurer and he was fully aware of the economic problems we faced and if he wasn't than he was derelict in his duties.  The reality is that in just a few years during two Democrat administrations, Delaware lost more than 3,700 jobs.  For all the economic star power in the Markell Administration, including Alan Levine (of Happy Harry's fame) whose cross the party lines appointment was seen as genius and an illustration of a Governor who understood the challenges in front of him.  Democrats and Republicans alike praised Markell and to this day he is given a pass.  No one from either party questions the fact that Delaware has not created jobs.

You would think that the administration would have worked to bring new businesses in to replace jobs being lost but you would be wrong.  The Chrysler plant, when abandoned by Chrysler was not turned over to flourishing companies like Ford, Hyundai, Nissan or Toyota.  Instead it was sold to the University of Delaware who will now embark on a decades long cleanup project to make the facility into a new medical complex.  They've promised grandiose plans that will lead to thousands of jobs but of course, they're long term projections.  The old GM Boxwood plant?  It's now owned by another company with lofty long term goals and no immediate results.  Fisker will employ 2000 autoworkers when it finally reopens the plant and begins making taxpayer funded electric cars.  Never mind the fact that every car it sells is subsidized 50% by state and federal taxpayers and that in all likelihood each car built will represent a net loss of taxpayer dollars.  Valero closed back in 2009 and nearly 1000 people lost their jobs.  In what represents the best hope for the creation of new jobs, it is expected that the plant will reopen under new management (PBF Energy, a foreign owned company has agreed to take ownership) this April and that 700 jobs will be picked up.  Still, that is assuming that everything goes to plan.  As for the more than 1400 jobs lost in the banking sector?  *Crickets* *Crickets*

Yet, still, we hear NOTHING from Dover and even LESS from the opposition party.  Where are the Republicans?  Why aren't they calling on Markell to produce jobs the way we hear John Boehner and Paul Ryan calling on the Obama Administration?  It's called "The Delaware Way".  The misnomer is that this is a unique brand of civility in Delaware but in reality it is nothing short of cowardice and wanton disregard for the business of the people.  It's very much the reason why there is single party rule in Delaware.  The Delaware Republican Party is scared to DEATH to call a spade a spade.  Sure, you may see a few people (like me, Charlie Copeland, Dave Anderson...etc.) with blogs who are critical of the administration but where are the press releases from the Delaware GOP leadership railing against this hemorrhaging of jobs and the lack of economic growth?  Far from being an act of civility, this silence is an act of servitude where the Delaware GOP ignores the transgressions of Delaware's ruling Democrat Party and in exchange is allowed a few token election wins.  Who would want to vote for a party that just does what the other party wants them to do? 

I'm calling on the Delaware Republican Party to STAND for something.  STAND UP for these people who have lost their jobs.  STAND UP for these people are desperately in need of help.  BE the GRAND old party again.  Stop maintaining the status quo and start rocking the boat.  Delaware needs leaders and there are people in the Delaware GOP who I KNOW can provide the leadership we need in order to turn our situation around.  What we need is for those leaders to STAND and to stop waffling.  Make your CASE...and the people will follow you.  I'm reminded of one of my favorite movies....Braveheart:

Craig: Sir William, where are you going?

William: We have beaten the English, but they'll come back because you won't stand together.

Craig: Well what will you do?

William: I will invade England and defeat the English on their own ground.

Craig: Invade? That's impossible.

William: Why? Why is that impossible? You're so concerned with squabbling for the scraps from Longshank's table that you've missed your God given right to something better. There is a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.

---

Robert the Bruce: Wait! I respect what you said, but remember that these men have lands and castles. It's much to risk.

William: And the common man who bleeds on the battlefield, does he risk less?

Robert the Bruce: No, but from top to bottom this country has no sense of itself. Its nobles share allegiance with England. Its clans war with each other. If you make enemies on both sides of the border, you'll end up dead.

William: We all end up dead; it's just a question of how and why.

Robert the Bruce: I'm not a coward. I want what you want, but we need the nobles.

William: We need them?

Robert the Bruce: Aye.

William: Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don't follow titles, they follow courage. Now our people know you. Noble, and common, they respect you. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they'd follow you. And so would I.

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