Thank you for clarifying. (Though I still don’t clearly understand why some people dislike me so much. I’m a nice guy.)

Anyway, I have heard Bill Lee’s stump speech twice and visited his website. I know his planks and agree with them. My father is a retired school teacher who was also a union rep.. I understand the concerns of teachers through my life experiences and many of my current friends and my sister are public school teachers. I fully agree with major reforms in Delaware Government including the paring back of budgets and reducing its size. To me, these are the absolute KEY planks and the rest is dressing.

I was listening to Savage who told of how Illegals were turned away in previous times in the US. They were arrested and deported. In no time at all, illegals left the country before facing a grueling boat ride hundreds of miles south, deep into Mexico. The illegals issue is one that must be handled at the federal level or you’re simply swatting at flies and they just run to the next state over.. this will never solve the problem or lessen its impact on America as a whole. The borders must be defended (by force if necessary) and the illegals must be deported so far into their homeland it would take a year to get to where they started. This is not the role of Governor. I”m just saying that I think this issue should be off the table as a deal-breaker!

As to the “elitist” statement:
[quote=Realist]Perhaps because of his exalted financial and social status, he has been insulated from the actions and misdeeds of our illegal neighbors from south of the border.[/quote]
First, it does sound like you are suggesting elitism in this statement, though, yes, I did choose to encapsulate it in one word whereas you did not. Forgive me if I am mis-reading.

Also, Bill has spoken of the illegal situation from the perspective of a Lawyer and Judge. While he may not deal with the same effects of this plague as you are, he certainly has dealt with it, and apparently frustratingly so, in another way. Obviously, when the people spoke, he listened and the issue took on new meaning based on the voices of the people. He did speak from the hip when that call came in. From my understanding, his staff had not developed a specific strategy because of the desire to get elected on the 5 major planks. Too many planks makes your overall voice a little weaker, your message spreads too thin. From the perspective of campaigning in an uphill battle against two well-known Democrats, I think it is wise to be sharply focused and hammer away until they pry the thing from his hands.

I believe he could win. He did show very well in the last campaign, better than Burris did as I recall, though I may be wrong on this.

[quote=Realist]Furthermore, the next time you go there to visit, show me how to get an e-mail, or ANY message, DIRECTLY to Bill Lee.[/quote]
If I want to get a message to Bill, I call him on my cell phone. I’ve watched as he gave it out freely to a ‘common, lowly citizens’. I don’t know if he does this all the time, I would hope not, as he might have quite a large cell bill, but he is accessible.

He has a rather small and tight-knit staff who do get the people’s voices to him. Another reason I like him is this fact. I just stated on Bill Colley’s show the other day that Biden, in my humble opinion (perhaps based on first-hand knowledge, nudge, nudge) not only doesn’t hear his publics voices directly, he doesn’t even rubber stamp his own letters which he doesn’t even read, let alone write in response to those voices.

I’m certain that was difficult to read, but I stand behind it!

Anyways Realist, I think we probably agree more than we disagree on things and I hate to have this thread tears us from the need to get Bill Lee elected.

Hi Mike P. Defending yourself anonymously on all Delaware blogs must be quite tiresome.

“First- use E Verify…”
I heard that e verify is going over very well in NJ. I understand there may be grants available. This will make no difference when it becomes political, which is inevitable.

“Second, use the hand hled devices to verify identity.”
So, the police determine they are illegal. Then what, call INS? Good luck with that fantasy. Still not a viable plan. Apparently, you’ve done some vey minor research on law enforcement technology, which is obviousy more than Lee did, but Law enforcement already has the tools to determine immigration status. I’m primarily interested in what happens after that.

“Three, old businesses respponsible if they hire illegals.”
Nothing new to that concept either, which is one that even crosses party lines. Providing details of the implementation is the challenge. So far, no candidte has the yarbles to do that.

Protack’s plan was on WHYY and WGMD this week. It is too bad the Lee folks can’t realize it. First- use E Verify, something Lee know nothing about. Second, use the hand hled devices to verify identity. Three, old businesses respponsible if they hire illegals.

Where is Lee’s plan? Oh wait, we heard it on Tuesday. Licenses for illegals.

I know very little of YOUR association with Bill Lee. MY association goes back several years… from the courtroom, where he was a very respectable judge, to the bar rooms, where I have NO problem whatsoever with what he does for recreation. So, if my comment was taken as a back handed slap at you, I suppose I may consider that a bonus.

“My statement stands, Bill Lee is an “everyman”, not an elitist. So it does make no effect that you state your knowledge of Lee goes beyond “trivia night” beyond that it was a backhanded insult to me, personally. If you truly know him, you know this to be true. Since you called him an elitist and defended it, you still do not know this man.”

Show me exactly where I called him an “elitist”. I suppose that may be your interpretation of what I wrote. I still stand by opinion that he is out of touch with one of the most important issues facing this state, and the entire country. Only when confronted, he pulled this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Spitzer_drivers_license_controversy

Again, while I consider his admission of an error in judgment an honorable thing, I still don’t believe he plans to take any significant measures to address it. The ONLY thing that would convince me is if he would add the illegal immigration issue, as well as a definitive plan, to his well-intentioned, yet generic “5 major planks”, (which I believe you took directly from his web site). Furthermore, the next time you go there to visit, show me how to get an e-mail, or ANY message, DIRECTLY to Bill Lee. I don’t believe you’ll find that link, only those of his handlers and surrogates, along with plenty of addresses of where to send contributions. So much for accessibility.

http://www.leedelaware.com/index.cfm?ref=90100

It’s hard to believe he’s not tuned in on the illegal immigration issues as I vaguely recall Lee taking calls on WGMD a few weeks ago, during which the issue was discussed. I even recall one caller asking him if the people that did his yard work were illegals. He said they were Hispanic, but he didn’t know their immigration status, and that he would find out.
I do my own yard work. I believe you’ll find the average “everyman” voter does also.

I sure hope you didn’t go off on the Protack rant just for my edification. If so, thanks. If not, please carry on. He doesn’t have a viable plan either. I’d pencil you in before I’d vote for that tool. In act, my only decision in this election (for Governor) is to vote for Lee, or not at all. Until he shows he has the guts to resolve this issue, the latter looks good.

So now I have to amble back to Judge Lee knowing it doesn’t make a difference anyway. By the time the votes in New Castle are counted, a democrat will be elected by a landslide and we will all go back to doing and saying the same ole, same ole.

There is no way for a small fish like me to get my voice heard. I had hoped that the local party was the way to send a message up through channels to DC. I was wrong. None are interested in listening to me unless it the sound of my wallet opening up.

Before making your voting decision, you ought to.

And how much do you know of my association with the Lee family outside of the DBC? Do you know all?

I said, quite plainly, that the main reason for my attention to Bill Lee was that he was NOT a typical politician. His reasons for not wanting to run for Governor were 99% related to the stress such a campaign places on his family. His love for Delaware has always been strong and he knows he can be a great change to the government in our state, but a statewide campaign is a sun-up to sun-down effort that his family didn’t want him to pursue. It is a personal sacrifice that he weighed and decided to pursue after long and difficult discussion with his family. I am so tired of people labeling him a typical politician with typical aspirations.

My statement stands, Bill Lee is an “everyman”, not an elitist. So it does make no effect that you state your knowledge of Lee goes beyond “trivia night” beyond that it was a backhanded insult to me, personally. If you truly know him, you know this to be true. Since you called him an elitist and defended it, you still do not know this man.

Now lets look at Protack.. as I stated in another BLOG thread, I went over his website with intent to understand the man. One interesting thing I found was that he links a story written about him from a June 2008 News Journal article.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080611/NEWS02/806110371

Quoted from this article:

“Protack said if he were elected governor, he would use federal Homeland Security grants to provide handheld computers to state and local police, allowing them to scan more than a dozen national databases and verify the identities and backgrounds of anyone they encounter. Those who don’t check out would be arrested and turned over to immigration officials, he said.

He also would require all residents over 16 years old to carry a state driver’s license, using the card to comply with federal Real ID regulations. If they don’t drive, “No Driving Privileges” would be printed on the license. Protack estimates the cards would cost about $20 million, but said illegal immigration costs Delaware $65 million a year in social services, education and other costs.

“How many illegal immigrants there are in Delaware nobody knows,” he said. “But the No. 1 obligation of the governor is the safety and security of the citizens. Part of that is making sure you know who is in your state and what they are doing.”"

*************************

Now correct me if I’m wrong… But last month, when asked about the illegal immigration issue, Protack said that he wants to have the ability to track “who is in your state”… say what you will, but everyone understood at that time and it is clear to me that his position was to provide some sort of ID card. “verify the identities and backgrounds of anyone they encounter”, the only way to accomplish this is by official tracking and identification.

Like I said, Mike Protack and his supporters saw a crack and attacked.. but while Mike may deny meaning illegals would get an ID card, his own words from this News Journal story speak to the contrary.