A Plea for Mr. Lee
July 25th, 2008 by Bill ColleyDo you know what gets me most about these last few days? Of all the “point people” in Delaware media, I’m probably the friendliest to Republicans and Republican causes.
Yet some within the party threaten me and I get a sixty second on-air call from the local county chair telling me the other fellow doesn’t speak for the organization. While I could say of the man running for County Council, “Is this the best you can find?” I’ve refrained for the most part from leveling that criticism.
Ron didn’t say he was sorry, only that Sam doesn’t speak for the party.
These people threatened my livelihood!
And now the next time you or Ron or John Brady or Jud Bennett want air-time you’ll all expect I’m going to welcome you folks on the program. As if the lowly folks of Sussex County will be awaiting the next pronouncement from Mt. Olympus.
You’ve got a candidate for Governor thinking he’s an incumbent and somehow above the bare knuckle of politics and on the “official” day his campaign starts he steps in the muck. Days later and you folks are still looking for someone else to blame. Nobody at WGMD programmed his words that morning. If he was exhausted and doesn’t have the stamina for the long haul, and if that’s all it was, why should anyone be convinced to vote for him?
Realistically, and all of you have known this all along, the idea was to wait for Carney/Markell to soil themselves and then maybe, just maybe, Mr. Lee had a narrow window for victory, however. I must agree with the critics saying he doesn’t want the job. Late July and the game appears finished.
And what of other Republicans this year whom are really serious about winning and now have to remain silent during the implosion? Didn’t and don’t they deserve better? I think it’s time for the party to concentrate resources elsewhere. At the local level, where the grassroots are in serious need of fertilizer as well as for the other statewide office seekers.
What can Bill Lee salvage from this? The admiration of the next generation of Republican leaders. Beyond that I can’t see much else.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:59 am
What are talking about, Bill? Who’s looking for someone to blame? Lee took it upon himself virtually immediately and issued a retraction of his comments regarding illegals.
And if you’re referring to Mike Protack when you say “And what of other Republicans this year whom are really serious about winning,” you need a big dose of reality. Protack has (edit) on way too many people, and treats with contempt those whose votes he needs to get the job he so desperately desires. (Governor, this time; who the hell knows what it’ll be next!)
July 25th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Bill, I missed yesterday’s show. What happened?
I’m a lot happier with Lee’s position now than I was before, and as much as being a “flip-flopper” is a negative, it’s forgivable if you end up on the right position.
Protack would be right about this being damaging, if we weren’t such a gaffe machine himself. He advocates for increased property taxes, state run health care, and a larger tax burden on Delawareans - none of those things are going to please Primary voters in the GOP, and all of them have a lot more traction than the federal issue of immigration.
July 26th, 2008 at 7:10 am
It’s going to be an ugly, ugly political year. Glad I could help.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
It seems the Lee trolls are out in force, too bad they are all liars. Protack has never proposed any of the stuff RickJ talks of. None of those things are true.
Too bad Mr. Lee is too afraid to debate. It seems like the first time he opens his mouth he makes the biggest gaffe of the year.
It was Mr. Lee who said in the News Journal the GOP would have to crash and burn first but there was little left to burn.
Lee’s heart was never in this race and now we know his mind is not either.
Lee is an embarassment to the Republican Party.
July 27th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
It seems the Lee trolls are out in force
So says Mr. Candidate himself under one of his myriad pseudonyms…