Busy Busy Busy

It has been quite a week, both in the office and on the campaign trail.

On Tuesday, I went to visit the Committee of 100 in Wilmington as its monthly speaker. The Committee of 100 is a group made up primarily of Delaware businesspeople with an interest in economic development and land use. (My friend Leo Strine Sr. has jokingly suggested that the group’s motto should be “For One To Join, One Must Die”—I think they have substantially more than 100 people at this point). I had last been before them in May, 2005, when the boys were only five months old and not sleeping much. As I explained to them on Tuesday, I had planned to follow up on my remarks from May, 2005, but realized that thanks to my insomniac children, I don’t remember anything from May, 2005. So I talked about my office’s active involvement in the state’s economic development efforts, from our work on controlling workers compensation insurance rates to our efforts to make Delaware a national home for captive insurance companies. Not only did I get a great reception, but the group’s leader Beverly Baxter sent me home with two pieces of key lime pie for Michele. (Michele was at home putting the boys to sleep, and then resuming her Gray’s Anatomy Third Season DVD Marathon, during which she is doggedly plowing through episode after episode from last season so that she can be fully briefed before the new season premiere next week. Personally, I could do without McBeefy or whatever his name is and his whining colleagues, but she thinks it is a great show.)

On Wednesday night, I was the guest speaker at the first 2007 meeting of the University of Delaware College Democrats. The College Dems at Delaware are a fantastic group—they, probably more than any other group, were responsible for my getting elected in 2004, and I went on Wednesday night to audition for them in the hope that some of them would bring that same energy and enthusiasm to my 2008 campaign. They started off the meeting with an icebreaker exercise where they introduced themselves to each other by answering some political questions and some less serious questions about their favorite bands and who they thought was the sexiest politician in America. (I did not receive any votes—my theory is that they did not want to embarrass me by announcing their votes for me publicly, but that on a secret ballot I would have edged out Obama and Edwards.) Then I got to talk about why I was in politics and why I was running for Lt. Governor. Julie Blevins actually taped my remarks on our digital camera, but aside from the issue of whether the video is worth posting on its merits, I am also informed that I was standing in front of the words “Sexiest Politician” left over on the classroom blackboard from the icebreaker session while speaking, and that it creates a sense of cognitive dissonance on the video. The good news is that almost every single student there signed up as a campaign volunteer, and we are going to put them to work.

Finally on Thursday, I traveled down to the Bethany Beach Fire Hall to speak to a group of Sussex County Democrats at a candidate’s forum put on by the Southeastern Sussex Democratic Club. It was a great chance to talk before a friendly group about some of the issues such as education and health care that are going to be the focus of my campaign.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what I was doing at my actual day job, one of the things we were up to was taking action against CIGNA for overcharging its policyholders for prescription drug copayments. You can read about it at http://www.delawareinsurance.gov/departments/news/092007-Press-CIGNAfined.shtml.