2/24/2008
Fasten Your Seatbelt
And click on the all new, extraordinarily snazzy, relaunched Denn campaign web site, www.mattdenn.com. From now on, new blog entries will be found there rather than here.
2/22/2008
Well, I'm Getting At Least 82 Votes
Later today I am going to be formally announcing something that I think is pretty significant: the names of 82 people who have agreed to be honorary co-chairs of my campaign for Lieutenant Governor.
Why eighty-two? Because I wanted to have two co-chairs from each one of the 41 Representative Districts in the state. And they are not supporting me just because I am so good looking. They are supporting me because I have been up and down this state for the past three years doing my job—trying to visit every senior center in the state once a year, exhorting every civic association and business group that will hear me about the need to press their legislators for insurance reform in Dover, and helping individuals who have been treated unfairly by the insurance industry.
Some of them are people I have known most of my career. Tony Allen, one of my co-chairs from the 4th district in Wilmington, met me in 1993, the year the Phillies went to the World Series. I was so addicted to the team that I had every game on the radio in my office, something that was a little bit unusual in the high-powered law firm where Tony and I were both fairly new employees. Tony heard the game on, wandered in, and sat down. Tony went on to become the first executive director of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, at the same time as I was working as legal counsel to the Governor, and we worked together on some tremendously important issues such as racial profiling and business opportunities for minority and women owned businesses. Tony is now a big shot at Bank of America, still a force in the community, and I am proud to know him and to have him as one of my co-chairs. Ironically, the other co-chair from the 4th district is Sally Coonin, a leader in the teaching and education community, who used to be Tony’s high school teacher.
I have known Senator David Sokola, one of my co-chairs from the North Star/Pike Creek area, even longer. Back in 1990, while I was still in law school but spending part of the summer and fall in Delaware, I asked former county Democratic chairman Joe Reardon which campaign needed an energetic young guy willing to roll up his sleeves and work for a Democrat. He said there was a guy running an uphill race in a Republican district who might just have a shot because he was smart, honest, and the hardest campaigner he had seen. So I went to work for David Sokola in 1990, he won, and I have never regretted it—one of the straightest shooters in the Delaware General Assembly, and someone I am proud to have on my side.
Some of them, frankly, are people who weren’t always my political allies. Kay Ryan, a Democratic activist and one of my co-chairs in the 38th district down at the beach, worked as hard as anyone to be sure I wasn’t the Democratic nominee for Insurance Commissioner in 2004. But she has watched me at work, and now she is one of my biggest advocates. I am glad she is on my side, not only because it is the ultimate form of flattery, but also because she is as tough as they come and I still have some tire treads on my back from her in 2004.
Some of them are friends of mine from organized labor. They know that I was a leader in reducing workers compensation insurance premiums, which was absolutely critical to retaining jobs here in Delaware, but also a leader in making sure that the premiums weren’t reduced by keeping injured workers from the best medical care. Others such as Darlene Battle, who is a leader of a Delaware organization that fights for housing and other rights for low-income residents of our state, and Ed Speraw, the head of an organization that fights for the residents of manufactured homes, are people who know that I have fought alongside them.
The list goes on—elected officials, businesspeople, health care providers, leaders of the African-American and Hispanic communities, leaders of the gay/lesbian community, Democratic party activists….What all of them have in common is that they have seen me at work, they know what I have done as Insurance Commissioner, and they know how important it is to apply the same energy and focus that I bring to my current job to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, so I can be a force for the welfare of children in our state.
Why eighty-two? Because I wanted to have two co-chairs from each one of the 41 Representative Districts in the state. And they are not supporting me just because I am so good looking. They are supporting me because I have been up and down this state for the past three years doing my job—trying to visit every senior center in the state once a year, exhorting every civic association and business group that will hear me about the need to press their legislators for insurance reform in Dover, and helping individuals who have been treated unfairly by the insurance industry.
Some of them are people I have known most of my career. Tony Allen, one of my co-chairs from the 4th district in Wilmington, met me in 1993, the year the Phillies went to the World Series. I was so addicted to the team that I had every game on the radio in my office, something that was a little bit unusual in the high-powered law firm where Tony and I were both fairly new employees. Tony heard the game on, wandered in, and sat down. Tony went on to become the first executive director of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, at the same time as I was working as legal counsel to the Governor, and we worked together on some tremendously important issues such as racial profiling and business opportunities for minority and women owned businesses. Tony is now a big shot at Bank of America, still a force in the community, and I am proud to know him and to have him as one of my co-chairs. Ironically, the other co-chair from the 4th district is Sally Coonin, a leader in the teaching and education community, who used to be Tony’s high school teacher.
I have known Senator David Sokola, one of my co-chairs from the North Star/Pike Creek area, even longer. Back in 1990, while I was still in law school but spending part of the summer and fall in Delaware, I asked former county Democratic chairman Joe Reardon which campaign needed an energetic young guy willing to roll up his sleeves and work for a Democrat. He said there was a guy running an uphill race in a Republican district who might just have a shot because he was smart, honest, and the hardest campaigner he had seen. So I went to work for David Sokola in 1990, he won, and I have never regretted it—one of the straightest shooters in the Delaware General Assembly, and someone I am proud to have on my side.
Some of them, frankly, are people who weren’t always my political allies. Kay Ryan, a Democratic activist and one of my co-chairs in the 38th district down at the beach, worked as hard as anyone to be sure I wasn’t the Democratic nominee for Insurance Commissioner in 2004. But she has watched me at work, and now she is one of my biggest advocates. I am glad she is on my side, not only because it is the ultimate form of flattery, but also because she is as tough as they come and I still have some tire treads on my back from her in 2004.
Some of them are friends of mine from organized labor. They know that I was a leader in reducing workers compensation insurance premiums, which was absolutely critical to retaining jobs here in Delaware, but also a leader in making sure that the premiums weren’t reduced by keeping injured workers from the best medical care. Others such as Darlene Battle, who is a leader of a Delaware organization that fights for housing and other rights for low-income residents of our state, and Ed Speraw, the head of an organization that fights for the residents of manufactured homes, are people who know that I have fought alongside them.
The list goes on—elected officials, businesspeople, health care providers, leaders of the African-American and Hispanic communities, leaders of the gay/lesbian community, Democratic party activists….What all of them have in common is that they have seen me at work, they know what I have done as Insurance Commissioner, and they know how important it is to apply the same energy and focus that I bring to my current job to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, so I can be a force for the welfare of children in our state.
2/19/2008
Testify!
As we get ready to launch the campaign’s new web site, one of the things that we are doing is gathering up some of the thank you letters that I have received from consumers that I went to bat for as Insurance Commissioner. You will be hearing from these consumers during the campaign, because I think that the way that I fought for people in my current job says a lot about how I view being a public servant and how I will act as Lieutenant Governor. Some of the ones that I came across yesterday (names changed until we get the families' ok to use real names):
“Without your help, Mary would have been unable to go to Sloan-Kettering hospital in New York. Sloan Kettering is the only hospital that could provide the treatment Mary required. As of November, Mary is in remission. It is highly unlikely that remission would have been possible if it were not for your help and God’s. There are so many people that fall through the cracks because they are not aware that there is help through you and your office. We cannot thank you enough for your help.”
“I don’t know what you did, but whatever happened, you certainly got results! My uncle started receiving checks within two weeks…This has been so hard on all of us, but especially my dear uncle. I hated watching him struggle without any way of helping him and you gave me that way.”
“My mom received her chemotherapy pills the next morning at 10:00 am. They must have flown the prescription, because I emailed you at 5pm the night before with the problem. Anyway mom was happy. She looked at us and said ‘What do people do, that don’t have a Matt Denn?’”
“Without your help, Mary would have been unable to go to Sloan-Kettering hospital in New York. Sloan Kettering is the only hospital that could provide the treatment Mary required. As of November, Mary is in remission. It is highly unlikely that remission would have been possible if it were not for your help and God’s. There are so many people that fall through the cracks because they are not aware that there is help through you and your office. We cannot thank you enough for your help.”
“I don’t know what you did, but whatever happened, you certainly got results! My uncle started receiving checks within two weeks…This has been so hard on all of us, but especially my dear uncle. I hated watching him struggle without any way of helping him and you gave me that way.”
“My mom received her chemotherapy pills the next morning at 10:00 am. They must have flown the prescription, because I emailed you at 5pm the night before with the problem. Anyway mom was happy. She looked at us and said ‘What do people do, that don’t have a Matt Denn?’”
2/15/2008
Colonmania
Last Thursday, after health insurance giant Aetna announced its somewhat less than enthusiastically received plan to prevent gastroenterologists from giving their patients full anesthesia during colonoscopies, I announced that (among other things) I would ask the General Assembly to take legislative action when it returned to session next month. You can read the original article here. Yesterday, Speaker of the House Terry Spence announced…drumroll please…exactly the same thing. You can read today’s article here. I had sometimes mused out loud to colleagues about what it would take to start bringing the House Republicans around to the cause of health insurance reform, and now I guess I have my answer: having a medical instrument inserted into their colons without full sedation.
In fairness to the Speaker, by the way, he is the only House Republican sponsor of Senate Bill 6, the bill creating a statewide health insurance purchasing pool. So if I have to be plagiarized by a House Republican, I would rather it be him than almost anyone else.
In fairness to the Speaker, by the way, he is the only House Republican sponsor of Senate Bill 6, the bill creating a statewide health insurance purchasing pool. So if I have to be plagiarized by a House Republican, I would rather it be him than almost anyone else.
2/14/2008
The Denn Campaign Agenda for Tonight
Making my wife Valentines Day dinner. I may be driven, but I ain't stupid.
2/13/2008
The Team Expands
Hiring staff people is a very tricky thing for a campaign. Do not take my word for it, look at the churning that has gone on among the senior staff ranks of the top Presidential campaigns such as John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Trying to keep a job as a campaign manager these days is like trying to cross the Bridge of Death in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Back in 2004 when I ran for Insurance Commissioner, I used an extremely scientific process to hire my one campaign staff member, Dana Rohrbough. I met Dana when I was giving a talk at a Political Science department event at the University of Delaware, saw how enthusiastic she was about Democratic politics, asked a few people about her, and then offered her a job. She ended up doing a phenomenal job—so good, in fact, that she was hired by Jack Markell for his 2006 State Treasurer campaign and is now his Deputy Campaign Manager.
Because that Zen style approach worked so well for me in 2004, I adopted it again this year, and I think we have found another star. Beginning Monday, University of Delaware junior Alyssa Koser will be working for the Denn Campaign. Alyssa hails from Lewes, and has the type of broad volunteer background that demonstrates her commitment to the Democratic Party and its causes, including stints with Voices without Borders and the presidential campaigns of some guy named Biden and more recently of Barack Obama. She is very active in a number of groups on campus, and her post-graduation plan is to become a school teacher in the Teach for America program. But most importantly of all, when I talked to her and when I talked to other people about her, my gut told me that this was someone who was going to bring incredible enthusiasm and commitment to my campaign. Of course, my gut has also told me for the last decade that the Eagles had a chance of going all the way, but I think I am on more solid ground here.
Please be nice to Alyssa when she calls—and trust me, she will be calling. And don’t forget, if you would like to contribute to the Pay Alyssa A Decent Wage fund (also known as the Denn campaign treasury), you can do so by clicking here.
Back in 2004 when I ran for Insurance Commissioner, I used an extremely scientific process to hire my one campaign staff member, Dana Rohrbough. I met Dana when I was giving a talk at a Political Science department event at the University of Delaware, saw how enthusiastic she was about Democratic politics, asked a few people about her, and then offered her a job. She ended up doing a phenomenal job—so good, in fact, that she was hired by Jack Markell for his 2006 State Treasurer campaign and is now his Deputy Campaign Manager.
Because that Zen style approach worked so well for me in 2004, I adopted it again this year, and I think we have found another star. Beginning Monday, University of Delaware junior Alyssa Koser will be working for the Denn Campaign. Alyssa hails from Lewes, and has the type of broad volunteer background that demonstrates her commitment to the Democratic Party and its causes, including stints with Voices without Borders and the presidential campaigns of some guy named Biden and more recently of Barack Obama. She is very active in a number of groups on campus, and her post-graduation plan is to become a school teacher in the Teach for America program. But most importantly of all, when I talked to her and when I talked to other people about her, my gut told me that this was someone who was going to bring incredible enthusiasm and commitment to my campaign. Of course, my gut has also told me for the last decade that the Eagles had a chance of going all the way, but I think I am on more solid ground here.
Please be nice to Alyssa when she calls—and trust me, she will be calling. And don’t forget, if you would like to contribute to the Pay Alyssa A Decent Wage fund (also known as the Denn campaign treasury), you can do so by clicking here.
2/11/2008
Our First Scandal
It was a busy campaign weekend, which started on Saturday morning at the A. Philip Randolph Institute monthly meeting at the Longshoremens Hall. I have been going to APRI meetings since I got elected, because I think it is one of the most credible, serious activist organizations in the state. However, this was the first time I had appeared as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.
Everything went great. Adam and Zach came with me and were well behaved, I gave my standard remarks about my campaign’s focus on the welfare of children and fielded a lot of questions, and then the crowd serenaded me with “Happy Birthday.” Then I went to the back of the room to get my kids, and one of the members said “Hey, Mr. Save the Children. That kid’s shoes are on the wrong feet.” And he was right.
Video to follow.
Everything went great. Adam and Zach came with me and were well behaved, I gave my standard remarks about my campaign’s focus on the welfare of children and fielded a lot of questions, and then the crowd serenaded me with “Happy Birthday.” Then I went to the back of the room to get my kids, and one of the members said “Hey, Mr. Save the Children. That kid’s shoes are on the wrong feet.” And he was right.
Video to follow.
2/06/2008
Delaware Speaks: Obama Wins, My Ford Focus Loses
I stayed up late to see the California primary results come in, for no good reason that I can articulate as I sit here this morning. Good job by Senator Obama. To come from as far behind as he did to a virtual draw in delegates in a matter of just a few weeks is remarkable. And I thought the tone Senator Clinton struck last night was very good. I am obviously for Senator Obama and am proud of how well he did here in Delaware, but we Democrats are going to be in good shape in November with either of our candidates at the top of the ticket.
I have only glanced at the Delaware numbers, but I think they are interesting in terms of what they portend for the state’s September Democratic primary. Total statewide Democratic vote yesterday was 96,341—an increase of almost exactly 200% over the number of people who turned out to vote in my primary election in 2004. But the increase in turnout accelerated dramatically as the polling places got further south. In the City of Wilmington, turnout increased over 2004 by between 83% and 98%. Some of the other suburban New Castle County RDs were up by similar amounts--RD 13 up by 93%, RD 17 up by 86%. But several other New Castle County RDs had much higher turnout bumps--RD 25 up 240%, RD 15 up 473%. And the districts that really took off were the districts in Kent and Sussex County whose primary turnout is traditionally low compared to their populations--RD 31 (Dover) was up by 320%, RD 35 (Milford) up by 570%, RD 41 (furthest south RD in the state) up by 537%, RD 14 (Rehoboth) up by 590%. The net result: turnout in Kent and Sussex County was 27% of the statewide total, as opposed to the average figure of about 20%. The message is that people in Kent and Sussex County will vote in Democratic primaries in much higher numbers if they think a lot is at stake.
I intend to make this an election where people realize that a lot is at stake. I can already hear the Ford Focus groaning as it contemplates what this means for the Denn campaign.
I have only glanced at the Delaware numbers, but I think they are interesting in terms of what they portend for the state’s September Democratic primary. Total statewide Democratic vote yesterday was 96,341—an increase of almost exactly 200% over the number of people who turned out to vote in my primary election in 2004. But the increase in turnout accelerated dramatically as the polling places got further south. In the City of Wilmington, turnout increased over 2004 by between 83% and 98%. Some of the other suburban New Castle County RDs were up by similar amounts--RD 13 up by 93%, RD 17 up by 86%. But several other New Castle County RDs had much higher turnout bumps--RD 25 up 240%, RD 15 up 473%. And the districts that really took off were the districts in Kent and Sussex County whose primary turnout is traditionally low compared to their populations--RD 31 (Dover) was up by 320%, RD 35 (Milford) up by 570%, RD 41 (furthest south RD in the state) up by 537%, RD 14 (Rehoboth) up by 590%. The net result: turnout in Kent and Sussex County was 27% of the statewide total, as opposed to the average figure of about 20%. The message is that people in Kent and Sussex County will vote in Democratic primaries in much higher numbers if they think a lot is at stake.
I intend to make this an election where people realize that a lot is at stake. I can already hear the Ford Focus groaning as it contemplates what this means for the Denn campaign.
2/04/2008
It's All About Obama
OK folks, there is really no news in Delaware today other than Obama News, so that will be our focus.
I could not go to the rally in Rodney Square yesterday. Zach is fine now, but he had to spend a few days in the hospital starting on Friday so I was pretty much out of commission. Fortunately, the Obama folks were nice enough to make it possible for me and Adam to scoot into a very brief reception Senator Obama had before the rally to meet me and his four other Delaware statewide co-chairs. Adam and I did not realize that we were standing by the doorway that Senator Obama was going to come through, but we were, and when he came bursting in and Adam came face to face with the man he watches on television and emulates, Adam’s reaction was—not surprisingly—stunned silence. I said “Oh my goodness, Adam, it’s Barack Obama!” Senator Obama gave him a big smile and said “All right, who is this?” I said “This is your biggest fan. Adam, do you want to say hi to Senator Obama?” Adam said nothing. Senator Obama said “what’s your name, buddy?” Nothing. And then Senator Obama said “How about a high five?” Adam delivered in the clutch.
When it came to the pictures, Adam announced that he was going to make a “silly cheese face,” which is what they were taught to do in pre-school for their school pictures. It is apparently meant to elicit a smile, in Adam’s case as you can see it makes it appear that he is being poked with an electric cattle prod. Still, something that he will cherish when Barack Obama is President and he is old enough to know what it means.
Last week, of course, it was Barack Obama’s wife Michelle who was in town. Once again, Obama Fan In Chief Adam Denn tagged along. I had to listen to most of the speech off in the wings—Adam came up on stage with me for the first part, but wilted under the hot stage lights and I needed to get the heck off the stage before he became a news event—but she is a dynamite speaker. Very different from her husband, but a tremendously effective advocate for him.
Tomorrow we need to work on making sure that Senator Obama is our Democratic nominee, and then after that, back to the work of me being your next Lieutenant Governor.
I could not go to the rally in Rodney Square yesterday. Zach is fine now, but he had to spend a few days in the hospital starting on Friday so I was pretty much out of commission. Fortunately, the Obama folks were nice enough to make it possible for me and Adam to scoot into a very brief reception Senator Obama had before the rally to meet me and his four other Delaware statewide co-chairs. Adam and I did not realize that we were standing by the doorway that Senator Obama was going to come through, but we were, and when he came bursting in and Adam came face to face with the man he watches on television and emulates, Adam’s reaction was—not surprisingly—stunned silence. I said “Oh my goodness, Adam, it’s Barack Obama!” Senator Obama gave him a big smile and said “All right, who is this?” I said “This is your biggest fan. Adam, do you want to say hi to Senator Obama?” Adam said nothing. Senator Obama said “what’s your name, buddy?” Nothing. And then Senator Obama said “How about a high five?” Adam delivered in the clutch.
When it came to the pictures, Adam announced that he was going to make a “silly cheese face,” which is what they were taught to do in pre-school for their school pictures. It is apparently meant to elicit a smile, in Adam’s case as you can see it makes it appear that he is being poked with an electric cattle prod. Still, something that he will cherish when Barack Obama is President and he is old enough to know what it means.
Last week, of course, it was Barack Obama’s wife Michelle who was in town. Once again, Obama Fan In Chief Adam Denn tagged along. I had to listen to most of the speech off in the wings—Adam came up on stage with me for the first part, but wilted under the hot stage lights and I needed to get the heck off the stage before he became a news event—but she is a dynamite speaker. Very different from her husband, but a tremendously effective advocate for him.
Tomorrow we need to work on making sure that Senator Obama is our Democratic nominee, and then after that, back to the work of me being your next Lieutenant Governor.
2/02/2008
Mea Culpa
Sorry for the absence of new posts for the last few days. We will be back with new material Monday morning. Stay tuned. I would remind you to go see Barack Obama tomorrow if you hadn't already been reminded by a dozen other people.
1/31/2008
Love, Dover Style
I had my annual hearing before the General Assembly Joint Finance Committee yesterday. The News Journal coverage catches the gist of my pitch for funding for affordable health insurance. You can read the article here.
The preparation every year for the Joint Finance hearing is intense—it is the one time each year that the legislators get to grill you about your budget and operations, and the legislators usually have a lot of detailed questions. My hearings have gone very well each year because we have been so prepared, and I was ready to roll this time as well. But this year turned out very different.
I pointed out to the committee members that this was my last visit—I said, “A year from now, I will either be lowering the chin-up bar in the Lieutenant Governor’s office or asking a first-year lawyer at a law firm how to find the new courthouse.” And what it prompted from the legislators, instead of questions, was a series of testimonials about the job that I and my team had done over the last few years at the Insurance Department. I am a loyal Democrat and proud of it, but I have to admit that I was touched to hear some of the Republican members of the committee talk about how impressed they were with the fights I took on for consumers.
At the end of the hearing, there was applause—which is also not the standard ending for a Joint Finance Committee hearing. The visitors section was full of insurance lobbyists who had come to watch my hearing. Senator Cook, the co-chair of the committee, looked at them and said “I don’t see you guys clapping.” I said “They’re cheering on the inside, Senator.”
This job is never boring.
The preparation every year for the Joint Finance hearing is intense—it is the one time each year that the legislators get to grill you about your budget and operations, and the legislators usually have a lot of detailed questions. My hearings have gone very well each year because we have been so prepared, and I was ready to roll this time as well. But this year turned out very different.
I pointed out to the committee members that this was my last visit—I said, “A year from now, I will either be lowering the chin-up bar in the Lieutenant Governor’s office or asking a first-year lawyer at a law firm how to find the new courthouse.” And what it prompted from the legislators, instead of questions, was a series of testimonials about the job that I and my team had done over the last few years at the Insurance Department. I am a loyal Democrat and proud of it, but I have to admit that I was touched to hear some of the Republican members of the committee talk about how impressed they were with the fights I took on for consumers.
At the end of the hearing, there was applause—which is also not the standard ending for a Joint Finance Committee hearing. The visitors section was full of insurance lobbyists who had come to watch my hearing. Senator Cook, the co-chair of the committee, looked at them and said “I don’t see you guys clapping.” I said “They’re cheering on the inside, Senator.”
This job is never boring.
1/30/2008
Making the Pitch for Health Insurance
Today is my annual trip to the General Assembly Joint Finance Committee to discuss the Insurance Department budget for the upcoming fiscal year. My hearings have been fairly uneventful, since the first thing I did when I arrived in 2005 was to tell the committee that I was going to run the department without a dime of taxpayer money (we are now funded entirely by surcharges and fees imposed on national insurance companies). They like that.
What I am going to emphasize today, though, is that even in a very tight budget year, the state must seriously consider funding the health insurance purchasing pool proposal that Senator Blevins, Representative Hall-Long, and I have pending before the General Assembly. In fact, here is a blog-readers-only, exclusive preview of what I will say about that in my testimony:
While we are not asking for any additional money for our department, I do want to take the opportunity to ask for one appropriation of funds should they become available. As you all know, I have been asking the General Assembly for three years now to create a health insurance pool to provide affordable health insurance to the underinsured and uninsured in our state. As you also know, the design of the pool requires a state subsidy in order to make it work.
As I am up and down the state every day, there is no issue I hear about more than health insurance – from families or from businesses. I’m sure you hear it, too. While a period of economic downturn may not be the easiest time for you to consider spending money on a new program, it is exactly the time when the need for more affordable health coverage will become greater. I urge you to consider funding the health insurance pool should revenues improve. It would be a giant leap forward for Delaware and, I believe, would make Delaware a model for the rest of the country.
We are getting ready to start putting the Denn volunteers to work on the campaign trail, if you are willing to start putting in some time to make this state a better place for its kids, drop me a note at mattdenn@hotmail.com.
What I am going to emphasize today, though, is that even in a very tight budget year, the state must seriously consider funding the health insurance purchasing pool proposal that Senator Blevins, Representative Hall-Long, and I have pending before the General Assembly. In fact, here is a blog-readers-only, exclusive preview of what I will say about that in my testimony:
While we are not asking for any additional money for our department, I do want to take the opportunity to ask for one appropriation of funds should they become available. As you all know, I have been asking the General Assembly for three years now to create a health insurance pool to provide affordable health insurance to the underinsured and uninsured in our state. As you also know, the design of the pool requires a state subsidy in order to make it work.
As I am up and down the state every day, there is no issue I hear about more than health insurance – from families or from businesses. I’m sure you hear it, too. While a period of economic downturn may not be the easiest time for you to consider spending money on a new program, it is exactly the time when the need for more affordable health coverage will become greater. I urge you to consider funding the health insurance pool should revenues improve. It would be a giant leap forward for Delaware and, I believe, would make Delaware a model for the rest of the country.
We are getting ready to start putting the Denn volunteers to work on the campaign trail, if you are willing to start putting in some time to make this state a better place for its kids, drop me a note at mattdenn@hotmail.com.
1/28/2008
Short End of the Stick
If you noticed the article in Saturday’s paper on my legislative agenda for this year (you can read it here), you were probably too dazzled by its substance to notice that it was written by Eric Ruth, who doubles as one of the News Journal’s food critics. When Mr. Ruth called me about the article, I told him that I thought he had the best job in Delaware. It reminded me that the Eric Ruth of Seattle, Washington is my little sister Becky, who is a food critic and editor for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. She has her own blog, which is beautifully written but essentially consists of taunting everyone else in America about the awesome food she is eating. You can read it here. I have to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and stand in the cold in front of supermarkets, she gets to eat at some of America’s best restaurants on someone else’s dime, and then get paid to write about how tasty it is. This is not right.
In other news, one of the many things that I like about Barack Obama is that he married a beautiful, capable woman named Michelle. So did I. His is coming to Delaware on Thursday to campaign for him, you can get more details at his campaign website http://www.barackobama.com/.
In other news, one of the many things that I like about Barack Obama is that he married a beautiful, capable woman named Michelle. So did I. His is coming to Delaware on Thursday to campaign for him, you can get more details at his campaign website http://www.barackobama.com/.
1/23/2008
Good News, Bad News
I will give you the bad news first. In spite of now being three years old and fully capable of wiping their hands before pawing at me, my children have nevertheless ruined all of my suits. Yesterday they triumphantly sullied the last one. I have had to triage my jackets with the least amount of banana smeared on them (at least, I hope it’s banana), while waiting for the local dry cleaners to struggle mightily to save the others. So if you see me on the campaign trail in the next few days and want to tell me that there is something on my suit…don’t.
The other bad news is that the House Republicans yanked yet another one of the consumer protection bills I proposed from the House agenda yesterday. This bill, which had passed the State Senate by a 20-0 bi-partisan vote, was designed to regulate “medical discount plans”--health plans that often look like health insurance but really aren’t. The plans are targeted at low income communities which have high uninsured rates, and even the Federal Trade Commission (overseen by the somewhat-less-than-consumer-friendly Bush administration) has identified these plans as an industry that needs to be watched. Thanks to the House Republicans, they will go unwatched in Delaware for at least a while longer. The Republicans’ excuse for yanking the bill yesterday was that they hadn’t realized I was going to testify in favor of it—apparently they thought we would argue for the bill through interpretive dance--and they needed to fly in special experts from the industry to testify against me. I will hold my breath. Thanks to Representative Helene Keeley for fighting to try to get this one done on behalf of consumers.
Now for the good news. First, the upside of the House Republicans selling out consumers was that I actually got out of Dover at 5:30 and unexpectedly got to see the boys before they went to bed and watch American Idol with my wife. Not a bad consolation prize. And second, yesterday was the filing deadline for 2007 campaign finance reports, so we finally found out where I stand with respect to the fundraising part of the Lieutenant Governor’s race. As the News Journal is reporting this morning (you can read it here), I now have a 5-1 fundraising advantage over my only announced opponent. That is great news, and to those of you who contributed and helped give me this advantage, thank you. To those of you who didn’t, you can fix that right now by taking out your credit card and clicking here.
The other bad news is that the House Republicans yanked yet another one of the consumer protection bills I proposed from the House agenda yesterday. This bill, which had passed the State Senate by a 20-0 bi-partisan vote, was designed to regulate “medical discount plans”--health plans that often look like health insurance but really aren’t. The plans are targeted at low income communities which have high uninsured rates, and even the Federal Trade Commission (overseen by the somewhat-less-than-consumer-friendly Bush administration) has identified these plans as an industry that needs to be watched. Thanks to the House Republicans, they will go unwatched in Delaware for at least a while longer. The Republicans’ excuse for yanking the bill yesterday was that they hadn’t realized I was going to testify in favor of it—apparently they thought we would argue for the bill through interpretive dance--and they needed to fly in special experts from the industry to testify against me. I will hold my breath. Thanks to Representative Helene Keeley for fighting to try to get this one done on behalf of consumers.
Now for the good news. First, the upside of the House Republicans selling out consumers was that I actually got out of Dover at 5:30 and unexpectedly got to see the boys before they went to bed and watch American Idol with my wife. Not a bad consolation prize. And second, yesterday was the filing deadline for 2007 campaign finance reports, so we finally found out where I stand with respect to the fundraising part of the Lieutenant Governor’s race. As the News Journal is reporting this morning (you can read it here), I now have a 5-1 fundraising advantage over my only announced opponent. That is great news, and to those of you who contributed and helped give me this advantage, thank you. To those of you who didn’t, you can fix that right now by taking out your credit card and clicking here.
1/22/2008
Don't Believe the Hype
The next time one of the Republican members of the House of Representatives Insurance Committee says “If Matt would just make a deal with the insurance companies, we would pass some of his bills,” I will give him a copy of this article from yesterday’s Washington Post. To summarize it for you, it describes how the insurance industry convinced Florida’s legislature and Republican Governor to pass a bunch of pro-insurance company legislation with the promise that it would reduce homeowners insurance rates, and—you may want to sit down for this—many of the rates have actually gone up.
1/18/2008
Great News
I promised you yesterday some big campaign news. Well, here it is. We just finished our fundraising report for 2007, and we not only broke all of the fundraising records for a Lieutenant Governor campaign, we shattered them. As best we can tell from state records, my campaign bank balance at the end of 2007 was triple that of any past candidate for Lieutenant Governor at the end of a pre-election year. Needless to say, that is great news.
What does this mean for the campaign? First of all, it means that I can spend more of my time this year talking to voters and less of my time raising money. Don’t get me wrong—there is still a lot more to raise, so you should keep checking your Caller ID. But it certainly makes things easier. More importantly, it means that I will have the ability to communicate my message about the welfare of Delaware’s children to voters. Running for a statewide office means that no matter how hard I work, I can never talk to each voter individually, so having the money to communicate with voters through the media means that voters will actually learn what I want to do if I get elected. That is huge.
Many of you who read this blog also contributed to my campaign, so to each of you a heartfelt thanks. To those of you who contributed in the last six weeks and are still waiting for your thank you note, please stop calling me an ungrateful wretch (that means you, mom)—the letters are going in the mail today. Now, with the election year upon us and the funds to at least start doing what I need to do, it is time to go out and tell the voters how I am going to help change this state. I hope you will join me.
What does this mean for the campaign? First of all, it means that I can spend more of my time this year talking to voters and less of my time raising money. Don’t get me wrong—there is still a lot more to raise, so you should keep checking your Caller ID. But it certainly makes things easier. More importantly, it means that I will have the ability to communicate my message about the welfare of Delaware’s children to voters. Running for a statewide office means that no matter how hard I work, I can never talk to each voter individually, so having the money to communicate with voters through the media means that voters will actually learn what I want to do if I get elected. That is huge.
Many of you who read this blog also contributed to my campaign, so to each of you a heartfelt thanks. To those of you who contributed in the last six weeks and are still waiting for your thank you note, please stop calling me an ungrateful wretch (that means you, mom)—the letters are going in the mail today. Now, with the election year upon us and the funds to at least start doing what I need to do, it is time to go out and tell the voters how I am going to help change this state. I hope you will join me.
1/17/2008
A Musical Interlude
Tomorrow, we will have some important news to announce about my campaign on the blog. For today, it is my pleasure to provide you with Adam’s favorite music video, a late 1950s live, souped-up performance of “Lonely Teardrops” by the late Jackie Wilson. Adam’s infatuation with Jackie Wilson is totally random—he saw my Jackie Wilson’s Greatest Hits CD in the front seat of the car, was intrigued with the fact that it was purple, and asked for the “Purple Music.” Now Purple Music has temporarily eclipsed The Wiggles.
The only downside of Adam loving this video is that he keeps trying to duplicate Jackie’s patented “dropping to the ground and getting back up” dance move, but so far he has only got the collapsing to the ground part down so I keep thinking he is having some sort of seizure.
Zach is currently into the Chicken Dance. As LBJ might have said, I will not look for a chicken dance video on YouTube, and if I find one, I will not post it.
The only downside of Adam loving this video is that he keeps trying to duplicate Jackie’s patented “dropping to the ground and getting back up” dance move, but so far he has only got the collapsing to the ground part down so I keep thinking he is having some sort of seizure.
Zach is currently into the Chicken Dance. As LBJ might have said, I will not look for a chicken dance video on YouTube, and if I find one, I will not post it.
1/14/2008
Look at the Governor's Hands
We had a busy weekend on the Denn Campaign, including stops at the 18th District Democratic Committee, the Interdenominational Ministers Action Council MLK Celebration, and the A. Philip Randolph Institute’s monthly meeting. One of the real highlights was a visit that Zach and I made to the second annual dinner sponsored by the PKU Families of Delaware. (For those of you asking yourselves “what does this have to do with the weird expression on your face in this picture or the title of this post,” I will get to that.)
PKU is an inherited metabolic disease that results in mental retardation and other neurological problems when not treated. Many children with PKU cannot eat foods containing protein. A synthetic formula is used as a nutritional substitute for the eliminated foods, however it is very expensive. Last year, I worked with several families who have children with PKU to get a bill passed mandating that the nutritional substitute be covered by health insurance policies. This disease does not affect a lot of families, but for the ones affected this bill was a huge deal—it will allow them to ensure that their kids get the supplements they need to avoid neurological damage, without having to lose their savings. The families did all the heavy lifting in getting the bill passed, and they should be proud of themselves.
Anyway, the families were nice enough to give me a plaque and a thank-you card at the dinner Saturday night, along with a picture of the PKU bill-signing ceremony with the Governor. And looking at my bizarre expression in the picture brought to mind a perennial problem for those of us involved in politics: what to do when the Governor is signing a bill in front of you. The bill-signing ceremony is always a great event—it is the culmination of a lot of hard work, everyone involved in the success gathers together and says nice things about each other and what the bill is going to do, the Governor speaks, and then the moment arrives for her to sign the bill. The photographers close in. The attendees are squeezed in behind the Governor.
Now what? The shocked “Oh my God, I can’t believe Jordan just hit that three-pointer” look is not appropriate—there is no surprise in what is happening. Other options—dumping a bucket of Kool-Aid on the Governor, yelling to the Governor that he has spelled his name wrong and then saying “psych!”, giving the person next to you a wet willie, all seem somehow inadequate to the occasion—and in the first case, can be a good way to get hurt. So what everyone does instead is focus intently on the Governor’s hands. Hence, the above picture, featuring a couple of adults tending to their children, and the rest of us appearing to be absolutely fascinated by the Governor’s hands.
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives is scheduled to take up a bill that I have proposed to regulate medical discount cards, which some unscrupulous companies have been using to take advantage of the uninsured in Delaware. The bill has already passed the State Senate, and I am hoping to have the chance to gaze at the Governor’s hands on this one.
PKU is an inherited metabolic disease that results in mental retardation and other neurological problems when not treated. Many children with PKU cannot eat foods containing protein. A synthetic formula is used as a nutritional substitute for the eliminated foods, however it is very expensive. Last year, I worked with several families who have children with PKU to get a bill passed mandating that the nutritional substitute be covered by health insurance policies. This disease does not affect a lot of families, but for the ones affected this bill was a huge deal—it will allow them to ensure that their kids get the supplements they need to avoid neurological damage, without having to lose their savings. The families did all the heavy lifting in getting the bill passed, and they should be proud of themselves.
Anyway, the families were nice enough to give me a plaque and a thank-you card at the dinner Saturday night, along with a picture of the PKU bill-signing ceremony with the Governor. And looking at my bizarre expression in the picture brought to mind a perennial problem for those of us involved in politics: what to do when the Governor is signing a bill in front of you. The bill-signing ceremony is always a great event—it is the culmination of a lot of hard work, everyone involved in the success gathers together and says nice things about each other and what the bill is going to do, the Governor speaks, and then the moment arrives for her to sign the bill. The photographers close in. The attendees are squeezed in behind the Governor.
Now what? The shocked “Oh my God, I can’t believe Jordan just hit that three-pointer” look is not appropriate—there is no surprise in what is happening. Other options—dumping a bucket of Kool-Aid on the Governor, yelling to the Governor that he has spelled his name wrong and then saying “psych!”, giving the person next to you a wet willie, all seem somehow inadequate to the occasion—and in the first case, can be a good way to get hurt. So what everyone does instead is focus intently on the Governor’s hands. Hence, the above picture, featuring a couple of adults tending to their children, and the rest of us appearing to be absolutely fascinated by the Governor’s hands.
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives is scheduled to take up a bill that I have proposed to regulate medical discount cards, which some unscrupulous companies have been using to take advantage of the uninsured in Delaware. The bill has already passed the State Senate, and I am hoping to have the chance to gaze at the Governor’s hands on this one.
1/10/2008
Covering Kids
Yesterday, a bi-partisan group of legislators, an honor roll of child advocates, and I gathered at Legislative Hall to announce the introduction of a bill I have proposed to use the free and reduced price lunch information that school districts have to locate uninsured families who might be eligible for free or lost-cost health insurance through Medicaid or the CHIP program. You can read about it in today’s News Journal here. We also announced a new program that my office will be pursuing through the state’s school nurses, to try to involve nurses more directly in signing kids up for CHIP.
This bill and the nurse partnership are both great efforts (if I do say so myself), but they aren’t enough. The statistics are grim. There are over 19,000 uninsured kids in Delaware. My optimistic goal with this bill and the nurse program is to increase enrollment by 1,000 kids. That would be a 20% increase in Delaware’s CHIP enrollment—huge by any standard—but our rolls of uninsured kids would still be unacceptable.
That is why getting every kid in Delaware health insurance by 2010 will be one of my primary goals as Lieutenant Governor. That is not a bumper sticker slogan, it is something that a couple of other states are moving towards doing, and that we in Delaware can do as well if we make it a priority. Universal health care coverage for adults and children is my ultimate goal, and I think we will get there. But covering every kid is an important, achievable interim step, and I will be putting my campaign hat on soon and talking about how we should get there.
This bill and the nurse partnership are both great efforts (if I do say so myself), but they aren’t enough. The statistics are grim. There are over 19,000 uninsured kids in Delaware. My optimistic goal with this bill and the nurse program is to increase enrollment by 1,000 kids. That would be a 20% increase in Delaware’s CHIP enrollment—huge by any standard—but our rolls of uninsured kids would still be unacceptable.
That is why getting every kid in Delaware health insurance by 2010 will be one of my primary goals as Lieutenant Governor. That is not a bumper sticker slogan, it is something that a couple of other states are moving towards doing, and that we in Delaware can do as well if we make it a priority. Universal health care coverage for adults and children is my ultimate goal, and I think we will get there. But covering every kid is an important, achievable interim step, and I will be putting my campaign hat on soon and talking about how we should get there.
1/07/2008
Barack Obama
Like just about everyone else who has spent any time with him, I was backing Joe Biden to be our next President of the United States. I still think that if he had the money of some of the other candidates in Iowa, he would have received enough votes to be barnstorming through New Hampshire right now. He was uniquely prepared to be the next President. But as you know, Joe gracefully bowed out of the Presidential race the night that the Iowa caucuses were over.
I am supporting Barack Obama to become our party’s nominee in 2008. All four of the remaining Democratic candidates would be great Presidents—nobody cared enough to ask me four years ago, but if they had I would have told them I was supporting John Edwards—but I think Senator Obama’s thoughtfulness, candor, charisma, and ability to bring people together will make him a great candidate and an even greater President. I thought his speech after the Iowa caucus results came in was the best I have seen a candidate give since Mario Cuomo’s speech to the Democratic Convention over 20 years ago.
My son Adam is making speeches now—he imperiously shuffles his Sesame Street cards around, announces that he is going to make a speech, clears his throat, yells out “Ladies and Gentlemen!”, and then starts proclaiming some nonsense about the Wiggles and waits for applause. But he sat with me and watched a tape of Senator Obama’s speech after the caucuses, and now he has occasionally changed his intro to “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Barack Obama!”. When Adam turns twelve and President Obama is finishing his second term in office, I am going to tell him that story—I am not sure what it says about our country or Barack Obama, but I am pretty sure that it is something good.
I am supporting Barack Obama to become our party’s nominee in 2008. All four of the remaining Democratic candidates would be great Presidents—nobody cared enough to ask me four years ago, but if they had I would have told them I was supporting John Edwards—but I think Senator Obama’s thoughtfulness, candor, charisma, and ability to bring people together will make him a great candidate and an even greater President. I thought his speech after the Iowa caucus results came in was the best I have seen a candidate give since Mario Cuomo’s speech to the Democratic Convention over 20 years ago.
My son Adam is making speeches now—he imperiously shuffles his Sesame Street cards around, announces that he is going to make a speech, clears his throat, yells out “Ladies and Gentlemen!”, and then starts proclaiming some nonsense about the Wiggles and waits for applause. But he sat with me and watched a tape of Senator Obama’s speech after the caucuses, and now he has occasionally changed his intro to “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Barack Obama!”. When Adam turns twelve and President Obama is finishing his second term in office, I am going to tell him that story—I am not sure what it says about our country or Barack Obama, but I am pretty sure that it is something good.
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