Doubting Robert
Sep 11th, 2009 by MariaEvans
37th District candidate Rob Robinson was on WGMD yesterday afternoon and I took the time to tune in a check it out. Bill Colley came right out of the gate with questions about the candidate’s relationship to “Working Families For Delaware’s Future.” a group that was canvassing the 37th with “hit” literature about Robinson’s opponent, Ruth Briggs King. Robinson indicated he had a “disclaimer” on his website, asking the group to basically lay off.
It wasn’t the first time questions were asked about the candidate’s relationship to the group, there had been a flyer circulated, and stories floating around.
He said his campaign tried to contact the group but they were unsuccessful. A “listener” sent in an e-mail. It took the listener “30 seconds” to find the group’s contact number with an Internet search, it was the third listing. The listing is for the canvassing job on craigslist, and it’s been posted since August 21st. The e-mailer asked Mr. Robinson to call on the air, and ask them to stop. He indicated again that his campaign had tried to contact the group but they were unsuccessful.
Working Families For Delaware’s Future is located at 108 N. Bedford Street in Georgetown, I already knew the address. With my usual skepticism nagging away at me, and using the tremendous power of Google, I learned that Working Families For Delaware’s Future is 0.4 miles away from Mr. Robinson’s campaign office, located at 111 S. Front Street, also in Georgetown. It would take a whopping ONE MINUTE to get from one office to the other.
A further check reveals that Mr. Robinson’s campaign manager’s business office, where he has worked for many years, is a stunning 0.1 miles, about 600 feet, away from Working Families For Delaware’s Future’s Georgetown office.
Mr. Robinson’s statements about his campaign trying to locate the group made me think of something Ned Flander’s mother once said on an episode of The Simpsons, “We’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.”
It’s interesting how so many things in life are connected…
I was sitting at a party last weekend, and a parent I know told me this story about an upset mother…the details were vague… I didn’t think much about it that day…but a few days later the tale was still on my mind…and I decided to poke around a little.
I spoke with the mother, and her daughter, and this is their story:
There were people at Del Tech in Georgetown passing out flyers for a $10/hr job. The girl, an 18 year old from Seaford, went to a “leased house” off of the circle in Georgetown for the interview, and she was selected. After the interview she learned that the position was political canvassing, but she didn’t seem to care one way or the other, she was told that it would look good on a resume, and jobs aren’t that plentiful in Sussex right now, so she took the script and the t-shirt and got ready for her first night.
They met back at the Georgetown office late on a Friday afternoon. A man from Pennsylvania told her she was going to canvas a manufactured housing development in Lewes, and to get in the car with the group. She said she wanted to drive her own car and she was told she had to go with him.
When she got to the development, she was dropped off alone, she said that she thought they would be in a group, and the man told her, “Oh, you’ll be fine,” advised her to leave her purse in the car, and left. She was to knock on doors until 9pm. “It gets dark at 8,” said her mother, “it’s not safe to have a young girl going door to door alone at night.”
The man from Pennsylvania returned after an hour to check on her. She told him she wasn’t “comfortable” and that all of the walking was hurting her back. He again told her she would be “fine” and to “rest” in between houses, and he left her again, but not before she retrieved her purse. She called her mother, and with the help of friends, they figured out where she was and took her home.
The mother was angry, she felt the group was reckless with her daughter’s safety. Alone. Dark by 8. 18 year old girl. Unfamiliar territory for someone from Seaford.
The t-shirt they gave her said on the front: “PROTECT PROPERTY RIGHTS” and on the back: “STOP SPECIAL INTERESTS IN DOVER call Rob Robinson to tell him you support his plan to protect your property rights” in smaller letters it said “Paid for by Working Families For Delaware’s Future” and there was a disclaimer that they were not authorized by any campaign.
This is just one of the mannnny reasons to doubt Mr. Robinson.
Another that I heard on WGMD this morning… His campaign finance statement shows where he received a very nice contribution from the owner of the development company who would be developing Del Pointe. And they claim Ruth Briggs King is the one tied to the developers! Guess he didn’t get a check from Lingo-Townsend in Lewes.
http://denver.state.de.us/COE/cfishome.nsf/ByPac?OpenView&Start=2.202&Count=30&Expand=2.212.2
It’s the Laborer’s union trying to save the prevailing wage handout welfare with a supermajority.
If Rob Robinson claims that his people can’t stop this, he’s lying. Overlord Bob Gilligan and chief Laborer union thug Brian McGlinchey are very tight. This was all set up for just this purpose and plausible deniability.
Maria wrote: “I was sitting at a party last weekend, and a parent I know told me this story about an upset mother…the details were vague… I didn’t think much about it that day…but a few days later the tale was still on my mind…and I decided to poke around a little.”
So you didn’t think much about it Maria, but then did just in time to poke around and then spring it the day before the special election. Very interesting!
That said, I don’t for one second approve of the way this 18 year old was treated, assuming that the story is accurate. However, the entire campaign cannot be castigated because of the negligence of one person in it. Rob would not put up with this for one second!!! At least Rob should be given the opportunity to respond. You don’t mention anything here about contacting him.
Regarding out of state help in the campaign, that is not unusual. Did you ask Ruth Briggs King if her campaign has any paid workers or out of state support? How about the RNC? I’m sure she does!
Regarding associations with Working Families For Delaware’s Future, you have not here demonstrated that they are connected to Rob’s campaign. He claimed his campaign had tried to contact the organization, unsuccessfully. I believe him, you don’t. Instead you indicate how easily you found the phone number, how close their office is, neither of which establishes anything but innuendo on your part.
I am not surprised that you have gone negative on Rob with your last minute dirty tricks. Shall I note that Ruth Briggs King is supported by developers and real estate interests, was a lobbyist for the Delaware Homeowners’ Association in Dover, and is associated with and supported by the Positive Growth Alliance? I could be wrong, but I think she was actually a member of PGA. Look at the Hudson family support, famous RE and developers in the County, six members of the same family each gave $600 to her campaign – not illegal, but demonstrative of her support factions.
People concerned about land use issues, about skyrocketing rents charged tenants in trailer parks, concerned about special interests dictating land use decisions, whether Dem or Repub, ought to think what Rob Robinson brings to the table in this election. He has deep Dem and Repub family roots, unquestionable character and honesty, is fiscally responsible, opposes tax increases, is therefore a choice that most people can feel completely comfortable with supporting him with their vote tomorrow!
If the environment is an important issue for you, here is what Maria’s good friend Tom Noyes (Tommywonk) has to say about Rob Robinson:
You will find this here.”
Maria, Maria, Maria…
I love you, but come on. You’re spouting the same stuff Ruth’s campaign is in these last two days. It’s desperation, plain and simple. You can’t win on the issues, so you lob accusations that are so loosely tied together that only the wackiest of conspiracy theorists would buy into them.
You bust out a map and find that offices are a half-mile apart and all of a sudden, they’re in cahoots? Geography does not strange bedfellows make. THEN you take this loose “connection” and parlay that into a story that, if true, is terrible and should be looked into further.
This kind of partisan hack “reporting” is something that should have no place in Delaware. I could stand here and say that Ruth is EVP of Sussex Realtors, Sussex Realtors are developing a project in Lewes that residents hate en masse, ergo, Ruth is responsible for the hated development in Lewes. That is no less of a loose construct than your Working Families Party example above, and I didn’t even have to bust out Google Maps.
Here’s my question to you, Maria: what issues do you disagree with Rob about? His support for Del Pointe because it will put thousands of Sussex Countians back to work and help stimulate the local economy? His specific plan for smart, responsible growth to preserve everyone’s quality of life? His call for more funding to be directed into the classrooms instead of school administrative offices?
Meanwhile, Ruth is wavering on her position on Del Pointe — it seems to change every other day. She says she wants controlled growth but doesn’t say how. She is running on scare tactics and platitudes, but I guess that’s good enough these days, as long as you can bash your opponent with fictional stories and apologize after the election.
Breaking news: Democrat hack Tom Noise endorses a Democrat. Film at 11.
Straight Scoop – Are you claiming that Brian McGlinchey, the guy behind the Working Families for Delaware’s Future, is not in cahoots with the Democrats?
Before you answer, I’ll remind you that Brian McGlinchey was a serious candidate for Chairman of the Democratic Party a few months ago.
Conspiracy theory? More like plain old conspiracy.
Perry the party was Sunday, I started poking on Tuesday, I finally got the mother’s number on Thursday and spoke to her and her daughter shortly after that, I wrote the piece today. Sorry if that wasn’t fast enough for you, but I do need to eat and sleep, too.
As for the proximity of the offices, I googled that last night after I went to Robinson’s website to read his disclaimer and saw his campaign’s contact address. I knew from the address that his office was close to the Bedford Street address.
SS-sorry to correct you, but there is nothing “fictional” in anything I wrote. The offices are close. Less than a mile. One tenth of a mile from his campaign manager’s office. And simple map search proves that.
So in the future, if you want to accuse me of being a “hack” or of writing “fiction,” try to be correct.
As for what you think should or should not “have a place in Delaware,” I’d like to thank you for reminding me exactly why I blog, because it surely isn’t about the money.
“I could stand here and say that Ruth is EVP of Sussex Realtors, Sussex Realtors are developing a project in Lewes that residents hate en masse, ergo, Ruth is responsible for the hated development in Lewes.”
You could, and many people are. That is clearly part of the Democrats strategy in this race.
I have heard that the Working Families is connected with ACORN and the AFL-CIO. The hard left really wants this seat for a reason. It is because they know that Ruth will not play with them.
OK, Maria, I have to take your word on the sequence of events about the 18 year old. I still maintain that you cannot blame the whole campaign for the behavior of one individual. So that’s #1.
#2 is that you did not address the innuendo issue. I’m glad you talked about the phone number and the office location, because that makes it obvious that you did not demonstrate that Rob’s claim about trying to contact them is false. So your innuendo attack stands, and it worthless.
I know Rob well enough to know that his character and integrity is impeccable. Ruth Briggs King knows this as well, which is why her attempts to impugn him are weak and unconvincing.
Yes, I am a strong advocate for Rob Robinson’s candidacy, because he is a strong candidate, an intelligent candidate, a qualified candidate, and one who takes an independent approach to the issues. He is just exactly who the 37th needs in Dover! He is asking for the votes of every 37th RD citizen, promising diligent representation of our interests in Dover.
The intended “innuendo” was that finding contact information for Working Families for Delaware’s Future in Georgetown was so easy that even George Bush, whilst watching a football game and choking on a pretzel, could do it.
Do we really need any more lawyers in government?
Speaking of “partisan hacks,” it appears that The Straight Scoop ain’t so “straight” when it comes to their own partisan hackery, on another blog site the commenter admits to being a Robinson campaign volunteer.
Perry’s response to a video of a Democrat engaging in immoral relations with a thirteen year old:
=================
“You know thirteen is really not so young anymore. Further, the child did, you have to admit, go to great lengths to flaunt her “childishness”.
Further, if you regard the video upside down, bringing into play the question of whether the film was indeed originally filmed in this fashion to distort, you can see, clearly, that Joe Blow, our beloved Democrat candidate, is clearly sound asleep and all of his actions are taking place as he sleeps!
Clearly our candidate will be a champion of the rights of sleep gropers as well as all the disabled. If that thirteen year old is lucky, criminal charges will not be filed.
He’s my candidate and I believe him.”
================
Maria: “The intended “innuendo” was that finding contact information for Working Families for Delaware’s Future in Georgetown was so easy that even George Bush, whilst watching a football game and choking on a pretzel, could do it.”
Maria, you continue to make these assumptions, then attacking Rob based on them. We call that a straw man fallacy. It’s weak.
Equally weak is your attack on a Robinson campaign worker making his case for supporting him. If he is a partisan hack for that, so am I and so are you. In addition to weak, that’s foolish!
P my friend, it’s not an “assumption,” the findings, (i.e. Bush, game, pretzel, voila’), were based on a recent study conducted by an average blogger over the course of approximately 5 minutes.
Pat Fish please play nice in the pond, I’ve known Perry to cross party lines happily for the right candidate.
Sorry Maria.
Don’t like Perry, consider him a site pest, consider him inconsistant and darn near a danger to our country.
Don’t talk to me like I am a child. You in charge of this site?
I can certainly tell people to behave.
[...] out negative literature).” Reports of activities from ACORN as well as an organization called “Working Families For Delaware’s Future” should send chills down the spines of thoughtful Delaware residents. Is this a sign of things to [...]
Do you have to score below IQ50 to work for ACORN? Just wondering.