Monthly Archives: October 2010

Tornoe’s Toon: O’Donnell’s Shadow

I sort-of feel bad for Delaware Congressional candidate Glen Urquhart. The Republican, who called liberals that believe in a separation of church and state “Nazis,” is suffocating from a lack of media coverage due to non-witch candidate Christine O’Donnell.

Just the other day, Glen Urquhart seemed to be individually tweeting every single voter in Delaware (including me) to let them know that if elected, he’s planning to vote to defund NPR. With Delaware’s unemployment rate hanging around 8.5 percent, at least he’s got his priorities in order.

Don’t miss the first issue of Punchline! Click here to read it in its entirety… for FREE!

The News Journal States The Obvious

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the News Journal endorsed Chris Coons for U.S. Senate.

We believe that choice should be a simple one, both for Delaware’s future and the country’s.

Republican Christine O’Donnell and other tea party candidates around the country are offering voters a simple wish list: Cut taxes and everything will be fine. Accept their interpretation of the Constitution and our problems will disappear.

Ms. O’Donnell offers no blueprint and acknowledges no hazards to her plan. She says nothing about paying for Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid.

She wants to honor veterans but is quiet about the military budget or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Just once, wouldn’t it be nice if someone endorsed Chris Coons without listing all the problems with Christine O’Donnell? At least they had some nice things to say about Chris Coons:

Her opponent, Chris Coons, knows it doesn’t work like that. He actually has executive experience. He has balanced budgets.

He has had to make unpopular, but necessary decisions. He knows what it is like to face hostile crowds and what it’s like to tell supporters that government spending has limits.

He also has a history of finding solutions to real problems, making bureaucracies more innovative and, most important, making those hard choices.

Yesterday the NJ also featured dueling op-ed by Glen Urquhart and John Carney regarding renewable energy. John Carney’s essay was a rah rah alternative energy, much of what we’ve seen before from Carney. Urquhart’s was a typical defense of the status quo (with even more deregulation!) and new stuff is too hard op-ed from a Republican candidate. Someone explain this to me:

Can your family afford $1,769 a year just to make some people billions for doing nothing but trading paper and good feelings?

Can America afford a net loss of 2.3 million jobs? Can small businesses afford to have their utility rates doubled? Do you want $7-a-gallon gas, like Europe has?

Do you want to make these sacrifices for no tangible gain?

If the answer to all of these questions is yes, career politician John Carney is your man. He is on the side of Jeffery Emmelt, Goldman Sachs and Al Gore, who stand to make hundreds of billions from cap and trade.

First, way to pull numbers out of your ass. Second, why is it bad for Al Gore to make money? Is money only for conservatives? As far as expensive gas goes, we’re all going to have that if nothing at all is done.

Why Jim Westhoff Deserves Election

Here’s a dirty little not-so-secret secret about most legislative candidates: Regardless of whether they’re D’s or R’s, most mouth platitudes and talking points instead of saying specifically what they really want to DO once elected.

I’m not talking the boilerplate ‘Stop Raising Taxes’ or ‘Protect Working Families’ stuff that resonates with a party’s base constituencies, but specifics that demonstrate that the candidate or incumbent has actually thought about what they truly hope to accomplish. This is largely true b/c what most truly hope to accomplish is to get a $50K or so boost in income for doing very little. There are many exceptions, but the list of those who are only in it for the money, perks, and perceived ‘prestige’ is far longer than the list of truly dedicated public servants.

One other reason why candidates rarely share specific priorities is due to fear that (a) people will not like their priorities and/or (b) that their priorities will be twisted and distorted by their opponents until people will not like their priorities.

Jim Westhoff has done the exact opposite, which once again demonstrates why he is by far the finest candidate running for the Delaware General Assembly this year. He has released a detailed list of priorities that he intends to pursue as State Representative. If you are really interested in public policy, and not just horse-race BS or ‘rooting for the laundry’, read this. You will likely disagree with some of his priorities, which is fine. Before, however, I turn the rest of this article over to Jim Westhoff in his own words, in the interest of fairness, I now give Westhoff’s opponent, David Wilson, this forum to share his priorities with you in his own words:

https://delawareliberal.net//2010/10/12/jim-westhoffs-opponent-in-his-own-words/

Please listen to Dave Wilson and then return for a compare & contrast. (Insert ‘Jeopardy!’ theme music here.)

Time’s up. Is Wilson now fresh in your mind?

Now, here’s what a thoughtful legislator is like. Jim Westhoff, in his own words:

“A Candidate’s To-Do List

Candidate for 35th District Representative releases a list of legislative priorities

Jim Westhoff, Candidate for State Representative in the 35th District, released today his “To-List,” a two-page list of changes that he will fight for if he is elected on November 2nd.

“This is a list of the specific actions I will take when I am elected,” Westhoff said. “People are paying a lot of money to be represented, and they deserve to know what the politicians will do once they are elected. That is why I am sticking out my neck and putting down these specific recommendations.”

Some of Westhoff’s proposals are to make it easier to do business in Delaware, pass a law so that no state employee can make a higher salary than the governor, and removing any salaries paid to members of state boards or commissions. In addition, Westhoff calls for making it illegal to post signs in the state-owned right of way next to highways.

In late July, Westhoff released a detailed plan for reforming education.

Westhoff said he is frustrated by vague words that are uttered by politicians. “During this whole election, I keep hearing politicians saying things like, ‘I feel we need to limit government.’ It’s nice to hear that, but we’re not paying our legislators for their feelings. We are paying them to act,” Westhoff said.

“Not every one of these changes will be made, and most will be changed if they are signed by the governor, but I pledge that I will ensure that these bills are introduced, and that I will do everything I can to get them signed,” Westhoff said.

“The public must demand that politicians earn their pay,” Westhoff said. “It is my hope that in two years, when I run for reelection, then I can point to this list and talk about how we worked to make those changes.”

Westhoff’s opponent, Republican David Wilson has not released a similar list. “I call on Representative Wilson to present his to-do list,” Westhoff said. “So far, he has not said much about specific plans for improving Delaware.”

In August, Westhoff announced that if he is elected, he will resign from his current job and work full-time as a legislator. For more information about Westhoff and his campaign, visit his website at www.jimwesthoff.org.

###

Westhoff’s To-Do List

Economy/Jobs

1. In the short term, we must start enforcing the laws regarding contractors. Too often, out-of-state contractors come to Delaware, and do not have a payroll, do not pay insurance, do not have a business license. They can do this because there is virtually no enforcement. This puts our honest, Delaware contractors at a disadvantage. The cost of these enforcement teams will be more than paid for by the increased revenue from the new licenses and fees that will be generated by employers that will now be compelled to play by the rules.

2. In the mid-term, we must pass laws that reward safe businesses by offering lower premiums on workman’s compensation insurance. If a business is safe, and has no major accidents, then there should be clear benchmarks for how they can earn lower premiums. This will cut the costs for many Delaware businesses, and place them on an equal footing with companies from other states.

3. Also in the mid term, we must provide incentives to businesses for buying Delaware-made goods, and for those businesses that use employ Delaware-based contractors and subcontractors.

4. In the long term, we must push for wind power. In five to eight years, when we get those blades turning, oil prices will be high, so Delaware will have lower energy rates than the surrounding states. This will attract manufacturing jobs to Delaware. In addition, we must produce, right here in Delaware must be the equipment for those windmills. When other states see the success of our wind farms, then offshore wind will be a growth market.

5. In addition, as a representative, I will visit the major employers in my district and work with them on any actions the state can take that will help their business succeed. We must continue reaching out to existing businesses to help them grow and remain in Delaware.

State Government Reform

1. No currently elected legislator can accept a paid position with the state government. Beginning on the date when the governor signs the law, no elected state legislator will be allowed to accept another paid position with the state government. This will be prospective and will apply to any currently sitting legislator and those elected after the effective date of this legislation.

2. Personal donations to a candidate’s own campaign should be limited to the same amount that anyone else can give to that campaign. Right now, a personally wealthy person has a great advantage over someone who is not as wealthy. In addition, parties often choose candidates based on his or her wealth, rather than the person’s qualifications.

3. Roadside advertisements, or political signs should no longer be allowed in the state-owned right of way, at any time. Political signs should only be placed on private property. Right now, we have gaping loophole that allows our state-owned lands to be littered with thousands of signs.

Cutting the State Budget

1. No state employee should earn more money than the governor. Current employees who receive more pay than the governor will have their pay immediately adjusted when the governor signs the bill. There are dozens of state employees who are making far more than the governor. One person makes $450,000 a year.

2. Legislators should not receive mileage payments for travelling from their home to legislative hall. Right now, legislators receive a check for mileage. This is outrageous at a time when people are happy to have any job at all. Most people are not paid mileage to drive from their home to work.

3. Members of any state boards or commissions should not be paid for their service. This will not apply to full-time employees who work on those boards or commissions. For part-time work, people are given spots on boards or commissions that can pay as much as $30,000 per year. The service itself should be pay enough.

Crime/Justice

1. We must create a separate category. Larceny of more than $50,000. This charge will have recommendations for stiffer penalties than the lower larceny amount. This will help resolve the problem of people who defrauded the state hundreds of thousands of dollars, and only receiving probation. In addition, the criminal must pay restitution that starts with seizure of assets to satisfy the amount of the theft.

2. We should reform our drug laws so that those who are arrested for minor possession and usage crimes, that do not involve weapons or violence, are sentenced to in-patient rehabilitation. It costs us more to incarcerate a person for 1-3 years than it does to get these people the help they need to free themselves from their dependence on illegal drugs.

3. In addition, our prison facilities should be judged on the recidivism rate of their former inmates. We must provide incentives for prisons so that they will rehabilitate the inmates, rather than setting them out where they commit crimes all over again. We have far too many people in Delaware’s prisons. We must break the cycle of recommitting crimes, so these inmates can leave prison and lead productive lives.

Military/Veterans

1. Member of the Delaware National Guard, the active reserves, and retirees should pay nothing for vehicle tags, and those members should also receive an annual pass to Delaware State Parks with no charge.

2. There should be no state income tax on any pay from Delaware National Guard or the military reserves. The neighboring states have this policy. We should too.

3. We must work with the National Guard and together we must lobby the Department of Defense to expand the training facility at Bethany Beach. Right now, we have a great program for Officer Candidate School. We have the central location, and enough real estate to expand that facility to make it a regional training center, training officers from any other states. This will bring many more jobs and revenue to Delaware.

Environment

1. Work with county council to ensure that state environmental regulations are followed. We must find a solution that allows the state to work with Sussex County Council to reign in the development.”

Jim Westhoff is running a true grassroots campaign. He no longer needs $$’s, but he needs ‘boots on the ground’ and canvassers. Contact www.jimwesthoff.org to volunteer. And, howzabout a ‘Canvassing Liberally’ phone bank for the most deserving candidate of the cycle?

Another Constitution Stunt

David Waldman at Daily Kos found that our old friend Jonathan Moseley is pulling a new stunt. Moseley offering a $1,000 reward for someone who finds the words “separation of church and state” in the Constitution. David offers his own challenge:

How about $1,000 to anyone who can find the word “guns” in the US Constitution?

I think we can think of some other phrases to search for. How about

“Freedom of Religion”
“The right to a fair trial”
“Prayer in school”

I’m sure you can think of other phrases to search. Is it just me or has this election season really revealed how simplistic and silly the teabaggers understanding of government really is?

Wednesday’s Asshat of the Day – UPDATED

Tonight I’m calling out, once again, that mysterious group down here in Sussex County that hates Pete Schwartzkopf. These are the chicken-shits who put up the billboard on Route 9 outside of Lewes claiming that Pete raised taxes all by himself. The have a porcine fetish (guess that’s why they love Curly’s show on WGOP).

Last night, they were out in force putting up signs with a hundred dollar bill on fire and claiming that this was
“Pete Schwartzkopf on our economy.” No disclaimer on the signs as to who was responsible for them. But we all know who’s behind this bullshit campaign. Their last name is the same as a river in New York City and the organization has the same initials as a professional golfing association. But these folks don’t have the balls to take responsibility for their actions. As I said, they’re chicken shit.

But their little ploy has backfired and it has hurt the candidate they wanted to help. Folks down here don’t like this kind of a negative campaigning. They expect candidates to run “gentlemanly” campaigns and to discuss the issues. But Chris Weeks, Pete’s opponent, is being blamed by many in the community for being behind these signs. He claims he doesn’t know who’s behind them, but he also won’t condemn the anonymous group behind them. Guess he doesn’t have his man-pants on and won’t stand up to his puppet masters.

So to our anonymous Pete haters are today’s asshats of the day. Maybe they’ll find their balls and reveal themselves. That is, of course, if they can find the time to do it after teabagging each other.

Honorable mention goes to the nimrod who called in to Curly’s show today and said “I want less people voting, not more.” This was after a discussion about supposed voter fraud in Nevada and people who don’t take the time to “educate themselves” about the candidates and issues. My guess is that this citizen will be one of the voter integrity poll watchers on Election Day, making sure brown people aren’t allowed to vote.

UPDATE – A check of land records shows that the land where the huge, new anti-Schwartzkopf signs and billboards have been placed is owned by the Hudson Family. The Hudson’s are well known for their extremist conservative views (until the patriarch died earlier this year, the sign outside their Hudson Fields sports complex bemoaned that “Socialism was at the Gates”). The Hudson’s are also huge supporters of the Positive Growth Alliance, which is a pro-developer group down here. And the PGA hates Pete.

Get a Brain Moran

Well O’Donnell thug and journeyman political loser, Matt Moran is back in the news. This time he is at the center of the O’Donnell-WDEL video lawsuit. Make sure you watch the video. You can clearly see Christine prompting Matt to do his job as a pitbull. It’s disgusting.

O’Donnell’s campaign manager, Matt Moran, called WDEL and demanded that the video be immediately turned over to the campaign and destroyed. Moran threatened to “crush WDEL” with a lawsuit if the station didn’t comply.

For those of you hoping to get your Matt Moran action figures, there are plenty of action poses Mr. Moran can assume, but most of them are common on elementary school playgrounds.

Here is Matt Moran blocking someone that wanted to videotape Christine O’Donnell on the National Mall. Matt is the guy in the blue shirt.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO4E1SDY3-g[/youtube]

Matt Moran is also the staffer that got his victim on at the WDEL debate by complaining (and disrupted the debate) when he complained that Christine was getting asked first on too many questions.

He is also the punk that blocked the very intimidating Ginger Gibson from a press conference. I can’t seem to get my hands on the video right now, but he is the creepy guy that goes out of his way to touch Ginger’s bare arm.

Matt Moran isn’t the only thug on Christine O’Donnell’s payroll, but he is the public face of her thugism.

Wednesday Open Thread

Welcome to your Wednesday open thread. The election is only 6 days away and I don’t know how it is in your part of Delaware but I’ve witnessed a sign explosion. Lots of Coons signs, some Carney signs and few O’Donnell signs.

When health care reform passed, Steve Benen highlighted the “repeal trap.” The repeal trap is repealing the popular parts of the bill. Democrats, of course, have dropped the ball on this but one Democrat running in a probably doomed race against Eric Cantor is not afraid.

I really wish more Democrats had the strength of their convictions, but I think it’s too much to ask. Politicians are just not brave.

Is anyone really surprised by this – the GOP is asking applicants for jobs with the next Congress to take an ideology purity test.

First, all applicants for staff jobs with Republican members are being urged to take an ideological litmus test.

The House Republican Study Committee is asking people who want to work for a member of the conservative group next Congress to fill out ideological surveys on the websites of two conservative organizations….

The links to questionnaires on the websites of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, and Leadership Institute’s conservativejobs.com site, are pasted into the RSC e-mail. The RSC claims more than 115 House Republicans as its membership….

The questionnaire on the Heritage Foundation website asks applicants questions about their views on foreign, economic and social policy.

Applicants are then asked to “rate” their level of agreement with individuals and organizations on the survey.

Individuals and organizations listed include former vice president Al Gore, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Cato Institute, President George W. Bush and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

I can already tell it’s going to be a long 2 years until 2012.

Read the First Issue of Punchline, Delaware’s Funniest Magazine

More than ever, people want to take a break and enjoy a nice chuckle. So my wife and I have decided to launch Punchline, a counter-punch to the bad news that newspapers offer ever day. Punchline is here to help the balance out the gloom and doom with hilarious cartoons, funny stories and a local entertainment section with food, desserts and cool stuff to do.

Yes, we’ve started a PRINT magazine, not just a web site or an iPad application, a PRINT magazine. Sometimes, it’s nice to just sit down, relax and flip through the best humor columns and cartoons in the state, or check out what’s going on this month in Delaware.

The best part of our magazine… it’s FREE! It’s available to pick up in and around Kent County. And for those of you that live outside of the Dover area, Punchline is also be available to read online for FREE too, just the way it’s laid out in the paper. Hey, we’re taking care to design it nicely, and advertisers are making funny ads, so we don’t want anyone to miss our great content.

You can also follow our antics right here at the Punchline Web site, or go all social networking by following us on Twitter or ‘Liking’ us on Facebook.

If you know a cartoonist, write funny stuff or have a joke or two you’d like to share, drop me a line at rob@delawarepunchline.com.

See you on the funny pages!

Drivel

Occasionally, I pop over to Delaware Politics. There’s nothing like a big dose of crazy to keep a person focused, and FVoshell’s latest piece, aptly titled Us and Them, brings on a whole new level of crazy. It’s not just that she’s wrong – she is – it’s that she’s based her entire post on an conservative writer’s editorial that’s based on interpreting a poll. She’s also, as usual, linkless – other than the conservative editorial, she offers no other proof that what she claims is fact.

Which brings us back to her latest post. Us and Them. Needless to say, Conservatives and Liberals.

Her first point is that there are more conservatives than liberals – which is obviously very, very good news. As most of you know, I have more than my fair share of Republican friends and I have yet to hear any of them describe being “conservative” exactly the same way. There are shades of conservativism, just as there are shades of liberalism. But why deal with shades of gray when black and white is so much simpler to make your point? Even the article she dead links to offers up this line: Gloomy conservatives who comment on my articles propose reason to doubt this fabulous news. People, some conservatives seem to believe, really do not know what “conservative” means.

Love the use of the word gloomy.

She then goes on to point out how persecuted conservatives are due to liberal name-calling.

Republicans and other ordinary conservatives–those who have the temerity to want smaller government, lower taxes, states’ rights, traditional morality, among other things–could add to the list of names they are routinely given by liberals. Many conservatives have become almost used to the invective, and from what they see and hear on television, often believes themselves to be in the minority, sometimes feeling intimidated by the harassment they receive by the Left “majority.”

Lazy, lazy, lazy blogging, but it is much simpler to paint each side as good vs evil. Conservatives are for truth, justice and the American Way, while liberals are against these things and resort to name-calling. Love the traditional morality phrase tossed in at the end. In my opinion, she should have led with this phrase, spelled out in all caps. But the main problem with her assertion is that it doesn’t acknowledge the incidents that have led to a lot of the name calling. Surely acknowledging, and denouncing, the bad apples that have tarnished the conservative armor would have given the statement more… umph? But I understand that the closest conservatives get to criticizing their own ranks is the “both sides do it” argument. I’ve always hated this argument. It’s a childish cop-out, a way to avoid personal responsibility.

Once she moves past her non-point she offers her readers hope:

The truth of the matter is that conservatives outnumber liberals in every single state of the union, which means that even if a state like Delaware is called “Blue,” it really isn’t. Delaware, like all the rest of the states, is red. It’s just that the levers of control in the areas Walker mentions have been held by the blues.

What does this even mean? Delaware elects Democrats because it’s really Red? Have at it, because it makes no sense to me.

Of course, I’ve saved the best for last…

The above facts should be inspiring to those who are running as conservative Republicans and Libertarians, for if the conservative base in Delaware remains fired up during the next few days, candidates such as Urquhart and O’Donnell (among others) will indeed win.

That’s a pretty heady but realistic prospect.

Following the wins, the political complexion of Delaware inevitably will change to reflect the true conservative nature of the majority of voters in our little state.

Ignore, for a moment, the lack of facts, and focus on what she is predicting. Urquhart and O’Donnell win and the “true conservative nature of the majority of voters” will be revealed. And… Delaware will be the Red state it always was, even when it was Blue, but not really?

Actually, I lied. The quote above isn’t the last. It gets even better in the comment section. It also gets a little creepy.

FVoshell:
I guess I would say America has always suffered from polarization–”Them” vs. “Us.”

But I don’t think the present sharp divide has seen its equal since the division before the Civil War. The divide is so strong, so across the board on so many issues, it’s as if we have two separate nations.

“…two political ideologies that when mixed together form an explosive charge that threatens to destroy both.”

I don’t think both will be destroyed. One will prevail over the other. If the Left in this nation prevails, we are looking at the destruction of the USA. If the Right prevails, we have the opportunity for restoration and renewal.

Rick:
I don’t think both will be destroyed. One will prevail over the other.

One might first have to separate itself from the other.

FVoshell:
Rick,

Maybe secession is the next step. But that would eliminate any chance for reform and would mean destruction of the USA.

But I think we’ve danced these steps before. 😉

The Civil War? Destruction of the USA? And a happy little discussion of secession – which I’m starting to believe conservatives really want. It’s sorta like… we either take over this country, or start our own. And it’s sad that talk of secession use to upset me and now only generates a shrug.

Wonder what happens if all their dreams don’t come true next Tuesday? I’m really not seeing them taking the losses very well. In fact, given all the talk of 2nd Amendment remedies, violent overthrow of the government, and secession combined with incidents that are forming a frightening pattern, I have no reason to hope for the best – actually, I’m hoping no one gets shot. Because, not only have they convinced themselves that they are absolutely right (and let’s be honest, we’re all guilty of that) but they truly believe that there is no other outcome other than their winning…

…since Delaware only looks Blue, but it’s really Red.

And that, dear reader, is dangerous delusion.

UPDATE: Yes, there’s already an update. This comment is worth it.

Rick:

Maybe secession is the next step. But that would eliminate any chance for reform and would mean destruction of the USA.

The U.S. is already being destroyed. The left, using their facilitators in Hollywood and the media, are teaching young girls to dress like whores at age twelve. Explicit sex-ed is being taught to 8-year-olds. Gay marriage and homosexuality is being promoted as ‘normal.’ Christianity is bashed and Islam is promoted as ‘a religion of peace.’ Patriotism is a vice and incivility is a virtue- soft porn and vulgarity are the norm on late-night television. Our children, especially in our colleges and universities, are being taught that American exceptionalism is a myth and that Marxism/Socialism is a superior political system. The left has made a religion of environmental extremism as a means of destroying the private energy sector.

These are cultural rather than purely political issues- hence, elections cannot significantly alter the status quo– the left will still control academia, media, Hollywood, music, ‘art,’ and thus, the culture.

The cultural schism is, I think, permanent. Conservative, traditional states should secede, and then wait for the old, corrupt, socialist states to fail- as they ultimately will.

Remember, the Left wants to make you a slave of the state.

“Creation Out of Destruction”

The O’Donnell Machine

A new website called Truthy (after Stephen Colbert’s word) was set up by researchers at the University of Indiana to track internet memes, most specifically on Twitter. To understand how it works, read this link. The Truthy website is able to detect genuine grassroots memes and differentiate them from astroturfed memes. Can you guess who is one of the beneficiaries of the astroturfing?

Following a tip from a user who flagged a handful of suspicious tweets smearing Chris Coons, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Delaware, the researchers uncovered a network of about 10 bot accounts. These bots have names like @krossnews, @BethlehemTweets, and @kingdomcast. They inject thousands of memes, all of which link to posts from the Freedomist.com website.

“To avoid detection by Twitter, duplicate tweets are cleverly disguised by adding different hashtags or subtly tweaking the web addresses,” said IU research associate Bruno Gonçalves, who is mining the stream of tweets. “This gives the appearance of a lot of different people sharing the same views, while in reality the bots are flooding the Twittersphere with one coherent political message.”

Generating traffic is important, explains Gonçalves: “While usually referred to as ‘viral,’ the way in which information or rumors diffuse in a social network is different from infectious diseases. Rumors gradually acquire more credibility and appeal as we become more exposed to them. After some time, a threshold is crossed and the rumor becomes so widespread that it is considered as ‘common-knowledge’ within a community and hence, ‘True.'”

Indeed, each of the bot accounts has hundreds, and in some cases thousands of followers, who retweet and spread the truthy memes, he added.

I don’t know how many of you use Twitter but accounts connected to Christine O’Donnell have been a real annoyance to users from Delaware. Delaware has a fairly strong Twitter presence and have a hashtag for news & events in Delaware, #NetDE. (If you really want to weep, check out the #DESen hashtag.) O’Donnell fans, most from out-of-state, have been spamming the tag for months. In fact if you follow the tag you’ll see that it’s generally endless re-tweets of the same tweets, probably from these fake accounts. So they’re trying to build an appearance of strong grass roots support while getting information they think is helpful to Christine O’Donnell to voters in Delaware. Mostly, they’re just a nuisance.

The Cure For Back Pain

Tim Profitt, the Rand Paul Bourbon County Coordinator (former) and woman-stomper has an explanation for his behavior:

The former Rand Paul volunteer who stomped on the head of a prone MoveOn activist tells a local CBS affiliate he would’ve never put his foot on the victim at all if it wasn’t for his bad back.

According to WKYT, “[Tim] Profitt explained that he used his foot to try and keep her down because he can’t bend over because of back problems. He also says police were alerted to watch her before Paul arrived because people in the crown recognized her as someone who may try and pull a stunt.”

I’m sure you’ve already heard Profitt’s “apology:”

Tim Profitt, a volunteer with the Republican’s U.S. Senate campaign, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the camera angle made the scuffle Monday night appear worse that it was. He criticized police for not stepping in and says other supporters warned authorities about the activist.

He’s sorry he had to step on her head, the police weren’t suppressing her free speech fast enough! He’s also sorry the camera angle was all wrong. He was just giving her a love stomp.

His actual statement:

“I’m sorry that it came to that, and I apologize if it appeared overly forceful, but I was concerned about Rand’s safety,” Tim Profitt told The Associated Press.

After almost 24 hours, Rand Paul finally condemned the incident and tried to distance himself from his won volunteer (whose endorsement the campaign had just announced in a newspaper ad).

Tuesday’s Asshat of the Day

Just when you thought you’ve seen the lowest of the low, another teabagger opens his mouth and shows that their movement is indeed racist.

Judson Phillps, the founder of Tea Party Nation, and it’s head grifter, wrote over the weekend that Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) should be defeated for re-election because he’s a Muslim.

Writing on his Tea Party Nation website, Phillips said that Ellison “is one of the most radical members in Congress.”

He continued:

“He has a ZERO rating from the American Conservative Union. He is the only Muslim member of Congress. He supports the Counsel for American Islamic Relations, HAMAS and has helped Congress send millions of tax dollars to terrorists in Gaza.”

First off, if this asshat had his facts straight, he would have known that there are two Muslim congressmen, Ellison and Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana. Second as has been pointed out by the NY Times,

“A small band of critics have made a determined but unsuccessful effort to link it (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) to Hamas and Hezbollah, which have been designated as terrorist organizations by the State Department, and have gone so far as calling the group an American front for the two.”

And Phillips has a very murky, financial past, including bankruptcies and tax liens. Hmmm, he sounds a lot like our very own Chrissie-pooh and Collin Bonoshow. What is it with these wingnuts and tax liens? But I digress. He also ran a for-profit teabag convention that was ill-attended after Frau Bachmann pulled out (although St. Sarah did show up for her $100K speaking fee).

Phillips is backing wingnut Lynn Torgerson in the 3-way race. Torgerson is also a piece of work, condemning Ellison for not supporting Israel. Let’s see what she writes:

The United States of America should support Israel. Israel is an ally and friend of the United States. The United States of America does support, and should support, its allies and friends. Israel also has values similar to the United States. For example, it is a democracy, and the only democracy in its region. Israel also supports similar freedoms we have in the United States. The United States also should not pressure Israel into a two state solution, nor the road map, nor to give up further land. Rather, that is the province of the State of Israel.

I am the only pro-Israel candidate on the ballot. My opponent, Keith Ellison, is not. My other challenger, Barb Davis White, is a Republican and a Ron Paul supporter, who wish to withdraw US aid to Israel.

With respect to Israel, Ellison writes the following on his website:

Israel/Palestine

The United States must play an active role in pursuing peace and reconciliation between parties in the Middle East that will achieve a two state solution that reflects and respects the sovereignty of each nation to live in peace and security.

A problem with this position however is that there is no “nation” of Palestine. When was “Palestine” founded? Does “Palestine” have its own language? Does “Palestine” mint its own money? The fact is that there is no state or nation of “Palestine.” Rather, a movement was founded by Yasser Arafat. However, Yasser Arafat was born in Egypt. So, Yasser Arafat was an Egyptian.

So a congressman who wants to work for a two-state solution and a peaceful settlement to the problems in the Middle East is instead called a terrorist by these nitwits. WTF?

Anyway, here’s how Phillips is handling being called out for his bigotry. Here’s one choice bit:

Consistency has never been one of the liberals’ strong points. They hate conservatives. They argue that conservatives want to strip women of their rights, execute homosexuals and impose a theocracy, all of which are lies born of a desperate and idiotic mindset. When an ideology such as Islam comes along that actually does all of those things, the liberals embrace it.

Um, Judson, one of your fellow teabaggers in Montana said that the way to handle gays was to use the “Wyoming solution,” referring to Matthew Shepherd. Your movement is all about taking away a woman’s right to choose, hell, you want to go back to the original Constitution, which means women would lose the right to vote. And you want to teach creationism and have the Ten Commandments place anywhere and everywhere. Sounds like a theocracy to me.

Regarding Phillips and Torgerson’s comments about Rep. Ellison, sometimes I wish our libel and slander laws resembled those of England and France, where if you say some of the crap these wingnuts are saying over here, you’d get sued. And you’d lose because you couldn’t prove what you said. Bankrupt these asshats. Oh wait, they’re already bankrupt, morally and financially.

“The Constitution: Suspenders or Straightjacket” by Reid Champagne

Every so often, we get essay submissions from writers and bloggers across Delaware and beyond. We welcome guest columns, and today it is my pleasure to bring you an essay from Reid Champagne, a freelance writer who has written for Delaware Today.

The Constitution: Suspenders or Straightjacket
By
Reid Champagne

The more politicians use and abuse the Constitution as so much mud to be slung at opponents, the more it reveals just how much ignorance abounds over a document many believe should be adhered to with an almost biblical literalness.

In fact, the Constitution itself was unconstitutional in its framing and adoption. Historian Garry Wills, writing in his political biography James Madison, points out that no less an Original Intender than Madison himself knew that the then existing Articles of Confederation would be of no use in supporting the fledgling United States in taking its proper and secure place among the nations of the world.

Madison knew the mechanism providing for the constitutional changing of the Articles would never allow for the transformation of that document into something he believed would be necessary for the country to survive not only a Europe swept by despots bent on conquest, but also to “control the centrifugal tendencies of the states [that would] destroy the whole harmony of the political system.” In short, no less a limited government icon than James Madison was enshrining the idea of a strong central government into the very parchment of today’s Constitution in order to bind the nation together and to grow into the powerful force necessary to defend itself against any and all enemies.

And it was another icon of limited government, Thomas Jefferson, who early on expanded the role of a strong central government to encompass that of an equally strong executive. Nothing in the Constitution gave Jefferson the authority to make the Louisiana Purchase and then staff it with governors of his own choosing without congressional oversight. Later, having once denounced a national bank as unconstitutional, Madison supported it as president, defending it as necessary to the survival of the national treasury recently emptied by the disastrous impact of the Embargo of 1807.

If the framers did not originally intend the Constitution to be elastic like a pair of suspenders managing a growing waistline, rather than rigid like a straightjacket confining us to an asylum of ideologues, they certainly discovered that it was to theirs and the country’s benefit to interpret it so. It follows then that if “Obamacare” is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution (although you could perhaps argue the phrase “promote the general Welfare” in the Preamble puts it there) as wasn’t the Louisiana Purchase or the Embargo, it merely takes a stroke of Jeffersonian or Madisonian pragmatism to permit it. At least then we could argue Obamacare on the merits of its fixing the abysmal record of private and profit driven healthcare, rather than on sectarian principles no one appears to even minimally understand anyway.

If the phrase “those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it” is a truism, then what history are today’s dazed and confused politicians doomed to have us repeat: the 1960s perhaps?

How about the 1860s maybe?

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