The Hundreds Redistricting Plan

Since the Redistricting debacle, I have been thinking about ways to reform the process in the General Assembly, but also about our districts themselves. Neighborhoods are divided and thrown together in an adhoc manner. So while the process must be reformed, there also must be a way to keep communities together in this process. So while the process must be more transparent and open in 2020, and based on more rational criteria than Tony Deluca's vengeance, we must also draw our legislative districts to better keep established communities together. So I came up with the Hundreds Plan.

Monday Open Thread [1.2.12]

Will New Hampshire get closer like Iowa once the election draws nearier (it is in 1 week)? Right now, it doesn't look likely, as a new Suffolk University poll has Mitt Romney with a commanding lead at 41%, followed by Ron Paul at 15%, Newt Gingrich at 11%, and Jon Huntsman at 9%. Another 8% is split by Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum and 16% are still undecided.

Celia Cohen Hits It Out of the Park

As you know, we like to make fun of Celia Cohen because of her duPont-Castle ties, the establishment GOP conventional wisdom that permeates her posts, and because of a sometimes florid writing style that makes you want to gouge your eyes out. But today I will praise her. Her latest, Pursuit of Happiness, is a wonderful piece that everyone should read. It is an account of Delaware's first civil union ceremony, performed yesterday at Trinity Episcopal Church, between Lisa Goodman and Drew Fennell.

PPP: Photo Phinish

In the end, no one knows who is going to win Iowa. It could be Romney, Paul, Santorum or Gingrich. It is wide open with one day to go.

New Years Day 2012 Open Thread [1.1.12]

I hope you all are enjoying your New Year's holiday. Let's hope that 2012 is wonderful year full of happiness and success. So let's get started on that with the first open thread of the New Year. Ever hear of a murmuration? Well, you've heard of a murder of crows, right? A murmuration is a grouping of Starlings, and as this video inside shows, their movements are almost otherworldly. It looks like special effects. Meanwhile, Nate Silver has an awesome interactive infotastic Iowa Almanac for 2012. And what would a Santorum or Paul win in Iowa mean for Mitt Romney?

Quote of the Day

"Over a decade ago, Lisa Goodman and Drew Fennell were the first two people to admonish me to marry my now-wife Michele, at a dinner party at their house. Of course, they were at the wedding. Today, I get to attend their civil union ceremony, which became legal in Delaware today under a law that they helped pass. Pretty cool." -- Lt. Governor Matt Denn.