Friday Open Thread [10.19.12]

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Ezra Klein interviewed Gallup’s Frank Newport, after noticing that virtually the entire Romney lead was produced among respondents from the South, making him wonder if Gallup might be forecasting a 2000 result where the victor (Obama) wins the electoral college vote and the loser (Romney) wins the popular vote due to the high racist margins he is piling up in the South.

Alex Pires: The Movie!!

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When is a crazy-ass, low-road, break all the rules political campaign not a political campaign? When it is a movie. A tip from an anonymous correspondent, later confirmed by a few others, informed us that Pires isn't running a political campaign, but starring in a documentary that he is having made about himself. This oddball run at Tom Carper is some kind of plot device to add some dramatic tension to the thing. I'm sure the footage so far is riveting, and I for one, am going to be camped out awaiting the premier because I have a well known weakness FOR SHITTY MOVIES!!

Governor Markell in New Hampshire today [Updated]

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... campaigning for President Obama, and not for himself in 2016. Although... you never know. He started out the day very early (5:45 am) at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and then at 7:45 was at the Nashua UPS depot. At 8:45 am, he was at the Nashua First Student School Bus Depository. I imagine at each location he was greeting Shipyard, UPS and School District employees reporting to work or leaving their shifts. That's some good ole politicking with coffee and donuts.

Delaware Political Weekly: Oct. 13-19, 2012

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The political world in western Sussex returns to normal. While there will likely be some confusion on the R side, Eric Bodenweiser’s full withdrawal from the 19th Senate District race virtually guarantees that Brian Pettyjohn will keep this crimson red senate seat in the R column come November. Bodenweiser’s name will not appear on the ballot. While voters indeed will have to write in Pettyjohn’s name, the DOE will make it as easy as possible for people to do so, and I don’t think it will be close. Don’t blame Jane Hovington. She stepped up and took one for the team, whatever that team might be in western Sussex. Which begs this thought: You’ve got a moribund Democratic Party in western Sussex. You’ve got a growing Latino and minority population base that has next to no voice in the official party structure there. A party structure that is almost gone. I see a great opportunity to build a new and more inclusive Democratic Party in western Sussex. With grassroots leadership from these growing populations. It’s not as if there’s gonna be a revival of the good ol’ boys Democrats there. There’s a political vacuum. Fill it, amigos.

Some Hate from Downstate. Where Else?

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We have a letter from the hateful bigots on the Delaware Family Policy Council, and it is your standard boilerplate anti-equal rights fare. But one of the last paragraphs is pure idiocy. As Matt Pazoles says on Facebook, "the only thing worse [than bigotry] is poorly written bigotry." Click through to read and rant...

I just got pushpolled by the Renew Delaware PAC

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The call came from a Colorado number (719-373-2265) and it started off saying that this was a survey from Renew Delaware PAC, and it was not affiliated with any campaign. It then asked me to push 1 if I was voting for anyone but Tom Carper. I did nothing. Because while I may not be a fan of Tom Carper and his extinct DLC ways, I am much less of a fan of Alex Pires and his evil rumormongering and mud slinging and teabagger ways, and even less of a fan of the Republican Kevin Wade (and yes, I can hear Green Party candidate Andrew Groff screaming for recognition right now). But I digress. Come inside for more, including information on a mysterious Mr. Anderson being behind it all (including Kevin Wade and the Delaware Republican Party).

Thursday Open Thread [10.18.12]

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Housing starts are at their highest level in four years. The unemployment rate is at its best point in four years; consumer confidence is at its best point in five years; the federal budget deficit is at its best point in four years. Just this week, reports on retail sales, industrial production, and new housing construction showed sharp and unexpected improvements. This probably isn't what Republicans wanted to hear.

The Men Of Morning Joe Mansplain Women Issues To Mika

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How Mika didn't pull a Tagg Romney is beyond me.  This morning Mika brought up the fact that Mitt Romney lied about the binders.  Here's the lie:
ROMNEY: And I — and I went to my staff, and I said, “How come all the people for these jobs are — are all men.” They said, “Well, these are the people that have the qualifications.” And I said, “Well, gosh, can’t we — can’t we find some — some women that are also qualified?” And — and so we — we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of women’s groups and said, “Can you help us find folks,” and they brought us whole binders full of women.
Mika pointed out that this was a lie. Whoa!  That was simply too much for the men of Morning Joe.  How dare she bring up something that the men declared unimportant; how dare she point out that Mitt lied again.  Joe Scarborough declared the women in binders topic ridiculous and desperate - which tells me that he's afraid of it.  Mark Halperin stated that "that's not what this election should be about" and how they "shouldn't be parsing individual statements said live during a debate" and asked, wistfully, if we could just talk policy for the next three weeks.  I intend to hold him to that.