Delaware Day Open Thread [12.7.12]
To quote Sarah McBride, “225 years ago, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King Jr. met on land just five miles from what was then the Motiva Plant in New Castle, Delaware and sacrificed their lives, fortunes, and sacred honors. There they wrote and approved the Constitution of the United States, which was at that time the states of New Castle, Kent, and Sus**x (spelling out Sussex was too risqué). Since then, 49 other “states” have envied God’s chosen land so much that they decided to emulate Delaware. May God continue to bless this glorious and perfect state. This I pray, in the name of Dupont, corporate law, and Joe Biden. Amen.”
Happy Delaware Day.
Amen indeed. God Bless us one and all and please damn “not us” to the fire pits of hell for eternity!
Over and out. (That’s how Patriots end prayers. I’m practicing for the castle)
I probably shouldn’t be amazed by the TNJ story on the new Wilmington chief, but I am. Not by the pick, but at how inept the Williams team is proving in communicating it’s reasoning and rationale. (The handling of the press, blocking questions of the chief, is just PR malpractice.) But I guess that’s what you get when a notoriously thin-skinned politician picks a sports reporter two years out of college as head of communications. The combo creates a recipe for a my-way-or-highway situation.
Mike Castle and Ed Rendell sign up with Fix The Debt.
WHAT A JOKE! I knew there was something shifty about Mike Castle.
Supreme Court to hear Doma and Prop H8! Even though Scalia will find that it is totally constitutional to base laws on Leviticus, I think this will be the final battle against the homophobes.
SW: Williams’ reasoning was simple: “I changed my mind.”
I wouldn’t start blaming his communications person yet.
Rather, I’d be watching Williams and his lack of management experience, which showed up badly on the police appointment.
He said he met with police leaders three times, explained why an outsider was needed and appeared to have won their acceptance. No doubt his experience within WPD helped him make his case. And then … he does a 180 but tells the media before the tells the police. So much for all the cred the ex-cop thought he had built up within the force. And instant problems for Dunning, who will now have to tiptoe around the disgruntled captains and inspectors who think they should have had a shot at the job.
To you it may look like “my way or the highway,” and perhaps that’s what his administration will turn out to be. (Baker with a badge?) To me, right now it looks like DPW has to learn a little more about finesse. He can do it his way if he likes, but he had better start using some of the diplomatic skills he learned while running the Joint Finance Committee.
A competent communicator would have come up with a better explanation than a mind change, told the boss that wouldn’t fly, and not tried to block questions. Neither Williams nor the sideline reporter he hired is competent, apparently.
The Mayor proclaims his choice of chief the move of a leader. Not to get technical here, but to qualify as a leader, doesn’t one have to have followers — I mean, other than the ones being paid to clean up after you?
Mike Castle and Ed Rendell sign up with Fix The Debt.
“Has-Beens Work
at Never-Will-Be”
“A competent communicator would have come up with a better explanation than a mind change, told the boss that wouldn’t fly, and not tried to block questions.”
Sounds like a good Sports Information Director, though.
Thank you, thank you. Be good to you waitresses, and seriously, give the veal a shot.
I feel badly for Alexandra C. She’s a talented young lady with a great future. I don’t think this is the ideal role. First-term press chief in an administration facing turmoil is a tough assignment, especially for a 24-year-old – worse if the boss is a control freak.
She may be talented. Raw talent and $5 will get you a cup of coffee. I feel bad for her, too, but she took the job. Lots tougher questions are on the way, and trying to control what the press does is going to blow back hard right in her face.
I agree with mediawatch that the bigger issue is DW’s lack of mgt experience. It shows in his staff selections so far.
Todays anemic jobs report compliments of your friendly neighborhood socialist Barack Obama. 146,000 jobs created in November, and October and September jobs numbers revised down 50,000 jobs. At this pace we will be back to full employment by 2097.
But remember as Obama keeps reminding us, Bill Clinton created 23 million jobs.
And that is related to what Barack Obama is doing how?
Or as liberals like to fantasize, another bad jobs report for George Bush as he completes his third term. George averaged 5.7 percent unemployment his first two terms, even with sep 11th. But in his third term he has averaged 8.8 percent. You would think by now someone would fire him
140,000 jobs is more than Bush created in his entire term, pal.
Arguing their difference seems futile: http://reason.com/blog/2012/08/08/obama-george-w-bush-absolute-worst-at-cr
They always cut those charts off before they get to Hoover, because heaven forbid we actually learn anything.
Obama has cut the unemployment rate more that Reagan did in his first term:
– Reagan inherited a 7.5% rate, and ended his first term with 7.3% (-0.2% change).
– Obama inherited a 8.3% unemployment rate, and now the November rate is 7.7% (-0.6% change).
From Department of Labor via Daily Kos:
Civilian Unemployment Rate, U.S. Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
period start end chng President
Jan 1993 Jan 1997 7.3 5.3 -2.0 Clinton I Democrat
Jan 1985 Jan 1989 7.3 5.4 -1.9 Reagan II Republican
Jan 1961 Jan 1965 6.6 4.9 -1.7 JFK/Johnson Democrat
Jan 1965 Jan 1969 4.9 3.4 -1.5 Johnson Democrat
Jan 1949 Jan 1953 4.3 2.9 -1.4 Truman Democrat
Jan 1997 Jan 2001 5.3 4.2 -1.1 Clinton II Democrat
Jan 1981 Jan 1985 7.5 7.3 -0.2 Reagan I Republican
Jan 1977 Jan 1981 7.5 7.5 0.0 Carter Democrat
Jan 2005 Aug 2008 5.2 6.1 +0.9 Bush, GW II Republican
Jan 2001 Jan 2005 4.2 5.2 +1.0 Bush, GW I Republican
Jan 1953 Jan 1957 2.9 4.2 +1.3 Eisenhower I Republican
Jan 1969 Jan 1973 3.4 4.9 +1.5 Nixon Republican
Jan 1989 Jan 1993 5.4 7.3 +1.9 Bush, GHW Republican
Jan 1957 Jan 1961 4.2 6.6 +2.4 Eisenhower II Republican
Jan 1973 Jan 1977 4.9 7.5 +2.6 Nixon/Ford Republican
Jimmy Carter is in the middle of the pack, ahead of just about all the Republicans.