If you are to the right of Dick Cheney… your evil quiotent is off the charts

Yesterday was a big day for equality in two of Delaware's next door neighbors. In Maryland, the Maryland House of Delegates passed their gay marriage bill. It now heads to the Maryland Senate, where passage is assured, because the Senate passed the bill last year but it died in the House. Thus, with Governor Martin O'Malley's promised signature, Maryland will become the 8th state to allow gay marriage. In New Jersey, the New Jersey Assembly also finally passed their gay marriage bill after a previous failed attempt in 2009. However, the obese one, Governor Chris Christie, swiftly vetoed the bill, cowardly and unconstitutionally hiding behind the notion that he wants the issue to go to a referendum so that the majority can take the rights of the minority away. Like a true fascist, Chris Christie loves that idea.

Friday Open Thread [2.17.12]

The unpredictable Republican presidential race has taken another surprising turn as recent numbers show Mongol warlord Genghis Khan seizing the lead in national polls of likely GOP primary voters. Benefiting from widespread doubts about Mitt Romney’s authenticity and ideological commitment, Genghis has changed the shape of the race by sounding sharp populist themes that resonate with supporters of the tea party. “Mitt Romney wants to manage Washington, D.C.,” he told an enthusiastic crowd in Scottsdale, Arizona. “I want to burn it to the ground, slay its inhabitants, and stack their skulls in pyramids reaching to the sky.”

Red Clay’s Referendum Meeting At Highlands

First, no referendum PowerPoint, just straight to the talk. Which was fine with me. The superintendent, Merv Daugherty, began with opening statements, in which his point was... I'm not sure. He's proud of our all schools. His door is always open. Everyone has his phone number and we can call him any time. Okay, standard speech given at all schools.

Romney’s Chances

That map is from noted political scientist and prognosticater Larry Sabato. Now, when I look at that map, I see extreme danger for Mitt Romney. Larry doesn't, because he assumes Romney will win Michigan and Ohio. I don't.

Delaware Political Weekly-Feb. 11-17, 2012

Richard D. Krett. President of AFSCME Local 3109; the Assistant Chief with the Emergency Medical Services Division of County Department of Public Safety; and former President of the Good-Will Fire Company in the New Castle area. Krett frequently serves as a spokesperson for the county paramedics, and is quoted in the paper, usually following some accident or incident. There, of course, is a history of animus between Clark and many county employees over proposed cuts, hiring freezes, and the like. On the face of it, Krett seems like a credible challenger. Seeing as how I, and no doubt thousands of others, have no intention of voting for Clark in a primary, Krett at least has the opportunity to convince voters that he is a viable alternative. Hmmm, now that I think about, I’m pretty sure I met Mr. Krett while working on issues surrounding a proposed baseball complex near Shipley Road. Krett was essential in providing assistance on the issue of ambulance/fire ingress/egress to the complex. I recall him as being professional, prompt and helpful. Hey, we just might have something here…

Delaware Liberal Tracking Poll Results: Congressman John Carney

I did not know what to expect with the results on John Carney's job performance. Will he be seen as Carper Junior and suffer accordingly? On the other hand, while it is not his or his staff's fault, you get the feeling that John Carney has been invisible because he, as a Democrat, is in the minority in the House. And thus he gets little opportunity to make news. To his and his staff's credit, they make their news anyway, as I receive a press release from his congressional office at least three times a week. Well, it looks like that work paid off.

Romney Won’t Participate In Pre-Super Tuesday Debate

Mitt Romney will not participate in the Republican presidential primary debate on March 1 in Georgia. ”Governor Romney will be spending a lot of time campaigning in Georgia and Ohio ahead of Super Tuesday,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul emails. “With eight other states voting on March 6th, we will be campaigning in other parts of the country and unable to schedule the CNN Georgia debate. We have participated in 20 debates, including 8 from CNN.”

Occam’s Razor

To quote Captain Spock in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: "An ancestor of mine maintained that when you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." This is basically the theory of Occam's Razor, the principle that generally recommends that, from among competing hypotheses, selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions usually provides the correct one, and that the simplest explanation will be the most plausible until evidence is presented to prove it false. With that in mind (click through for a bigger version):