Yet Another Misunderstanding of what “Free Speech” Means…..

Professor Connell may have had grounds for wrongful termination or suspension. He may have had grounds for libel. But the one thing I know without a shadow of a doubt: his "Free Speech" rights were not trampled upon or violated in any way. People across the political spectrum and throughout society wrongfully believe the First Amendment right to Free Speech means that every American has the right to say anything they want at any time they want at any place they want without any consequence whatsoever. They are wrong.

An Interesting Paul Clark Move

New Castle County has halted sheriff's sales for homeowners delinquent on their property taxes. County Executive Paul Clark said he issued the executive order Wednesday because of recently released statistics from Dover that show Delaware has the third-highest mortgage foreclosure rate in the country.

Rush Limbaugh is Right.

He is saying that he Republican base is looking for the purest candidate running, and he is right. The radical religious right voter that makes up the Republican base is a purist. And they are delusional enough to believe that, without any doubt whatsoever, that the purest conservative candidate cannot ever be beaten.

The Gall of Mitt Romney

"When Republicans act like Democrats, they lose. And in Newt Gingrich's case he had to resign. In Rick Santorum's case, he lost by the biggest margin of any Senate incumbent since 1980." Mitt Romney, quoted by NBC News. Mitt Romney WAS a Democrat as late into his life as 1992.

Liberal Critics of President Obama Did Not Follow FDR’s Advice

President Obama receives criticism from the left wing of the Democratic Party with respect to several national security and civil liberties issues. The first is is the closing of Guantanamo. Guantanamo remains open, largely due to Congressional insistance rather than any direct action on Obama's part. He asked Congress to close it and Congress said no, and that was the end of the fight. The second issue is the use of unmanned drones to kill suspected terrorists abroad, including terrorists who are American citizens. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said to a group of progressive reformers "I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it." The obvious implication there is that progressives have to convince enough of the public as to why the reform is needed so as to create a public clamor for the reform that is so loud and demanding that FDR would be forced to make the reform. Would it surprise you to learn that keeping Guantanamo open and using drones is popular.... among liberals and Democrats?

In Red Clay It Shouldn’t Be City vs Suburbs

I'm not even going to link to the article in today's News Journal, because it really doesn't say much and the reporter missed the opportunity to report on the real story - a story that involved parents and citizens all over the district are discussing around their kitchen tables, on blogs and at work. This story has several parts. First, not all Red Clay Schools are created equal. For an interesting discussion on this check out Kilroy's posts on Red Clay (there's a lot of them) and this conversation taking place on The Seventh Type. Yes, we've been over this, and if you need to catch up check out my posts here and here. One of the problems I'm seeing is the split in the District. Suburbanites want their neighborhood suburban schools. City parents don't want their schools to suffer because of these new schools, and want the District to invest in these schools.

Wednesday Open Thread [2.8.12]

The next Republican primary contest is in Arizona on February 28th. And there is no new polling on that. So here is some Virginia polling, showing President Obama doing very well there. Meanwhile, Nate Silver thinks this primary race will now be prolonged, and Chuck Todd says we know that the economy is improving because the Republicans are reverting back to their culture war playbook.

Every Nominee Has a “Near-Death” Experience, but this is Ridiculous

No candidate can win the nomination of either party without suffering a near death experience, a moment when the campaign suffers what appears to be a substantial if not fatal setback that would doom other less worthy campaigns. Mitt Romney's near death experience appeared to be his loss of South Carolina. At that moment, everything was conspiring against him. But he survived. And then last night happened.

The Good Ones Always Leave Us.

First Ginger Gibson left our fine state for the Star Ledger up north, and then onto Politico. Who can forget her stellar reporting on Christine O'Donnell and her race against Mike Castle? Now Chad Livengood, who has taken Ginger's place as the premiere political reporter in the First State, is leaving the News Journal for the Detroit News, where he will be covering Republican Governor Rick Synder in Lansing. I am sure Governor Synder is going to wish Chad stayed back east.