Wednesday Open Thread [6.27.12]

Republicans always talk about the 47% who don't pay taxes, and are now saying taxes must be raised on the poor so that they pay their fair share. It never occurs to them that maybe they don't make enough money to even pay tax. Meanwhile, those who make hundreds of millions if not billions are also not paying any taxes, and yet the Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to make sure it stays that way.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 27, 2012

The Senate defeated Rep. Longhurst's 'Fuck the Doomed' bill yesterday. 9 Y, 10 N, 2 Hiding in the Restroom. My guess is that the votes are there. Especially once Delmarva breaks out its/their checkbooks. Perhaps in the rest room. Legislators have been known to stake out 'wide stances' on issues like this, and don't object to manipulation. Joe Farley, Delmarva's 'Democratic' lobbyist, will be working OT to earn his blood money today. BTW, is this really the kind of bill that a supposed member of the House Democratic Caucus leadership team should be sponsoring? Betcha it passes. Hope it doesn't. Memo to Longhurst primary opponent James Burton: Make this a campaign issue. I'll even toss off the 'money' sentence for you..."What sort of Democrat would sponsor the terminating of life-saving utilities to seriously-ill patients?" You're welcome.

Baumbach to kick off campaign this Thursday

As you may know, PDD President Paul Baumbach has thrown his hat into the race to succeed Representative Terry Schooley in the 23rd RD. He will formally announce his candidacy for State Representative of the 23rd District at 11AM tomorrow, June 28th at the Newark Senior Center. The Newark Senior Center is located at 200 White Chapel Drive, and the announcement is open to the media and the public.

The Polling Report [6.27.12]

So I have swung back to Jason330's line of thinking: frack Rasmussen and other Republican polls whose sole purpose for existing is to shape narrative rather than conduct scientific polls. They cannot ever be trusted. And if we are going to criticize people like Allen Loudell for trusting Rasmussen, then we cannot very well use their polls in our polling report. So Rasmussen and We Ask America are gone. I have also decided to do away with the "Toss up" category. We have tons of new polls. Come inside to check them out and here is our new map: DLMAP

Tuesday Open Thread [6.26.12]

Bruce Bartlett totals up the damage former President George W. Bush did to the country's fiscal health. He finds that if the Clintonian policies had continued over the course of the 2000's (i.e. had President Gore been sworn into office rather than the usurper), then the United States would have had a budget surplus of $5.6 trillion at the end of Fiscal Year 2011.

Romney’s Bad Week Continues….

When he finally gathered enough courage to take a stand after 12 hours of ducking the press and having his flunkies sound like automotons refusing to budge from talking points, he announced that is experiencing what you humans call "disappointment." He wants the Court to give more latitude, not less, to the states. The rest of his statements on the court's ruling had to do with President Obama's failure to pass an immigration reform law, even though an immigration reform law (the "Dream" Act) did actually receive majority votes in both chambers of Congresss before his own Republican Party filibustered it to death. Immigration is a horrible issue for Romney. His party, if it is to remain a competitive national party rather than a racist whites only Southern party in the generation, must attract Hispanics. But if he dares changes any of hardline anti-immigration and anti-Hispanic policies so he can appear moderate in the general election and appealing to Hispanics, he risks depressing racist White turnout, which is the base of his party. And he needs Bushian 2004 intensity of the party base to win this election. Any depression of the GOP base turnout will doom him to a landslide loss. Hence Romney's cowardly hiding yesterday. Hence his mealy mouthed response expressing "disappointment." Hence his Obama bashing.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., June 26, 2012

They will also leave Dover with yet another revenue source: more dollars via degenerate gamblers thanks to the so-called online gaming bill. This is a particularly odious example of the Delaware Way. Provisions have been put into the bill to ensure that the racinos and the mom-and-pop stores that sell the lottery tickets don't get screwed, but no such provision for the compulsive gamblers who will help fill the state's coffers. No fiscal note is even required for this bill, which makes little sense to me. Neither a projection of costs to implement the system, nor a revenues projection? Really?