Things You Can Say to Anger Republicans

23 Comments
This is too good not to pass on mostly in full. Some of them were kinda lame, so I left those out.
Conservatives are so easy to anger these days. Even the most insignificant statement can set off their tempers. If you want to enrage a conservative, I suggest saying the following: 1. A Socialist wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. 2. Jesus healed the sick and helped the poor, for free. 3. Joseph McCarthy was an un-American, witch hunting sissy. 4. Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee were traitors. 5. The South lost the Civil War, get over it. 6. The Founding Fathers were liberals. 7. Fascism is a right-wing trait. 8. Sarah Palin is an idiot. 9. The Earth is round. 10. Reagan raised taxes eleven times as President.
Come inside for some more.

Wednesday Open Thread [1.16.13]

6 Comments
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds 58% of Americans say the debt ceiling should be handled separately from the debate on spending cuts, while 36% favor linking the two. That almost feels like a partisan breakdown (Democrats and Independents making up the 58%, and the Economic Terrorist Party making up the remaining 36%). It looks like the Hastert Rule is dead and buried. For the second time in as many weeks, the House Majority party has allowed a vote on a measure that did not enjoy majority support within the majority party. I think we are seeing the future, and it is a future our very own El Som predicted.

UPDATED WITH LIST OF EXECUTIVE ACTIONS: Today The White House Will Put Forth Their Proposals To Reduce Gun Violence

76 Comments
I know, I know... another gun post. Today, around noon, President Obama and Vice President Biden will announce their proposals to reduce gun violence. I will attempt to blog this event in the comment section - help from our commenters would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Meanwhile, the NRA finds new lows. Josh Marshall sums it up:
It takes a lot for the NRA to shock. But this is just beyond disgusting. The NRA has launched a new ad campaign calling President Obama a ‘hypocrite’ for allowing armed Secret Service agents to protect his school aged daughters. There are so many vile things about this ad. But one thing to note is the ad is really only designed to appeal to people who have a deep – really deep – animosity toward the President. The sort of people who don’t think he and his daughters should be in the White House and wish him the sort of ill citizens should never wish upon a freely elected head of state.
Vile is the perfect word for the NRA's behavior.

Senate Set to Vote on Port of Wilmington Bill Today

16 Comments
Senator Bob Marshall wants to make sure that any sale/partnership/call it what you will regarding the Port of Wilmington must have legislative approval. And why not? Jack Markell and Alan Levin have not publicly acknowledged any legislative prerogative when it comes to having their preferred partner, Kinder Morgan, an Enron spin-off with numerous environmental and labor violations on its record, take over the operations of the Port. In this case, silence is not golden, unless you are Kinder Morgan. Keep in mind that, had Markell and Levin committed to the legislative process for this proposed transaction, none of this would be necessary. Methinks an unforced error. You'd think, at least I'd think, that all 21 senators would vote yes on SB 3. I mean, why not? We're talking about a transaction that would have huge impact to the State, the City of Wilmington, and hundreds of port workers and their families. You're talking about the principle of three co-equal branches of government, and the possibility, should SB 3 not pass, that the General Assembly would be removed entirely from this momentous decision. You're talking about the whole notion of legislative oversight and the public disinfectant of sunshine.

Anti-Citizens United Rally Tomorrow in Dover.

4 Comments
Common Cause Delaware, the League of Women Voters, the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Progressive Democrats for Delaware, the Delaware Coalition for Open Government and other like minded citizens tomorrow in Dover will mark an unhappy anniversary for the prospects of free and open democracy in the United States. Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in the Citizens United case, and in so doing, gave the monied special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington and in influencing elections across the nation and here in Delaware. After the Court’s decision, corporations and special interest groups can now raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in elections up and down the ballot. We all saw with our own eyes the affect of the ruling on our television screens and in our mailboxes in 2012. It was the most expensive election ever, as will every election for now on be. The ruling cannot be allowed to stand, and our leaders in Dover and in Washington must take action to reverse the decision through legislation or an Amendment to the Constitution. Luckily, we have Progressive legislators in Delaware like Senator Karen Peterson and Representative Paul Baumbach, and they both are calling on their colleagues in the General Assembly to sign a joint letter to Congress asking for passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution to clarify that, with regard to corporate campaign spending, a person means only a natural person for First Amendment protection of free speech. If you agree, please let them know and call your state Senator and Representative. And if you agree, and have some free time, join with your fellow citizens tomorrow at a rally on the steps of Legislative Hall, 411 Legislative Avenue in Dover, DE at 12:30 p.m. to bring attention to the anniversary of Citizens United. If there is inclement weather, the gathering will move inside to the House Majority Caucus Room, on the ground floor. Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday Open Thread [1.15.13]

6 Comments
Congratulations to Governor Markell and Lt. Governor Denn on their inauguarations to their second terms. Check out Marc Ambinder on why President Obama took the Trillion Dollar Coin option off the table. And he's right, because if you've lost Jon Stewart... .
"Around 11:45 on Monday morning, Justice Clarence Thomas broke almost seven years of silence during Supreme Court arguments. But it was not entirely clear what he said."
It is criminal that he gets paid to be a judge. He is nothing but an automoton.

Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., Jan . 15, 2013

5 Comments
Delaware's top elected officials ensured that gun control would be front-and center during the 2013-14 legislative session by unveiling a bold and (IMHO) essential set of initiatives at a Monday news conference. You can check out the proposed package here. I can't praise Governor Jack Markell, Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and AG Beau Biden highly enough for this. I'll be more than a little intrigued to see how the timid souls who constitute Delaware's D. C. delegation respond to any initiatives coming from the White House. Delaware's proposed legislation includes: (1) a ban on the sale, manufacture, delivery, and unlawful possession of military-style assault weapons; (2) a ban on the sale, manufacture, delivery. and unlawful possession of large-capacity magazines; (3) requiring background checks for private purchase of firearms; (4) requiring the reporting of lost and stolen firearms; and (5) banning the possession of firearms within 1000 feet of a school, except for those exempted from this requirement. This package will inevitably draw the total opposition of the NRA and the oxymoronically-named Delaware Sportsmen's Association. Good.