Archive for August, 2013
Monday Open Thread [8.19.13]
![Monday Open Thread [8.19.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Biden.png "Monday Open Thread [8.19.13]")
“Political allies of Vice President Joe Biden have concluded that he can win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination–even if Hillary Clinton enters the contest–and are considering steps he could take to prepare for a potential candidacy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Looks like Papa Joe is tapping into some of Jack Markell’s medical marijuana. Because if he seriously believes he can defeat Hillary, he’s high right now. Mr. Vice President, I love ya, but you are no Barack Obama. Only Obama could defeat Hillary, and even then it was a nailbitter, a down to the wire contest. You have no chance at all.
I agree with David Axelrod, who is quoted in the Journal story, that Biden and Hillary will not run against each other. But Biden will run for President if Hillary doesn’t. He is the Plan B. And because he is the Plan B, he has to begin putting together an organization, and donating money through a PAC to candidates in 2014 to party build and create goodwill.
So Joe Biden and his staff have to talk like he is really running and that they are confident he will beat Hillary to keep up appearances.
The truth is, its all a con-game. The minute Hillary annnounces (January-March 2015), the Vice President will cite his long friendship with the former Secretary of State and beg off.
![Daily Delawhere [8.19.13]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/9483731189_50f7f34033_z.jpg "Daily Delawhere [8.19.13]")
Late Night Video — Black Church vs. White Church
This was hilarious — You guys have a Step Team???!! The First Baptist Steppers??!!! About 4 minutes long:
Sunday Open Thread [8.18.13]
![Sunday Open Thread [8.18.13]](http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/styles/v2_article_large/public/2013/08/15/marijuana-laws.png "Sunday Open Thread [8.18.13]")
Woodlawn Trustees is ready to move out on its plan to raze and the reconstruct its buildings in Wilmington’s Flats area. This promises to be a very good thing for the city, especially the West Side which has put alot of elbow grease into long-term revitalization. Also note that the $100M project to reconstruct these buildings will still serve moderate income families, putting to bed the crazy whispered story about luxury housing going in over there.
![Daily Delawhere [8.18.13]](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/9486529536_1ccec75246_z.jpg "Daily Delawhere [8.18.13]")
Saturday Open Thread [8.17.13]
Are you following the amazing story of the Newark National and how they made the Little League World Series? They won their first game yesterday against an Urbandale,Iowa team — 6-3. They’ve advanced to play a Chula Vista, CA team. Their hometown turned out at Timothy’s last night to cheer them on and to help raise money for the families of the kids going to the World Series. Go Newark!
![Daily Delawhere [8.17.13]](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7294/9483731203_1fcf29bf1e_z.jpg "Daily Delawhere [8.17.13]")
TGIF Open Thread [8.16.13]
![TGIF Open Thread [8.16.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DL.Thumbnail.png "TGIF Open Thread [8.16.13]")
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is speaking again, this time wondering aloud about why Republicans are even talking about immigration reform.
Said King: “Last year, almost everybody in my conference would’ve agreed with me on this immigration issue. And this year, it seems as though after the presidential election a spell’s been cast over a good number of Republicans and they seem to think the presidential election was about immigration. I’d ask them, find me that debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama that addressed immigration. I don’t remember it. I can’t find it. The election was about jobs and the economy, not immigration. And yet some Republican strategists and leadership have decided let’s just go ahead and debate immigration for twelve months and then we’ll see if we can solve the problem.”
Let’s unpack this. First, is Mr. King aware that he and his Republicans lost the election? So if the election were just all about the economy and jobs, then it seems to me that a majority of the American people have, by a large margin, disagreed with his and his Republican views about jobs and the economy. Second, the election wasn’t just all about jobs and the economy. It was also about Obamacare. And again, the American people agreed with Obama about Obamacare, not Steven King and the Republicans. So I assume that Steven King and his Republicans will cease their repeal and hostage taking efforts. Third, and most importantly, the election was about immigration reform. Mitt Romney took a hard right stance on self deportation to win the Republican primary. The President instead campaigned on a comprehensive plan that would include border security and a path to citizenship. Once again, Steven King and Mitt Romney lost. The President won. And he won by winning Latinos by 70-30%.
The reason why Republicans are talking about immigration reform after the election is because they can no longer lose Latinos by that aforementioned margin and ever again win a national election, based on the group’s growing demographics and the declining numbers of angry conservative whites out there. The Republicans, the smart ones anyway, realized that they must repair their relationship with Latinos, and the way to do that was to both modify their stances towards immigration and pass immigration reform. So that is why you and your Republicans are discussing it, Mr. King.
But, please proceed Governor… er ah, Congressman King. Please keep talking about Latinos all being drug dealers with cantaloupe calves.
Around the Horn for the Week of August 9-15, 2013
Steve Newton of Delaware Libertarian continues his expose against Highmark and MedExpress and the Insurance Commissioner’s complicity in the fleecing that is going on. First, he notes that from some people, including his own representatives, the silence is deafening.
The silence is deafening from the Insurance Commissioner’s office. Not only has Nancy Willing inquired at least five times regarding any investigation of this mess, Senator Petersen requested an Insurance Commissioner’s inquiry when I sent her the materials, and Dr. Vince Schaller, Medical Director of the Lantana/Hockessin Walk-in Clinic has filed multiple complaints and inquiries. From Karin Weldin Stewart’s office: … crickets …
This [controversy] has also been an ongoing primer [into] who does and doesn’t respond to real inquiries from citizens and constituents. I live neither in Petersen’s district, nor in John Kowalko’s. Both responded almost instantly when I asked. I also always get quick responses from legislators like Paul Baumbach, Brian Bushweller, and Ernie Lopez–again: I live in none of their districts.
On the other hand, I have sent all the same information (repeatedly) to Senator Greg Lavelle and Representative Joe Miro. I do live in their district, and Dr. Schaller’s clinic is a small business within their district that employs several dozen people, and is the only such clinic in our district. From the two of them: … crickets …
Steve goes on to say that he does not want this to be a partisan issue, I guess because he lists several Democrats and one Republican who are responsive on this issue, while his own Republican legislators are not. I agree, it is not a partisan issue. It is an ideological one. The Dems he listed, with the exception of Bushweller, are progressives. Corporate-backed legislators or executives, whether they be Jack Markell or Karen Weldin Stewart or a host of other Democratic and Republican state legislators, are not going to be terribly troubled by this whole Highmark/MedExpress issue. Progressives and libertarians, for their own ideological reasons, will.
Steve, in another post, highlights another scam from Highmark and predicts that it will drive BayHealth or ChristianaCare out of business in the next three years.
Meanwhile… Mike Matthews is back!!!!
![Daily Delawhere [8.16.13]](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/9486529472_e7719dfdfe_z.jpg "Daily Delawhere [8.16.13]")
Medical Marijuana… Remember that?
It was over two years ago that Delaware became of the growing number of states that allow medical marijuana. Senator Margaret Rose Henry’s SB 17 passed the Senate 18-3 (and then inexplicably 17-4 the second time after the House amended it) and the House 27-14, and Governor Markell signed the bill a few days later, which is his custom if he really likes a bill. But then came the Federal roadblock, as Eric Holder’s Justice Department threatened state officials with prosecution.
Since I preemptively attacked the Governor this morning for a rumored but not yet taken action, it seems only fair to applaud the Governor to finally sticking up his middle finger to Attorney General Holder and President Obama for their illogical, unprogressive and hypocritical opposition to medical marijuana. The breaking news:
After a months-long delay, Gov. Jack Markell is moving forward with implementation of Delaware’s medical marijuana program despite threats from the U.S. Department of Justice that state officials could be subject to prosecution.
The move comes after other states, including New Jersey and Rhode Island, have issued licenses for marijuana distribution centers.
Markell told lawmakers in a letter today that the state will issue a request for proposal to open a marijuana cultivation and distribution center, or “compassion center,” in Delaware next year. The law that Markell signed in 2011 legalizing medical marijuana in Delaware called for compassion centers in each county.
Open Thread for Thursday, August 15, 2013
I love Ezra Klein’s analogy here regarding the new demand that, instead of ransoming the budget (and force a government shutdown), the Republicans should hold hostage the debt ceiling in exchange for the repeal of Obamacare:
Since Boehner can’t just tell House Republicans that their party needs to let go of the whole stop-Obamacare thing until they win a few more elections, what will he tell them?
Apparently, he’s going to tell them to try using the debt ceiling: “Sources tell me the House GOP will probably avoid using a shutdown as leverage and instead use the debt limit and sequester fights as areas for potential legislative trades. Negotiations over increasing the debt limit have frequently been used to wring concessions out of the administration, so there may be movement in that direction: Delay Obamacare in exchange for an increased debt limit.”
Trading a government shutdown for a debt-ceiling breach is like trading the flu for septic shock. And Boehner knows it. Republicans will effectively be going to the White House and saying, “Delay the health-care law or we will single-handedly cause an unprecedented and unnecessary global financial crisis that everyone will clearly and correctly blame on us, destroying our party for years to come.”
It’s not a very persuasive ransom note to send. And Boehner knows it. It’s just something he’s saying to talk his party down from this tree. But come October, when they climb up into that higher, more dangerous, tree, he’s going to have to think of some new crazy promise to entice them down. Then, three months later, that promise will come back to bite him — and the rest of us. And eventually, someone’s going to make a mistake, and Boehner won’t manage to pull his people back from the brink at the last minute.
No, the only way this ends is with Boehner sacrificing his Speakership (or at least forming a coalition speakership with Pelosi with 21 or so sane Republicans). Boehner eventually will have to sacrifice his political career.
DeLuca to Labor?
There is a rumor that Governor Markell is going to appoint former Senate Pro Tem, Senator Tony DeLuca, as Secretary of Labor. Will that job be in addition to the other jobs DeLuca has in state government.
If this is a trial balloon, then let’s pop it. Governor, this is unacceptable. This is Delaware Way politics at its worst. It is something that Ruth Ann Minner would do. It is something we imagined Ruth Ann Minner’s Lt. Governor, John Carney, would do. Which is why we backed what appeared to be the more progressive option in the 2008 Democratic Primary…. you.
If you do this, boy were we wrong.
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