Making Teajhadis Cry — Delaware Edition

Making Teajhadis Cry — Delaware Edition

Chris Coons leads Christine O'Donnell in a new poll for the upcoming U.S. Senate race -- 50-27.  50-27! That is the result of a poll recently (before the government shutdown) from University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication:
The Center for Political Communications acting director Paul Brewer says often times early polling simply reflects candidate name recognition, but he does not believe that’s the case here after the well-publicized race between Coons and O’Donnell in 2010. “I know from other poll results that Coons and O’Donnell were equally familiar to the public,” said Brewer. “Coons does not have a substantial name recognition lead over O’Donnell. It’s more reflecting that views of him are more favorable than they are of O’Donnell.” Brewer adds the 50-27 spread in this poll is similar to the result in the 2010 race, which Coons won by 57-40 margin.
Looks like O'Donnell is going to have to cast quite the spell to make up this ground. AND it looks to me like Coons has plenty of room here to sign on to Mark Begich's Fix Social Security Bill. Which I still don't know why he hasn't.
Dear Tipsters – I owe you a beer.

Dear Tipsters – I owe you a beer.

This is a shout out of thanks to all of our tipsters. Sometimes they go right up and you get instant gratification and sometimes they sit and percolate for a while. Sometimes we ignore them because we don't want to give the jerks in question (gun nuts) the notoriety that are looking for. Sometimes we ignore them because we are lazy or not interested. That doesn't mean that we don't love our tipsters, so keep 'em coming! And if we ever cross paths, say - "Hey I sent you that tip that one time." and I'll say, "Hey let me buy you a beer." then I'll put that beer on Delaware Dem's tab - because what am I, made of money?
Vance Phillips continues to prove that It pays to be a good old boy in a good old boy’s network

Vance Phillips continues to prove that It pays to be a good old boy in a good old boy’s network

Here is some less than surprising news:
A judge ordered attorneys for the woman who brought a sexual assault case against Sussex County Councilman Vance Phillips to keep medical and financial documents confidential, including records that show he (sic - nice one NJ!) was a crime victim. Attorneys for Katelynn Dunlap, who filed a civil lawsuit against Phillips seeking unspecified damages, had opposed the secrecy measure as unnecessary for a personal injury case and suggested it was an effort to silence her or make the litigation more difficult for her. During the hour-long hearing, that neither Phillips nor Dunlap attended, both sides accused the other of trying the case in the press.
Republican Shutdown and Default Apocalypse Open Thread, Day 11

Republican Shutdown and Default Apocalypse Open Thread, Day 11

Here is the current situation from what I can tell: Obamacare is alive and it is no longer a hostage. The Government is still shut down and the House is still trying to keep it as a hostage. The Debt Ceiling limit might be extended a few weeks (maybe a few months), but the GOP is still trying to keep it as a hostage. The GOP is really being beat up in the court of public opinion.
Republicans Are Simply Out To Fuck Shit UP – Day 5,895

Republicans Are Simply Out To Fuck Shit UP – Day 5,895

I feel like I can finally breath. The gaslight treatment that I've been getting from the world over the past ten years has been revealed to NOT be a figment of my imagination. Both sides DON'T do it. Republicans ARE the problem. The thing that got me into blogging was the nagging sense that nobody was talking about that obvious truth. Mike Castle bugged the hell out of me because he couldn't see it. (Or he saw it and didn't care to do anything about it.) John Carney continues to bug the hell out of me because he ignores the obvious pile of steaming dog shit square in the center of our national living room carpet. Well, thank FSM - that is going to be tougher for Mr. Carney to do from now on.
Debt Catastrophe Averted? It is still the end of the world for Republicans

Debt Catastrophe Averted? It is still the end of the world for Republicans

From the office of non-surprising facts...The Republican Party has been taken over by religious nutcases:
The press often talks about the Tea Party like they’re secularist movement that is interested mainly in promoting “fiscal conservatism”, a vague notion that never actually seems to make good on the promise to save taxpayer money. The reality is much different: The Tea Party is actually driven primarily by fundamentalist Christians whose penchant for magical thinking and belief that they’re being guided by divine forces makes it tough for them to see the real world as it is.
Erick Erickson Predicts GOP Split, 3rd Party Coming

Erick Erickson Predicts GOP Split, 3rd Party Coming

Via TPM:
Incensed that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) are reportedly abandoning the effort to defund or delay the Affordable Care Act, RedState.com editor Erick Erickson predicted Thursday that Republican leadership is providing fertile ground for the rise of a "real third party movement" that will split the GOP.
I'm torn on the idea of the Republican Party splitting in two - mainly because the Tea Party has already taken over, and deep down Republicans (95% of them) actually agree with the Tea Party agenda.  Jason wrote a post the other day, in which he said, "I don’t use “Tea Party” any more because the fact is the Republican Party is staffed and run by members of what was once called the Tea Party." Jason's correct.  Go ahead and try to put today's Republican politicians into column A (RINOs) and column B (Tea Partiers).  You won't end up with a balanced list.  Column A is pretty empty.