Reports from Return Day

Reports from Return Day

Because I recoil from the fake, the counterfeit, fraudulent and the pretend - I hate the stupid Delaware tradition called Return Day. Some people love it though. Here is an update from a guy who probably doesn't want to be associated with one of the best liberal blogs in the UNIVERSE!!
It stopped raining, the clouds parted and a great beam of light shone down on Simpler as he passed. I heard a voice from on high say "this is my investment advisor in whom I am well pleased." Might have been a dove in the mix too. Not sure. Memory hazy. Consumed lots of 16 Mile.
Rude Obnoxious Christie-wannabe running for Governor

Rude Obnoxious Christie-wannabe running for Governor

Sen. Colin Bonini (R-17RD), having won reelection yesterday essentially unopposed, has announced that he is running for Governor in 2016, as was speculated here earlier this week. Indeed, it fits into Colin's practice of running for higher office during the off year between his Senate elections. And thus the musical chair game begins.
Post-Mortem Long Reads

Post-Mortem Long Reads

Lots of interesting ink has been spilled about the National election and it seems to be converging on the idea that Democratic Congressional candidates simply could not provide voters with a real reason to get out and vote for them. They couldn't beat a GOP candidate in Staten Island who is under indictment, threatened to throw a reporter off of a balcony in the Capitol building and was otherwise just clueless. I'm going to provide some links to the better pieces I've read so far, but we'll start with Bill Maher's assessment (from his Facebook page):
I feel bad for the people Democrats are supposed to represent, not the Democratic candidates. They remind me of the Iraqi Army - running when they should fight.
Caesar Rodney Institute Loves Jack Markell’s Schools Plan… ’nuff said

Caesar Rodney Institute Loves Jack Markell’s Schools Plan… ’nuff said

I have to admit that I have not been paying much attention to the "priority schools" discussion, but if Delaware's radical wing-nut "think tank" likes it, Markell must have concocted the Ebola/ISIL of school reform plans.
The Markell Administration's reform plan could help all Delaware students succeed
The establishment of a plan to turn six of Delaware's lowest performing public schools into "priority schools" has provided the education establishment with an opportunity to implement reform for the entire public school system. If the Markell Administration's initiative succeeds the state's public schools will have a readily-available blueprint for success for the First State.
A Time For War

A Time For War

First off, I must admit, I was wrong. I was wrong in my national predictions. With all the polls in the competitive races close, within the margin of error and most within 2-3 points, I wrongly assumed our superior GOTV operation would make up the deficit like it had before. But our voters just did not turn out. And I am very pissed about that. Some of them are emo-progressives who feel it is their right to punish the party by not voting whenever they feel like the party has not been pure enough. Others of them just cannot be bothered unless the only politician that they know of, i.e. the national leader, i.e. the President, is on the ballot. To all of them I say, fuck you. I am almost tempted to argue that the Democrats in Washington should immediately repeal the entire social safety net, all regulations, everything that they take for granted, FDA, EPA, etc. etc. etc. and then let them all suffer horribly, just to prove to them that these elections matter, and that you actually are voting for policies and not people. Then I pull myself back from that. Because I know it is what the GOP wants. Not out of any respect or concern for my lazy and/or purist colleagues. We lost last night for a very simple reason....
About Last Night…

About Last Night…

I haven't blogged about the 2014 election... until now.  Am I disappointed Republicans now control the House and the Senate.  Yes.  Am I devastated?  No.  And here's why. Since 2010 the Republican battle cry has been that the House can't get its crazy past the D controlled Senate.  This worked for them - it was like a constant campaign commercial.  It worked for the so-called "sane" Republicans as well.  Vote to repeal the ACA for the gazillionth time?  Sure.  Why not.  The D controlled Senate would block it and the Rs would get to keep their Conservative street cred while doing nothing.  It's why there were so many votes taken to repeal the ACA - every Republican wanted a chance (or two, or forty) to go on the record with that meaningless vote. But now that vote isn't meaningless, and I'm seeing problems on the horizon.