Is This What’s Happening at the News Journal?

Is This What’s Happening at the News Journal?

We all know that the NJ is working on the lastest Gannett revenue extraction scheme -- the Newsroom of the Future -- that mainly looks like a way to implement a staff reduction while re-orienting their attention to their website, rather than the paper. This article from the Nashville Scene provides some details of what is going on at The Tenneseean (another Gannett property going through the same thing):
Rep. Smyk Thinks Delaware Casinos are Being Raped

Rep. Smyk Thinks Delaware Casinos are Being Raped

So he says in this recording of a debate answer defending his vote for bailing out casinos. Smyk is -- surprise -- an ex-cop and the district he represents is the area where Bradley committed his crimes against children. And this career cop wants you to believe that the taxes paid by casinos are the equivalent of rape. A comment that completely diminishes the violence of real rape and completely devalues the real trauma endured by its victims. To be sure, plenty of Ds voted for this bailout too -- but none of them would tell you they were somehow in the rape prevention business. His opponent, Marie Mayor, has a great response -- that the revenues from casinos ought to be in use the fix Delaware infrastructure, which is exactly right. So the choice is between the R who wants to reduce the casino taxes vs the D who wants to help get our roads and bridges fixed. There's no point in re-electing Smyk if the only people he plans to represent are a handful of casino owners. Come inside for the video....

Sunday Open Thread [10.26.14]

Pew Research:
"Voter frustration with members of Congress is currently even higher than it was 2010 or 2006. Fully 68% of registered voters say they do not want to see most members of Congress reelected - 14 points higher than in 2010 and 19 points higher than in 2006. And roughly a third (35%) say they do not want their own representative reelected, compared with 32% four years ago and 26% eight years ago." "Yet unlike in those elections, when a single party controlled both the House and Senate, anti-incumbent sentiment now crosses party lines. Republican and Democratic voters are about equally likely to oppose the reelection of most representatives and their own member of Congress."
Saturday Open Thread [10.25.14]

Saturday Open Thread [10.25.14]

Politico reported yesterday evening that the lawsuit -- which was supposed to challenge Obama's executive orders regarding Obamacare (and appease the impeachment caucus in the lead-up to the midterm elections) -- hasn't actually been filed yet. Now isn't that emblematic of everything the Republican Party stands. Lots of sound and fury signifying nothing of substance.
Some Asshole Fascist Bigot of a Republican Congressman…

Some Asshole Fascist Bigot of a Republican Congressman…

...doesn't expect to meet gays in Heaven.
In an interview with the Jefferson Herald, King discussed a preliminary document produced during Catholic bishops' recent synod that stated gays had "gifts" to offer the Christian community. [...] King was asked specifically whether he thought divorce or cohabitation were sins. The synod's preliminary document had called for the church to respect divorced Catholics and stated that in regard to homosexual unions, "it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners." “I think that I’ll not comment on that part,” King told the newspaper. “I’ll just say that what was a sin 2,000 years ago is a sin today, and people that were condemned to hell 2,000 years ago, I don’t expect to meet them should I make it to heaven. So let’s stick with that principle.”
Will Phils Hire Best Manager in Baseball?

Will Phils Hire Best Manager in Baseball?

Well, if not the best, at least 1 or 1A along with the Giants' Bruce Bochy. Joe Maddon  opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay today. He has taken that chronically-underfunded team to great heights, four times in the playoffs and one World Series appearance. This is not a pipe dream. He is from the area. In fact, his mom is still a waitress in his home town of Hazleton, PA. He's a Lafayette grad, and he comes back here often. This is Pat Gillick's call, not Ruben Amaro Jr's. Pat, for the sake of what's left of my sanity, Make That Call!
Friday Open Thread [10.24.14]

Friday Open Thread [10.24.14]

With less than two weeks to go, the polling is coming fast and furious. But some pollsters are jumping ahead to get a preview of the 2016 Presidential. So before we dive into the pile of 2014 polls... from the The Fix:
"[A] new Washington Post-ABC News polling on the 2016 Republican presidential race makes one thing very clear: Every GOPer who has even a hint of ambition for national office is likely to run in two years time. Why? Because the field is remarkably frontrunner-less, meaning that every Ted, John and Rob can make a plausible case to activists and donors that they are going to eventually be the guy."
And for that reason, Mitt Romney, the retread from 2008 and 2012, is the frontrunner. The Devil you know...