Archive for March, 2015
Your ‘King v Burrell’ Thoughts Go Here
I realize American voters (and let’s face it – particularly liberal leaning American voters) are a lazy bunch of losers, but if Chief Justice John Roberts decides to strip 7 million people in some three dozen states of health insurance on a technicality, I think things could actually go Ka-Plewey.
DL Exclusive: Hundreds of Politicians/PACs in Violation of State Campaign Finance Law. Nobody’s Collecting the Fines.
Deadbeat campaigns, committees and PAC’s currently owe the Delaware Department of Elections (long pause to change the batteries in my calculator)…$769,240. I count 258 individual fines that have been assessed, but never collected.
Some of the outstanding fines are gargantuan. Some appear to have close correlation to key political events, so the committees involved not only owe the money, they have some ‘splainin’ to do.
Since the largest fines have been imposed on the Sussex County Democratic Executive Committee, and since they date back to the year (2008) when an incredible array of resources were poured into the race to elect John Atkins to the General Assembly, possibly cementing a D majority in the House, and since not a nickel has been paid back, I can only ask, “Why?”. Why no action? (Late-breaking news: According to both the Commissioner of Elections and the current Sussex County chair, that $160,000-plus fine has now been labeled an ‘error’. Because, as we all know, $160,000 fines are levied in error every day. Where is Rose Mary Woods when we need her?)
Here’s how the system is supposed to work, according to sources both within the State Department of Elections and the Office of the Attorney General. After about 60 days or so, uncollected fines/violations are turned over to the Attorney General’s office for follow-up, according to Elaine Manlove, Commissioner of Elections. It is clear that little to no follow-up has occurred since, well, 2008, at least. Multiple sources have told me that they have not even received any notification from the AG’s office that they are in violation. Not that they shouldn’t already know, but still…
Here’s what Carl Kanefsky of the AG’s office says of the way it’s supposed to work….
Tom Carper Ready to Fight the “Elizabeth Warren Wing” of the Democratic Party
First of all, …the “Elizabeth Warren Wing” of the Democratic Party? Where do I sign up?
Secondly, if Tom Carper thinks that Democrats can win back the House and Senate by being MORE LIKE Tom Carper, he is either deranged or lying.
Anyway, if you feel like throwing up read the whole thing.
If you want to simply feel queasy the rest of the day, skip to Carper’s quote:
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), who is viewed as a centrist, said the centrist strain of politician is declining and estimated that “there’s fewer than 100” left in Congress.
“We need more moderates and centrists in both parties,” Carper said. “Part of politics is the art of compromise.”
![Wednesday Daily Delawhere [3.4.15]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/16508099219_945e3c7889_c.jpg "Wednesday Daily Delawhere [3.4.15]")
Some downstream effects of the clean DHS funding bill
Funding DHS by passing a clean bill means the DHS passport checkers at the airport will continue to be paid. But it means so much more. Here is a short list of outcomes that you probably were not familiar with.
1) This bill, also known as “The bill to give Obama’s illegal amnesty program official sanction” gives Obama’s illegal amnesty program official sanction.
2) “The bill to give Obama’s illegal amnesty program official sanction” also fully funds Obama’s illegal amnesty program.
3) The Constitution has been shredded.
4) The GOP is now held in disrepute by everyone except the Chamber of Commerce.
5) Barack Obama is on his way to unrestrained power.
I learned of all these downstream outcomes from reading Red State, which is my favorite thing to do after Boehner’s occasional capitulations to reality.
Tuesday Open Thread [3.3.15]
![Tuesday Open Thread [3.3.15]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DL.Open_.Thread.Blue_-240x180.png "Tuesday Open Thread [3.3.15]")
From multiple interviews in recent days with party leaders and senior aides, it’s clear the GOP had no real strategy to successfully end the party’s first major standoff with Obama since taking power in January,” Politico reports.
“Republicans had hoped pressure would build on recalcitrant Senate Democrats to ultimately rebel against Obama and force him to capitulate — or at least prompt them to negotiate a compromise. That didn’t happen. They had hoped more public attention to the issue might be spawned by a new outside event, such as more migrant children appearing at the southern border. That didn’t happen. And they had hoped that more time would give their party a fresh opportunity to settle on a coordinated and coherent legislative response to the president. But that certainly didn’t happen.”
Said on GOP senator: “Never go into these things without a plan.”
Planning would require thinking and analytical skills beyond the reach of your average tea party congressman.
Boehner Caves – Hastert Rule Revoked
The “Hastert Rule” which has kept the GOP house caucus together on issues, large and small, since the mid 1990’s is done. Under the rule, Boehner would not have been allowed to seek out Democratic votes to pass a clean DHS funding bill. He has done just that. It is the end of an ignoble […]
Kudos to Senator Carper, for once.
Today a foreign leader will interfere in the political affairs of the United States, and Senator Tom Carper has decided that he will not be part of it, thank you very much.
Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware will join about 40 Democrats in boycotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial speech to Congress on Tuesday. Carper called the timing of Netanyahu’s speech “wholly inappropriate,” given that the prime minister is up for re-election in two weeks. He and the other Democrats say House Speaker John Boehner broke protocol by inviting Netanyahu without consulting with the White House.
“I cannot imagine an occasion when a U.S. president would invite a foreign leader — even one from some of our closest allies like France, Germany or Canada — to address Congress on the eve of elections in his or her home country,” Carper said in a statement. “Furthermore, this visit came together by completely bypassing President Obama and his administration, which breaks our country’s protocol for visiting heads of state and stands to weaken U.S.-Israel relations.”
I was afraid the good Senator was just going to leave his list of reasons at that, and granted, they are good reasons. But the truest reason to be angry about that bastard Netanyahu’s speech has everything to do with the fact that he wants to scuttle any possible deal with Iran and he wants the United States to send more of our American children to die in defense of Israel in an invasion of Iran. And to his credit, Carper says that such direct interference into the foreign policy of the United States is one of his reasons.
What about Carney and Coons?
Tuesday Daily Delawhere [3.3.15]
![Tuesday Daily Delawhere [3.3.15]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/16662898426_f347f8322c_c.jpg "Tuesday Daily Delawhere [3.3.15]")
The University of Delaware’s Performing Arts Campus in the snow, by the Flying Inn on Flickr.
Monday Open Thread [3.2.15]
![Monday Open Thread [3.2.15]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DL.Open_.Thread.Black_-240x180.png "Monday Open Thread [3.2.15]")
Now this is what I call Karma, from Talking Points Memo:
Former Arizona county sheriff Richard Mack, a fierce opponent of Obamacare and a leader in the “constitutional sheriff” movement, is struggling to pay his medical bills after he and his wife each faced serious illnesses. The former sheriff and his wife do not have health insurance and started a GoFundMe campaign to solicit donations from family and friends to cover the costs of their medical care.
“Because they are self-employed, they have no medical insurance and are in desperate need of our assistance,” reads a note on Mack’s personal website.
Mack, the founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, suffered a heart attack in January and is in recovery. His wife fell ill late last year. Mack is on the board of Oath Keepers, a right-wing fringe group made up of police and military veterans, and is known for supporting Cliven Bundy in his standoff against the federal government. He is also an ardent opponent of Obamacare.
Pssst… buddy… come here… hey, I got a secret for ya…. there is this new government program that can help you out…
Breaking News: UD’s Harker Gets Out While the Gettin’s Good.
Going to…the Philly Fed. Guess someone else will have to address campus diversity.
Budget and Services Cuts Detailed in Christina School District
In response to last week’s defeat of the two options open to voters in the Christina School District for raising revenue, officials in the Christina School District released a list of immediate actions they are taking to deal with the looming budget shortfall that required the referendum in the first place.
Not Gonna Do It
Governor Jack Markell just did his best impression of Dana Carvey’s impression of the elder President Bush. He said “not gonna do it.” Well, actually he said “not going to happen.” But my way is better. The ‘it’ is the legalization of marijuana while he serves as Governor.
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