Vote Tracker Update — How are they voting?

Vote Tracker Update — How are they voting?

Bryan Townsend is the busiest legislator in Dover. The man's name is so omnipresent, as a lead or additional sponsor, on legislation of significance that I have to imagine either that he is running for higher office, or that he is just the best damn legislator period. The cynic and politician in me wants the former. The good government romantic in me wants the latter. Kim Williams is a close runner up too. So here is the updated Vote Tracker as of today, May 4, 2015. My focus on these vote trackers is to follow legislation of progressive significance, whether they be pro-progressive or anti-progressive. For example, we are following the Right to Work bill and the Estate Tax Repeal bill, not because we want them to pass, rather we want them to fail, and we are going to take note of any Democrat who votes for them so that we can work to replace them in the next election. I have reorganized the Vote Tracker this month. It's just one document now, and legislation with actual votes recorded is list at the top, followed by legislation that has been released by their relevant committees and are due for votes in one chamber of the General Assembly or the other. For the specific details of legislation that is being considered in committee, and also the whens, wheres, whys and wherefores, I encourage you to follow El Somnambulo's Pre-Game Post-Game series.
Hillary Clinton Watch Over… Beau Biden Watch Begins

Hillary Clinton Watch Over… Beau Biden Watch Begins

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Well, we finally know that Hillary Clinton is running for President. Now we need to find out if Beau Biden is running for Governor. It is the central question in Delaware politics, and really, no one knows the exact answer to it, just like no one really knows what medical condition the former Attorney General suffered back in August 2013. But we finally got some Beau Biden news on Friday that may shed some light on some answers.
Monday Open Thread [5.4.15]

Monday Open Thread [5.4.15]

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Republicans love to call themselves Christians and denounce anyone who doesn't vote for or follow them as un-American non-Christians, but the truth is it is all projection:
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) was criticized by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) for "hiding behind Jesus to expand Medicaid" according to a report in The Atlantic. The two Republican governors confronted Kasich at a donor forum hosted by the Koch brothers in Palm Springs. A source at the event told The Atlantic, "It got heated."
If Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley were Christians they would actually follow Jesus Christ and care for the poor, sick, elderly and the needy. Instead, they are fellating their rich benefactors and criticizing those who are following Christ's example. I hope they both go straight to Hell.
Time for a Separation

Time for a Separation

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And by that I mean, a separation of Delaware's Democrats in the General Assembly from Governor Jack Markell (D). On Friday, the Governor went on Rick Jensen's show on WDEL and stated that he would veto House Bill 50 (the opt-out bill) if it passed the House and Senate. HB 50 would allow parents to opt their child or children out of state standardized testing. The bill cleared the House Education Committee last week and it awaits a vote by the full House, which may come this week.
"I never say what I'm going to do to a bill in advance, but I can say I absolutely do not support that bill," Markell said. Markell said it's his job to do what's best for Delaware kids, and he said opting out of the Smarter Balanced assessment isn't the way. "Civil rights communities across the country, the NAACP, the urban leagues have been very, very focused on not allowing opt out because they're concerned that if the kids are allowed to opt out they'll fall through the cracks," he said. Markell also stood behind Delaware's adoption of the Common Core standards.
They are falling through the cracks now because they are not learning. They spend all their time trying to prepare for an impossible test. But I digress. These standardized tests are very unpopular with parents across the country and here in Delaware. They are very unpopular with teachers, and educators. They are only popular with those who want to "reform" education so as to either 1) privatize it, or 2) enrich themselves or their benefactors, or 3) both. So General Assembly Democrats have a decision to make.
Sign This Petition to Support Implementing Real Violence Reduction Strategies in Wilmington

Sign This Petition to Support Implementing Real Violence Reduction Strategies in Wilmington

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This petition at the site change.org is addressed to the Governor, AG Matt Denn, Mayor Dennis Williams and Chief Bobby Cummings to ask them to implement the Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission report and 9 other actions to help to address and reduce the violence in Wilmington. Please take a few minutes to read this over and sign it, if you can. Also forward this on to your friends and share via your FB pages or Twitter to help spread the word. Thanks!

The (Late) Weekly Addresses

Sorry that this is being posted late, but I was away for my birthday weekend and away from the computer. Apologies... In this week's address, the President reiterated his commitment to expanding access to education. In his weekly message, Governor Markell explains how state grant funding, awarded earlier this week, will leverage over $100 million in private investments in Delaware’s Downtown Development Districts. Rep. Bryon Short discusses legislation he is sponsoring that would prohibit employers from requiring employees or applicants to give the employer access to their personal social media accounts. House Bill 109, crafted by the Attorney General’s office, respects both the employee and employer and will be an important step forward in social media privacy.