Archive for November, 2015

Like John Carney, this Governor will protect you from mass shooters if they are Syrian

When I took the oath of office, I swore to do everything I could to protect the citizens of this state from harm. There is nothing more important to me than ensuring that we are safe and can gather in our public places without fear of mass, indiscriminate violence. The nightmare scenario — the one that keeps me up at night — is the one where some individual could easily and legally obtain a firearm and use that firearm to kill innocent American citizens and also that the individual doing the killing is Syrian.

That’s why, as long as I’m your governor, I vow to do everything in my power to prevent Syrians from shooting you while you are at the mall.

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Thursday Open Thread [11.19.15]

Donald Trump told Yahoo News that he would increase surveillance of Muslims and consider a series of drastic measures to keep Americans safe.

Said Trump: “We’re going to have to do things that we never did before. And some people are going to be upset about it, but I think that now everybody is feeling that security is going to rule. And certain things will be done that we never thought would happen in this country in terms of information and learning about the enemy. And so we’re going to have to do certain things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago.”

He wouldn’t rule out requiring Muslims to carry a form of special identification: “We’re going to have to — we’re going to have to look at a lot of things very closely. We’re going to have to look at the mosques. We’re going to have to look very, very carefully.”

Donald Trump. An Actual Nazi.

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Congressman John Carney seeks to advance ISIS recruiting goals

What a f*cking profile in courage we have running for Governor.

Congressman John Carney, D-Delaware, believes the U.S. should suspend the intake of military-aged single men fleeing war-torn Syria, but keep allowing women, children and families into the country as federal officials review the vetting process that sees refugees placed across the nation.

Combat-aged single men not attached to families make up about 2 percent of the almost 1,800 refugees admitted into the country, according to the U.S. State Department. But it is those 2 percent who Carney said on Wednesday he’s most concerned with following a terrorist attack on Paris that killed at least 129 people on Friday.

I’m dating myself, but this is so Mike Castle. Trying to be on both sides of something and coming off looking like a bowl of chicken broth.

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Wednesday Open Thread [11.18.15]

I have seen some liberals say that they are worried about the refugee situation and the Paris Attacks and about how the media is creating a narrative where, naturally, liberals will lose and the nation will march to war again. And because of that, they say, we should preemptively capitulate and give into the narrative. Kevin Drum is an example. I have a couple more in my Facebook feed.

That is what I did in 2002. I was one of those bedwetting liberals who went along to get along in 2002. I will not do it again. I, and we, have learned our lesson. Booman tells us what we must do:

I know damn well that the Republicans have the winning political argument when they say that they’ll protect the country at all costs, even down to denying three year-old orphans a sanctuary, [and] that they’re going to do even better if they can keep that pulse [of America] raised to just short of panic-level.

So, what’s the counter to that? Do we agree with them? Do we also try to make people more afraid?

The problem is that we disagree substantively, not politically. And if we’re compelled to take the losing political argument because it’s the right thing to do, then we should at least point out that our opponents are bedwetters who become incontinent every time they think of a Muslim terrorist- even when that Muslim terrorist is shackled in Guantanamo and being fed orange-glazed chicken, rice pilaf and two kinds of fruit.

Frankly, it’s not mockery that I am going for, but shame. I want to shame grown men into being embarrassed to admit that they pee themselves in fear. If nothing else, it keeps me sane when I’m surrounded by the worst kind of charlatans and demagogues.

Exactly right. I will not stop mocking them. I will not stop shaming them. I will call them cowards. Bedwetters. Even traitors. And if we lose the political battle, so be it. But at least this time I keep my integrity. And I am not entirely sure we will lose that political battle. A new poll out of New Hampshire shows only 38% of GOP voters support sending new troops to Syria or the Middle East. Maybe, finally, people have discovered their memories.

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DL GOP Fantasy Pool Update – Jindal drops

It is about freaking time someone dropped.

Republican presidential candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal suspended his bid for the presidency Tuesday night.

“It’s been a great honor for me to run for President of the United States. To put it in perspective, my parents came to this country 45 years ago. They came here for freedom and opportunity,” Jindal said on Fox News. “I don’t think in a million years they would have ever imagined that I would be governor or one day I would be running for President of the United States.

Infact Jindal’s parents were right, because let’s face it – Bobby was never really running for President, was he?

Here are the revised standings:

Newton: Paul (250), Rubio (245),Carson (223), Santorum (187) | 905
Jason330: Huckabee (222), Christie (141), Cruz (266),Carson (223) | 852
Pandora: Walker (70), Paul (250), Rubio (245), Santorum(187) | 752
Del Dem: Bush (160), Christie (141), Huckabee (222), Graham (174)| 697
AQC: Jindal (151), Bush (160), Fiorina (223), Ehrlich (0) | 534
Prop Joe: Cruz (266), Jindahl (151), Walker (70), Perry (102) | 589

Here are the Candidates with points:

Cruz – 266 points (March 23rd)
Paul – 250 points (April 7th)
Rubio – 245 points (April 13)
Carson – 223 points (May 4th)
Fiorina – 223 points (May 4th)
Huckbee – 222 points (May 5th)
Santorum – 187 points (May27th)
Graham – 174 Points (June 1)
Christie – 141 points (June 30th)
Bush – 160 points (June 15th)
Jindahl – 151 points (June 24th-Nov 17)
Perry – 102 point (June 4th- Sept 12th)
Walker – 70 points(July 13th-Sept 21)
Ehrlich (never) 0 points

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Adams for Congress?

A reader has contacted us with a question about whether former State Senator and Senate President Pro Tem Thurman Adams ever considered or launched a congressional campaign, because he found a button recently saying “Adams for Congress.”

I think I vaguely recall seeing an Adams for Congress button at one point, on the Internet somewhere. But I told our reader that it was most likely from a Return Day celebration in Georgetown, since candidates and official holders “test the waters,” either seriously or as a joke, in “announcing” campaigns for higher office by having supporters wear buttons during the parade and celebration. For example, in 2008, Carney supporters were wearing buttons saying Carney for Congress. So it could be that Thurman Adams did the same thing, as a joke or seriously.

But I will ask you all, the vast hive mind of Delaware political knowledge: did Thurman Adams ever try to run for Congress?

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Tuesday Open Thread [11.17.15]

Once again, you can always count on the GOP to overreact to the extreme, so much so that their overreaction becomes the story rather than the original concern over national security and terrorism. Their cowardice and bedwetting when it comes to the Syrian refugees is but our latest example. You take an issue where, historically yet bizarrely, Republicans do better than Democrats, and you have a terrorist attack that highlights that issue. And instead of pressing the advantage, Republicans have decided to let their bigotry rule the day, and turn the issue of terrorism and national security into just another immigration issue where one can sound xenophoic as they want. It really is amazing to watch. Seriously, if you are a registered Republican at this very moment, you are a confirmed cowardly bigot. And you have allowed your bigotry to overrule your sense of political strategy.

And given that ISIS wants us to reject the Syrian refugees, you are also a traitor, since you are aiding the enemy.

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