Elizabeth Warren Calls out Senator for Life, Tom Carper by name (pretty much)

Elizabeth Warren Calls out Senator for Life, Tom Carper by name (pretty much)

During her appearance at the AFL-CIO's Raise the Wages summit on Wednesday, Senator Warren said:
"Pretty much the whole Republican Party – and, if we’re going to be honest, too many Democrats – talked about the evils of 'big government' and called for deregulation," Warren continued. "It sounded good, but it was really about tying the hands of regulators and turning loose big banks and giant international corporations to do whatever they wanted to do—turning them loose to rig the markets and reduce competition, to outsource more jobs, to load up on more risks and hide behind taxpayer guarantees, to sell more mortgages and credit cards that cheated people. In short, to do whatever juiced short term profits even if it came at the expense of working families." But in the end, this whole approach failed, Warren said. "The trickle-down experiment that began in the Reagan years failed America's middle class," Warren said. "Sure, the rich are doing great. Giant corporations are doing great. Lobbyists are doing great. But we need an economy where everyone else who works hard gets a shot at doing great!"
Carper is a supply side/deficit hawk/austerity motherfucker after Grover Norquists own heart. I think we can all agree that when Warren says that too many Democrats have fallen for the GOP's 1%er oriented economic solutions, she is talking about Tom Carper.
Wednesday Open Thread [1.7.2015]

Wednesday Open Thread [1.7.2015]

An insane Maryland Republican officeholder, Kirby Delauter, threatened to sue his local newspaper for printing his name without his express permission. No, he did not threaten to sue the paper for a false or defamatory report. He threatened them because they printed his name, presumably because he took some action in his official capacity as a County Councilman and such an action constituted news fit to print in a local newspaper. But according to this Republican tyrant, that news cannot be reported unless he gives his permission, or it can be, but his name cannot be used. Needless to say, the local newspaper out in Frederick County gave the very appropriate response to such an evil fascist threat, in the form of an editorial. And make sure you take note of the first letter of each paragraph.
FEC Files Complaint against Christine O’Donnell

FEC Files Complaint against Christine O’Donnell

Like Sarah Palin, every once and a while Christine O'Donnell pops up to remind us all that laughably they were once a candidate for high office. Yesterday, the FEC filed a complaint against Christine O'Donnell, her PAC and her treasurer, Matthew Moran, alleging that the aforementioned converted at least $20,000 of donations to her PAC to her own personal use. I am reading the complaint now to see if there are any new revelations inside, and I will update if there are. See the complaint inside ....
Tuesday Open Thread [1.5.15]

Tuesday Open Thread [1.5.15]

Wall Street Journal: “Six is the number of Democratic senators that Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s new Republican Majority Leader, will have to woo over to his side to reach the 60 votes needed to break filibusters. Republicans have 54 seats and therefore a majority in the new Senate, which is nice for them. But it doesn’t guarantee much of anything, because most items of importance can be filibustered to death, and breaking a filibuster requires a super-majority of 60 votes.” Tom Carper will always be available for anything that Mitch McConnell asks for, because BIPARTISANSHIP!, so really, the GOP has 55 Senators. Joe Manchin will likely join a lot too, so 56. I imagine Joe Donnelly of Indiana is reachable too. 57. On certain issues, given her red state-ness, Heidi Hietkamp of North Dakota is gettable. 58. But really, that's it. All the traitorous red-state moderate Dems either got beat or retired last year. But there is always Tom Carper. BIPARTISANSHIP!!!!
Kavips is Right. This was a Big Mistake.

Kavips is Right. This was a Big Mistake.

If you wanted to keep State Rep. John Kowalko relatively silenced, or too busy chairing a committee and involved in the minute details of legislation to be a bother or a distraction, then you keep him on as many committees as you can.
McKenna Gets Appointed, not Elected.

McKenna Gets Appointed, not Elected.

Governor Markell appointed incumbent Kent County Recorder of Deeds Betty Lou McKenna to the Recorder of Deeds post, as is his right under Delaware election law when a race is certified as a tie. It seems to me that this Delaware law is wrong, for the Governor can simply do what he did, appoint one of the candidates that did not win, and that doesn't seem right to me. Of course, it does not seem right to me that we elect a Recorder of Deeds in the first place. And if there was a Republican Governor right now..... I'll wait until you stop laughing..... he or she would definitely have no regrets in appointing La Mar Gunn to the post. Still, up until Pete Schwartzkopf became Speaker, we Democrats used to care about fairness and transparency, and not just power for power's sake.
The Delaware Way

The Delaware Way

Well, if you are an activist, it means you are of no value to our government. It means you cannot be in government. It means you cannot be a legislator. That was the reasoning given to Representative John Kowalko for his removal from the House Education Committee by Speaker John Kowalko, according to Mr. Kowalko. You can believe that or not, but I do, because it fits the pattern of the Delaware Way, and of Mr. Schwartzkopf, and of Governor Markell. Those words are as much a declaration of war against you, me, and all Progressives, all activists, from the corporate establishment that I have ever heard. Only corporate whores who fellate regularly can serve.
Politics is Petty

Politics is Petty

Nancy Willing at Delaware Way has been all over this and I'm sure El Som will be into the nitty gritty of how and why Kowalko was bounced from the Chairmanship of Energy and from the Education Committee. All I can really add is that Jack Markell seems to really hate John Kowalko on a personal level. I had heard stories from early in Jack's tenure and I chalked it up to hyperbole, but it gets hard to ignore stories when confirming evidence starts to pile up.