The Glacier Speech

4 Comments
DR Tucker at the Washington Monthly thinks the President's speech last week at the GLACIER conference in Alaska will down in the history books.
They should teach this speech in schools. Future generations are going to look back upon the date of August 31, 2015 and thank President Obama for stating, in clear, bold and stark terms, the immorality of carbon pollution and the moral necessity of taking action to defend the only planet we have. His speech to the “Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience” conference in Anchorage, Alaska was a soul-stirring call to action, and a testament to the power of words to awake the international conscience. Excerpts cannot do this speech justice. It must be watched, in full, to appreciate its grace and power.
Building the Party

Building the Party

25 Comments
I am a Democrat. I am a progressive Democrat, but I am a Democrat. And being a Democrat means I care about the Democratic Party. I care about building out the Democratic Party. Electing more and better Democrats across the land. Recruiting more and better candidates. Taking over state legislatures and Governorships. One of the reasons I am very resistant to a Bernie Sanders campaign is that he is not a Democrat. He does not care about the party or party building. In order for Bernie Sanders to win my vote in the primary he would first have to personally register as a Democrat in Vermont. I'm serious. Until he does that, I am not even considering voting for him, no matter how much I might agree with him. One of the negatives of the Obama Presidency has been the massive losses the Democratic Party suffered at the state and local level in 2010 and 2014. It is not necessarily President Obama's fault personally, as the same thing happened to President Clinton. Both Presidents came into office in economic downturn with an ambitious reform agenda and majorities in both Houses of Congress that allowed them to enact much of their plans. Benefits from the reforms do not come immediately (i.e. within 18 months), and thus voters more disposed to support the President are discouraged and stay home in the midterms, while angry conservatives who are eager to vote against the President's party turn out in droves. One of the reasons I am currently leaning towards supporting Hillary is that she and her campaign are attempting to build the party back up again, like Obama did in his first run for the Presidency....
True Size

True Size

1 Comment
When you look at the northern most and southern most parts of your standard Mercator projection map, you see vast landmasses in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Australia and Russia. What if I told you Alaska and its great vast frontier was actually no bigger than Colombia? If you are a visual learner, this is a neat tool. Go play this interactive map and discover the true size of many countries.

Kim Davis Released From Jail

34 Comments
Judge Bunning has released her with this order because her deputies are issuing marriage licenses for the County. The Judge has said through this Order that if Ms. Davis does anything to interfere with her office's issuance of these licenses, her ass shall find itself back in jail. And her deputies are to report to his Chambers every 2 weeks to inform him of the office's continued and uninterrupted issuance of marriages licenses to all citizens, for the foreseeable future.
Tuesday Open Thread [9.8.2015]

Tuesday Open Thread [9.8.2015]

Heather Cox Richardson:
Today’s Republican Party is enslaved to Movement Conservatism, and Trump trumpets the rhetoric of that movement in crude sound bites. Since the 1950s, Movement Conservatives have been determined to roll back the business regulations of the New Deal. But those protections are popular. So to undermine them, Movement Conservatives hammer home the idea that legislation protecting workers, people of color, or women is socialism, a con that sucks money out of the pockets of hard-working whites and siphons it into the pockets of grasping workers, shiftless blacks, or slutty women. [...] Trump’s danger to the Republican Party is not simply that he rips the veneer off the racism, sexism, and religious hypocrisy of Movement Conservatism, exposing its rhetoric about taxes and lazy takers for the elitism it is. Trump also articulates the anger of a generation of voters who see that they have been taken for a ride. Movement Conservatives promised voters who were falling behind in the modern world that if they voted Republican, tax cuts and a smaller government would create a roaring economy and they would prosper.
The Most Important Delaware Race of 2016…

The Most Important Delaware Race of 2016…

26 Comments
...will be the primary for US Congress between State Rep. Bryon Short and State Senator Bryan Townsend. It is a battle of the present (and, one hopes, the past) of the Democratic Party vs. a more progressive future. Make no mistake: Bryon Short is the chosen heir to the mantle of middle-of-the-road mediocrity personified by Tom Carper and John Carney. He, or more likely Ed Freel and his ilk, have chosen ex-Carper staffer Mat Marshall to run his campaign. Carper's 'Brain', Ed Freel, is calling the shots from his UD bunker.  Short, of course, served in Carper's congressional office, and has made no bones about his friendship with Carper and Carney.  You may also recall that Bryon Short bottled up a minimum wage increase in his House committee until the bill was essentially emasculated.  Although strong on social issues, Short's principal legislative focus has been on cutting yet more 'red tape' that, according to the Chamber and its allies, hobble businesses in Delaware. In fact, Short essentially had a committee created just for him with this run in mind: The (get this) House Economic Development/ Banking/Insurance/Commerce Committee, aka The Business Lapdog Committee.
Charter Schools Ruled Unconstitutional In Washington State

Charter Schools Ruled Unconstitutional In Washington State

14 Comments
Wow.
In the ruling, Chief Justice Barbara Madsen wrote that charter schools aren’t “common schools” because they’re governed by appointed rather than elected boards. Therefore, “money that is dedicated to common schools is unconstitutionally diverted to charter schools,” Madsen wrote. Justice Mary E. Fairhurst agreed with the majority that charter schools aren’t common schools, but argued in a partial dissenting opinion that the state “can constitutionally support charter schools through the general fund.”
I always wondered why charters just received tax payer money when they weren't listed on operational referendums.  Consider that districts have to clearly spell out how they will use our money if the referendum passes. Shouldn't the amount being diverted to current (and future) charter schools be listed? Those figures could result in public schools losing operational funds that the public actually, you know, voted on. Our referendum votes include funding these charters.  Shouldn't charters have to tell us how they plan on using our tax dollars?

The Weekly Addresses

The President recognized Labor Day by highlighting the economic progress our country has made, and underlining what needs to be done to continue that growth. Governor Markell emphasis the original intent of Labor Day and statewide efforts to support our workforce.