Friday Open Thread [7.1.2016]

Friday Open Thread [7.1.2016]

12 Comments
BuzzFeed: “At Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach resort he runs as a club for paying guests and celebrities, Donald Trump had a telephone console installed in his bedroom that acted like a switchboard, connecting to every phone extension on the estate, according to six former workers. Several of them said he used that console to eavesdrop on calls involving staff.”
Vote in the New Poll

Vote in the New Poll

3 Comments
Our General Assembly was in session until the 5 am hour this morning. The reason for that is that June 30 is the last day of the session and there are some bills that have to pass, like the Bond Bill and the Budget Bill. Which brings to mind, why does the General Assembly wait until the last literal second, and then some few more early July hours, to pass legislation that have six months to pass? Vote in the poll.
Thursday Open Thread [6.30.2016]

Thursday Open Thread [6.30.2016]

9 Comments
Former McCain Campaign Advisor Mark Salter: “He’s an ignoramus whose knowledge of public issues is more superficial than an occasional newspaper reader’s. He casts his intellectual laziness as a choice, a deliberate avoidance of expert views that might contaminate his ill-informed opinions. He excused his failure to consult professionals before commenting on the Brexit vote by dismissing foreign policy advisers in general, including his own… He’s a charlatan, preposterously posing as a business genius while cheating investors, subcontractors, and his own customers. He’s rich because his father left him a great deal of money… He possesses the emotional maturity of a 6-year-old. He can’t let go of any slight, real or imagined.” “Whatever Hillary Clinton’s faults, she’s not ignorant or hateful or a nut. She acts like an adult, and understands the responsibilities of an American president.”
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 30, 2016

Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., June 30, 2016

38 Comments
It looks like the General Assembly has scrounged up enough money for the Bond Bill by finding figurative money under the seat cushions. Complete, of course, with dire warnings from Chamber worry trolls:
"It tells me that they are clearly focused on short-term remedies for something that is a long-term problem," said Robert Perkins, executive director of the Business Roundtable and a former aide to Republican Govs. Pete du Pont and Mike Castle. "This is the equivalent of looking under the cushions of your sofa to find loose change to pay your electric bill."
The Roundtable, which represents various Delaware business owners, released a study late last year that called for legislators to find more stable sources of revenue and stop the continually growing cost of things like education, Medicaid, and employee health care costs. "If people did not recognize last August when we released that study that there was a structural problem then, they must now," Perkins said. "Cobbling together a state budget, which has many, many important programs that must be funded, is not a practice that is sustainable in the long-term."
You remember that 'study', don't you? Paid for by the Business Roundtable to provide pro-business talking points. Cut corporate taxes, do away with the estate tax, raise taxes on seniors.  That's the one.  No mention of raising taxes for Delaware's wealthiest.  And not a peep from the General Assembly this year.
Libertarian Johnson fumbles faith question

Libertarian Johnson fumbles faith question

7 Comments
I'd love to see the libertarians rise up and build something out of the GOP's rubble. Something based on rationality and reason rather than the base superstitions and tribal hate that the Republican's hold dear. I'm not optimistic about it having read Libertarian Presidential candidate, Gary Johnson's response to a softball faith question posed by CNN's Chris Cuomo:

Trolling Republicans this 4th of July

7 Comments
I'll be trolling some Republican family members this weekend. Let me know in the comments if I've forgotten anything.
"I'm glad Bill Clinton talked Donald Trump into getting into the GOP primary. Who could have ever guessed that he'd actually win the nomination? Bill Clinton, I suppose."
"The Benghazi hearing really helped out Clinton this year. Do you think Trey Gowdy was being paid by the Clinton Foundation? It sure seems like it."
"How stupid must Mitch McConnell feel now that Merrick Garland said he would have probably voted to uphold that abortion ban? Pretty stupid I'd imagine."
"Yes, the famous Stonewall Inn was named after Stonewall Jackson. He was gayer than Liberace. Didn't you see Ken Burns' documentary. Jackson was basically "out" for his day."
Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 29, 2016

Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., June 29, 2016

11 Comments
Colin Bonini had company this year. The Annual Operating Budget passed the Senate, but only by a 15-6 vote.  All the nos were from R's with only Cloutier, Lawson and Lopez voting for the budget.  An amendment failed that would have removed a $290,000 to the Center for Energy & Environmental Policy. The center is run by McDowell ally Dr. John Byrne. The amendment predictably failed on a straight party vote, 9 yes, 12 no.  I may have time to slog through the Epilogue Language which, as longtime legislative observers know, is often where special favors for legislators and their pet projects are buried.  However, today is not that day.
Wednesday Open Thread [6.29.2016]

Wednesday Open Thread [6.29.2016]

13 Comments
These polls are utterly disastrous for Trump and his Republican Party. The Wave is here. FLORIDA--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 51, Trump 37 IOWA--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 45, Trump 41 MICHIGAN--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 50, Trump 33 NORTH CAROLINA--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 48, Trump 38 OHIO--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 46, Trump 37 PENNSYLVANIA--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 49, Trump 35 VIRGINIA--PRESIDENT--CNN/ORC--Clinton 45, Trump 38