DL Open Thread: Thursday, March 6, 2025

Why Dems Suck:  Item Infinity Plus One.  Have you ever noticed that, when Dems select someone to respond to a Trump speech, they find someone so inoffensive that nobody could possibly be inspired by what they say?  Enter Sen. Elissa Slotkin:

And to her credit, Slotkin reminded people that Elon Musk is an unaccountable über-bureaucrat leading a “gang of 20-year-olds” who are rummaging through the personal data of millions of Americans. As a senator from a state bordering Canada, she asked if Americans are comfortable kicking our sister nation in the teeth.

So what’s not to like? Slotkin—like so many in her party lately—failed to convey any sense of real urgency or alarm. Her speech could have been given in Trump’s first term, perhaps in 2017 or 2018, but we are no longer in that moment. The president’s address was so extreme, so full of bizarre claims and ideas, exaggerations and distortions and lies, that it should have called his fitness to serve into question. He preened about a Cabinet that includes some of the strangest, and least qualified, members in American history. Although his speech went exceptionally long, he said almost nothing of substance, and the few plans he put forward were mostly applause bait for his Republican sycophants in the room and his base at home.

Slotkin’s best moment was when she pleaded with people to do more than be mere observers of politics, and said that doomscrolling on phones isn’t the same thing as genuine political engagement. And she issued her own Reaganesque call to remember that America is not just “a patch of land between two oceans,” that America is great because of its ideals. But her admonition to her fellow citizens not to fool themselves about the fragility of democracy, while admirable, was strangely detached from a specific attack on the source of that menace.

Did Americans vote for Kash Patel to lead the FBI, or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services, or Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense? Trump took time to recognize and praise all three of those men in his speech. So why not ask that question—directly and without needless throat-clearing about the importance and necessity of change?

The answer is that Schumer and his, wait for it, ilk, want no parts of a progressive with some fire in their belly making that speech.  And, yes, Schumer selected Slotkin to make the speech.  The Corporocrat Party remains the Democratic Party.  It/they suck.

Everybody Wants Federal Workers Except The Feds.  DC.  Maryland.  Virginia.  Pennsylvania.  Delaware has Federal workers.  Isn’t it time we reached out, especially since we have quite a few jobs that have been left unfilled?

Sad.  Not enough Trump-loving DOJ lawyers to defend all the lawsuits:

The Justice Department is pressing its lawyers to take immediate transfers to the division getting deluged defending Trump policies from lawsuits.

DOJ tax and civil rights attorneys are among those receiving messages from their bosses in recent days encouraging them to apply for temporary details to the civil division units responsible for protecting the president’s agenda, according to emails reviewed by Bloomberg Law.

The outreach includes three different tax division leaders amplifying the opportunities in under 24 hours. It reflects a staffing urgency at a time when DOJ attorneys have struggled to justify the legality of Trump’s torrent of executive actions. Judges have disparaged department lawyers attempting to defend the administration’s birthright citizenship order, ban on transgender troops, and empowerment of Elon Musk’s government efficiency team.

The hiring surge, which is also open to external candidates under an exemption to Trump’s government-wide hiring freeze, comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Day One memo threatening to discipline or terminate attorneys who won’t zealously advocate for Trump’s policy desires. She referred to them as the president’s lawyers.

The memo and other Trump DOJ actions eroding career employee job protections have created an environment that’s caused many attorneys inside and outside the department to react with derision to openings for typically highly-coveted legal posts.

Several lawyers, speaking on condition of anonymity to offer candor, said there is no desire to advance arguments supporting what they called illegal White House directives.

Spotlight Delaware Explains Everything You Need To Know about The Power Grid.  A true public service.

Gov. Meyer Proposes Energy Reforms:

The governor on Wednesday outlined several incoming executive actions that focus on Delaware’s energy dilemma.

These actions include demanding an immediate bill rate adjustment for Delmarva Power customers affected by the spike in costs.

During a special Senate session in February, Delmarva Power attributed these increases to the cold winter months. The utility company said temperatures were an average of 10 degrees colder year-over-year in January, leading customers to use more power on heat than they typically do.

Gov. Meyer also committed to appointing a new Delaware Public Advocate, who will “aggressively challenge unfair rate hikes and improve transparency for consumers,” while also reappointing a Public Service Commissioner who will “focus on strengthening oversight and protecting Delaware ratepayers.”

The governor, while committing to working with legislators on consumer relief objectives and protections, also pledged to review and overhaul the Public Service Commission dispute resolution process to “ensure that ratepayers have a transparent, responsive system to challenge unfair charges.”

From WHYY:

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer on Wednesday said he is in search of a new Public Advocate who will take a more aggressive approach when advocating for affordable utility bills on behalf of consumers.

“Just as aggressively as Delmarva Power presents a case for its rates, we have to make sure the Public Advocate and Public Service Commission are protecting ratepayers and trying to get rates as low as possible,” Meyer said. “It appears that’s not happening. There are a number of problems [causing high bills] and we want to get to the heart of the problem and take action.”

What do you want to talk about?