DL Open Thread: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Quick Note: No legislative session today due to Juneteenth.
Mic Drop Of The Week:
She had 5 minutes. She used every single second of them perfectly. A must-watch.
More sadness for Elon Musk:
Who does Space X think they are? Boeing?
Why Chris Coons Sucks. This quote speaks for itself, and the lackey who uttered them:
“There is no reason the administration cannot take a few days, if that’s their direction, to consult with Congress, advise us on their plan and the projected costs, risks to American service members, plans for evacuating U.S. citizens and the end goal,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said Wednesday.
Coons said he believes Iran’s nuclear ambitions pose a threat to the U.S. and that he supports Israel’s defense. He said he is considering whether to support Kaine’s resolution.
“Taking us into war in the Middle East or Southwest Asia for the third time in 25 years is a decision of enormous consequence and cost and should not be just sort of casually fallen into after a couple of phone calls,” Coons said.
Chris? The President is a narcissistic sociopath. Should that not enter into your thoughts?
Iran Bombs Israeli Hospital. Uh, that might be regarded as a provocation except, perhaps, to the people of Gaza, who are familiar with the tragedy of having their hospitals bombed:
Israel’s defence minister said on Thursday that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist” after Soroka hospital in southern Israel was hit during an Iranian missile attack, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Israel Katz told journalists in Holon near Tel Aviv:
Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed – he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal,
Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.
How Do We Usher Out Unfit Politicians? Particularly germane question for us in Delaware:
To a degree that seems bizarre to me as an outsider, the American party system, particularly on the Democratic side, defers to incumbents. (Since the 2022 midterm election, eight members of Congress have died in office. All of them were Democrats.) But in Holmes Norton’s case, something unusual has occurred: People close to her have continued to express concern about her ability to serve, and, even more unusually, have done so under their own names.
In fact, even a moment’s deliberation would tell Holmes Norton that her constituents would be best served by her gracious retirement—as would American democracy. People worry about seeming heartless, or disrespectful, when they note the inevitable effect of time on senior politicians, particularly those who were trailblazers in their youth. Sadly though, the decisions of elderly and sick politicians have demonstrable consequences: Last Thursday, Republican cuts to overseas aid and public broadcasters passed in the House by just two votes. Three elderly Democrats have already died in this congressional session. If your favorite NPR show disappears from the airwaves, then go ahead and blame the Republicans. But spare a moment to regret the choices of the late Gerry Connolly of Virginia, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, and Sylvester Turner of Texas.
The entire premise of the Democrats’ election pitch—democracy is on the ballot; this is the most important election of our lifetimes; the United States is at one minute to midnight before an authoritarian takeover—was compromised by the fact that senior Democrats with their own presidential ambitions stayed silent in the belief they could just run in 2028 instead. Their mouths were saying: We’re heading for fascism. But their brains were calculating: I’ll just sit this one out.
How Do We Usher Out ‘Weak And Whiny’ Democratic Party Leaders?
Four-and-a-half months after the Democratic National Committee chair pledged to focus on fighting Donald Trump, Ken Martin’s short tenure leading the organization has been engulfed by bitter infighting. Even longtime party insiders are getting impatient.
Interviews with a dozen DNC members revealed deep frustration with Martin and concern about his ability to unify and lead a party trying to recover from massive electoral losses in 2024.
One DNC member — who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly — described him as looking “weak and whiny,” and another said he has been “invisible” and his “early tenure has been disappointing.”
Two influential labor union heads quit their posts at the DNC after disagreements over the party’s direction. Gun control activist David Hogg was ousted from the DNC’s vice chairman position after he pledged to fund primary challenges against “ineffective” Democrats. Martin has infuriated some Democrats by purging a number of party officials from a powerful panel that has enormous sway over the presidential nominating contest. And Martin complained in a private meeting that intraparty warfare had “destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to.” (Look in the mirror, buddy.)
Delaware Public Media Wraps Up Yesterday’s Legislative Activity So That I don’t Have To.
What do you want to talk about?
MAD works but the first choice is prevention while it is still possible.
I think Israel’s goal here, in addition to removing/delaying Iran’s nuclear weapons, is to destablize Iran’s regime so hopefully a less antagonistic Iran can emerge.
There will be no return to the UN-approved status quo ante where Israel is surrounded by Iranian proxy militias dedicated to Israel’s eradication.
You do know that the US “installed” the current Iranian regime because Iran was getting too progressive/socialist for them, right? Just like we propped up ISIS. Just like Israel propped up Hamas. This is all just another round of the US engaging in destabilization to keep its power which, by the way, is slipping away more and more every day.
The IAEA inspects Iran’s nuclear facilities often. They’ve repeatedly said they don’t have a nuke. Ya wanna know who doesn’t let the IAEA inspect their facilities? Israel, and they do have nukes.
Ya wanna know who else didn’t have nukes? Iraq. We are literally on replay and you’re falling for it.
Get an effing grip, dude.
Watch literally any non-Western media and you won’t make obviously ridiculous comments. Israel has massacred probably 100,000 civilians in less that two years, destroyed all schools and hospitals in Gaza, struck Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen and is the only nation is the region to have nuclear weapons.
How did all those people get locked in Gaza in the first place?
Anyway, keep regurgitating hasbara nonsense. The resistance keeps resisting. Free Palestine.
Anyone who maintains that the first thing Iran would do with a nuke is bomb Israel is, I believe, engaging in projection. All you’re telling me is that if the situations were reversed, that’s what you’d do.
If you say, “No, I wouldn’t,” then you’re telling me that you wouldn’t but they would, meaning you don’t trust them. And that, right there, is why no peace is possible: Both sides have shown they are not trustworthy.
When Israel’s answer to being surrounded by Iranian proxy militias became treating the entire population of Gaza as members of Iranian proxy militias, that’s when Israel lost me.
Chris coons is up in 2026 folks. Just your reminder