DL Open Thread Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021
The Delaware GOP, like state Republican parties across the land, has turned itself over to the dimmest among them. While Witless Lauren Witzke — motto: “Cracked? Oh, I though you said crack” — pokes the peckerwoods on Twitter, Dave Lawson performs his Louie Gohmert act for the Joint Finance Committee. Given the News Journal’s abdication on covering governments at all levels, WDEL has the story of yesterday’s presentation by AG Kathy Jennings. Lawson apparently made an ass of himself — not hard, he started out most of the way there and he’s working from a beginner-level kit — by trying to grill Jennings on her office’s priorities. First he whined that he wanted her take shootings of police officers as seriously as she takes shootings by police officers — yeah, the office is well-known for letting slide attacks on police — and compounded it by complaining that she has a legislative agenda. Hey, Dumbo Dave — every fucking AG of the past 40 years has gone to Leg Hall with a legislative agenda. This serves as a reminder that the sad part about how dumb Republicans are is that they’re far too dumb to realize how dumb they are.
The fires of hell are a-cracklin’ today, as Rush Limbaugh’s lard-encased ass hit the sixth circle’s Lake of Fire like a fat kid doing a cannonball. Lots of reminders that Limbaugh paved our road to hell, and he didn’t buy the stones from the Good Intentions Concrete Works. As some wag said, I would piss on his grave, but I hate standing in lines.
Most of the Eastern two-thirds of the country has been hit by a nasty snow and ice storm; in Texas, it was a shitstorm. Gov. Greg Abbott first tried to lie about the cause, claiming it was solar and wind power, which in fact performed better than the fossil fuels the state treasures, but lies ain’t gonna turn the power back on. Calls for his resignation are growing. Sen. Ted Cruz gave Texans another reason to want to punch his oh-so-punchable face — he’s coping with the disaster by vacationing in Cancun, showing that he doesn’t even have enough sense to get out of a tourist trap.
While the media trains its clickbait-powered spotlights on Trump and his wannabes, Joe Biden keeps working in the shadows. This story’s headline sums it up: Biden Resumes Adult Conversations with China and Russia, mostly about restraining Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Finally, a little reminder from history that, with only a short break during and after the Depression, the United States government has throughout its history been governed by a moneyed cabal, and that was by design. In 1911, socialist Eugene Debs wrote this essay explaining “Why We Have Outgrown the United States Constitution. It’s exactly the sort of truth serum that burns conservatives like holy water burns the devil.
I think we can add sexist to Lawson’s list of undesirable attributes. He never questioned a male Attorney General for having a legislative agenda. And he should know that the AG’s responsibilities go beyond prosecuting cases and include protecting the general safety of Delawareans.
He certainly never questioned Battle Axe Jane Brady’s agendas, either.
Also, I restored the link to the WDEL story, which I somehow screwed up in posting the thread.
He wasn’t in the Senate during Brady’s reign. Nancy Cook was. Of course, I doubt that Cook challenged Brady’s priorities either. Both were part of the lock-’em-up brigade.
Well, Lawson is (a) an ex-cop; (b) a current or former owner of a gun range; and (c) perhaps the General Assembly’s leading opponent of Sharia Law, which is what he’s most known for.
Come redistricting, he NEEDS to be put in with another Rethug senator. Kent County’s population has been stagnant. Either draw him south into a western SuxCo district, or put him in with Bonini or Wilson.
Depending where he lives, could be tricky to get Lawson into Wilson’s district. Wilson lives in the southern end of his district, I think. Of course anything is possible in redistricting. But drawing him into Bonini’s district should be a no-brainer. While we’re at it, just to cause trouble, the Senate Dems could maybe draw Richardson and Wilson into the same district just to get rid of one of them. Steve Smyck should get drawn into another GOp-held seat too down there and see if new lines could be drawn around Rehoboth and into Lewes to take advantage of the inreased population growth to make a more Dem-friendly seat.
Well, the issue is that Sussex will almost certainly gain population, while Kent’s population is stagnant.
The southern part of NCC has experienced population growth.
So, instead of sending an NCC district southward, you can add one using that population, plus possibly some of Bruce Ennis’ northern territory , and get rid of a Kent County district while honoring Suxco’s increased population.
As to Pete, he has no control over Senate redistricting. That’s one reason why the leadership change in the Senate D Caucus was so important.
I can’t imagine Pete would draw these districts to hurt his cop friends.
I really can’t get over how comfortable the DEGOP is with being a rump (a small or unimportant remnant of something originally larger) regional party of angry dumbasses. No statewide contenders. No bench. No really policy impact (beyond Carney using them as a pretext to water down shit)
It is odd. They simply don’t give a fuck.
No mystery, DEGOP has succeeded in getting Dem leadership to carry Republican water.
That’s true. They lead from the shadows.