Author Archives: Delaware Dem

Disparity Between Drug Sentences Reduced

For decades, it was a sign of unfairness at best, or racism at worst. Under a 1986 law, a person convicted of possessing five grams of crack cocaine got the same mandatory prison sentence as someone with 500 grams of powder cocaine, 100 times more. And of course, those using powder cocaine in the mid to late 1980’s were often rich and/or white, and those using crack cocaine in the mid to late 1980’s were often poor and/or black.

Yesterday, President Obama signed legislation that reduces that ratio to about 18-1 from 100 to 1. So the law is a little more fair.

In some areas of criminal justice system, Obama disappoints, having what appears to be the same position as President Bush when it comes to warrantless searches and seizures being used in the conduct of fighting terrorism. But in the mandatory minimums and sentence disparity, Obama meets my expectations, and even surprises. This is one of those times.

Republicans Should Read Mayor Bloomberg’s Speech.

And supposed liberals or Hillary Clinton Democrats like Dominique should read it too, if of course it is not too long for them, but it is, so Dominique, feel free to wallow in your own crapulence while the rest of us learn something. Here is an important, but long, excerpt:

“In the mid-1650s, the small Jewish community living in lower Manhattan petitioned Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant for the right to build a synagogue, and they were turned down. In 1657, when Stuyvesant also prohibited Quakers from holding meetings, a group of non-Quakers in Queens signed the Flushing Remonstrance, a petition in defense of the right of Quakers and others to freely practice their religion. It was perhaps the first formal political petition for religious freedom in the American colonies, and the organizer was thrown in jail and then banished from New Amsterdam.

“In the 1700s, even as religious freedom took hold in America, Catholics in New York were effectively prohibited from practicing their religion, and priests could be arrested. Largely as a result, the first Catholic parish in New York City was not established until the 1780s, St. Peter’s on Barclay Street, which still stands just one block north of the World Trade Center site, and one block south of the proposed mosque and community center.

“This morning, the city’s Landmark Preservation Commission unanimously voted to extend—not to extend—landmark status to the building on Park Place where the mosque and community center are planned. The decision was based solely on the fact that there was little architectural significance to the building. But with or without landmark designation, there is nothing in the law that would prevent the owners from opening a mosque within the existing building.

“The simple fact is, this building is private property, and the owners have a right to use the building as a house of worship, and the government has no right whatsoever to deny that right. And if it were tried, the courts would almost certainly strike it down as a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

“Whatever you may think of the proposed mosque and community center, lost in the heat of the debate has been a basic question: Should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property based on their particular religion? That may happen in other countries, but we should never allow it to happen here.

“This nation was founded on the principle that the government must never choose between religions or favor one over another. The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan.

And more:

“The attack was an act of war, and our first responders defended not only our city, but our country and our constitution. We do not honor their lives by denying the very constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights and the freedoms that the terrorists attacked.

“Of course, it is fair to ask the organizers of the mosque to show some special sensitivity to the situation, and in fact their plan envisions reaching beyond their walls and building an interfaith community. But doing so, it is my hope that the mosque will help to bring our city even closer together, and help repudiate the false and repugnant idea that the attacks of 9/11 were in any ways consistent with Islam.

“Muslims are as much a part of our city and our country as the people of any faith. And they are as welcome to worship in lower Manhattan as any other group. In fact, they have been worshipping at the site for better, the better part of a year, as is their right. The local community board in lower Manhattan voted overwhelmingly to support the proposal. And if it moves forward, I expect the community center and mosque will add to the life and vitality of the neighborhood and the entire city.

“Political controversies come and go, but our values and our traditions endure, and there is no neighborhood in this city that is off-limits to God’s love and mercy, as the religious leaders here with us can attest.”

Constitutional Conservatives

The Republican Party now wants to officially investigate repealing the 14th Amendment through Congressional Hearing. Before we actually get to what is in the 14th Amendment, it is important to realize what this means. Sarah Palin and every other Republican candidate seeking the Teabagger (i.e. the Republican base) vote have declared themselves to be “constitutional conservatives.” Indeed, the opposition to health care reform was based, disingeniously but all the same, on it being unconstitutional. Therefore, I am to assume that conservatives across the land in opposition to Obama want to protect and enforce the prohibitions and protections embodied in the Constitution.

But that that shtick cannot overpower their bigotry. And when the Constitution gets in the way of their bigotry, the Constitution gets thrown overboard, as it has been many times before whenever it got in the way of “conservative” ideology. So we can now stop pretending that conservatives care about the Constitution. To them, it is nothing more than a campaign prop to be put in the closet when it becomes inconvenient.

Back to the text of the 14th Amendment. Pay attention Tea Baggers, because I know for a fact that this will be the first time in life that you have ever read the 14th Amendment.

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The first section is the most important to the current debate. The remaining sections had to do with cleaning up the old traitorous bastard Confederacy, such as forbidding former Confederates from serving in any level of government, reducing the representation of a State in Congress should it deny the right to vote to any man 21 years or older (this was to punish the denial of the vote to black men (don’t worry women, your rights come later in the 19th Amendment, but I am sure the GOP will want to repeal that too)), and to disclaim liability for the debt of the old treasonous Confederacy. They are no longer germane to our current politics, unless of course the Teabaggers rise in violent rebellion and then are slaughtered by the United States (as they would be, as our Army is much much bigger than the Teabaggers), then the other sections become relevant again, as the surviving Teabaggers would then be forbidden by the Constitution to hold any government office anywhere in the United States. Ah, it almost makes you wish for a rebellion, doesn’t it. I digress.

Let’s go back to that troubling (to conservatives) first section. It is comprised of several important clauses that establish our very basic rights as citizens of this country. Because, before the the ratification of the 14th Amendment, the rights we are so accustomed to from the Bill of Rights (i.e. the religious freedom, free speech, free association, the right to be protected from warrantless searches and seizures, the right against excessive bail, the right to a fair and public trial, the right to bear arms, the right against cruel and unusual punishment, the right to counsel, the right against self incrimination) were not binding on the states. Meaning the state could freely abuse your federal citizenship rights if it was allowed under the state constitution. What the 14th Amendment did is make the Bill of Rights and all constitutional rights and privileges binding on the states (with a minor exception of the right to be indicted by a grand jury). So when the first clause of the second sentence of Section 1 says ” No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States,” it says that the states cannot fuck with your rights under the Constitution.

The second and third clauses of the second sentence of Section 1 provide the Equal Protection and Due Process clause. “Nor shall any state deprive any person [notice that they do not say citizen here, that is important] of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” I will get to why the reference to “person” and not “citizen” is important in a moment. But first, the Due Process Clause prohibits state and local governments from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without certain steps being taken, like having a notice of eminent domain and a hearing after a reasonable time to determine whether the government can seize your property. This is the clause that has been used to make the Bill of Rights applicable to the states, which I have talked about above. The Equal Protection Clause requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people within its jurisdiction. This clause provides the basis for ending government discrimination and it was used to decide Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision which precipitated the dismantling of racial segregation in the United States.

So when the conservatives in our country talk about repealing the 14th Amendment, this is what they will be repealing. And I suspect many conservatives are just fine with that. Rights of the people have never really been a main concern to the modern day conservative. Sure, they love their 2nd Amendment rights, but the 4th and 8th Amendments mean nothing to them. And really, neither does the 1st, but I will get to that in a second too.

But to be fair, what conservatives are really talking about when they scream “Repeal the 14th” is the first sentence of Section 1. That sentence says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The meaning is quite clear. You become a citizen of this country if you are born here or if you become naturalized (i.e. a legal immigrant that goes through the naturalization process to become a citizen). This clause was historically important in Constitutional history, as it explicitly overturned the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision of 1857, a case that conservatives use as a dog whistle code word, most memorably George W. Bush in the 2000 debates, concerning abortion. That decision had ruled that blacks could not be citizens of the United States. How that relates to abortion I cannot fathom, but anti-choicers love to equate abortion and slavery. But that is another whole can of worms. Needless to say, the first sentence of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment overturned Dredd Scott, and held that any person born here in this country is a citizen.

That constitutional provision now gets in the way in the immigration debate. For years, some have said that “anchor babies” should not be granted citizenship just because they are born here. Well, the problem with that was that the revered Constitution grants them citizenship. This is not an issue of an interpretation of the words. For example, in the second sentence where the reference is to “persons” and not citizen, there is a constant debate, and a rightful one, as to what the framers of this Amendment meant. What is a person? Well, the Supreme Court has held that a person can mean more than just a citizen. It means any human being, whether citizen or noncitizen. That is why we liberals get so upset about torture of a citizen or noncitizen, because it is unconstitutional. A person also means a corporation, which is why corporations get to donate money to political causes and why they get to be taxed. (As an aside, this is not a reference to the recent Citizens United opinion by the Supreme Court that held that corporations had an unlimited right to donate unlimited amounts of money to political candidates and causes, in opposition to the Court-upheld limitations on actual human citizens, who are limited by an Court-upheld statute to certain limits (currently $2500 per candidate per race)). No, the words of the first sentence are not open to interpretation. A person who is born here is a Citizen. Case closed.

So before we proceed with this debate, it is a undisputed fact that those who want to change the Constitution to better fit their beliefs are not “constitutional” conservatives anymore. And when you advocate and defend torture, you are not a constitutional conservative. And when you say that Muslims, if they want to remain citizens, should be forced to convert to Christianity, in clear violation of the First Amendment free exercise of religion clause, you are not a constitutional conservative. And when you say that a Mosque should not be built in New York City, in violation of not only the First Amendment free exercise of religion clause but also the First Amendment right against the establishment of religion clause, you are not a constitutional conservative. And when you say that there should be warrantless searches because, hey, you have nothing to hide, in violation of the Fourth Amendment protection against warrantless searches, you are not a constitutional conservative. And when you say someone should be executed without the bother of a trial, as a Republican just did, you are not a constitutional conservative. And when you deny the right of marriage (a fundamental right recognized as part of our right to privacy) to any person, you are not a constitutional conservative. And I could go on and on and on and on.

You are anti-constitutional conservatives. Or unconstitutional conservatives. Which ever works for you. Got that?

Good.

Now lets move on to the substance of this “Repeal the 14th” movement. So you want to scratch out that first sentence to appease your bigotry against brown people. What are you going to replace it with?

“All persons born to citizens or naturalized in the United States?” Well, I can see one problem with that right off the bat. What happens when a couple legally immigrates to this country, but before they are naturalized as citizens themselves, they have a baby? Under that language the baby can never be a citizen until he or she goes through the naturalization process him or herself 18 years or more later. I can tell you right now that this will be seen as an unconstitutional restriction on the fundamental right to privacy, in that it places an undue burden on reproduction or procreation. And surely conservatives will not want to be seen as anti-family. But then again, they are happy to be seen as anti-immigrant (legal or otherwise), so who knows.

While we are at it, can we strike redheads from being citizens? How about short people? How about people who disagree with our political views? How about a racial minority? Indeed, since this very important first sentence overturned Dredd Scott, repealing the Amendment to strike this first sentence automatically means Dredd Scott is now good law, which of course means that blacks are no longer citizens of the United States.

This debate over who is a citizen is absurd. Indeed, for certain conservatives, it is contradictory, for they were all hot and bothered just a short while ago about President Obama being BORN IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!! And now, all of a sudden, being born in this country is of no importance?

This debate is a distraction. And it is borne (pun intended) from the bigotry of conservatives.

Markell Gets Out His Veto Stamp

Governor Markell makes some news today in vetoing two bills. The first bill called for mandatory fines be imposed against uninsured drivers should they be cited for driving insured. Markell said he believes this infringes on a judge’s discretion in punishing first offenders. I must say that I agree here. The more we as a state and as a society get away from mandatory sentences and mandatory minimums, the better positioned our judges and justices will be in dispensing actual justice.

The second bill would have changed the the two-tiered structure for the licensing and certification of massage professionals. The bill would have eliminated the ability for a person to become a certified massage technician after 300 hours of training, and instead would have required all massage professionals to train for 500 hours and become licensed therapists. Markell said he thinks this eliminates a lower priced option for consumers, forcing all consumers to purchase services from a fully licensed therapist rather than a certified massage technician. I personally don’t care about the licensing structure for massage therapists, but the Governors’ reasoning seems logical.

No Taking Sides Here, Angel

Sussex County Angel, who writes both at her own blog and at the increasingly irrelevant (now that Delaware Tomorrow is here) Delaware Politics, has issued her opinion on the whole Bodie Brother Battle. Angel reviews the situation and the various reactions to Paul Bodenweiser’s screed against his candidate brother.

David Anderson is not taking sides in the 19th Senate race, but “wouldn’t encourage anyone to vote against Mr. Bodenweiser based upon this” and would also encourage people not to blame Joe Booth.

Delaware Liberal seems to have no issue taking sides calling Eric names which will not be repeated on this site, but may be read [there].

Well, that is incorrect. Delaware Liberal has not taken sides between Joe Booth and Eric Bodenweiser, or between Paul Bodenweiser and Eric Bodenweiser. If we have taken sides, it is against all of you crazy conservatives, for you are all horrible for this country, and the only difference between you is the varying degrees of darkness you would plunge this state and nation into. As for calling poor little Eric names, these are the following adjectives and nouns I used to describe and refer to Eric Bodenweiser:

“particularly odious tea bagger”
“tea bagger”
“crazy and deranged but not really dangerous unless [he] gets power”
“member of the radical religious right”

Aside from the fact that these are factually accurate descriptions, if this is name calling than Angel and her colleagues engage in name calling whenever they put finger to keyboard and thus would have to be considered hypocrites. So to be clear, Delaware Liberal is not taking sides in the 19th SD race. For we believe Joe Booth and Eric Bodenweiser are equally horrible for the State of Delaware.

The DE Senate [2010]

We reviewed the state of the House races, and we found, or well, I predicted, that after all is said and done, the House will remain exactly the same. What about the Senate? The Democrats have a 15 to 6 majority. Republicans would have to net five seats to gain a majority. There are 11 seats up for election this year. Democrats are defending 8 of the 11 seats. The three Republicans running are Dori Connor, Joe Booth, and Cathy Cloutier. Thus, as you can see, the Democratic opportunity to expand their majority is quite limited, with our only real shot being defeating Cathy Cloutier, after long last.

The GOP is not challenging McDowell, Bunting and McBride, and we Democrats are giving Dori Connor a pass yet again and we have not yet found a candidate to challenge Joe Booth (or God forbid, Eric Bodenweiser) in the 19th. Yes, Joe Booth has a primary against a Tea Bagger. I won’t predict that race because God knows I have no idea how Rethugs think. But it is a big (and probably final) test of Tea Bag Power in the state of Delaware. I say ‘final’ because if the Tea Baggers don’t win in 2010 (either in the 19th or elsewhere), they will be crushed and will then resort to the violence they so desperately crave, and then the fun begins.

George Bunting is also not being challenged by the Republicans, yet, but he is being challenged by a Democrat, Perry Mitchell. I will defer to others downstate to see if this primary challenge is just a token one. The remaining Senators have all avoided a primary election, and the general election matchups are set.

THE SENATE

WEEKLY RANKINGS

  SAFE D LEAN D TOSS UP LEAN R SAFE R
McDowell (1) Blevins (7) Cloutier (5) Connor (12)
Bunting (20) Sokola (8) Booth (19)
McBride (13) Cook (15)
Peterson (9)
Ennis (14)

As you can see, it is impossible for the GOP to win back the Senate. They need to pick up 5 seats, and the only toss up race I foresee is one they will be defending, Cathy Cloutier in the 5th. They may be able to make the 7th, 8th, and 15th Senate Districts competitive (where I have categorized the races as “Lean Democratic”). But to win the Senate, they would not only have to win those three districts, but also pull shocking and miraculous victories over Karen Peterson and Bruce Ennis to get to a pick-up of five seats they would need to capture the majority, all the while holding onto to the competitive 5th Senate District. I simply do not see it happening. I think it is possible, perhaps likely, that the Republicans will knock off one of the three “Lean D” districts, with Patty Blevins being the most obvious choice since Fred Cullis decided to withdraw from his quixotic race for the US Congress to focus his energies on Patty. Or it could be longtime incumbent Nancy Cook in Kent County. But that pickup will be offset from what I see as the long awaited defeat of Cathy Cloutier in the 5th.

So, if I were a betting man, I would once again, predict that the Senate, like the House, will remain exactly the same, with there being 15 Democrats and 6 Republicans.

(5) CATHY CLOUTIERToss-up. The Beast who Slumbers has written extensively about Cathy Cloutier and her status as the most endangered Republican in the Senate. He has also met with her opponent this time around, Christopher Counihan. You can read his post resulting from that interview here. Here is an excerpt:

I met with Counihan last week at Brew Ha Ha, and came away with the distinct sense that the race is now his to lose. Counihan has […] been working on the campaign for several months, has put together a very strong campaign team and, most importantly of all, will make a very positive impression with voters. […] He has a PhD. and teaches international relations at the University of Delaware. In addition to his business background, outlined at his website, he has also taught at St. Joe’s, Immaculata College, and West Chester University. He will be in a position to wage an aggressive door-to-door campaign, and says that he loves to do so. […] He is very involved with the Claymont Community Center and the Claymont Renaissance, and is working on a very exciting project that could prove to be invaluable to Claymont’s economic recovery.

The key question in this race is who will get the support of organized labor? In 2006, Cloutier begged them to support her again, and they did, and she barely slipped past an unknown candidate in Pat Morrison. Will Labor do that again? If they support Counihan, he wins going away. If they support the Republican Cloutier, it is quite possible Cloutier will squeeze by yet again, but it is just as possible that Counihan will win without their help, and then he owes them nothing.

(7) PATTY BLEVINSLean Democratic. Fred Cullis is the Majority Leader’s opponent this time around. She won with 73% in 2006. Fred Cullis might want to consider changing his website domain name, as it still says Cullis for Delaware, a remnant from his Congressional race. But I guess Cullis for the Seventh doesn’t sound as good. Cullis’ name recognition is probably higher than most of Blevins’ past opponents, but does that translate into making this race competitive? And do our progressive frustrations with Blevins equate to her constituents’ frustration with her, and is Cullis an acceptable replacement for her in their eyes? Those unanswered questions are why I classify this as a Lean Democratic race.

(8) DAVID SOKOLALean Democratic. I classify this as a Lean Democratic race only because Sokola won in 2006 with “only” 57% of the vote. For a Senator who has been in office since 1990, that seems low to me, but then again, that was a vast improvement over the 51% he received in 2002. So I may be just talking out of my ass, but I just feel like this race might be competitive. I cannot tell if his challenger, Republican Louis Saindon, is a credible candidate who can make this race competitive. Bulo calls Saindon “one of those cookie cutters from another Rethug front organization–Leadership Delaware.”

(9) KAREN PETERSONSafe Democratic. The Progressive champion, who was unopposed in 2006, is being challenged by Robert S. Johnston, who resigned his position as President of the Exton, PA Chamber of Commerce to take on this race. Johnston does live in Newark, he just works in Pennsylvania, which is fine since I do too. Here is an interesting tidbit: Johnston’s wife, Karen, is a Democrat. I wonder who she will be voting for. LOL.

(14) BRUCE ENNISSafe Democratic. Ennis seems well suited for his district, but this will be his first race for reelection. His opponent, John Moritz, is a Townsend resident and the President of Delta Engineering Corp., an aeronautical engineering firm.

(15) NANCY COOKLean Democratic. I classify this as a Lean Democratic district due to the conservative nature of the district, Cook’s longevity in the seat (i.e. voters may be looking for a change), and this being a Republican year. If the GOP had a credible challenger, this would probably be a competitive toss up race. Is Republican David Lawson a credible challenger? He is a retired Delaware State Police lieutenant and current owner of the “Shooter’s Choice” gun store in Dover. He is a certified firearms instructor, teaching the course that applicants for a concealed-carry permit must pass.

The DE House [2010]

The filing deadline has come and gone, and while the state parties can still nominate a candidate for the so far uncontested races until September 1, let’s handicap the contested ones now to see where the parties stand. Right now, the Democrats have a 24-17 majority. The GOP would need to win 4 seats to gain back the majority. However, the GOP’s hopes are so far hampered by four retirements of Carey, Oberle, Cathcart and Thornburg, three of which (Cathcart, Oberle and Thornburg) are in competitive districts where the incumbent Republican barely won in 2008.

The Democrats are not challenging Lavelle, Hudson, Ramone, Outten, Hocker, Short, or Lee, and the GOP is giving a pass to Williams, Marshall, Mitchell, Johnson, Mulrooney, and Gilligan.
They are undoubtedly safe for reelection, for you can’t beat somebody with nobody. The parties have until September 1 to nominate someone, anyone to contest these races.

THE HOUSE

WEEKLY RANKINGS

  SAFE D LEAN D TOSS UP LEAN R SAFE R
Plant (2) Short (7) Kovach (6) Miro (22) Lavelle (11)
Williams (1) Johnson (8) Williams (10) Open (29) Hudson (12)
Keeley (3) Open (9) Barbieri (18) Wilson (35) Lee (40)
Brady (4) Open (24) Briggs King (37) Short (39)
Marshall (5) Jaques (27) Hocker (38)
Mitchell (13) Scott (31) Outten (3)
Gilligan (19) Bennett (32) Ramone (21)
Mulrooney (17) Walls (33) Manolakos (20)
Johnson (16) Open (36) Blakey (34)
Schwartzkopf (14)
Longhurst (15)
Schooley (23)
Kowalko (25)
Viola (26)
Carson (28)
Atkins (41)

As you can see, the Democrats have 16 safe seats, and are damn close to a majority with those safe seats. Add in the lean districts, and you have 18. The Democrats would have to win just three more seats out of the nine toss ups to keep their majority. Thus, you can see how the Republican’s challenge is so daunting, even before Cathcart, Carey, Thornburg and Oberle called it quits. If I were a betting man, I would predict that the GOP will pick up the 10th and the 18th, defeating Dennis E. Williams and Mike Barbieri, respectively. But those two pickups will be offset by the Democratic pickups of Cathcart’s former seat in District 9, and Oberle’s former seat in the 24th. I think Kovach will hold on in the 6th, and Jacques or Maravelias will retain the 27th. The Republicans will win the open seat in the 29th, which is a retention for them and not a pickup. I expect one of the Kent County Three (Walls, Scott, Bennett) to fall, so that will be a Republican pickup. But that will be offset by Russ McCabe winning the open seat in the 36th.

So after all of this, as it stands now, I predict the House will stay exactly the same, 24 Democrats and 17 Republicans.

(2) HAZEL PLANTSafe Democratic. The Republicans have not fielded a candidate. But this is a contested election as Rep. Plant has not one but two primary opponents. Wilmington City Council President Pro Tempore Stephanie Bolden and Darius Brown. The circumstances of Bolden’s entrance in the race are interesting, to say the least. She says she entered the race to prevent Hazel’s son from filing for the seat at the last second without any party opposition, which was probably the plan, given Hazel’s recent health issues. But now that Mickey Plant is not running, the question is will Bolden stay in? Well, she is still in. As for Darius Brown, he is a former staffer to Sen. Ted Kaufman.

(3) HELENE KEELEYSafe Democratic. As in the 2nd, the GOP is not fielding a candidate yet, but bail bondsman Bob Bovell is again challenging Keeley. He lost in 2006, so I am not sure how much of a challenge he will put up this time. Bulo’s take: She still has a bit of the ‘deer in the headlights’ to her, but she is sincere, well-liked by both constituents and the House staff, and she does work real hard for her constituents.

(4) GERALD BRADYSafe Democratic. Brady faces young Republican corporate lawyer Rick Carroll. Carroll faces a daunting demographic challenge, as the number of Democrats in the district has doubled since 2005. Bulo’s take: Brady is electorally popular. He has an idiot savant-like knowledge about virtually every family’s genealogy in the city. He can’t remember what he said two minutes ago, but he can expound on generations of different families’ histories. He also works the senior high rises to perfection, and has mastered the art of harmlessly flirting with the little old ladies. Two years ago, he demolished blog fave Tyler Nixon, garnering 73.4% of the vote. Look for more of the same this time.

(6) TOM KOVACHTossup. Kovach won a low turnout December 2008 special election, when Democrats were hungover from a landslide victory at all levels of government the prior month. The Republican Kovach slipped by Democrat Mike Migliore with 51%, or by 73 votes. Now he faces Brandywine School Board President Debra Heffernan. This will be a very competitive race as the 6th District is a strong Democratic district, in which 46% of the voters are Democrats, while only 29% are Republicans.

(7) BRYON SHORTLean Democratic. Short won reelection with 59% of the vote in 2008. Now he faces Republican Judith Travis, who garnered recognition for her Stockings for Soldiers campaign. Travis seems to be the right kind of candidate to give Short a competitive race, but with the district trending Democratic, I consider it a lean D district for now. But we should keep a watch on this one.

(8) QUINTON JOHNSONLean Democratic. While Johnson won in this heavily Democratic district in 2008 with 57%, he is still a first termer, so until he until he gets a few more victories under his belt, I cannot consider him safe. Johnson faces a primary challenge from Valerie Jones Rabb. There is an interesting backstory there, as Jones-Rabb ran against Johnson’s wife, Julie Johnson, for a seat on the Appoquinimink School Board back in May and lost. Is revenge a motivation here? Who knows, but Jones-Rabb does not pose much of a threat to Johnson. After the primary, Johnson will face Kate Rokosz, an unknown it would appear. So the only way this race becomes a toss up is if Johnson loses the primary to Valerie Jones-Rabb.

(9) OPENLean Democratic. This must have been a kick in the gut for the Republicans. All the party faithful are all hyped up about taking back the House after two years in the minority, and then their leader, Dick Cathcart, ups and quits on them. Hahahaha. As I said above, the GOP has to gain four seats for the majority, and they cannot afford to defend competitive open seats where they would not be the favorite but for the incumbent being a Republican. That is what we have here. This district has been trending Democratic over the last two election cycles. Rebecca Walker is back again after losing to Cathcart in 2008 and 2006. This time she faces Richard Griffiths. Whomever wins is the favorite in the fall against the Republican. The current registration is: 8548 D’s; 6515 R’s; and 4714 I’s. Obama trounced McCain in District 9, 8377-5833. On the GOP side, Cathcart has endorsed John Marino, a state police officer. Anthony Mirto, a small businessman, baseball coach, veteran and all around family man, is also running. I would expect Marino to have the edge due to the endorsement.

(10) DENNIS E. WILLIAMSTossup. The other Dennis Williams barely won with 50.4% over longtime Representative Bob Valihura in 2008, helped no doubt by the presence of President Obama on the ballot. In 2010, this “Naamans Road District” is the Republicans’ best pickup opportunity this fall. While Valihura is not running again, Robert Rhodunda, an Administration Manager of the Actuarial Department of the American Life Insurance Company and a former Treasurer of the Council of Civic Organizations of Brandywine Hundred. So Rhodunda appears to have a good resume for a candidate in the Brandywine Hundred (hey, if it worked for Lavelle). Williams does have token primary opposition from a guy named Kenneth Dargis.

(14) PETER SCHWARTZKOPFSafe Democratic. The Majority Leader faces Teabagger candidate Christopher Weeks, a Eric Bodenweiser disciple and stalking horse. My sources say that Weeks and Eric Bodenweiser teamed up to launch the anti-Schwartzkopf website http://onlywhenpigsfly.org/, although Bodenweiser has denied it, and Weeks had no comment. Normally, I would say in a Republican year any Democrat in Sussex County would be in trouble, but Schwartzkopf represents a district probably has all the Democrats in Sussex County in it. I will defer to my Sussex County brethren, but I see no signs that Weeks is a threat to Pete.

(15) VALERIE LONGHURSTSafe Democratic. Longhurst was unopposed in 2008, but this time she is challenged by Republican James Van Houten, a retired career Army veteran who also worked for the Department of Veteran Affairs.

(18) MICHAEL BARBIERITossup. Barbieri defeated Republican Speaker Terry Spence on his second attempt in 2008, and the defeated Speaker is back for revenge. Registration wise, this district is 53% Democratic, so Barbieri should have the edge, but the question is how much he helped by the Obama turnout in 2008. I say a lot, and thus this district is competitive and a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP. In fact, it is a must win for them if they are to take back the House.

(20) NICK MANOLAKOSSafe Republican. Manolakos was unopposed last time (and yes, the Blue Enigma Party doesn’t count). This time he faces Democrat Francis Swift, Jr., but Manolakos is safe.

(22) JOSEPH MIRO Miro won reelection with 66% of the vote in 2008. This year, he is challenged by David Ellis. I rank this race as a Lean Republican because I am intrigued by and impressed with Ellis, whose campaign is off to a great start. Miro has the advantage now, but I am keeping an eye on this race as a sleeper.

(23) TERRY SCHOOLEYSafe Democratic. Schooley won with 75% last time. Her opponent this time is Bill Stritzinger, a developer who tried to turn the Newark Country Club into a high-density project. A metaphor for his campaign: he has a website, but it is not working.

(24) OPEN Toss-up. When Oberle retired, this became a rare pick up opportunity for the Democrats in a Republican year. This district is much like the 18th in party registration, with the Democrats having a 2 to 1 advantage over Republicans and Independents. On the Democratic side, we have a very impressive candidate in Kay Wilde Gallogly. She is opposed by a DeLuca protégé, Ed Osienski, who has donated to Bill Oberle in the past. The winner faces off against special education teacher Abraham Jones in the general election.

(25) JOHN KOWALKO Safe Democratic. Progressive Champion John Kowalko won reelection with 73% of the vote in 2008. He is challenged this time by Gordon Winegar III. Who?

(26) JOHN VIOLASafe Democratic. Viola won with 80% of the vote last time. This time he is opposed by Hans-Erik Janco. Again, who?

(27) EARL JAQUESTossup. Jaques lost to Lofink by 60 votes in 2006, and then beat him by 46 votes in 2008. Lofink has decided against a third rematch. But Jaques is getting a McGlinchey engineered labor challenge as revenge for knocking off Lofink. James Maravelias, the Business Agent of Laborers’ Local 199, is running against Jaques for really no good policy reason, as Jaques has been a reliable Democratic vote this session. The winner faces off against Republican Jay Galloway. The way I read this race, if Maravelias wins the primary, he is a stone cold lock in the general. If Jaques wins, I would expect McGlinchey and his labor minions to support Galloway, making the race a toss up.

(28) BILL CARSONSafe Democratic. Carson was unopposed last time, but this year he gets a Republican challenger named Karen Minner, a volunteer coordinator at the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill. I think it will be a long time before anyone named Minner wins anything in this state again.

(29) OPENLean Republican. Thornburg is retiring. She says it is because she is to be the Administrator of the Delaware Farm Bureau. I think it is because she barely won reelection with 50.2% of the vote, after a recount of absentee ballots gave her the victory. The district demographics favor the Democrats, but this is a conservative district and I would expect, out of the four GOP retirements, that the GOP would be favored to retain this seat. Republicans Lincoln Willis, of Lincoln Willis Chevrolet in Middletown, and George Phillips are running. The winner of that primary will face off against James McCutchan, a teacher with the Delaware Division For the Visually Impaired.

(31) DARRYL SCOTTToss up. Scott forcibly retired double dipper Nancy Wagner in 2008, winning with 53% of the vote. Wagner is not running again. Instead we get former wrestler and current attorney Ron Poliquin and attorney Ron Smith running in the GOP primary. It looks like this is a very competitive GOP primary, which could help Scott should it be divisive or hurt him if it makes the Republican winner well known to the voters. I must digress. Please visit Ron Poliquin’s website. Have your speakers up before you. You will laugh. And is it me, or do you all get the urge to shout “Da plane! Da plane!” And once more for laughs:

(32) BRAD BENNETTToss-up. With all our rookies, you have to say that their first race for reelection is a competitive one, especially if they represent a competitive or conservative district. Celia Cohen says the Republicans like their chances with attorney Beth Miller.

(33) ROBERT WALLSToss-up. Walls was first elected in 2006, and he was reelected with 54%. The GOP has a primary between Jack Peterman and Steve Rust to determine who faces Walls. In a GOP year in a conservative district, you have to view this race as competitive.

(34) DONALD BLAKEYSafe Republican. Blakely won with 61% last time, and this time he is challenged by Democrat Jill Fuchs and Independent Teabagger Mike Tedescho. I must say, I am wondering how to pronounce Jill’s name without it sounding like how I think it should like. LOL. Ok, Jill is originally from Brooklyn Heights, New York, having moved to Delaware seven years ago. She is currently serving as president of the Barclay Farms Homeowners Civic Association and is a member of the Manufactured Home Installation Board, which governs installers and inspectors of manufactured homes in the State of Delaware. She is also the Kent County Chair of the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners Association. I am curious to see how this race plays out. If the teabaggers are any impact at all downstate, Tedesco should do well. Perhaps not well enough to win, but maybe well enough to split the conservative Republican vote, and allow Fuchs to win? I doubt the latter, but it is possible. Still, until this race develops a little more, I have to think Blakey is safe.

(35) DAVE WILSONLean Republican. We got a great progressive candidate in Jim Westhoff, but I don’t think he will break through in a tough year. Wilson got 61% in 2008 in a good Democratic year, so in a good Republican year, I expect him to be favored. Still, a lot can be said for actual campaigning, so we will keep an eye on this race. Either way, I want Westhoff to run again in two years should he lose.

(36) OPENToss-up. A toss up this far down in conservative Sussex? Why yes, because we have a great well known Democrat in Russ McCabe running. He will face off against Republican Harvey Kenton, who is deep in the development community’s pockets, which is not a good thing downstate, or really anywhere.

(37) RUTH BRIGGS KINGLean Republican. The incumbent, Ruth Briggs King, won the seat in the domino-effect aftermath of Thurman Adams’ death, which led to the election of Rep. Joe Booth to the Senate, which opened up the 37th for a special election that Briggs King won with 53%. The Democrat, Ron Robinson, ran a good campaign, and I was hoping he would seek a rematch in a higher turnout election, but alas, he did not file. Instead, we have Democrat Frank Shade, who was president for many years of the Pumpkin Chunkin Association, so that gives name recognition in the community at least. .

(41) JOHN ATKINSSafe Atkins. Ah, John Atkins. We all know this Republican turned Democrat’s story. No need to rehash it. The good people of the 41st just appear to love this guy as their representative. So I guess they deserve either. The Republican that Atkins outsed in 2008, Gregory Hastings, is back again, to be destroyed by Atkins yet again. The question is not whether Atkins will lose reelection. The question is if the GOP is in the majority after the election, or if they are one seat away from it, which caucus will Atkins join?

Dick Cheney Dying?

A month ago, I posted about Dick Cheney entering the hospital yet again for heart issues (i.e. he doesn’t have one). At the time, we were told this was routine and he would be going home shortly. Of course that was a lie. Ask yourselves if we have heard from the dark lord over the last month? The answer is no, we haven’t. The reason why is Dick Cheney never left the hospital.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is still in the hospital after heart surgery in early July. […] After the operation, Cheney said in a statement that he was entering a new phase of treatment for what he called “increasing congestive heart failure.”

So instead of going home, he had another heart surgery, his sixth.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recuperating from surgery to implant the kind of mechanical pump now being given to a small but growing number of people with heart failure so severe that they would most likely die within a few months without it. […]

The pumps are partial artificial hearts known as ventricular assist devices, and they come in various models. Mr. Cheney’s kind is about the size of a D battery and leaves most recipients without a pulse because it pushes blood continuously instead of mimicking the heart’s own pulsatile beat. Most such pulse-less patients feel nothing unusual. But they are urged to wear bracelets or other identifications to alert emergency room doctors as to why they have no pulse.

Dear Lord. I digress to say that if Sarah Palin’s death panels and health care rationing did exist, Dick Cheney would be an obvious candidate for being ordered to go home and die. But of course, he still lives, and that is ironic, for it disproves further Republican lies about the health care reform, but like I said, I digress. So how long will Cheney survive with this device?

Dr. Frazier said he had implanted a total of 170 such pumps as of June 1, more than any other surgeon. Of those, 24 were in patients 65 and older and 11 of the 24 were in patients older than 70. The oldest was 76. Nine of the 24 have died, and seven of the nine did not leave the hospital. Six of the 15 survivors received heart transplants. The remaining nine are living with the pump. The longest survivor at his hospital had an implant in his 30s and has lived five and a half years.

Dick Cheney is not in his 30’s. To live much longer, he will probably require a heart transplant. And I would think that he is not a good candidate for one. So yes, Dick Cheney is dying. And because only the good die young or quickly, I expect his dying will be as horrible and long lasting as his life has been.

The Stupidity of the Tea Bagger [Vol. 2,321]

So some Tea Baggers decided to go to Colonial Williamsburg to converse with the Founding Fathers.

No, seriously.

But they are not always pleased with the answers they are getting, apparently, as it would appear that the costumed actors are thankfully educated about the historical men and women they are playing. More so then the Tea Baggers, it would appear.

They stand in the crowd listening closely as the costumed actors relive dramatic moments in the founding of our country. They clap loudly when an actor portraying Patrick Henry delivers his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. They cheer and hoot when Gen. George Washington surveys the troops behind the original 18th-century courthouse. And they shout out about the tyranny of our current government during scenes depicting the nation’s struggle for freedom from Britain.

“General, when is it appropriate to resort to arms to fight for our liberty?” asked a tourist on a recent weekday during “A Conversation with George Washington,” a hugely popular dialogue between actor and audience in the shaded backyard of Charlton’s Coffeehouse.

Of course the correct answer is whenever you lose an election.

Sometimes, the activists appear surprised when the Founding Fathers don’t always provide the “give ’em hell” response they seem to be looking for.

When a tourist asked George Washington a question about what should be done to those colonists who remain loyal to the tyrannical British king, Washington interjected: “I hope that we’re all loyal, sir” — a reminder that Washington, far from being an early agitator against the throne, was among those who sought to avoid revolution until the very end.

When another audience member asked the general to reflect on the role of prayer and religion in politics, he said: “Prayers, sir, are a man’s private concern. They are not a matter of public interest. And nor should they be. There is nothing so personal as a man’s relationship with his creator.”

Hahahaha. You see, as much as these Tea Baggers love to preach about the Constitution, they know nothing about what is in it. Our Founding Fathers were not lunatic born again Eric Bodenweisers or David Andersons. Most of them were Deists, including Thomas Paine, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. They enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution not only the freedom to practice whatever religion you wanted freely, without interference from the government, but also the freedom from religion in prohibiting our government from establishing a national religion or excessively entangling itself with any religion. Our Founders also forbade religious tests being administered upon those who wished to serve in government (i.e. forcing someone to be Catholic or to believe in God).

But the Tea Baggers and right wing Republicans refuse to accept that, even from the mouths of the “Founding Fathers.”

More proof of their stupidity.

Boehner Got Slapped [Humiliations].

We all know that Republicans lie when they open their mouths in public. What I didn’t know is that they actually believe their lies. Which of course means that Republicans are pathological liars. But I guess we knew that too. But here is a little story that proves it:

Mr. Obama, who did not join the Senate until 2005, reminded Mr. Boehner and the Senate Republican leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, that the tax cuts’ architects purposely left the deficit problem to a future administration, according to aides from both parties.

“I wasn’t there,” Mr. Boehner quickly countered. “I didn’t structure that deal.”

The room briefly went quiet as participants seemed to ponder that statement from a legislator first elected in 1990. “How long have you been here?,” a Democrat asked Mr. Boehner, and the others broke out in laughter.

You see, Mr. Boehner just lied to the President of the United States and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the room. A brazen, bold faced lie, to their faces. As Steve Benen points out, Boehner was not only there, he structured the deal. LOL. Everyone in the room knew they were being lied to by the orange faced man. But still, that is the ultimate sign of disrespect. And I am glad that the Democrats in the room shoved that lie down Boehner’s throat and laughed in his face.

Republicans deserve nothing less.

Brotherly Love

Eric Bodenweiser is challenging Senator Joe Booth for the Republican nomination in the 19th Senate District. Booth, as you know, won the special election to replace the late Sen. Thurman Adams last year.

Eric Bodenweiser, if you didn’t know, is a particularly odious teabagger and former chair of the defunct SKKKOR, otherwise known as the Sussex County Community Organized Regiment. He is a 9-12 Delaware “Patriot” and member of the Delaware Tea Baggers. Last year, Bodenweiser lost the GOP nomination for the special election to Booth. Aside from his teabagging activities, he works full time but for free (which in the real world is called volunteering) at the Sussex County Bible Church as a general contractor where he was (as of May) overseeing plans to build a new sanctuary. I suppose he doesn’t have to work full time, since Bodenweiser claimed he has deep pockets, which I guess means he is independently wealthy from his past career as owner of Bodie Daily Markets.

As for his political platform, Bodie’s website spouts your typical teabag platitudes about cutting spending, eliminating taxes and regulations and keeping government in the hands of local people (which I guess means all elected officials at every level must be residents of Sussex County). Of course, Bodie deigns not to offer specifics on what programs he would cut, although since he wants to eliminate all taxes and regulations I guess that means he will eliminate all of them, including Medicare and Social Security and road maintenance and the police and fire departments. And on top of all that, Bodie touts that he is a moral Social Conservative, which means of course that he feels it is his business to tell everyone else how to live and how to worship and would tear the First Amendment to threads by establishing a national religion.

But enough on that. I have been away from our local Delaware politics for two months now, so I am not in a position to know if St. Bodie poses much of a threat to Joe Booth in this primary. He presents himself as just another whacky David Anderson or Christine O’Donnell. Crazy and deranged yet not really dangerous unless, of course, they get real power.

I suppose Bodie’s brother, Paul Bodenweiser, thinks his brother is dangerous, because you should see this website he put up.

My name is Paul Bodenweiser and I am Eric Bodenweiser’s older brother. Although I haven’t lived in Sussex County for over 30 years I have family, friends and a Godson that live in Sussex County of which I care and love dearly. Unfortunately my brother has decided to force a good man into a primary and it’s my intention with this page to bring to all of you the truth about my brother and why I support Joe Booth in his bid to remain your Delaware state senator. If nothing else I know Joe to be a fair and open minded person that not only has the experience, education,and ability to work for ALL of the people of his district no matter what their race, creed or political leanings. My brother is not even close to being the man that Joe is and I want to help the people of not only the the district, county and the entire state help avoid making a HUGE mistake. Unfortunately my brother doesn’t tell you the WHOLE TRUTH about the person he has become over the years and hides behind his unknown to you deeply religious beliefs.

To watch a person do all he can to buy an election, knowing that person is NOT what he’s describing himself to potential voters and do nothing would be something that would haunt me the rest of my life.

LOL, some bad blood between brothers, eh? You can read Paul Bodenweiser’s rather poorly written website to discover what one brother alleges of the other, and needless to say, it alleges that Eric Bodenweiser to be just another member of the radical religious right who does not practice what he preaches. That is not shocking, or even surprising, for whenever someone on the right claims to be morally superior, he or she almost always is morally inferior. And again, who knows if what Paul Bodenweiser says is even true. Indeed, the way the website reads, there definitely seems to be some real bad blood between Eric and the rest of his family. I only pass this on to show you a picture contained on the website, which purports to be of Eric Bodenweiser in high heels.

I can’t say it enough, if you are going to run for public office, make sure you destroy all embarrassing pictures of you that exist.

No one is safe. [Land Sharks]

Apparently the Jersey Shore is not for Snooki disturbing the peace anymore. Look at what came ashore yesterday is Seaside Park:


h/t Gothamist.

This is clearly an invasion. The sharks seek nothing less than total domination of both the oceans and the land. We must stop them. Therefore, President Obama has called on all teabaggers to gather at the nearest port and take to the sea to defeat these ancient enemies on their ground so that we don’t have to fight them here.

(This kills many birds with one stone).

Updated with video