Posts by Delaware Dem

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), “who is quietly locking down support to be the next House speaker, is privately assuring Republicans he’ll take a tougher stand against the White House — and also the Senate GOP leadership,” CNN reports.

“He’s hearing from members angry that the GOP Congress has not advanced the conservative cause more forcefully, and he’s responding with a clear message: He is willing to take a more confrontational stand with the White House and the Senate to achieve the results the party has sought to enact.”

Wall Street Journal: “The most militant House Republicans are expected to be emboldened by Mr. Boehner’s departure, and even less likely to agree to a compromise with Democrats in setting spending levels for the rest of fiscal year 2016.” Good. Good. Let your hate flow through you. A new Quinnipiac poll finds 69% of Americans oppose shutting down the government over funding for Planned Parenthood. Just 23% support closing the government over the dispute. Even among Republicans, 56% oppose a shutdown due to Planned Parenthood.

Charles Pierce says the inmates are officially running the asylum.

Welcome to the monkeyhouse, America. The prion disease afflicting the Republican party finally has devoured the last vestiges of the Republican party's higher functions. I had as many problems with Boehner as Speaker as anyone did, but, dammit, he at least believed that the government should keep running. And, as much as the Times wants to believe it, this has nothing to do with the "challenges of divided government," and everything to do with the fact that the modern Republican party, especially in the House of Representatives, is completely demented. (By the way, if I were any of the Republican presidential candidates, with the possible exception of Ted Cruz, I'd be terrified by this development. If the House goes completely mad, if there is (as I suspect) a wild and bloody battle over the next Speaker, that's going to be what the eventual nominee has to deal with every day on the campaign trail.)

Molly Ball addresses the current debate about whether Pope Francis is liberal. “What makes Francis different is really a matter of which Catholic beliefs he has elevated to the level of communal concerns—public policy—and which he has framed as individual choices. To Francis, sharing wealth and fixing global warming are matters that governments should address, while not committing homosexual acts or having abortions are individual choices he endorses. (As he famously put it: ‘Who am I to judge?’) This is quite different from the American Catholic church, which has poured its political energy into laws banning gay marriage and restricting abortion.” “Francis is not an American politician, but his perspective on the state’s role in these issues lines up pretty well with that of most American Democrats.” “Francis aligns more with Democrats than Republicans on other issues: He favors immigration reform, played a major role in the Obama administration’s détente with Cuba, and supports the Iran nuclear deal. No wonder the president and other American liberals are trying to claim him—and conservatives see him as a threat.”

I wondered if this would happen after the Papal Visit. He will resign at the end of October. The delayed resignation tells me he plans to pass a clean budget with Democrats in the House and the Democrats and 8 Republican Senators who defected on the Planned Parenthood vote there on Wednesday, and fuck the consequences, since he is resigning.

Republican Peter Wehner:

The message being sent to voters is this: The Republican Party is led by people who are profoundly uncomfortable with the changing (and inevitable) demographic nature of our nation. The GOP is longing to return to the past and is fearful of the future. It is a party that is characterized by resentments and grievances, by distress and dismay, by the belief that America is irredeemably corrupt and past the point of no return. “The American dream is dead,” in the emphatic words of Mr. Trump. This is all quite troubling to those of us who are Republicans and find these attitudes repellant.

Chris Cillizza:

Sure, appealing to white voters with a message that things aren't as good as they used to be -- the boiled-down appeal that Trump represents -- might work in a Republican primary. But, there is NO mystery or debate that the changing demographic face of the country makes an appeal to the "old ways" an almost-certain electoral loser.

The Musical Chairs continue. The battle is joined. Last week, State Senator Bryan Townsend announced his candidacy after John Carney announced his bid for Governor. Now, we have State Representative Bryon Short announcing his run. His statement:

“Too many politicians in Washington have focused on tearing each other down rather than working together to solve the problems we face. They have failed to address the shrinking middle class, to fortify our workforce in the face of global economic pressure, to reform an education system that prepares our children to be productive citizens, to ensure the promise of a social security system that serves to sustain our nation’s elderly, or to promote basic equality under the law.” “As a small business owner, I understand that our economy is much different than it once was. And as a husband and father, I understand all too well the struggles facing families and the middle class. I want to stand with people who also face these challenges. People like my two daughters, McKinley and Rowan, who will soon be competing for their first jobs out of college. People who want to provide for their family and their future. And people who just want a level playing field and a fair shot at a long, healthy and productive life.” “With your voice and your support we can work toward building a future where the middle class thrives again. A future where our education system serves its students. A future where my girls are paid the same as their male counterparts. A future full of promise and opportunity. A future where Washington once again, works for the people.”