El Somnambulo's Latest Posts
Extortion? Puh-leeze.
First it was plagiarism, now it’s extortion. Mike Katz may be a doctor but, judging by the way he throws overheated charges around, he’s sure no lawyer. And he looks less and less like a progressive all the time. Which, perhaps, is what he wants in his R district, but it’s not something I, for one, need. Nor do progressives.
In fact, he is using his claim of ‘political extortion’ to justify his burial of National Popular Vote legislation in his Senate Elections Committee. Might I point out that Katz sought the office of President Pro Tempore on a promise of not ‘desk-drawering’ legislation, which is exactly what he’s done? HB 55(D. E. Williams) passed the House on June 7, 2011. President Pro-Tem Tony DeLuca assigned the bill to the Senate Administrative Services/Elections Committee, which certainly appears to be the correct committee, on June 8, 2011. It has sat there for almost a year now, even though three committee members, Senators Blevins, Marshall, and Sokola, support its release from committee. Katz has joined two Rethugs, Senators Booth and Lawson, in keeping HB 55 bottled up in committee.
Delaware Political Weekly: May 26-June 1, 2012
1. A Candidate For the Rest of Us? To Be Determined. Long-time New Castle County employee Jonathan Husband announced that he would run for New Castle County Executive. Husband is the Engineering and Environmental Services Manager in the County’s Division of Special Services, and is also active in Fox Point civic activities. While I haven’t […]
Goliath Trying to Smite David. Get Out Your Slingshots.
In this case, Goliath= Rob Tunnell, Reybold Homes, and Rethuglican legislator Rep. Ruth Briggs King, among others.
David=The Delaware Manufactured Home Owners’ Association.
The issue? Whether the 30,000 to 45,000 Delawareans who reside in manufactured housing communities are to have ANY protection from the powerful development community.
Delaware Political Weekly: May 19-25, 2012
Carper Gets New Challenger–And He SPEAKS! Independent Alex Pires, owner of the Bottle and Cork in Dewey. The Bad News: Announced on Fox News. The Good News: He’s going after Carper for his banking industry ties, and he’s not afraid to hit hard:
“When people find out how dishonest the Democratic party is, and his work is, he’ll never get reelected,” Pires said. “He’s done. He’s finished. Carper, if you’re out there listening, your 36 years of taking money from poor people and living off the fat of the working class man, is done. I am the working class guy. I’m going to mop him up. I’m serious beyond serious.”
Memo to Alex Pires: If you want to win, you’re gonna need Democrats, LOTS of Democrats. Many D’s still identify with the Party, but not the Carper Corporate subsidiary it’s become in Delaware and elsewhere. You don’t want to alienate prospective supporters like me by an ad hominem blast at our party. You can blast where the Party has gone w/o blasting the traditional values of the Party, which many of us want to see the Party return to. Tone it down just a bit, you want to be seen as a credible alternative to Carper.
Did McDowell & Williams Go Rogue?
Signs point to ‘yes’. On the first day of budget mark-up by the Joint Finance Committee, co-chairs Sen. Harris McDowell and Rep. Dennis P. Williams unveiled a proposed 2% pay hike for state employees. Trouble is that they apparently did not give anyone a ‘heads-up’ on the move. By ‘anyone’, I mean the Markell Administration […]
Delaware Political Weekly: May 12-18, 2012
Looks Like Dori Connor’s In Trouble.
This week’s huge development makes me wonder whether the incumbent state senator will even run for reelection. I’m guessing no. Democrats scored what appears to be quite the recruiting coup as Nicole Poore filed for the 12th Senatorial District seat currently held by Republican Dori Connor. Connor has yet to file. Connor has never had what one would call a credible Democratic challenger in this overwhelmingly-Democratic district.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., May 17, 2012
Excellent news, as the Payday Loans bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee yesterday. At least one killer amendment awaits, so it’s up to all of us to contact our state senators (politely), and to let them know that we want them to pass the bill unamended. And, if your senators voted to release this bill from committee, call and thank them.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., May 16, 2012
If today’s column was science fiction, it’d be called “Invasion of the Home Invasion Bills”. Oh, no! There are two of them, accosting every legislator in their path! Cut to the finish: Turns out both bills are harmless and toothless, so no Solomoronic solons were injured in the creation of this legislative fever dream.
Both bills soon to be available to you at no cost in the guise of political brochures.
SB 161 and HB 277 both passed the Senate yesterday. Since a Senate amendment was added to HB 277, both bills head to the House. Both bills create the ‘new crime’ of home invasion. Both bills are merely political window dressing, as there are already about 150 offenses that would put home invaders away for a long, long time. Did I mention that this is an election year?
Delaware Political, Uh, Semi-Weekly: April 28-May 11, 2012
My absence last week compels me to offer up a Deluxe Double Edition of Delaware Political Weekly at no extra cost to you the reader. Well, excepting whatever psychic toll might be exacted for reading beyond this point. The top stories involve Pastor D, Tom Gordon, Shirley Price, Bruce Ennis and lots of filings.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show, Thurs., May 10, 2012
The Sheriff of Nuttingham and His Posse Comatosis could be nearing the end of their lawless reign. HB 325(Schwartzkopf), which would make clear that would-be Wyatt Earps can’t mete out their own brand of frontier justice in the untamed badlands of Sussex County, cleared the House Administration Committee, and is on today’s House agenda. It will pass overwhelmingly. The only question is whether any of the bill’s original downstate House R sponsors will vote for the bill they had previously sponsored. My prediction? Most of them won’t, and will go Not Voting, the ultimate cojone-less copout.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show, Weds., May 9, 2012
With great fanfare (a press release within minutes), the House of Representatives passed a ‘campaign reform’ package yesterday. The key bill is HB 300(Gilligan), which seeks to undo some of the incalculable damage of the Citizens United decision. The Roves and Koch Brothers (and Rodel) will still be able to dump huge sums of money if they’d like, but HB 300 would require more transparency about who is behind those anonymous ads. Which is why not a single Rethuglican voted for it. Bill passed on a strict 24-13 party line vote. Not surprising since, without a bottomless pit of anonymous right-wing dollars, the Rethugs are not competitive any more, not with their loco right-wing teabaggers driving the lopsided bus (subtle Steinbeck reference), and they know it.
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