2012 MVP Awards Announced Today At…

10 am. Simultaneously here at DL and on the Al Mascitti Show, WDEL Newsradio 1150 AM on your radio dial. Don't wait to see/hear it from others, be the first to know. BTW, time permitting, we'll also talk Port Of Wilmington, and remind Pete Schwartzkopf that he isn't the Speaker of the House just yet.

On Privatizing the Port of Wilmington, Bob Marshall Says ‘Not So Fast, My Friends’.

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In what I consider to be a masterfully-crafted letter, Sen. Bob Marshall has made clear that he does not intend to let Markell/Levin push a Port of Wilmington privatization proposal through without legislative oversight. As you may recall, a recent Friday news dump by the Markell Administration contained the announcement that Kinder Morgan had emerged as the 'preferred partner' to run the Port. Both Kinder and Morgan made their corporate bones at Enron, and their company specializes in pipelines and the fluids that run through them.

Best Songs of 2012: The Top 10!

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Counting down from #10: 10. Michael Kiwanuka: "I'm Getting Ready": [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wgj6vJDfjY[/youtube] 9. The Walkmen: "Heaven": [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8yDtfGl30s[/youtube] 8. Todd Snider: "Too Soon To Tell": [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaYihBvuGsw[/youtube] 7. Bonnie Raitt: "Used To Rule…

Final Call: 2012 MVP Nominations Due By Sunday

Please post your nominations for those who were Most Valuable to the Progressive Cause in Delaware this year by this Sunday night, December 9, at 11:59 p.m. I start culling through the names and a year's worth of news from both DL and elsewhere on Monday morning. Some of you have already provided outstanding suggestions, but I know that there may well be some great ones that I have not yet come across.

At Least 124 Bangladeshi Garment Workers Perish In Fire

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Guess who they make made clothes for:
Bangladesh exports about $18 billion worth of garments and is a big supplier to companies like Walmart, H&M and Tommy Hilfiger. Workers in the country’s factories are among the lowest-paid in the world with entry-level workers making a government-mandated minimum wage of about $37 a month.
Need I take the guise of Captain Obvious and point out that that's why these garments are so inexpensive? Didn't think so.

So. Who Will Be the Next Speaker of the House?

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Today's bare-bones News-Journal story reports that both Pete Schwartzkopf and Helene Keeley are seeking the position. The News-Journal does not report that each candidate has a slate. If my sources are correct, and it's not certain that they are, each slate has at least one major head-scratcher on it. Here they are: Speaker: Pete Schwartzkopf Majority Leader: Valerie Longhurst (??!!) Majority Whip: Quin Johnson vs. Speaker: Helene Keeley Majority Leader: Bryon Short Majority Whip: John Viola (??!!) I don't know who will win, but I believe that this contest represents the first clear emergence of different factions within the Caucus.

2012 MVP Award Nominations Are Now Open!

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Who will make the 4th Annual MVP (Most Valuable to the Progressive Cause) Awards List? We're open for any and all of your suggestions. Here are the criteria: 1. This list is Delaware-specific. Those who most helped the progressive cause in Delaware this year. 2. Nominees need not be progressives to qualify. Both Christine O'Donnell and Tony DeLuca previously made the list. I'm thinking that John Sigler is a shoo-in this year... 3. Nominees do not have to come solely from the political arena. In fact, I would love to recognize those who are doing great work away from the headlines. 4. Nominees will only be considered in the form of on-line responses to this thread. Those submitting nominations must have some supporting statement on behalf of the candidacy. Deadline for nominations is Sunday, December 9.

In Praise of Tom McGonigle

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I see that Tom McGonigle, Gov. Jack Markell's Chief of Staff, is stepping down from public service to return to private practice. Just for the record, Tom McGonigle is one of the finest public servants I've ever come across. A real straight-shooter, skilled at bringing people together, smart (but never in that 'let me show you how smart I am' way), very serious, and compassionate. And, did I mention self-effacing? Be honest, how many of you even knew that he was Jack's chief-of-staff?

When You’ve Lost Rowdy Roddy Piper…

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you've lost the rasslin' universe.  Especially all the Little Hulksters who said their prayers and took their 'vitamins'. I'm a proud subscriber to Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Weekly. Make of that what you will, armchair psychoanalysts. Which is where I got this tidbit:
Roddy Piper was not happy about hearing about what Linda McMahon spent: "Can spend 90 million on losing elections but won't give the people that earned that money for them medical or retirement help of any kind." (You see, one way that Vince and Linda 'built this' was to designate their superstars as 'independent contractors', not employees. Hence, no pensions or health insurance. Oh, and WWE owns the monickers for the characters, so the wrestlers get screwed out of royalty money as well.) The election was not even as close as it appeared last night.  As of a few hours ago, Chris Murphy was ahead 55% to 43% or more than any of the polls indicated.  A key difference according to analysts in Connecticut is that women voters did not trust her. Male voters were split on whether she was intentionally misleading people in advertising, while women voters overwhelmingly believed that to be the case. So, her own ads helped do her in.