El Somnambulo

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Moribund State Party Tries To Raise Funds Off Carper’s Retirement

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on May 24, 2023 16 Comments

Took longer than I expected, but, yes, this showed up in my e-mail just now: Kyle,  (Yes, looks like I am now and forever Kyle) This week, our esteemed Senator Tom Carper announced his plans to not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2024, marking the end of an era in Delaware politics. Senator […]

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Carper-Era Nostalgia Thread

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on May 23, 2023 18 Comments

I’m asking everyone to make this a snark-free zone. The candidacies of Tom Carper and others, including Dave Levinson, galvanized Democratic reformers who had routinely been shut out of the decision-making process to get active.  Both campaigns had strong grassroots elements to them although there was also paid staff.  It’s where I cut my political […]

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Your Post-Carper Retirement Announcement Speculative Thread

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on May 22, 2023 45 Comments

It’s official.  Carper retires: U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, a patriarch of modern Delaware politics, will retire next year, ending a career as one of the most successful politicians in state history. His announcement Monday at the Wilmington Riverfront will undoubtedly shake up the state, with now an open U.S. Senate seat in 2024. “While nothing […]

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DL Open Thread: Sunday, May 21, 2023

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on May 21, 2023 7 Comments

Rethugs Try To Reframe Abortion Bans As ‘Mainstream’.  You know, b/c The Overton Window: Nebraska antiabortion groups and GOP lawmakers were stunned. In late April, their effort to ban most abortions was tanked by an unlikely person: 80-year-old Sen. Merv Riepe, a longtime Republican. Instead, on Friday, Nebraska’s conservative legislature voted to ban abortions at […]

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What Our Cutting-Edge State Democratic Party Is Up To

Filed in National by on May 20, 2023 7 Comments

Fresh from my inbox: Kyle, (yes, guess I’m ‘Kyle’ now)   Governor Carney makes us so proud everyday he leads our great state, and we are grateful for his decades of service to our beloved Delaware. Today, we’re getting ready to celebrate all that he’s accomplished AND his birthday! From investing in education, strengthening our […]

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DL Open Thread: Saturday, May 20, 2023

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on May 20, 2023 1 Comment

Debt Ceiling Blues, Featuring The Profound Shittiness That Is Chris Coons: So, are Democrats negotiating on the debt limit? “The president is,” replied Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the party. “My short answer is, no. Because negotiating the debt ceiling means saying, ‘maybe we should consider default,’” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a […]

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DL Open Thread: Friday, May 19, 2023

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on May 19, 2023 9 Comments

A Real Headline From Today’s Washington Post: “World Watches In Disbelief And Horror As US Nears Possible Default”.  Apocalyptic, much?  Here’s a sentence I can get behind: And foreign economists and policymakers are bewildered over why the United States has imposed a specific limit on its debt and then turned it into a political football. […]

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General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., May 18, 2023

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on May 18, 2023 2 Comments

Last Session Day until June 6.  Joint Finance Committee finalizing the budget until then. Meaning, in the unlikely event that Speaker Pete is true to his word, he has only 12 remaining Session days as Speaker after today.  ‘True to his word’ being the operative variable. Here’s yesterday’s Session Activity Report.  Good day in the […]

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DL Open Thread: Thursday, May 18, 2023

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on May 18, 2023 5 Comments

Three Headlines From This Morning’s NYTimes: South Carolina House Passes Six-Week Abortion Ban Texas Legislature Bans Transgender Medical Care for Children Montana Governor Signs Total Ban of TikTok in the State. The New Normal. Might As Well Add This One: A federal appeals court on Wednesday seemed prepared to limit access to a key abortion […]

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General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., May 17, 2023

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on May 17, 2023 9 Comments
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., May 17, 2023

Collegiality reigned in Dover yesterday.  Don’t think there was a no vote anywhere on the Agenda.  While collegiality isn’t necessarily ‘good’, as in unanimous passage of the corporate law package, it is in other cases, as in the unanimous vote on SB 9.  Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.  Someone even woke up John Carney […]

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BREAKING: Guiliani Accused Of Selling Pardons From Trump For $2 Mill Apiece

Filed in Featured, National by on May 16, 2023 2 Comments

Along with some especially disgusting alleged sexual harassment.  I won’t post the details.  But you can click on the link.  As to the pardons: A woman who said she worked for Rudy Giuliani during the last two years of the Trump administration alleged in a wide-ranging lawsuit that Giuliani, the former president’s personal attorney, discussed […]

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Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on May 16, 2023 3 Comments

Looks like the Seaford ‘LLC’s Are People’ Bill is dead. For now.   Wouldn’t be shocked if Rep. Danny Short is breathing a sigh of relief.  The bill was on last Thursday’s House Agenda, but wasn’t worked.  It is not on today’s agenda.  Charter changes are generally not controversial.  The legislators who have a given municipality […]

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DL Open Thread: Sunday, May 14,2023

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on May 14, 2023 5 Comments

Rethugs Fundraise, Pocket All The $$’s For Themselves: A group of conservative operatives using sophisticated robocalls raised millions of dollars from donors using pro-police and pro-veteran messages. But instead of using the money to promote issues and candidates, an analysis by The New York Times shows, nearly all the money went to pay the firms […]

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