DL Readers & Lurkers Presidential Instant-runoff Voting

The sidebar poll doesn't reveal much, so put your top three choices in the comments section and we'll run an "Instant-runoff voting" poll. (e.g. Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg) Ballots will be initially counted for each commenter's top choice. If a candidate has more than half of the vote based on first-choices, that candidate wins. If not, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The commenters who selected the defeated candidate as a first choice will have their votes added to the totals of their next choice. This process will continue until a candidate has more than half of the votes.

…that would be evil socialism

Me: We need health care like they have in Europe.  Him: We can't have healthcare like Europe because it is too expensive.   Me: Why don't we get a little money from all the very rich guys?  Him: We can't get even a little money from all the very rich guys because that is evil Socialism.   Me: So American was an evil socialist country from the end of World War II until about 25 years ago?  Him: We can't get even a little money from all the very rich guys because that is evil Socialism.    

Dem Debates

I didn't watch much. I don't like the sniping, especially when they agree on all the important stuff if not all the details. Anyway, I don't have much to say about the candidates individually, I just love the stage full of such a diverse selection of Americans. Gays, Hawaiians, Old Dudes, Women Senators, Rich Guys, a Taiwanese-American... Pretty awesome. I'm old enough to remember when this type of thing would be composed entirely of white guys who went to Yale or Harvard.

Coons promises to give Mitch McConnell veto power in the Senate

This article in the Prospect does a good job delving into the elitism that is the crux of Coons unwillingness to represent regular Delawareans  in the US Senate.
Coons does want the Senate to change - by becoming even more conservative than it already is. Along with Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Coons organized a letter, signed by 61 senators, pledging to keep the filibuster in place, which would make any sort of progressive legislation that much harder should Democrats take control of the government next year. In September, during a discussion about the Senate and bipartisanship with former Senators Joe Donnelly and Jeff Flake, Coons suggested that it might not be possible to have a Senate that’s both diverse and doesn’t “produce irreconcilable discord.”
Highlands Bunker – Death Knell of the Delaware Way

Highlands Bunker – Death Knell of the Delaware Way

Highlands Bunker - Death Knell of the Delaware Way
RE Vanella heads to Jessica Scarane for Senate HQ on launch day to talk with the campaign team, the volunteers, and the candidate herself. All of the organizing we've been talking about for the last year, all the infrastructure that is being built up, this is what it looks like in action. Show Notes:

Coons in Primary Challenge Phase 1 (DENIAL)

As we saw with Mike Castle and Tom Carper when someone has the unmitigated gall to challenge a member of the Delaware Way elite, the first phase of response is denial.  How do I know he is in denial?   Well, he sent the same half-assed, photocopied press release to both the News Journal and WHYY in which he stands by his mighty bipartisanship skills and says that they are paying off in spite of no evidence that they are or will pay off...ever.  
I’m...someone who works across the aisle to get done what we can in this environment to make our state and our community stronger.
He didn't bother speaking to anyone at either outlet, because why bother?  As far as Coons is concerned this primary rates lower on his list of things to think about  than if his 7:15 train running behind schedule.   And that's a good thing for everyone.   Let's hope Coons is like Mike Castle.  Castle's denial phase lasted up until about a week before he was beaten.  By the time Castle woke up and scheduled his trip to the firing rage, it was too late.  It would be awesome for Coons to maintain a similarly languid approach. What is more likely however is that Coons copies Tom Carper.  Navy Veteran, Carper was ever the cagey observer who noted Castle's screw up.   Carper moved to the left quickly (if only temporarily).   SImilarly, I expect we'll see lots of awesome progressiveness from Coons over the next few months.  As with Carper, it will be a sham of course, but it will be nice to get a break from all the nonsensical "work across the aisle to get things done" blather.    

Ryan Vander Wielen wins the clueless dolt of the day award

The News Journal must have really wanted this dumb bullshit in the story. I mean, they had to go all the way to Temple University to find "a political science professor" unfamiliar enough with Delaware politics to utter this bullsit:
It could also mean major consequences for the party, (Vander Wielen) pointed out. When the district or state isn't uniformly left-leaning, a progressive primary win could backfire, he said, especially if the winner doesn't have the networking and fundraising advantages of an incumbent. “In a place like Delaware, if you had a situation like that, it’s very realistic that that hands the victory to the Republican," Vander Wielen said. "Going from Democrat to Republican means that there could be seismic shifts in the ideological representation of the state."
Very realistic? It is not even a little bit realistic. During a presidential year, the Dem primary is the general in Delaware. Why is that so hard to grasp? This guy is stealing money from Temple University.

Intercept’s Ryan Grim on the true loathsomeness of Coons style comity

It would be funny if Coons' wasn't so dedicated to screwing over Democratic priorities.
Though Coons is an obscure member of the Democratic caucus relative to somebody like the famously recalcitrant Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., Coons is no less a threat to the progressive agenda. He is an ardent supporter of the Senate tradition of bipartisan comity, and insists on only co-sponsoring legislation that is also backed by at least one Republican. His respect for bipartisanship is undiminished by the fact that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has not reciprocated. After holding open a Supreme Court seat for a year in order to swipe it for his party, McConnell eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees and has been rubber-stamping a record-breaking number of judicial appointments. He used the process known as budget reconciliation, which gets around the legislative filibuster, to attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to pass the GOP’s tax cut. Yet even as Republicans implement their agenda with a 50-vote threshold, Coons is committed to requiring 60 votes for any Democratic agenda item. Coons was easily reelected in 2014 and is popular throughout Delaware. But if he wins reelection a second time, it is virtually impossible to envision him supporting the enactment of Medicare for All using a 50-vote threshold, as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has pledged to attempt.

What are Trump’s Ailments?

  • Restless elbow syndrome Fibromyalgia High-fiber fibromyalgia Hot tub foot Lou Gehrig’s disease Lou Barlow’s disease Lucy Liu Flu Puff Knuckle Advanced moist shin disorder Hyper-tolerance to lactose Urinary tract infection Urinary 8-track infection Trickle nipple Thick urine syndrome Hapsburg cholera Clogged arteries Dropsy Dry lip Intestinal colic Indoor toilet allergy Milk leg Loofah rash Bone worm Selective fatigue syndrome Hepatitis R Irritable bowel syndrome Spastic ear discharge Pubic lice Amphibial rabies Anglo-centric sickle cell anemia Scabies Rabies Mickey Rooney’s Sugar Babies Tarnished yam simplex Swollen perineum Chronic shame disorder Larval penis Dirt belly Parkinson’s disease Valet Parkinson’s disease Parallel Parkinson’s disease Parker Posey pox Pere ubu Canine derived hip dysplasia Selective albinism Scrotal migraines Prolapsed navel Diagnosed as “Hard to Kill” Dusty Sperm Carpool Tunnel Syndrome Male FUPA disorder Overactive Empathy Human Contact Disorder Late Onset-Turkey Revulsion Internal Sneezing