Posts by jason330

After taking in Carney's "shared sacrifice" budget proposal a couple of things have become clear to me. 1) Carney has no imagination. He isn't a leader. He is just following along what Jack Markell did, right down to adopting Markell's January swansong budget proposal wholesale. This budget shows no guts and fewer brains. 2) He doesn't care about courting Democratic constituencies. The gutting of the Coastal Zone Act in order to preserve "offshore tax shelter" tax rates for wealthy corporations and individuals speaks volumes. 3) Carney is trapped in 1990's. This budget does court two constituencies - the state chamber of commerce, and "moderates." Does he really think that he is going to run a race that ignores Democrats (because he thinks he has those votes tied down) while trying to appeal to the state's persuadable Republicans? My sense is that he is thinking precisely that because it is what would have worked in the 1990's. This budget demonstrates...

I'm seriously asking. Some friends who follow marijuana policy more closely than they follow politics at large are rather excited by this development: Delaware took a major step Thursday toward…

I didn't know what to make of the change in leadership in the Sussex County Democratic Party, until I read this update by Claire Snyder-Hall. "The Sussex County Democrats had…

Some procedural crap going on now. Passing motions to enable the session, etc. BTW - this is going out live on FB. All of my observation will go in the…

In an uncharacteristically direct and forceful statement, Tom Carper has announced that he will support the Democratic filibuster of Judge Neil Gorsuch.

I believe that moving forward with Judge Gorsuch’s nomination will send a signal that it’s acceptable to put partisan politics over fidelity to our Constitution. It is not. While I do not believe that two wrongs make a right, I believe this may be our only opportunity to right a historic wrong. Therefore, I am left with no other choice but to oppose Judge Gorsuch’s nomination until we find agreement on moving Judge Garland’s nomination forward at the same time.

The complete statement is below the fold.

Network Delaware is the successor to the Eugene Young campaign. They are a very active group of activists who deserve our support. Click through for the details.

(CNN) President Donald Trump signed a three-word executive order Tuesday, which administration officials said defines his approach to governing while giving agency heads wide latitude to implement his vision. The executive order simply read "Fuck shit up." Although terse, the order was not viewed as cryptic but was immediately and broadly understood by Republicans throughout all levels of federal, state, county and local governments.

Bugs and Thugs has recently been voted* the best cartoon ever. It features the great "oven gag" in which Bugs Bunny predicts the Irish cop's words and actions with absolute perfection. *voted by me. Just now.

I’m old enough to remember when “conservative” meant sober, frugal, thoughtful and cautious. Now it means “piss money away with reckless abandon, as long as it gets your dick hard by being a-holes to the right groups.”

About a year after North Carolina Republicans passed the anti-LGBT law known as HB2, the Associated Press has calculated that the law will cost the state $3.76 billion in lost business over 12 years. The AP calculated the loss by looking at projects that were canceled or moved to another state because of the law using public records requests and interviews. The number reached "is likely an underestimation of the law's true costs," (per the AP).

You've read El Som's take on Erik Raser-Schramm. It is an unvarnished good. But check this out, and connect the dots. Recently Mike Matthews was elected to lead the large and influential DSEA. I've also heard that a long time friend of DL is going to chair the New Castle County Democratic Party. Taken alone all of these are positive developments for people who want progressive voices to be heard. But viewed as a whole, it is safe to say that we are on the cusp of some exciting times for Democrats. Exciting times, really, for anyone who is interested in effective advocacy and governance. To paraphrase the stirring words of John F Kennedy, let the word go forth that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, so it is time to kick some ass and see what we are really made of.

Here is where this stands. Bluedelaware and DelawareLiberal are working together to bring groups like Delaware United, Network Delaware, Progressive Democrats for Delaware, and Democrats in Kent and Sussex Counties together to commit to a two-part action. Part 1 is a rally to deliver a petition to Coons and Carper prior to the cloture vote, and Part 2 is to commit to turning up on Carper and Coons' doorstep (flashmob style) if they vote to close debate and thereby break the filibuster. If you are a member of an organization please get in touch with me about joining this effort. If you are an individual, please sign the petition and be ready to go if need be.

It is clearly a big upgrade. Raser-Schramm brings a lot of energy and the proven ability to win elections. I hope it also means that the Democratic brand comes into sharper focus. For too long Democratic politicians have used LGBTQ friendliness as a fig leaf to cover their Republican, trickle down economic sensibilities. It is time that being a Democrat means more that being someone who is comfortable using gays as window dressing.