Is Rand Paul electable?

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My sense is that Rand Paul comes off as just too shrill and crazy too win nationally. Also, can he Jesus-up enough to satisfy the GOP base? I kind of doubt he can without looking like a wishy-washy Romney v2.0. Anyhoo, the desperate losers on the right are looking for a white knight and think they've found one in Son of Paul.
Conservative writer John Fund reports in National Review that the well funded right-wing group Club For Growth is eying Rand Paul for a presidential run in 2016.

Economic Myths

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I talk to people. I listen to people a lot too. You may not know it from my blog persona, but I am very good at having grown up conversations. Recently, a surprising number of people I've spoken to have said that they think that the DJIA being high means that the economy is better. Some slightly more sophisticated people think that the DJIA being high means that economic improvement is right around the corner because these "flush with cash" companies will start building factories and hiring people. A few very sophisticated people know that "the Dow" isn't related to our economy much at all anymore. They know that the widespread mythology that the DJIA is related to the economy is a testament to the success that the investor class has had framing their goals and aspirations as the country's goals and aspirations. Who knows though, maybe if we all believe in the DJIA hard enough, if we light candles and kneel before our Jim Cramer (sp?) shrines, companies will put some money back in the system? Maybe the egg heads who are always looking for clear connections between "cause" and "effect" just need to shut up and enjoy a day at the dog track. Maybe it is time for a good old fashioned ghost dance? Sequester, schma-quester - Happy days are here again!!

Shockingly – Chávez passing mourned

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Maybe it isn't terribly surprising that a guy who fought against having his country's natural resources depleted in order to enrich some bloated American plutocrats isn't so popular in the good ole' U S of A. Elsewhere his passing is being mourned.

School Boards and the big picture

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What the Appo referendum brings home for me is the fact that the Republican Party never sleeps. They are very good at playing the long game. There are no small elections for them. Whenever a voting booth is set up, it is an opportunity to build up competencies, mailing lists, donor channels and candidates. If you doubt it, just look at how "Appo Truth" goes from being "all about the kids" and "we respect the teachers" to "Markell, Denn, Ennis, Hall-Long, and Walker must be defeated" in under 300 words. Beating Democrats is the north star, and a measly little referendum is acceptable collateral damage. When you have no policies that can connect with most voters, all you have left is hustle and they have it in spades. Between hustle and their willingness (eagerness?) to not be bound by the truth, the GOP is still a force to contend with here in Delaware and nationally. As Democrats, we only rally ourselves to match their hustle every four years. That doesn't cut it.

Yes, Jeb Bush is running for GOP nomination. No, he is not for the Presidency

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It is pretty clear to me J'bush, onetime "sane" Republican, is not running to be the President. On Monday he flipped and stated that he does not support a "pathway to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., a position other Republicans have taken, at this point, as a given. So what's the deal? J'bush knows that giving a path to legal permanent residency [AND THE VOTE] to 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country is a non-starter with the base, so he has cooked up this new thing.

Making Shit Up, Dirty Tricks, Blatant Lies… All in a day’s work for today’s GOP

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totally not shocking...
An escort who appeared on a video claiming Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) paid her for sex has told Dominican Republic police that she was instead paid to make up the claims in a tape recording and has never met or seen the senator before, according to court documents and two people briefed on her claim. The woman identified a lawyer who approached her and a friend to make the videotape, according to affidavits obtained by the Post. That man has in turn identified another lawyer who gave him a script for the tape and paid him to find women to fabricate the claims, the affidavits say.

Deep Pocketed Lying Cowards Still Lying in Appo

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I have to hand it to people like Joanne Christian who have integrity. She opposed the Appo referendum, but at least she did it with some dignity on honest grounds, and under her own name. Right now the anonymous trolls who upended the referendum with their blatant 35% property tax increase lie are now attacking someone running for the school board with lies about them getting illegal campaign contributions from teacher's unions. I'm not going to go into the details of the lies here because I think the chatter serves the liars nefarious purposes. [If there was any wrong doing, you would expect them to seek out the proper authorities.] Rather, I'd like to point out that there seems to be a pattern emerging.

Massive Rudderplex Tower(c) Looms Over Little Dewey’s “Way of Life” Like a Death Star

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I'm not a big Dewey guy, so I'm probably out of line here, but I don't see how a massive cement tower in the brutalist tradition enhances Dewey's brand.
DEWEY BEACH — State Sen. Ernie Lopez praised the economic impact of the Ruddertowne construction project at a community meeting Saturday, saying it was one of the state’s most significant building efforts at the moment.

The GOP’s Dilemma: Which to Destroy First?

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The same week that John Boehner said that revenue is completely off the table in any sequester negotiations, the Club for Growth has decided to ramp up its war on Republican Squishes. Because, you know... When you think "how do we fix this Washington dysfunction?" The answer that leaps to mind is MORE and wingnutier wingnuts.