Do I give to the DNC this year?

Do I give to the DNC this year?

9 Comments
I haven't given to the DNC or the D triple C in ages. The emails are as full of feisty bluster as their candiates have been full of Republicanism. I don't know now though. If we really have a shot at 37 districts, I may have to see if I could scrounge up a little dough for the cause.
Respect

Respect

17 Comments
So a longtime Republican Congressman from Florida, Bill Young, passed away last week and will be buried Thursday. He was a Republican in Florida before there was Republicans in Florida. He was first elected in 1972 and was the longest serving member of the Republican House Caucus. He was 82 years old. The House of Representatives will not be in session on Thursday so that members can attend his funeral. Now, I hesitated in writing this, because when anyone dies, their families are due the upmost deference, sympathy and respect. But...
Chris Coons is On the Budget Conference Committee

Chris Coons is On the Budget Conference Committee

4 Comments
This is the committee formed as part of the deal to re-open the government and avoid the debt ceiling. It isn't much of a giveaway, as Conference Committees are the usual order of business in Congress after budgets have passed the House and Senate. This Conference Committee -- as would others -- is meant to negotiate a single budget from the two that have passed. Senator Chris Coons is on this committee as a result of his being on the Senate Budget Committee.
Why am I worried about Chris Christie in 2016?

Why am I worried about Chris Christie in 2016?

27 Comments
This endorsement from the Star-Ledger's editorial board for Christie will give you a hint at the answer to that question.
The governor’s claim to have fixed the state’s budget is fraudulent. New Jersey’s credit rating has dropped during his term, reflecting Wall Street’s judgment that he has dug the hole even deeper. He has no plan to finance transit projects and open space purchases now that he has nearly drained the dedicated funds he inherited from Gov. Jon Corzine.
Sounds bad, right?
How Do We Get Outta Here? Ideas From Dylan Ratigan

How Do We Get Outta Here? Ideas From Dylan Ratigan

4 Comments
Like many of you and a few visionaries around the country, I'm sure trying to figure out how we change the interlocked political and economic systems which brought us to this place none of us like.  You know, Gridlock and Crisis City, exemplified by last weeks nightmare.  These systems served us reasonably well early on in our nation, but clearly, in their present forms, they've outlived their usefulness. Remember Dylan Ratigan?  He delivered  epic rants on the Bush bailout and the too big to fail fiasco on MSNBC and then abruptly left.  He reemerged with a hydroponic farm venture in California.  Quite a change from a really good career in finance journalism, including with Bloomberg, NBC and MSNBC.  I loved his show and hated to see him go. I regard him as one of the visionaries I want to listen to in search of solutions to the current wheel spinning we are doing.   I don't know if I really agree with him, or not.  I'm still trying to wrap my brain around some of his concepts.  I am particularly uncomfortable with his critique of the role our two main political parties play in getting us where we are right now.  He thinks parties ought to go away, replaced by a sort of direct democracy model.  While often critical of my Democrats, I still cling to the belief we offer the best way out of this bad dream. But let me summarize some of his thinking for your perusal. If you want to go deeper, go to his web site.  Just Google his name. He sees an American Renaissance bubbling up from the grassroots. 
Ladies and Gentlemen, my opponent is a Republican.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my opponent is a Republican.

11 Comments
The world has changed since the shut down, and Democrats now have pickup opportunities in 49 of 61 districts surveyed by PPP. "But," people will say, "The election is a year out. People will forget?" To which I reply, "Awesome!" and "No they won't forget." A year out is perfect. This news cannot but help with Democratic recruitment and fundraising. And does anybody really think that the Republicans are about to suddenly go all sane and reasonable in the next 12 months? I don't.
Two more 2nd amendment martyrs in Nevada

Two more 2nd amendment martyrs in Nevada

8 Comments
This is okay because, otherwise tyranny.
Two people are dead and two children critically wounded after gunfire erupted Monday at a Nevada middle school, Sparks police said. The Reno Gazette-Journal, citing Sparks City Manager Shawn Carey, said the shooter was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "We believe the suspect has been neutralized," the Sparks Police Department said on its website, without further details. Angela Rambo, spokeswoman for Renown Regional Hospital, said the hospital had received two male patients, both minors, and both were in critical condition. Reno deputy chief Tom Robinson said there were 150 to 200 personnel that secured the school and the surrounding area. Robinson, addressing parents during a press conference, said "I can tell them to rest assured. The schools are safe. The rest of the city is safe."
Perspective on the Obamacare Rollout

Perspective on the Obamacare Rollout

15 Comments
Now that the GOP hostage-taking is done, the media is ready to pay attention to the Obamacare rollout. It is been frought with problems -- access to the website, errors on the website, transfers of data to the insurance companies and it just sounds like the failure of the century. Certainly something like this *should* roll out better, but I can't think of a tech rollout that I've seen that has been glitchless. If you've used Faceboook long enough, you know that every time they change their interface, the place is glitch-city until they fix it. Facebook is not the same as Obamacare, of course, but Obamacare isn't the only health care initiative that had a great many issues when it rolled out. So how about a reminder?