General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., May 1, 2013

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Yes, SB 19(Peterson) was tabled in the House Judiciary Committee, which disappoints death penalty repeal supporters like myself. However, keep in mind that this is the first of a two-year General Assembly session, so the bill is not dead, just 'sitting in limbo.' House sponsor Rep. Darryl Scott has stated that he may try to petition the bill out of committee. Not sure if that's the best strategy for now, think I'd only do it if I knew that I had the votes for the bill on the floor. Timing is everything, and this might not be the best timing. Sen. Bruce Ennis introduced SB 33 yesterday, which would require owners of manufactured home communities to seek approval for any increase above the average inflation rate.

PDD-DL Vote Tracker for April 30, 2013

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Not to steal any thunder from El Somnanbulo, but tomorrow is a big day for legislation in both the House and Senate. In the Senate, the Senate Executive Committee will consider the Marriage Equality Bill, HB 75. In the House, the Administration Committee will consider HB51, the large capacity magazine ban. To keep up to date on all legislation that is of priority to liberals and progressives, DL has partnered with the Progressive Democrats for Delaware (PDD) to compile this Vote Tracker. Now, this chart does not follow all the legislation that has been filed. We don’t report on perfunctory bills like the ones about the charter of Georgetown or ticket scalping. Nor do we follow the progress of judicial nominations, executive nominations, or Concurrent or Joint Resolutions unless they are a matter of controversy. So the legislation that is listed is a matter of concern and priority for those of us on the liberal / progressive side of the aisle. Come inside to view and download the Vote Tracker charts.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Report: Tues., April 30, 2013

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A HUGE week coming up in Dover. HB 75(Smith) will be considered in the Senate Executive Committee this Wednesday. If you have not yet contacted your senators, especially if your senator is either Cathy Cloutier or Bethany Hall-Long, now is the time to do so. Be friendly and positive, and encourage them to do the right thing. Marriage equality is RIGHT THERE, do everything you can to help push it over the top. Residents in manufactured homes communities are back and they're seeking justice. So are the overlords, who have thrown campaign cash around to legislators in large quantities. Except, of course, in their case, they're paying to ensure a continuation of injustice. Meaning that, this year, legislators will either have to do the right thing or face the electoral consequences for siding with their wealthy (and amoral) contributors. And, yes, we will be naming names, both legislators and contributors. SB 33 will be introduced this week, and, once again, all it asks is that these landlords be required to justify rent increases that are larger than the rate of inflation. There will likely not be a more important legislative battle between Good and Ee-vil to be fought this year. Choose sides. After a disorganized committee meeting last week, the House Judiciary Committee convenes solely to consider a motion to release the death penalty repeal bill from committee:
Due to time constraints at the end of the April 24 Judiciary Committee meeting because the House Chamber needed to be vacated for session, action on a motion on Senate Bill 19 was not completed. This April 30 (Tuesday) meeting on Senate Bill 19 is being held solely for the purpose of taking action on a motion regarding the bill. There will not be an additional public comment period.

The GOP State Convention was this weekend….

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... at the Doubletree in downtown Wilmington. Not much of consequence happened. Except I did hear that the GOP was going to release doves to celebrate Sigler's reelection as State Chair of the Party, but those plans had to be scrapped because they were afraid Sigler would shoot them. ;)

McBride is confirmed as a yes.

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Senator Dave McBride confirmed to ThinkProgress today that he will vote yes on HB 75, the Marriage Equality bill. Our sources in the General Assembly had already had McBride as a yes vote on the bill, but this is good news that he is confirming it to the media, as it takes away any uncertainty concerning his vote. With Senator Bushweller confirming yesterday that he is a yes, that leaves the whip count at 10-9 in favor, with 2 Senators having not publicly stated how they will vote: Democratic Senator Bethany Hall Long and Republican Senator Cathy Cloutier. And ironically, the information we have on how each might vote goes against your typical partisan breakdown, with Hall Long leaning no and Cloutier leaning yes. However, I have been told by a source close to the situation that Senator Hall Long is not in the no column. She is not in the yes column either. And right now she is being very negatively lobbied by the anti-equality, pro-bigotry side (no doubt supported by the Glasgow area Church with that Westboro sign in lights on 896), and it seems to be pushing her in the opposite direction. I am told she has gotten many hundreds of positive calls from constituents on the pro-equality side, so we need to keep up that positive lobbying. That goes ditto for Senator Cloutier too. The positive pressure on her needs to be continued. I am told she is leaning our way, and voting for marriage equality seems to be a no-brainer given the political and electoral considerations in her district. She has been very good this session living up to the moderate image she presents in her campaigns of her record. She needs to keep it up, because this vote is an important one. And here's why. Echoing back to a point I made in a comment concerning my profound disappointment in Representative Earl Jaques' vote on HB 75 earlier this week, this is a legacy vote. Whether you vote yes or no, it will be remembered. Vote yes, and in 40 years you will be remembered as a champion for civil rights. Vote no, and you will look as craven and ridiculous as those black and white photos of the protesters on the Supreme Court steps back in the 50's and 60's, decrying interracial marriage and integration. This vote will be remembered, no matter how you vote. And given that the younger generations do not look upon homosexuality as anything other than a distinction without a difference, i.e. it no more condemns you to hell than having been born with blue eyes versus brown eyes, being born with brown skin versus white skin, or being born gay or straight. We are all human, we all love, and we are all equal. And if you vote no to that, you are saying you disagree with the above statement, and it will be remembered. And not in a good way that places you in a positive light in the history books. Instead the students of the future will look upon your no vote with the same amount of confusion and puzzlement that one looks upon George Wallace as he stands in a doorway refusing to let a black girl get an education. So here is your update on the whip count in chart form. Senators Hall Long and Cloutier, your legacy. It's up for grabs.

The Stories Keep Coming

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I'm probably going to regret this, but we need to talk about rape culture. We'll begin by looking at recent news. 1. Steubenville's football coach keeps his job.
Given Coach Saccoccia’s controversial behavior before and during the trial, which drew national scrutiny, many of us thought he at the very least would be shown the door after three decades of service. We all thought wrong. Today we learned that “Coach Sac,” as he is known, has been granted a two-year contract extension by the Steubenville school board. They made this decision despite the fact that a grand jury is meeting next week to assess whether he and others obstructed justice in the case. Saccoccia was legally required to report the sexual assault as soon as he was aware it took place. The grand jury will determine whether or not he in fact knew and tried to sweep it under the turf. Whatever the conclusions of the grand jury, the question of whether Saccoccia should remain in a position to mold the minds of young men should not have been difficult to answer. Not when there are text messages sent by now-convicted team quarterback Trent Mays that read, "I got Reno. He took care of it and shit ain't gonna happen, even if they did take it to court. Like he was joking about it so I’m not worried." Not when, after the boys were arrested and charged, Saccocia kept them on the team for eight more games in their ten game season. Not when Saccoccia went nose-to-nose with a woman reporter looking into the rape case and said, "You're gonna get yours. And if you don't get yours, somebody close to you will." Not when Coach Sac oversaw a locker room where the jock culture become inextricably connected to a rape culture.
I'm with Dave Zirin, author of the linked article. Getting rid of Coach Saccoccia seemed to be a no-brainer. The guy's behavior, across the board, was indefensible. And yet he keeps his job. Why?

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., April 25, 2013

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The big news, as predicted here by one of the death penalty repeal opponents, is that SB 19(Peterson) did not have sufficient votes to make it out of the House Judiciary Committee. Opponents included families of victims, law enforcement, and the Attorney General. I apologize for somehow missing this during my preview yesterday. I don't understand how I did not see that this bill was being considered, but I didn't. Probably the most egregious (among scores of them) mistake I've ever made since I started doing these reports. Mea Culpa. According to Jonathan Starkey's coverage in the News-Journal, the bill is probably dead for this year. But this is the first year of a two-year legislative session, and things can change. This bill was a close call in the Senate, and it was destined to be close in the House as well. We've also learned that, in Delaware, the police get what the police want, including a lack of transparency (aka the Police 'Bill of Rights', which tramples on the very notion of a bill of rights), so this is to be expected. Don't lose heart. These things often take time, so just keep working at it.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., April 24, 2013

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Man, it feels great to be part of one of the preeminent political blogs in the entire country! The coverage, analysis, and response to consideration of HB 75, the Marriage Equality Bill, was crack cocaine for all of us political junkies. Thanks to Delaware Dem and everyone who added to the threads! The bill faces a less certain result in the Senate, where the votes of Cathy Cloutier, Bethany Hall-Long, and Ernesto Lopez will likely determine the result. If you are constituents of any of those senators, now is the time to contact them to encourage them to support HB 75. Be friendly, polite, and positive. Let them know that you'll have their backs if they have yours. For you legislative completists out there, here is yesterday's session activity report. As expected, HB 40(Keeley), which extends the Automatic Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program and the Office of Foreclosure Prevention for four more years, unanimously passed the Senate. Due to a technical amendment, the House will hold another vote before the bill heads to the Governor, no doubt by Thursday afternoon. Not everyday can be yesterday. But my work goes on.

A Townsend Sandwich.

.... at least in my twitter feed. If you care about Delaware, you must discriminate against gays. That is the message from the "traditional" marriage crowd. Contact the following Senators today: Senator Brian Bushweller Dover (302) 744-4162 E-mail Address(s): brian.bushweller@state.de.us Senator Cathy Cloutier (302) 744-4197 (302) 577-8517 (302) 478-9616 E-mail Address(s): catherine.cloutier@state.de.us Senator Bethany Hall Long Phone: (302) 744-4286 E-mail Address(s): bethany.hall-long@state.de.us Senator Bob Marshall Phone: (302) 744-4168 Phone: (302) 577-8519 E-mail Address(s): robert.marshall@state.de.us