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.

Richard Forsten’s Response

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I have decided to take down my previous post "Delaware is a small state" about a conversation overheard in a local restaurant about alleged plans to hack DL. Our tipster took a picture of the alleged plotter, and since I had no idea who it was, I posted it here in order to identify the man and dissuade the alleged hackers from attacking the site. The gentleman was identified at Richard Forsten by our readers and by other sources. Mr. Forsten then commented on the post, offering a response and, to my mind, a reasonable explanation to the overheard conversation. I am posting that response below and offering our apology.

Blandly Watching Someone Die

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I heard about this story yesterday, but didn't listen to the 911 call until this morning.
March is only four days old, but this month’s “man’s inhumanity to man” award goes to Glenwood Gardens and the folks who work there. The senior living facility in Bakersfield, Calif., has a policy of calling 911 in emergencies and waiting with the afflicted until medical assistance arrives. But the lack of urgency — the seeming indifference of the personnel to the 87-year-old woman who collapsed in the dining room Feb. 26 — is stunning.

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.

The Polling Report [3.4.13]

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We have compiled polling results over the last couple of weeks to show you how much better President Obama and Congressional Democrats are polling compared to their Republican counterpart. Meanwhile, we have new polls out in dozens of Senate and Gubernatorial races in 2013 and 2014.

Help Wanted – School Board Elections

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Given Jason's recent post it appears School Board races may heat up against this year. If this is true then we need to get moving! Every year I send out a list of questions to Red Clay school board candidates and post their answers. Here's my problem: Every school district has different concerns and I while I'm familiar with the challenges facing Red Clay, I have no idea what the Appo, Capital, Christina, Seaford, etc. District residents are looking for in a school board candidate. So... I need a few volunteers to contact candidates in their district and report back. I'm also trying to figure out the best way to do this. Actually, I'd really like to find a way where I'm not sending out tons of emails - because a quick look at the number of candidates running is quite daunting, and, contrary to popular belief, I don't get paid for this! ;-)

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.

Late Night Video — A Serious Cause for Mourning

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So sad (and I'm not especially a fan of the stuff) --
The night shift at a Chivas Brothers distillery screwed up this week and accidentally flushed about 6,000 gallons of Scotch whisky down the drain, according to reports from Scotland. The 80-proof goof happened early Tuesday at a bottling plant in Dumbarton, where workers were cleaning equipment. Instead of purging the wastewater, they instead expelled 18,000 liters of bulk whisky into the local sewage system. "It was like someone turned on a tap, and it just ran straight down the plughole," an "insider" told The Scottish Sun.

Oh God.

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has declared Detroit to be in a state of financial emergency, paving the way for an emergency manager to be appointed to run Michigan's largest city, as per Michigan's law.
"Snyder said he has a candidate in mind but would not name that person, noting the city has a 10-day window to appeal that ends March 11. A hearing for a possible appeal has been set for March 12."
When I read that quote, I knew immediately who Snyder is thinking of. Don't you? Oh of course you do. It's obvious. First one to guess in the comments gets the right height of trees.