General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thursday, January 24, 2013

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Big doin's, today. BIG doin's. Senate Bill 3 is on today's House Agenda. I'd first like to thank everybody who made this vote possible. From sponsor Sen. Marshall; to Sen. Blevins, who assigned the bill to a favorable committee; to the 11 yes voters in the Senate, to the Speaker, to committee chair Bryon Short, and to everyone who has made consideration of this bill a priority. I'm not sure that this gets done without the blogs, the media, and some damn good public servants. This bill also demonstrates that elections matter. Think about it. The Senate vote was 11 yes, 9 no, 1 not voting. Had Tony DeLuca been reelected instead of Bryan Townsend (a yes vote), it would have been due in large part to the extraordinary intervention of Governor Markell in that election. Meaning that SB 3 could well have been buried in DeLuca's Executive Committee, never to see the light of day. If it had somehow made its way to the floor, DeLuca quite possibly would have sided with the Governor, leaving the bill one vote short of passage. Perhaps two, had Nicole Poore not defeated Dori Connor, since not a single R voted for the bill. Now onto today's doins...

PDD-DL Vote Tracker for January 23, 2013

As promised, here is the first version of the PDD-DL Vote Tracker for the 147th General Assembly. Out of all the legislation that has been introduced so far, I have selected the bills and resolutions that are of most interest to progressives and liberals. And in reality, I have only left out those bills that are really perfunctory, like two bills to reincorporate the town of Georgetown and to make changes to the Bridgeville charter. All bills of controversial substance will be included here. As El Som and Cassandra have already pointed out in their posts over the last two days, the most important bill scheduled for a vote tomorrow in the House is Senate Bill 3, concerning legislative oversight and approval of any privatization of the Port of Wilmington. Come inside for the Vote Tracker chart.

John Carney Brings the Pete Peterson Entitlement Destruction Circus to Town

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These events don't seem to be on Representative Carney's website yet (or I just bypassed them), but he is holding two Town Meetings to talk about the deficit. From his Facebook page:
Want to discuss ways of reducing the federal deficit? I’m hosting two town hall meetings, in coordination with the Concord Coalition, on January 31st to get your thoughts and ideas. We’ll be at Wesley College in Dover from 1 – 2:30 and at Delaware Tech’s Stanton campus from 6:30 – 8:00. These meetings are open to the public, but seating is limited, so please RSVP by calling (302) 691-7333 or (877) 899-7872.

Korn Asserts Innocence

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I got this in the email yesterday or the day before. Who remembers? Anyway, here is a press release from Out of the Box Communications, which is a political consulting firm that I suppose Korn has retained, and which is also a firm that at one time Korn either worked for, ran, or had a financial interest in (but that is all really irrelevant). What is relevant is the statement, and you will notice something interesting...

Reaction to the Inaugural Address

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I think Andrew Sullivan is right: Obama is the liberal Reagan. The speech yesterday will be a mission statement for Progressives for the next two to three generations, much like the Inaugurals of FDR were to older generations of progressives and how Reagan's were to conservatives.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, January 22, 2013

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Lotsa fascinating (and otherwise) bills introduced last week. Let's take a look, shall we? You can follow along here, here, and here. For those with limited time, the first here here has the most there there. There there now, it'll be alright. First, and least, we have parts of the Rethuglican legislative agenda, courtesy of Rep. Ruth Briggs King. It's what you'd expect. Opposition to strong automobile emission standards, and two more shots at prevailing wage, HB 6 and HB 7. Thanks for playing. King also tackles the rampant problem of ticket-scalping at the Delaware State Fair. Ticket scalping elsewhere would presumably still be OK. As far as I'm concerned, anybody willing to pay excessive prices for whatever big empty hat country performer the Fair brings in has a right to pay excessive prices. Although it might not leave enough $$'s to pay for a few rounds of ammo, which would be a shame.

President Obama’s Inaugural Address

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If you didn't get a chance to see or hear it all, we have the video inside. The Washington Post has the transcript of the remarks as they were to be delivered. I've been thinking about alot of this (and this speech *is* more progressive than the 2009 one), but the piece that really speaks to me is this one:
It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.
It is tough to object to what looks like a goal of a more perfect freedom for all of us.