Kooky Talk in Sussex

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Well, it must be Spring because it seems as though more crazy talk is filling the airwaves than usual. We now get to listen to Matt Walsh on WGMD in the evenings. Walsh was a DJ on 93.5 “The Beach,” until they tired of him and his nonsense. In 2010, he ran for mayor of Georgetown and took a whopping 25 votes out of the 455 cast. Yes, he took 5.5% of the vote. He probably got his butt kicked because instead of talking about issues that would affect the average Georgetown resident, he squawked about the Second Amendment, health care reform, and illegal aliens. Yeah, those would be my top choices if I was running for municipal office. Well, tonight on his show, Walsh decided to talk about President Obama’s birth certificate. Or as he put it, his alleged birth certificate. He started off by saying “I’m not a birther, but……..”

Romney’s War On (Obama’s) Religion

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Romney has a religion problem and he knows it. 22% of voters are ignorant bigots who are disinclined to vote for a Mormon. So what does Team Romney plan to do about it? They are going to turn Obama into something even worse than a Mormon, they are going to make Obama the atheist in the race. Lawrence O'Donnell broke it down brilliantly last night and this segment is worth sitting through the mandatory 15 second commercial:

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., April 4, 2012

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So much for that 2-week meme about the R’s taking over the Delaware State Senate. Admittedly aided and abetted by moi. Just as Sen. Margaret Rose Henry’s switch from R to D swiftly ended then-Sen. Myrna Bair’s publicly-proclaimed dream of becoming Delaware’s first female President Pro-Tem, Sen. Liane Sorenson’s announcement that she would not seek reelection did the same to Sen. Gary Simpson’s. Even if Rep. Mike Ramone jumps into the race, Dave Sokola will almost certainly win, and Ramone’s House seat will flip to the D’s. If Ramone values his legislative pension, he will likely stay right where he is. Sorenson has been described as a moderate, and she certainly is in the mode of a Rockefeller Republican. However, I think she’s more of a progressive than a moderate, and she hasn’t hesitated to support causes that may not be popular with Republican constituencies. The fact that two of Delaware’s very best were tonymandered together is a significant loss to the legislature and the citizens of this state. The state is far better off b/c Liane Sorenson chose to dedicate herself to public service. Jack Markell would do well to ensure that Liane’s public service career continues. We cannot afford to lose people like her. Biff Lee, eh, not so much. But he too announced his retirement yesterday. He used to be a state cop. He used to be in leadership, and now he’s a back-bencher. And he put in 22 years. That’s about it.

Laws Affect People, Not Abstract Concepts

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Hi DL. I’m Mrs. XStryker. Some of you know me already. I’m not a very vocal member of this community and in that light I’d like to thank the rest of the contributors for allowing me to post this guest blog. Something has to be done on behalf of women who think this will never happen to them. I know I was certainly one of them.

Markell’s Elephant in the Room: Fisker

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We were conned like everyone else. But for three years the Boxwood plant remains empty and will likely remain so. No 1,500 jobs. And with the recent news articles in the Times, WSJ and TNJ, we've learned that Fisker was playing the long con. Now that we all see we've been bamboozled, what will Markell's reaction be? After months of publicly ignoring the elephant in the room, what will be the Administration's response be today and in the future? What is Markell's Plan B for Boxwood?

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LUNCHEON (Annotated)

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After some words of welcome, the President goes right for the media's soft underbelly.
Clearly, we’re already in the beginning months of another long, lively election year. There will be gaffes and minor controversies, be hot mics and Etch-a-Sketch moments. You will cover every word that we say, and we will complain vociferously about the unflattering words that you write -- unless, of course, you're writing about the other guy -- in which case, good job. (Laughter.)
The guy is a master at that, and the press eats it up. I giggle when I try to image Mittron Romneybot trying to pull off a natural sounding joke.

Big Breaking News: Liane Sorenson Not Running!!

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Sen. Liane Sorenson (R-Hockessin) has just announced in Dover that she will not run for reelection to the Delaware State Senate, according to reliable sources. Sorenson and Dave Sokola had been placed in the same district by Tony DeLuca after both Sorenson and Sokola opposed DeLuca for President Pro Tempore of the Delaware State Senate. Sorenson's retirement is a real loss for progressives, as she has had one of the most estimable voting and sponsorship records in Dover. It is also, however, a likely death knell for any hopes that R's had of taking over the Senate chamber.

That’s What She Said

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The First Lady or a potential First Lady does not win or lose elections except maybe in France. Yesterday morning, Politico did one of its standard fluff piece on Ann Romney with the headline, "Ann Romney is the Romney Democrats fear most". Politico might have a point, given that Mitt Romney has the personality of a slice of Wonder Bread. When asked about her husband's stiffness, Ann Romney replied:
"Well, you know, I guess we better unzip him and let the real Mitt Romney out."
So, Ann Romney goes from a person who Democrats need to fear in the morning to a late night joke by lunch time.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: April 3, 2012

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The most notable bill passed in the Senate was SB 174(Bushweller), which is designed to help first responders seek and receive critical counseling to deal with the stress they encounter. It’s a well-intended and even essential bill–as long as it doesn’t create a priest confessional type of situation. The House passed HB 202, which ‘makes it an offense to use a handicapped plate or placard issued to another person, unless that person is also in the vehicle’. The idea being, of course, to stop the use of handicapped parking spaces by those who don’t need them. I strongly support a newly-introduced piece of legislation. HB 287(Lavelle) places the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility under the requirements of state procurement laws. About damned time, as this Harris McDowell-driven vehicle has had more than its share of controversy. The bill has bipartisan support, including many of the more reform-minded legislators, and will likely pass the House. Uh, which raises the question of what Tony DeLuca, who counts McDowell as among his supporters, will do once HB 287 reaches the Senate. The bill is in the House Energy Committee, and John Kowalko, who is a co-sponsor, is the committee chair.