General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., March 15, 2012

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Cassandra has already reported the Big News, and it took place at Wilmington's Latin American Community Center. In fact, the DREAM Act has not been officially introduced, or at least its introduction has not yet made its way to the official General Assembly page, but it will be introduced, and it will serve as a Rorschach Test for members of the General Assembly and the public at large. I strongly support the bill, it is a bill where the benefits to the state far outweigh any costs that might be associated with it. Unless, of course, you are opposed to an educated and upwardly-mobile citizenry. You know, taxpayers, productive citizens. I don't know whether the cowardly followers in the Delaware General Assembly will dare pass it during an election year, but I believe that the Dream Act's passage is ultimately inevitable--eventually. I salute Bob Marshall, Helene Keeley, Joe Miro, and whoever else signs onto the bill as a sponsor; as well as one of my favorite Delawareans, Maria Matos. Maria has served as Executive Director of the LACC since 1994, and her dynamic leadership has made such a difference, and continues to make a difference, in the lives of so many in Delaware's Hispanic community.

The Delaware Senate [2012]

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Now onto the Senate. The Senate currently stands at 14 Democrats and 7 Republicans. The GOP would need to pickup 4 seats to gain of majority of 11. You saw how Speaker Gilligan handled redistricting in the House. He protected and sought to expand the Democratic majority. In the Senate, Tony Deluca has placed it in jeopardy, so much so that it is now a 50-50 bet as to whether the Republicans win back the Senate in the fall.

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., March 14, 2012

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The House unanimously passed HB 245(Heffernan), which essentially eliminates the 'R' word from the Delaware Code. Those of who missed the Al Mascitti Show with yours truly missed a strong disagreement on this issue between us. I was all for the bill, and pointed out that, in many ways, children are ahead of adults now when it comes to respect for their peers who might have unique challenges. Al thought, and I'm paraphrasing here, and I'm not good at paraphrasing, that it was part of some Liberal Groupthink thingy. If you're not listening from 10-12 every Tuesday morning, you're missing some damned lively radio.

Republican War On Women – Crazy Arizona Goes Even Further

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The bill doesn't just aim to implement a Blunt Amendment-type law at the state level -- it would also strike a protection from the books that forbids a religious employer from firing "an employee who independently chooses to obtain insurance coverage or prescriptions for contraceptives from another source.” That means that if women sought coverage outside of her employer plan, she could be fired, although that might conflict with other laws in Arizona that would protect women from such employer actions.

BREAKING HORRIBLE NEWS: Senator Bunting to Retire. Rep. Hocker to Run.

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I have just been informed that Senator George Bunting (D-20th SD) announced his retirement on the Senate floor this afternoon. My source tells me that Pete Schwartzkopf is talking to Bunting now to try to prevent Bunting from endorsing his friend, Representative Gerald Hocker (R-38th RD), for the seat. Hocker and Bunting are good friends, apparently. Bunting is 67 years old and has had health issues in the past.

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, March 13, 2012

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The overriding question of the day is: Will the issue of John Atkins' behavior surface in today's House Majority Caucus meeting? I spoke to two caucus members in the last few days, and got two distinctly different opinions about what would happen. Neither, to put it mildly, is a strong supporter of John Atkins. One expressed pessimism that the rank-and-file would have the opportunity to weigh in on the issue, and told me that they expected leadership to back Atkins. The other told me that Speaker Gilligan is really angry over Atkins' behavior, and that they expected a frank discussion of what should be done.

Vince White Ends Campaign for IC, Endorses Mitch Crane

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Not that he had ever started his campaign by filing to run, but Vincent White has announced that he is withdrawing from the Insurance Commissioner's Race and is endorsing Mitch Crane. This is excellent news if you want to replace Karen Weldin Stewart as Insurance Commissioner. For a crowded primary with more than 2 candidates ensures that the anti-incumbent vote is divided, and in those situations, the incumbent almost always prevails.

Women Are Not Single Issue Voters And Contraception Is Not A Single Issue

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Lately I've heard politicians of all stripes state that women are not single issue voters. This statement appears when the subject of contraception emerges and the two parties use the line for different reasons. The point is... access to affordable contraception encompasses more than a single issue. Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans act like contraception is something that only pertains to a woman looking for a good time on a Friday night - as a way to cut loose without suffering the "consequences." For 99% of women who use, or have used, contraception, the decision to prevent pregnancy is based on economics. Can we afford to have a child at this time? Are we at a point in our lives where having a child would be a responsible financial decision? Do we even want to have children? (That last question has Republicans taking to their fainting couches.) If we were talking about buying a new car and whether we could afford it, or if spending our money on that was responsible when we were struggling to pay other bills, we would be applauded for demonstrating good fiscal sense. In fact, Republicans normally love to wag their fingers at people buying big screen televisions they can't afford. Pointing out how people are irresponsible with their finances is one of the GOP's favorite pass times. So why don't they admit that household economies are directly tied to family planning?

The House Limbaugh Built And May Have Burned Down

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Premiere Networks, which distributes Limbaugh as well as a host of other right-wing talkers, sent an email out to its affiliates early Friday listing 98 large corporations that have requested their ads appear only on “programs free of content that you know are deemed to be offensive or controversial (for example, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Tom Leykis, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity).”