Open Thread
Friday Open Thread [12.6.13]
![Friday Open Thread [12.6.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DL.Thumbnail.png "Friday Open Thread [12.6.13]")
Really, the Republicans are a sick people. I’m serious. They have a pathological condition. This obsession with socialism and Obamacare. They cannot talk about anything without linking that anything to it. During an appearance on Fox News Thursday night, former Sen. Rick Santorum discussed the death of Nelson Mandela, saying the former South African president fought “great injustice” just like Republicans who are battling Obamacare.
Thursday Open Thread [12.5.13]
![Thursday Open Thread [12.5.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/GA-240x180.png "Thursday Open Thread [12.5.13]")
Steve Newton over at Delaware Libertarian has an interesting point.
Over at Delaware Liberal, Cassandra has another post up about crime in Wilmington. Cassandra and I have our differences, but she continues to do excellent fact-based blogging about the nature of the problem, the potential solutions, and the general ineptitude/malaise of the current governmental apparatus to solve the problem.
As Cassandra knows and has blogged repeatedly, this ain’t rocket science. There are a lot of evidence-proven strategies (like full-scale community policing with a constitutionally careful stop and frisk approach) that could make a dent, a serious dent, in crime and violence in Wilmington. The problem is–in this one-party state–the Democrats don’t care enough about reducing what amounts to urban terrorism in Wilmington to do anything about it. Instead, last year, they supported a State budget that included millions to bail out casinos and tens of millions in corporate welfare rather than invest in either inner-city education or crime fighting.
Good points, Steve. If the Democrats make a huge investment in fighting crime in Wilmington, I am sure you will support it, even if it means raising taxes on the rich to pay for it.
Wednesday Open Thread [12.4.13]
![Wednesday Open Thread [12.4.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Power-Plant-Newark-240x180.jpg "Wednesday Open Thread [12.4.13]")
Polly Sierer was officially sworn in as Newark’s new mayor last night in City Council Chambers. I admit that that I did not follow Newark’s election very closely, since I do not live in Newark and it was a non partisan election focused on local issues. Indeed, I did not have to cover it since Nancy Willing at the Delaware Way did a fantastic job doing so, as she always does on local New Castle County matters. But the election took a turn to the interesting yesterday:
Roe and a small group of residents sought to delay the swearing in over questions that had regarding an outside advocacy group’s activities and confusion regarding polling place information.
Nancy has more. Kavips has much more on what he calls a power grab.
Tuesday Open Thread [12.3.13]
![Tuesday Open Thread [12.3.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/DL.Thumbnail.3.png "Tuesday Open Thread [12.3.13]")
Kevin O’Holleran, who managed Mark Herring’s (D) campaign for Virginia attorney general, writes that gun control was the key to Herring’s narrow win.
“Political conventional wisdom has it that in a purple state, such as Virginia, support for gun-safety legislation is best played down. As manager of Mark Herring’s campaign for attorney general, I got a lot of advice. One of the things I heard most frequently was that we should soft-pedal his strong record and advocacy for sensible gun legislation. It would hurt us outside of Northern Virginia and wasn’t a voting issue within the Beltway, I was told. Like much conventional wisdom, this was wrong — and we not only ignored this advice but did the opposite.”
You know why? Because those who are against gun control to such an extent that it is their number 1 issue will never vote Democratic. They will always vote Republicans. So those voters are lost. And Democratic candidates will lose even more voters, from their own base, if they soft pedal or play down not only their records but their positions on reasonable gun control. Stand up and Man and Woman Up, Democrats.
Wednesday Open Thread [11.27.13]
So how’s the last minute Thanksgiving prep going?
In keeping with the spirit of the seaon (i’m just guessing), Richard Land (a leader in the Southern Baptist church) says that single mothers should always give up their babies for adoption. I’m guessing the Land’s aren’t rushing right out to signup for some more mouths to feed — they are just in the business of making more women feel guilty and undermine the family values they only give lip service too.
Monday Open Thread [11.18.13]
![Monday Open Thread [11.18.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Mackler-240x180.png "Monday Open Thread [11.18.13]")
Delaware politicos may know Alexander Synder Mackler, who worked on Attorney General Biden’s reelection campaign in 2010. Alex’s father, Dr. Scott Mackler, was a pretty amazing person.
Dr. Scott A. Mackler, an accomplished physician and scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, died on Wednesday. His remarkable perseverance and passion allowed him to continue working during his 15-year battle with ALS and also garnered him national acclaim. He was 55.
Come inside for the 60 Minutes story regarding Dr. Mackler’s work. Alex and the entire Mackler family, we are so sorry for your loss. Your father was and is truly an inspiration.
Sunday Open Thread [11.17.13]
Delaware Right’s Frank Knotts’ father passed away. He and his family have our sincere sympathy.
Saturday Open Thread [11.16.13]
![Saturday Open Thread [11.16.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/john_f_kennedy_white_house_color_photo_portrait-240x180.jpg "Saturday Open Thread [11.16.13]")
This year is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and there’s no shortage of writing and reporting this year attempting to re-examine those days. So here are a few long reads for your consideration:
Friday Open Thread [11.15.13]
![Friday Open Thread [11.15.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Delaware-License-240x180.png "Friday Open Thread [11.15.13]")
Morning Money: “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gets all the love as the current GOP front-runner for 2016 (to the extent there can even be a front runner three years out.) But there is growing chatter in elite New York financial circles that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is giving more serious consideration to getting in the race, especially if it appears at any point that Christie is not drawing big national appeal beyond the northeast. Several plugged in GOP sources said Bush has moved from almost certainly staying out to a 30 percent chance of getting in. The ’70/30′ odds pop up in so many conversations they almost seem like circulated talking points.”
Jeb Bush will run. It is his last chance to run. So he has to run. If his last name was not Bush I dare say he would be a runaway favorite. Bush and Christie will divide the sane vote. The insane vote will be divided between Paul and Cruz. Now, who will win? It depends on the answer to this question: Are their more sane than insane people in the Republican Party/Tea Party?
Friday Open Thread [11.8.13]
![Friday Open Thread [11.8.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/george-bush-and-nancy-pelosi-240x180.jpg "Friday Open Thread [11.8.13]")
Kavips or Kilroy, I can’t remember which, said recently that we were still obsessed with George W. Bush. I think it was said in jest, but still. I racked my brain to think of any posts that concentrated on the former disasterous President. I came up with nothing. If anything, we are preoccupied with the current Republican Party and its horrible members. So here is a GWB item, so we can live up to the Kavipsian or Kilroyian characterization. And its a doozy. It would seem that the former President has an interesting speaking engagement on his calendar:
Next week, former President George W. Bush is scheduled to keynote a fundraiser in Irving, Texas, for the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute, a group that trains people in the United States, Israel, and around the world to convince Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The organization’s goal: to “restore” Israel and the Jews and bring about about the second coming of Christ.
So W is now a “Jew for Jesus?” And he is not just speaking….
Monday Open Thread [11.4.13]
![Monday Open Thread [11.4.13]](http://delawareliberal.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Rand.Paul_-182x180.png "Monday Open Thread [11.4.13]")
Rand Paul has a Joe Biden problem. Last week, he was busted by Rachel Maddow for plagiarizing a Wikipedia entry for the movie Gattaca, then busted by BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski both for plagiarizing a Wikipedia entry for the movie Stand and Deliver and for plagiarizing a Heritage Foundation study in his book Government Bullies. The man is a serial plagiarizer.
Instead of being concrite and apologetic, Paul on Sunday threatened to murder any one who dared question or criticize him.
Seriously.
“I take it as an insult, and I will not lie down and say people can call me dishonest, misleading or misrepresenting,” he said, dismissing his critics as “hacks and haters.” Presumably in jest, Mr. Paul added: “If dueling were legal in Kentucky, if they keep it up, it’d be a duel challenge.”
I do not give Mr. Paul the benefit of the doubt, so I am not going to presume he was kidding. I am going to presume that Mr. Paul would challenge Mr. Kaczynski and Ms. Maddow to a duel, if such were legal, where he would attempt to shoot both of them before they shot him.
That is his response to being caught in the act.
He wants to murder them.
Sunday Open Thread [11.3.13]
Jonathan Cohn finds the Republian criticism this week about the 3% of health insurance policies being cancelled (so that the insured could be enrolled in better policies that comply with the law) very disingenuous, and hypocritical.
With Obamacare, a small number of people lose their current insurance but they end up with alternative, typically stronger coverage. Under the plans Republicans have endorsed, a larger number of people would lose their current insurance, as people migrated to a more volatile and less secure marketplace. Under Obamacare, the number of Americans without health insurance at all will come down, eventually by 30 or 40 million. Under most of the Republican plans, the number of Americans without insurance would rise.
Honest Republicans would justify their policies by arguing that Medicaid is a wasteful, inefficient program not worth keeping—and their changes, overall, would reduce health care spending while maximizing liberty. In other words, forcing people to give up their coverage is worth it. I don’t agree with those arguments, but they are honest. But they should stop pretending that it’s possible to address the problems of American health care without disrupting at least some people’s insurance arrangements—because, after all, they want to do the very same thing.
Jonathan Chait agrees, and thinks this is why there never was any “Replace” bill in the Republicans’ “Repeal and Replace” strategy over the last three years.
![Saturday Open Thread [11.2.13]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/55687/large/nbcwsjlateoct2013negativeviews.png "Saturday Open Thread [11.2.13]")
Recent Comments