Tuesday Open Thread [11.17.15]

Tuesday Open Thread [11.17.15]

5 Comments
Once again, you can always count on the GOP to overreact to the extreme, so much so that their overreaction becomes the story rather than the original concern over national security and terrorism. Their cowardice and bedwetting when it comes to the Syrian refugees is but our latest example. You take an issue where, historically yet bizarrely, Republicans do better than Democrats, and you have a terrorist attack that highlights that issue. And instead of pressing the advantage, Republicans have decided to let their bigotry rule the day, and turn the issue of terrorism and national security into just another immigration issue where one can sound xenophoic as they want. It really is amazing to watch. Seriously, if you are a registered Republican at this very moment, you are a confirmed cowardly bigot. And you have allowed your bigotry to overrule your sense of political strategy. And given that ISIS wants us to reject the Syrian refugees, you are also a traitor, since you are aiding the enemy.
The Cowardice of the Republican Party

The Cowardice of the Republican Party

18 Comments
The last time I saw this much bedwetting I was three years old. A number of Republicans in our state legislature, as well as Republicans in our state, are quite distressed at the potential prospect of our state accepting placement of thoroughly vetted Syrian refugees.
State GOP officials and one gubernatorial candidate, Delaware state Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover, said Markell should follow [the example of certain Republican Governors across the country who also happen to be cowards]. Charlie Copeland, Delaware GOP chairman, said in a letter to Markell that the United States has to protect its borders, and that includes not allowing Syrian refugees into the state or country. Copeland also asked Markell to, "demand that the Obama administration halt all efforts to allow these individuals to cross American borders." [...] Bonini, who is running for governor in 2016, said that the state needs to, "hold off until we have a much greater comfort level with the security background checks."
This, despite the fact that French and Belgium citizens were the ones responsible for the Paris Attacks, not Syrian refugees. So in addition to being betwetting cowards, Mr. Copeland, Mr. Bonini, and any Republican who agrees with them are also mindbogglingly racist. I hereby invite Mr. Copeland, Mr. Bonini, and any other coward currently serving in the legislature or identifying as a Republican to accept delivery of case of Depends for Men. Let me know if you want your bottle of milk warmed up Charlie.
The Hateful Ten

The Hateful Ten

38 Comments
Ten governors have decided they don’t want to accept refugees in their states. Not because they are tending to their own needy and are thus unable provide food, clothing, or shelter for them. Or that their states are strained for space for even their own citizens. But because the refugees are Syrian and some of them might be terrorists. You may have already read their remarks explaining why they steadfastly refuse to help victims of war, but if not I want you to read them all now:
Delaware GOP officials seek to support ISIS recruitment goals

Delaware GOP officials seek to support ISIS recruitment goals

5 Comments
The DEGOP is doing exactly what ISIS hoped:
Delaware GOP officials are asking Gov. Jack Markell to block any attempts by the federal government to place Syrian refugees in Delaware,
Pissing his pants as a result of the attacks in Paris, GOP chairman Charlie Copeland said that the United States needs to play into the hands of terrorists, by pushing ISIS resistors into the arms of the terrorists out of fear.
Copeland...asked Markell to, "demand that the Obama administration halt all efforts allow these individuals to cross American borders."
ISIS, meanwhile, is thrilled with Copeland's idiotic and short-sighted reaction to the attacks:
ISIS has ratcheted up its propaganda against anyone fleeing the conflict in Iraq and Syria of late — calling those who leave traitors and imploring others to stay and help to build their so-called caliphate. At the same time, it has vowed to make it impossible for Muslims to live peacefully in the West, threatening to destroy what it calls a “gray zone” of coexistence.
Monday Open Thread [11.16.15]

Monday Open Thread [11.16.15]

4 Comments
Steven Benen says the GOP Candidates this weekend offered a lesson on how not to respond to terrorism. You don't respond with fear, panic, sectarian rage, and bigotry.
To be sure, there are too many reactionary, overly simplistic attitudes on the right, which seem to give Republicans some emotional satisfaction without much regard for responsible policymaking. But there’s also the unnerving track record of many Republican officials – including would-be presidents – who seem to fall to pieces every time there’s a crisis. The benefit of a lengthy national campaign is that it gives voters a chance to see who’s made of sterner stuff, and who isn’t.
I don't mean to be callous here, but the Paris Attacks are not 9/11. They are not the end of the world. It is a tragedy to be sure. Horrific. But it was a terrorist attack. And terror attacks are going to happen in this world. What we have to do now is investigate, track down those responsible, kill or capture them, but most importantly, respond smartly.

Saturday Open Thread [11.14.2015]

32 Comments
Regarding the attacks in Paris last night that killed around 127 people (which I am sure may go up as 99 people were critically wounded out of 200 injured), we must resolve to stop terrorists whenever and wherever we find them. What does that mean though? We already went into two Muslim countries to fight terrorism, spent 15 years there and tens of trillions of dollars, and accomplished nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, us being there made the problem worse. You cannot fight an ideology, or terrorism, like you would another country's army. One is a philosophy, the other is a tactic. The terrorists would like nothing more than for the West to drop another 200,000 man army in the Middle East. It will be their greatest recruiting tool ever. And then they would blend into the civilian population, forcing us to kill and harass and terrorize civilians, thereby creating more terrorists who hate us for being their occupier. So when I say we must fight terrorism, I do not mean fight it like a war. No, the only way to fight them is containment, drone strikes and special ops that takes them out one by one. I know that is less satisfying to the red blooded vengeance we crave, but it's the smart way to do it. And it is what we are doing. We have to, along with our allies, and Russia, redouble our efforts, and better coordinate strategy. The dumb way is what the neocons in the Republican Party would have us do: putting an invading army of hundreds of thousands on the ground in Syria and Iraq.

The Weekly Addresses

In this week's address, President Obama honored our nation’s veterans, who have served and sacrificed in defense of our country. In his weekly message, Governor Markell discusses efforts in Delaware to support veterans, including increasing access to employment and providing housing assistance, as the nation recognizes Veterans Day
Friday Open Thread [11.13.2015]

Friday Open Thread [11.13.2015]

7 Comments
It's starting to get nasty! Trump also went after Carson yesterday for being a pathological liar, which is correct. Fiorina, also a pathological liar, defending her fellow pathological liar by saying on Facebook:
“Donald, sorry, I’ve got to interrupt again. You would know something about pathological. How was that meeting with Putin? Or Wharton? Or your self funded campaign? Anyone can turn a multi-million dollar inheritance into more money, but all the money in the world won’t make you as smart as Ben Carson.”
And she is also right. Donald does lie as well, creating meetings with world leaders out of whole cloth, lying about self funding his campaign. He was born with a silver spoon. The only thing Carly gets wrong is this: Ben Carson is not smart.
Conspiracy Christine.

Conspiracy Christine.

10 Comments
Here at Delaware Liberal, we will always have a soft spot in our hearts for Christine O'Donnell. Her primary victory over Mike Castle not only delivered a Senate seat to the blue team when it was going to go red, but it also gave DL our highest traffic numbers ever for a few months. So we continue to keep tabs on Ms. O'Donnell. And as you know, she is currently being sued by the FEC for using her campaign donations to pay her personal rent at her Greenville townhouse during the campaign. She hired a lawyer to defend her, but then stop paying that lawyer. Lawyers like to get paid for the work they do, and when they don't get paid, we stop doing work. Of course, as a Republican, Christine looked upon her lawyer as a servant/employee that was indentured to her, no matter if she paid him or not. So she was surprised when said lawyer moved to withdraw from representing her, and further surprised when the motion was granted. But somehow, she received an email between her former counsel and opposing counsel for the FEC, and now she thinks there is some huge conspiracy against her.