Delaware Liberal

President Obama seriously trolled the right wing yesterday with his comments to the Africa Union that if the constitution allowed it, he could win a third term. He also said he thinks he is a pretty good president, which is of course an objective fact, but it was sure to still the pot on the right nonetheless. I say he was trolling regarding the third term talk because the right wing, what with all of their fantasy talk about conspiracies and birther nonsense and Jade Helm takeovers of Texas, believes that Obama will institute martial law and install himself as Dictator for Life. First off, yes, it is true that some on the left also believe Bush was going to start a war with Iran and declare martial law and install himself as President as a third off. So, touche. Second, I cannot image anyone who has served as President wants to stay in that job forever. 8 years in that job takes 20 years off your life. Just look at the before and after photos. Third, yeah, the Constitution is pretty explicit about this, and if you want to start a revolution against you, staying for third term is a good way to start it. Fourth, the President was illustrating a point to African leaders because Africa frequently deals with popularly elected leaders who then want to stay in power. The President was saying, hey, if I could, I would and I would win. But that doesn't mean he should. He was saying respect the rule of law and get off the stage when it is your time. Fifth, he is right. If President Obama could run for a third term, there is no doubt in my mind that he would trounce any one of the Republicans currently running.

Politico reports that "[f]Four leading GOP presidential candidates – Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker – " were summoned.... SUMMONED... by the Koch Brothers "to a Southern California luxury hotel in coming days to make their cases directly to the Koch brothers and hundreds of other wealthy conservatives planning to spend close to $1 billion in the run-up to the 2016 election.” If these men had any guts, if they truly were men (and if Carly Fiorina or Hillary Clinton were involved in this story, I would say if they truly were women) of any integrity, any self respect, any honor at all, they would tell the Koch Brother to stick it where the sun don't shine. Summoned? In stories like this, these candidates have to know that they look like puppets, right? Well, not look like, they are.

This joint and bipartisan op-ed was published in the News Journal and other media outlets today, and we are publishing it here. The position of any Democratic elected official or candidate must be to override the Governor's veto of House Bill 50, and it should be done immediately, if not in a special session, then on the first day in January once the General Assembly reconvenes.

A LA Jewish Journal survey finds that 48% of Jewish Americans support the Iran nuclear deal negotiated between the United States, Germany, the UK, France, Russia, China and Iran. 28% oppose it and 25% hadn’t heard enough to form an opinion. In another poll released yesterday, the PPP finds strong support for the Iran nuclear deal. Among the key findings:

-Only 38% of voters are opposed to the Iran deal, compared to 54% who are supportive of it. Democratic voters (75/17) are far more united in their favor for the agreement than Republicans (36/54) are in their opposition to it. Voters within every gender, race, and age group are in support of it, reflecting the broad based mandate for the deal.

Good luck getting that all on a sign. Last night, the GOP, in an undemocratic smoke filled closed door backroom*, picked a pretty good candidate for the 18th RD Special Election: Eileen O'Shaughnessy-Coleman. The Democratic candidate will have to pick up his game.

Somehow, critics of the President have compared him to both Neville Chamberlain, the former British Prime Minister prior to World War II who appeased Adolf Hitler at Munich with territorial concessions, which of course did nothing to appease Hitler... and Adolf Hitler, the genocidal fascist dictator who could not be appeased. So Barack Obama is both the most incompetent president in history, and the most powerful tyrant who must be stopped. He is weak but strong.

Last Thursday night, the 18th District Democratic RD Committee selected David Bentz as its candidate in the upcoming state House of Representatives special election. Bentz will be seeking to succeed current Rep. Mike Barbieri, whose resignation will take affect at the end of July. A special election will held at some point in early to mid September according to law. Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf will announce the date of the special election early next week. Bentz has been Rep. Barbieri's legislative aide for 4 years, since 2011. Prior to that, he earned his Master's Degree at the University of Delaware in Public Administration. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Penn State. Other than that, non-Leg Hall insiders don't know much about the young candidate. Hopefully we will get to sit down later in August to talk with him.

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, this time in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the state Senate Republicans have pulled off a little stunt: they publicly sent a letter to Governor Markell and Delaware National Guard Chief Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala. What is curious is that the letter was sent at all, with the grandstanding of having all Republican Senators sign it. Was a similar letter sent by the entire Republican Senate Caucus after the Sandy Hook shootings in December 2012? How about the Colorado theater shooting in 2012? Or the Louisiana theater shooting last week? Or the Santa Barbara university shootings in 2014? The Charlestown Church shooting in June?

The Social Security Trustees' annual report for Social Security and Medicare was released last week, and it stated that President Obama and Obamacare have saved Medicare.

The Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to cover its obligations until 2030, the same year that was projected last year, and 13 years later than was projected in the last report issued prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act. [...] The improved long-term outlook for HI is primarily due to a change in the projection methodology that results in a lower estimate for long-range health care cost growth for HI and other parts of Medicare.

Medicare has 13 additional years of life after the passage of Obamacare due to the cost savings that Obamacare has already achieved for the program, referred to in the phrase "lower estimate for long-range health care cost growth." So a vote for any Republican who wants to end Obamacare is a vote to end Medicare too. We also have tons of polling numbers for you, that show that Donald Trump is here to stay until such time that Republicans get the guts to destroy both him and their racist bigoted Tea Party base.