Friday Open Thread [10.3.14]

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics released September’s employment figures on Friday and it was almost entirely good news. The economy added 248,000 new jobs during the month and the unemployment rate dropped to 5.9%. This is the lowest level the jobless rate has been since July 2008. The BLS also revised jobs numbers upwards for the months of August and July, revealing that we actually added 61,000 more jobs than previously estimated during those two months.
Punkin Chunkin Sunken

Punkin Chunkin Sunken

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I just posted this so I could claim that headline.
The marquee Delaware event since 1986 won't be held this year. The pumpkins will not be flying this year after logistical problems in moving the annual Punkin Chunkin event to Dover International Speedway. Earlier this summer, World Championship Punkin Chunkin leaders announced a deal to move the event from its traditional home in Bridgeville to Dover. Organizers were forced to find a new home after the property it had been held on was unable to host it anymore.
I am getting spoiled with these new and frequent Delaware polls…

I am getting spoiled with these new and frequent Delaware polls…

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Here is the latest: ATTORNEY GENERAL BEAU BIDEN (D)
Sixty percent [66%] of respondents to the poll, conducted Sept. 10-22 by phone, viewed [Beau Biden,] the second-term attorney general[,] favorably. Just 24 percent of the 902 Delaware adults surveyed held an unfavorable view.
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN (D)
Joe Biden's numbers are at least as good, and maybe better. Sixty-four [64%] percent of adults surveyed held a favorable view, while 30 percent said they viewed the vice president, and Delaware's longtime U.S. senator, unfavorably.
GOV. JACK MARKELL (D)
Gov. Jack Markell's popularity slipped slightly in the past year, but his numbers remain strong. In last month's poll, 55 percent viewed the governor favorably, while 25 percent viewed Markell unfavorably. That's down from a 62 percent favorability rating in a University of Delaware poll a year ago.
We also have favorability numbers on our Congressional delegation (the three C's), Lt. Governor Denn, and we even have 2016 Presidential horse race numbers for Hillary Clinton and some possible Republican opponents.
Flowers Endorses… ?

Flowers Endorses… ?

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Flowers:
Based upon this principle and the questionable actions over the last 60 days, I cannot in good conscience endorse a candidate for this office. Rather, I encourage voters to support the candidate who has not only campaigned with the highest integrity, but has the financial education and experience to manage our $2 billion portfolio, will continue the “Honest Way” reforms to the Cash Board which have made over $50 million in returns for Delaware and supports mandatory background checks for those state employees having access to our state financial accounts.
First, questionable actions? The only questionable actions were Mr. Flowers' in his personal life. And yet he somehow holds Sean Barney responsible for it, otherwise he would endorse him. Barney is not responsible. Markell and Carper are not responsible. The minions behind all three of them are not responsible. The story after embarrassing story that we endured over the last three years with Chip Flowers and Alaska trips and Patriots tickets and his relationship with Ericka Benner, none of that was created by Jack Markell, Tom Carper or Sean Barney. Oh sure, they all took full advantage of it, just like a football player jumps on a ball when it is fumbled. If Chip Flowers is bitter and wants to blame someone, he needs to purchase a mirror. I was so looking forward to his tenure because I did want someone to challenge the Governor and shake things up. And the future politico in me saw this extraordinarily good retail politician going far, perhaps challenging Denn in 2016 for the gubernatorial nod, or settling for the Lt. Governor's spot. To beat the King, you have to be clean, and you better not miss. As to his very snarky non-endorsement endorsement of Ken Simpler simply because he ran a hedge fund, well I guess I thought Chip Flowers was supposed to be the anti-corporate Democratic hero. I guess he forgot that in his bitterness. That has to be the deciding factor since both candidates, Barney and Simpler, have pretty stellar educational backgrounds. The difference between them is that Sean chose public service and the military, and Ken went into the private sector. So enjoy that endorsement Ken, I say smiling.

Thursday Open Thread [10.2.14]

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"With a strong possibility that Democrats could lose control of the Senate in the midterm elections, they are investing heavily in voter turnout efforts," the New York Times reports.
"In states too close to call like Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and North Carolina, Democrats are making much greater investments in the ground game than Republicans."
The goal is to turn out a more representative electorate that we seen in presidential years. If we can make progress on that, then the Democrats will win in the states that tend to favor them in presidential years, namely North Carolina, Iowa, Colorado and more and more Georgia. And we have some more polling goodness to show that maybe, just maybe, that ground game is working.

“Delaware millionaire gets prison sentence”

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I think we can all agree that it is pretty rare for an actual 1%er to get jail time. So rare, in fact, that I think the NJ headline writer did a good job capturing the essence of this surprising story.
Delaware millionaire gets prison sentence PHILADELPHIA – Former eBay executive Christopher Saridakis of Greenville, Delaware, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for insider trading Wednesday by a U.S. District Court judge.