Ukraine: Geopolitical Chess

Ukraine: Geopolitical Chess

18 Comments
Some sentimentalists have been characterizing the Ukraine crisis as a popular revolution. Not so fast. This situation requires some careful analysis, not platitudes. Hear that CNN and mainstream media? Probably not.
Monday Open Thread [3.3.14]

Monday Open Thread [3.3.14]

4 Comments
Over the weekend, I have seen it said that Putin's invasion of the Crimea in the Ukraine makes him and Russia appear strong, and the US weak by comparison. The blithering idiot pundits on the Sunday shows agreed, and David Gregory of Meet the Press said this was the premiere test of President Obama's foreign policy. Really? I see it completely differently, as do the others I link to below. This is a desperate and panicked move by Putin, one made from weakness not strength. It will not make Russia stronger. Indeed, if the crisis is not resolved shortly, it will destroy the Russian economy. Russia is not the Soviet Union of old, a strong empire equal to or greater than the United States and its Western allies. No, it is a second world country with nuclear weapons that is headed for demographic and political collapse. This is a chest thumping move designed to hide that fact. And it is going to backfire.
Daily Approval Rating — Results for AG Beau Biden and Poll for IC K.W. Stewart

Daily Approval Rating — Results for AG Beau Biden and Poll for IC K.W. Stewart

11 Comments
Here are the results for AG Biden: Approve: 48% Disapprove: 41% Meh: 11% Those who approve or disapprove of Attorney General Biden do so more strongly than those who just approve or disapprove. Of those who approve, 61% do so strongly. Of those who disapprove, 63% do so strongly. So a strong polarization factor, probably has something to do with his father rather than him.
Are Democrats Hurting Wilmington?

Are Democrats Hurting Wilmington?

6 Comments
That is the question posed by John Sweeney in the NJ Opinion pages today. There's a fair amount of fluff in this piece, and does a thing I mostly hate from newspaper opinion pages -- ask a bunch of questions that its news division is not in the business of helping to answer for its readers. Some of those questions are misdirected -- schools are under the jurisdiction of school boards and the state, the city has little influence over how they operate or serve city kids, for instance. And lumping in all Democratically run cities with Wilmington's story is equally misguided. We can start with the NJ's own comparison of Providence, RI starts to show how inappropriate this is. A city that is mostly Democratic and is clearly back on a upswing -- a city that still has real issues, but a city that the NJ compared to Wilmington in terms of effectiveness in addressing violence. Democratic-run places like Baltimore and Philadelphia also present very different stories -- cities that still have more than their fair share of issues, but cities working at the kind of development and change that starts to address those problems. Interestingly, Baltimore has reasonable support from the MD GA, and Philadelphia does not from the PA GA (GOP controlled). But I don't think that the city's problem is just about Democrats -- I think it is mainly uninspired (and oft-times lazy) governing.
Predicting the Oscars

Predicting the Oscars

12 Comments
It is Oscar weekend, with the award show happening this Sunday night. I know there are alot of Oscar watch parties around -- including one at Theatre N downtown. If you are a cynic about this entire business, you'll want to see Deadspin's The 2014 Hater's Guide To The Oscars. The best thing about this take is the commentary on 12 Years A Slave (and I hope they are wrong about this movie's chances of winning):
12 Years A Slave: This movie isn't winning Best Picture. I can guarantee it. And you know why I can guarantee it? Because people are cowards. Schindler's List made over $100 million and has been broadcast on network television unedited and without commercial interruption. Ditto Saving Private Ryan. And every installment of the Saw franchise mints a new fortune. Holy shit, are we fascinated by seeing white people killed. Kill them, torture them, mutilate them, have a white girl assaulted on SVU weekly—WE WILL BE THERE. Can't get enough of it. It's important to let white people know we support them in their time of suffering. But ask people to watch a movie about slavery? "WHOA HEY THAT SOUNDS LIKE HOMEWORK! And, God, it just sounds so brutal, you know? I much prefer movies about race to congratulate me and my fellow white theatergoers on our broad-mindedness. Let's go watch fucking Crash instead."
Coons’ fundraising email tries to cover too many bases

Coons’ fundraising email tries to cover too many bases

8 Comments
Senator Coons needs money to fight the horrible Tea Party, but also bipartisanship is AWESOME!!! (...or something, it made sense to the fundraising consultant.) Anyway, in addition to the philosophically hazy email, Coons is sitting on $2.9 million and has no GOP opponent, so I'll probably sit this round out. (Click through to read the muddled email)
Delaware Political Weekly: Feb. 22-28, 2014

Delaware Political Weekly: Feb. 22-28, 2014

49 Comments
Jonathan Gallo has filed to face Bobby Outten in the 30th RD. Gallo changed his registration from R to D to run and, if you check out his site  right now, you will not find the word Democrat, or the donkey, anywhere on the site. I mean, anywhere. He's got the classic bio, and he's a "man of dedication, integrity, and commitment, who early in his life felt a call to serve his community." Which means, he's a 'man of dedication, integrity, and commitment' who is hiding his party affiliation. He also rides a tractor standing up (picture). J. Kevin Robbins of Harrington, is challenging Harold Peterman in the conservative 33rd RD. Robbins is a long-time farmer and has the type of profile that could give him a shot in this district.  Here is his site.   Not only does he have the donkey there, he actually calls the Party the Democratic Party. Guess which one I prefer.