A shamless plug for one of my favorite DE Arts Organizations

A shamless plug for one of my favorite DE Arts Organizations

The Delaware Shakespeare Festival has returned with its popular Halloween-themed entertainment,

Shakespeare/Poe-A night of readings from the dark side.

After its hit debut in 2012, Shakespeare/Poe will travels to three unique venues: the gothic halls of Rockwood Mansion, the eclectic galleries of the Newark Arts Alliance, and the grand Read House & Gardens in Old New Castle. Each venue will host two performances each over the weekends of Oct. 18-20 and October 25-27.... More

Hey, a regular Thursday Open Thread [10.17.13]

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No more titles with Republican Shutdown and Default Apocalypse references. Ah, it is so nice to get back to polling and random political stories and tidbits, at least for a while. Last night, as you know, Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) was elected to the U.S. Senate over teabagger Steve Lonegan in New Jersey. This is a pickup for the Democrats, who increase their Senate majority to 55.
The Tea Party’s Rebel Yell!

The Tea Party’s Rebel Yell!

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TPM has a story up about how the Tea Party looks at what happened yesterday.
For a certain block of House conservatives, the ones who drove Speaker John Boehner toward a government shutdown and near-default against his will, the lesson of the last few weeks isn't that they overreached. Not that they made unachievable demands, put their leadership in an impossible position, damaged their party's position with the public and left a deep uncertainty about whether the GOP conference can recover and legislate. No, what they're taking away from the 2013 crisis is: They didn't go far enough.
How classic is it that McConnell snuck a $2.9 billion earmark for KY into the the CR/Debt Limit bill?

How classic is it that McConnell snuck a $2.9 billion earmark for KY into the the CR/Debt Limit bill?

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This just cracks me up.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) struck a deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday, averting a potential debt default and reopening the government while leaving the Obamacare virtually untouched, once passed by Congress and signed by the president. Though the deal comes with concessions from both parties, it also benefits McConnell's home state of Kentucky. Section 123 of the Senate bill secures $2.918 billion in funding for the Olmsted Lock and Dam Authority for a dam project on the Ohio River being developed by URS Corp., a construction management company.
Oh... the debt... ohh... the out of control spending....Oh my! Oh My! Teabags unite!! Circular firing squad assemble in the village green!! Hilarious.

This was a complete victory.

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And they got nothing. Oh yes, you will say that the income verification part of the deal is something they got, except that is already part of the Affordable Care Act. Only a delusional know nothing teabagger could think that a person's income would not be verified by the IRS to determine if their income was sufficiently below the legal threshold before they got subsidies. So in essence, what they got was an endorsement and an enforcement of Obamacare. LOL. Thanks GOP. Come inside to read what Ezra Klein says the Democrats got.....
America won three, possibly four big things

America won three, possibly four big things

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Right off the bat we won the ability to mop up Republicans in the next election. They've been so discredited through this process that it is now impossible to anyone to deny that the Republican ARE the problem.  Democrats from Maine to Maui simply need to run ads saying "My opponent is a Republican!"  to score damaging points for the foreseeable future. The next win was NOT taking a weak economy and driving it over a cliff for shits and giggles. It would seem self-evident that NOT ruining the economy would be a win for everyone, but teabags are already lamenting the big missed opportunity they had to really fuck everyone over - but good. The third thing America won is more accurate picture of the resolve of President Barack Obama.
Policing Downtown Wilmington at the Expense of the Rest of Wilmington

Policing Downtown Wilmington at the Expense of the Rest of Wilmington

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For many years (at least many of the years I've been in Wilmington), neighborhoods in Wilmington (certainly those neighborhoods under siege) have been clamoring for more WPD officers on the street. What was asked for was a Community Policing strategy -- a deployment that would put officers on the street in neighborhoods, regularly patrolling and patrolling 24/7. Jim Baker was openly dismissive of this plan -- even while he and his Police Chief used this plan to get City Council to authorize additional force strength and more equipment. Interestingly, the place that really did get Community Policing was Downtown. The part of Wilmington where people weren't being shot and not a location of the drug business. Now we find that Mayor Williams is continuing in the Baker mode -- actually expanding the number of uniformed officers who will be walking a beat -- walking a beat! -- in Downtown Wilmington: