The most hilarious untold story of the GOP primaries – The Gingrich/Santorum Unity Ticket

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As Mitt Romney struggled in the weeks leading up to the Michigan primary, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum nearly agreed to form a joint “Unity Ticket” to consolidate conservative support and topple Romney. “We were close,” former Representative Bob Walker, a Gingrich ally, says. But the negotiations collapsed in acrimony because Gingrich and Santorum could not agree on who would get to be president.

Thursday Open Thread [3.21.13]

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So Sen. Saxby Chambliss has to become gay apparently before he'll support marriage equality. Does he also have to become black to support equal rights for African Americans? Does he need to get a sex change before he can respect women?

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., March 21, 2013

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Wow, where to start? Action everywhere. Here is today's session activity report (it's all here). We'll start with gun control. HB 35 (Longhurst) cleared the House Judiciary Committee by a 7-4 margin. Democrat Trey Paradee(!) voted against it. Why? It's the slippery slope to gun registration and Big Brother argument. From today's News-Journal:
Many opponents of the background check proposal at Wednesday's hearing said the private-sale-record-keeping provision is a precursor to government gun registration, which could lead to firearms confiscations.
Damn! Where were these folks when what remained of our civil liberties were flushed down the drain in the name of 'homeland security'? Anyway, it looks like an amendment will address this issue, and I hope and expect that Paradee will vote 'yes' when the bill comes to a vote. There no doubt will be other amendments, and some will likely be 'killer' (pardon the expression) amendments. Stay vigilant, my friends.

The Polling Report [3.20.13]

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Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) approval rating has plummeted since the November election to 35% approval and 54% disapproval. This is a pretty shocking polling collapse from last August, when his approval rate was 50% to 32%. I guess the public read his budget. I guess the American people don't want his budget. So perhaps Paul Ryan can stop saying the American people want his budget. Yeah, asking a Republican to stop lying is like asking a bird to stop flying.

Wednesday Open Thread [3.20.13]

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I wrote about his several weeks ago, about but how our "right to vote" is illusionary as it is not enshrined in the Constitution as a right and that is why racist Republicans can get away with passing laws that burden the exercise of the privilege to vote. Well, now Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellows Jonathan Soros and Mark Schmitt agree with me and argue that we need a Right to Vote Amendment to the Constitution to focus the activist movement and help ensure that you can participate in our political system even if you don't have an "Inc." after your name.

There’s something missing here….

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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dianne Feinstein announced yesterday that Feinsten's Assault Weapon Ban will not be part of the Democratic Gun Control bill because it did not garner more than 40 Democratic votes. Instead, Feinstein's bill will be offered as an Amendment to the Gun Control Bill, and it will obviously fail. It is regrettable, but it is expected. Still, the following Democrats deserve a tip of the hat for their co-sponsorship of the Feinstein Assault Weapons ban, including Senator Carper. But as look at this list, I notice a name missing and I wonder why it is missing. Because if Carper can do it, surely he can too. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) Senator Mo Cowan (D-Mass.) Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) Senator John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Wed., March 20, 2013

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Doesn't look like anything got done on Tuesday. Here is the session activity report. Until further notice, consider it a misnomer. Two huge committee hearings today. We've already talked about the continuation of the hearing on HB 35, which would mandate criminal background checks for almost all gun purchases in Delaware. Starts at 11:30 am in the House Chamber. The Senate is wasting no time in taking up the death penalty repeal legislation. The Senate Executive Committee will consider SB 19 in the Senate Chamber beginning at 1 pm. And here's something that's pretty cool: Sen. Bryan Townsend, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, will be live tweeting during the hearing. His twitter handle is @BryanTownsendDE, and he will be tweeting with the hashtag #DErepeal. I don't know what any of that means, but I'm sure virtually everyone else reading this does. (Update from DD: I added the links to Senator Townsend's twitter page and the DERepeal hashtag for those of us who use Twitter. El Som, your training begins this Saturday. ;) )

BREAKING: State Republican Executive Director Backs Gay Marriage

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Story just broke at the News-Journal:
John Fluharty, who took the GOP director job after the last election, declared his support for marriage equality in an interview after attending a fundraiser last week for the group leading efforts to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage in the state.
Good for him. No change in the official Party position, however:
The Republican party’s national platform declares a pledge to preserve and protect traditional marriage. Delaware GOP Chairman John Sigler released a statement saying Fluharty’s views on gay marriage and his sexual orientation are totally separate from his job. "John Fluharty is a valued and capable employee of the Delaware Republican Party who works extremely hard for the party and is good at his job,” Sigler said. “What he chooses to do on his own time with his own money is his own business. He did not attend the recent event in question on behalf of the party or in his capacity as an employee of the party.”
Maybe not, but this is a brave and principled stand. Man, gay marriage really could pass this year...

BREAKING: Superior Court Rules that Jeff Christopher Is Not a Police Officer

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Here is the key language from the decision:
To summarize, Delaware’s constitution recognizes the office of sheriff but does not enumerate any specific power or authority held by the office. The Court concludes that the common law authority and responsibilities of the Sheriff are subject to modification and restriction by the legislature. The 2012 legislation extinguishing the Sheriff’s law enforcement powers is valid. This Court declares and holds that a sheriff in Delaware shall not be involved in law enforcement and shall not act in any capacity as a police officer or peace officer. This decision moots the Sheriff’s complaints that the County has not properly funded his office and attempts to meddle in his business. IT IS SO ORDERED.