Anti-Citizens United Rally Tomorrow in Dover.

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Common Cause Delaware, the League of Women Voters, the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Progressive Democrats for Delaware, the Delaware Coalition for Open Government and other like minded citizens tomorrow in Dover will mark an unhappy anniversary for the prospects of free and open democracy in the United States. Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in the Citizens United case, and in so doing, gave the monied special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington and in influencing elections across the nation and here in Delaware. After the Court’s decision, corporations and special interest groups can now raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in elections up and down the ballot. We all saw with our own eyes the affect of the ruling on our television screens and in our mailboxes in 2012. It was the most expensive election ever, as will every election for now on be. The ruling cannot be allowed to stand, and our leaders in Dover and in Washington must take action to reverse the decision through legislation or an Amendment to the Constitution. Luckily, we have Progressive legislators in Delaware like Senator Karen Peterson and Representative Paul Baumbach, and they both are calling on their colleagues in the General Assembly to sign a joint letter to Congress asking for passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution to clarify that, with regard to corporate campaign spending, a person means only a natural person for First Amendment protection of free speech. If you agree, please let them know and call your state Senator and Representative. And if you agree, and have some free time, join with your fellow citizens tomorrow at a rally on the steps of Legislative Hall, 411 Legislative Avenue in Dover, DE at 12:30 p.m. to bring attention to the anniversary of Citizens United. If there is inclement weather, the gathering will move inside to the House Majority Caucus Room, on the ground floor. Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday Open Thread [1.15.13]

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Congratulations to Governor Markell and Lt. Governor Denn on their inauguarations to their second terms. Check out Marc Ambinder on why President Obama took the Trillion Dollar Coin option off the table. And he's right, because if you've lost Jon Stewart... .
"Around 11:45 on Monday morning, Justice Clarence Thomas broke almost seven years of silence during Supreme Court arguments. But it was not entirely clear what he said."
It is criminal that he gets paid to be a judge. He is nothing but an automoton.

Delaware General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Tues., Jan . 15, 2013

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Delaware's top elected officials ensured that gun control would be front-and center during the 2013-14 legislative session by unveiling a bold and (IMHO) essential set of initiatives at a Monday news conference. You can check out the proposed package here. I can't praise Governor Jack Markell, Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and AG Beau Biden highly enough for this. I'll be more than a little intrigued to see how the timid souls who constitute Delaware's D. C. delegation respond to any initiatives coming from the White House. Delaware's proposed legislation includes: (1) a ban on the sale, manufacture, delivery, and unlawful possession of military-style assault weapons; (2) a ban on the sale, manufacture, delivery. and unlawful possession of large-capacity magazines; (3) requiring background checks for private purchase of firearms; (4) requiring the reporting of lost and stolen firearms; and (5) banning the possession of firearms within 1000 feet of a school, except for those exempted from this requirement. This package will inevitably draw the total opposition of the NRA and the oxymoronically-named Delaware Sportsmen's Association. Good.

Monday Open Thread [1.14.13]

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"Every President elected between 1976 and 2004 was, by birth or by choice, a Southerner, except Ronald Reagan, who enjoyed a sort of honorary status. (When he began the 1980 campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi, scene of the murder, in 1964, of three civil-rights workers, many Southerners heard it as a dog whistle.) A Southern accent, once thought quaint or even backward, became an emblem of American authenticity, a political trump card. It was a truism that no Democrat could win the White House unless he spoke with a drawl. Now the South is becoming isolated again."
As it should be. This is a spectacularly good thing.

Republicans May Need To Shut Down The Government Just To “Get It Out Of Their System”

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Getting something out of your system is never a sign of maturity. It can be a step towards maturity if the person survives the procedure, but it's rarely good in itself. We associate getting things out of your system to such things as youthful experimentation, sowing wild oats, drugs, alcohol, sex and obsessions. Know who else we say needs to get things out of their system? Toddlers having temper tantrums. Which brings me to this quote:
GOP officials said more than half of their members are prepared to allow default unless Obama agrees to dramatic cuts he has repeatedly said he opposes. Many more members, including some party leaders, are prepared to shut down the government to make their point. House Speaker John Boehner “may need a shutdown just to get it out of their system,” said a top GOP leadership adviser. “We might need to do that for member-management purposes — so they have an endgame and can show their constituents they’re fighting.” [emphasis mine] [...]
Starting Monday, Boehner will huddle with his leadership team to discuss his preliminary thinking on a spending strategy. A source who attended meetings to prepare for those private talks said GOP leaders are authentically at a loss on how to control members who don’t respond to the normal incentives of wanting to help party leaders or of avoiding situations — like default — that could be public relations nightmares.
So how do you think that huddle is going to work out? What exactly will John Boehner, worst Speaker in history, do? Why he's going to hold a class ("walk members through") on default. Don't get me wrong, the majority of Republicans need this class. They also need a sex ed class and one on Climate Change.