Campaign swag

Campaign swag

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Last night I dreamt that Jeb Bush came up to me wearing a dodgy looking campaign swag style sweat shirt. White with some coffee drips down the front. He was…
Friday Open Thread [3.11.16]

Friday Open Thread [3.11.16]

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A funny thing is happening to President Obama that bodes well for Hillary Clinton in the fall: he is becoming more popular. Libby Nelson:
As President Obama prepares to leave office, Americans are starting to like him a little more. The latest Gallup data on Obama's approval ratings found 50 percent of Americans approve of the job he's doing — the highest level since 2013. That's much better than Obama's average 46 percent approval during his seventh year in office, which ended January 19, and the 43 percent approval rating during his sixth. Obama is also much more popular than George W. Bush was at this point in his presidency, and nearly on par with Ronald Reagan during Reagan's final March in office.
Actually, that Gallup Tracking Poll that Libby cites is out of date. Gallup now finds 52% of Americans approve of the President's job performance, while 44% disapprove. And this is confirmed across all of the polls released this week. Rasmussen has Obama at 50-49. ABC News/Washington Post, 51-43. NBC News/Wall Street Journal, 49-46. CNN/ORC, 50-44. President Obama will go down in history as one of the best Presidents this country has ever had, and the best it has had since Roosevelt. And the American people, faced with the prospect of replacing him, are realizing that.
Do You Support Public Education in Delaware?

Do You Support Public Education in Delaware?

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Christina has absolutely awesome programs. From the REACH program, to Gauger’s Business Professionals of America Team, to our outstanding arts programs, fantastic drama and performing arts programs, band and music programs, to Lego Robotics and Engineering clubs (YES! That’s a thing and makes me want to be in elementary school again!), career pathway programs like the new Forensic Science STEM program at Glasgow High School, Language Immersion programs to our amazing student athletes and budding philanthropists and advocates for those in need! These school programs are directly supported by operating funds raised through property taxes. And all of them depend on Christina’s operating referendum passing.
Jason330 Solves the World’s Problems – Episode #675

Jason330 Solves the World’s Problems – Episode #675

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How can President Obama appoint a Supreme Court Justice and finish off the Republican Party, tearing out their lungs street fighter style? Easy. Register as a Republican. GOP Senators are openly saying that they'd confirm a pick at this point in the term of the Republican President, so call them on it. It would lay the coup de grâce on that punch-drunk staggering waste of space called the GOP and flip the court in the direction of sanity as if by magic. Of course, Obama would have to live and socialize among the worst bottom feeding drecks of humanity, but look at the payoff? Doesn't he love America? This is his opportunity to show it.
During a Thursday morning radio interview, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) candidly explained that Senate Republicans would take a different approach to a Supreme Court nominee if a Republican president were in office and replacing a conservative justice.
"It’s a different situation," Johnson said.
Thursday Open Thread [3.10.16]

Thursday Open Thread [3.10.16]

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Jonathan Chait says the best attack against Trump is one his Republicans can't and won't deliver, but the Democrats will:
Ted Cruz, true to his paranoia, has charged that mainstream news outlets are sitting on a series of explosive reports about Donald Trump’s history, planning — as a nefarious plot to help Hillary Clinton — to unleash them only after Trump has secured the nomination. The accusation is almost certainly false. (“Almost” being a necessary qualifier, since one can’t prove a negative.) At the same time, Cruz’s charge reflects a broader truth. There are cutting charges that might sever Trump from his loyal base that have not seen the light of day. The thing is, Cruz and his fellow anti-Trump conservatives are perfectly aware of what they are. They have chosen to holster those attacks for reasons entirely their own. [...] There’s a devastating response to Trump’s message: He’s not planning to be greedy for us; he’s planning to be greedy for himself. The centerpiece of Trump’s domestic program is a massive tax cut that would mainly benefit fellow rich people: The reason Republicans refuse to exploit this vulnerability is obvious — they all propose to do the same thing.
Not to mention that Trump will use his position to further enrich himself and his companies by pawning off all his wares on us. The official wine of the United States: Trump Wine. Public water? No. Trump Water. Steaks? Trump Steaks.
Wednesday Open Thread [3.9.16]

Wednesday Open Thread [3.9.16]

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Well, Bernie got his first quality narrative changing shocking upset of a win in Michigan last night. All his prior wins could be discounted in one way or another: caucus states, states close to Vermont, states that were overly white and liberal electorates. Michigan is the first state that is nearly identical to the demographics of the nation as a whole where he won. Sure, it's a very narrow win, and sure, Hillary actually won the delegate count, both in Michigan and throughout the night, thus expanding her almost insurmountable lead, but a win is a win. And you need wins, especially the unexpected shocking upsets kind of wins to change narratives and momentum, and campaigns are all about narratives and momentum. So for the last two weeks, I have been crowing about Hillary's success, so Bernie supporters, feel free to crow here about his success last night. Hey, if Hillary had won Michigan, I would have been saying the race is over. Remember what Chris Bowers said yesterday, that Bernie needed to win Michigan. He did. Celebrate it if you feel that rash commonly referred to as the Bern. Tomorrow, we will begin to talk about whether this win changes the course of the race.
General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., March 9, 2016

General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Weds., March 9, 2016

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In the Senate Executive Committee is yet another giveaway to business, this one the so-called (is Frank Luntz coming up with names for these bills?) "Delaware Commitment to Innovation Act". The bill basically is yet another $10 mill or so annual giveaway to corporations in addition to all the other giveaways that have taken place in less than three months. Hey, I've got some time, let's see how many of these giveaways I can list: 1. Right out of the box,  THIS bill, aka the 'Delaware Competes Act of 2016' was specifically designed to keep Chemours, you know, the company that DuPont spun off specifically to avoid liability for its environmental wreckage, here.  Passed and signed. Loss of revenue to state's coffers? About $50 mill over three years, according to this fiscal note. Requirements that Chemours clean up its mess? Zero. 2. Then we've had the Council on Development Finance scurry to throw yet more $$'s at the new behemoth, which may well reward the CEO's who carved out this merger dual CEO's with an $80 mill payoff. A relatively paltry $9.6 mill of taxpayer money. 3. In the same article, we read that:
New Castle County officials are in the process of approving their own five-year, $7.5 million commitment to DuPont. The plans, which still must pass the County Council, would create a strategic economic development fund for the first time in county history and commit tax reserves to that fund.
Once again, that's taxpayer money. 4. But that's not enough for the would-be chemical conglom-o:
County Executive Thomas P. Gordon last month said DuPont officials also have asked him to use his authority to lower its property tax bills.
5. We're even acting as their real estate agent. (I know I'm missing some more. Isn't Wilmington  being extorted as well?) 6. Which brings us back to this $10 mill annual giveaway. Practically everybody is on the bill as sponsors, so it will sail right through.  Delaware and its local governments have been reduced to paying extortion in order to salvage jobs here. We used to bribe companies (the banks) to come here by throwing people who need credit under the 18.6% bus.  We're now reduced to paying any and all kinds of extortion to get giant corporations to stay here, at least until someone bribes them with even more.   Guess it beats providing living wages for people who live and work here.  Except, the extortion never stops, and the wages never go up. Pretty much defines 'The Delaware Way'.
Tuesday Open Thread [3.8.16]

Tuesday Open Thread [3.8.16]

16 Comments
Rebecca Traister imagines a Clinton/Trump race:
Clinton’s South Carolina speech, which emphasized racial unity and a message of peace, love, and understanding, forecasts how she plans to frame her campaign in opposition to the bombastic demagogue who trades on anger and prejudice. But it also points up just how much they are running in two separate elections, to be president of two different countries. Trump is running in the country that is in the midst of a dramatic and terrifying backlash to the social movements of the past 50 years; Clinton herself represents the very victories of some of those movements and is seeking to modestly stabilize their gains. In the end, this may be an epic, gory battle between those who are threatened by the changing face of power in America and those who are doing the changing.
Usually, the more optimistic and hopeful campaign wins, especially when the economy is good (which it is) and when presidential approval is good (which it is, as Obama is over 50% approval).