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This is post number 2000.
The only real significance is it is 150 posts more than where Tommywonk stopped exactly one year and fifteen days ago…
If some future historian looks back, I can only guess they may kindly make some note of the quality of thought that underlies these efforts, but my guess, is no one will ever notice…
Irregardless, as long as the urge to put thoughts down for others continues, we will go on. As usual, with no goal, no direction, and no ulterior motive. Probably upon reflection, my biggest surprise, right here, right now … is that I still enjoy it so much, and can’t wait to jot my thoughts down, click the button, and send them off to where ever cyberspace and the vast internet ocean, lets them drift….
For each of you who have become regular over the years, … thank you friend…
(Courtesy of Delaware Liberal’s Hot & On Top Reporting)
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that 5,600 Delaware residents will benefit from $1.8 million in rebates from insurance companies this summer, because of the Affordable Care Act’s 80/20 rule. These rebates will average $351 for the 5,300 Delaware families covered by a policy.
Obamacare is working! Obamacare is saving people money. They were at the mercy of insurance companies before. Now, they have $1.8 million in their pocket.
It is not because of Republicans!.. They are the ones taking money out of your pocket, handing it to the insurance companies, and saying “don’t forget about that campaign contribution in October.”
No one can trust Republicans unless you are making more then 10 million a year. No one.
So when they say the first thing they want to do in January is repeal Obamacare, and now you can see why.
That want insurance campaign contributions… and that is all. They don’t give a fuck about you.
Only Democrats can right the wrongs… Do what you know you must. Swear on a stack of Bibles, never, never, never, never vote for a squirmy, sluggish, beetle-infested, putrid, maggotty, caterpillerish, centipedific, millipederishes, multi-lensed eyeballed, appendage ringed mouthed, stinger-embedded, infectious bacterial infested, food coveting, ooze secreting, spontaneously defecating insect who swears allegiance to the Republican Party….
Spray them with insecticide instead…..
(Wow, what a great demo idea for the Republican National Convention……)
Sometimes after reading truth like this, you just want to walk into a room of thronging with roaches, pretend they’re Republicans and squish them each and every one ………
Right click to open full image… Pictograph Courtesy of Viral..
So, can someone tell me again, why we shouldn’t tax the rich, and instead, balance the budget on the backs of everyone else?…….
I seem to be missing that little detail where that all makes sense……
Courtesy of Department of Defense
“By the first light of the third day, look to the East!”
Everyone knows that living starts on the weekend… That makes Monday the third day… It is my sincere hope to return this feature back to its original time-slot so those starting their week, have something worthy to follow… Of course that leaves “Around the Horn” to synopsize on Friday, so between the two of us, we have full weekly coverage….
I apologize to Deldem of Delaware Liberal if this first return edition bashes up against his on vacation version of what went down this week…
So what happened this weekend?
Shirley opens with a story of what being an American is all about. The teary eye part made me proud that America still recognizes its heroes, and goes out of their way to make sure they know it… All of us can learn a lesson from this post…. When was the last time you went out of your way to make a member of our armed services feel welcomed?
She carries another idea that I will be stealing shortly.. It’s from down under. and it certainly is worthy of the read, if you haven’t caught it earlier…. it’s just another way of self expression…. 🙂
Aside from seven videos of varying topics, one an hour and twenty-six minutes long, and four quotes, the memorable posts on Delaware Liberals this weekend are the following… (We only covered the full first two pages, lol)… Their best was this one, The Morning After….. which describes the cuts to the state budget… “The Morning After” in this case does not refer to contraception, but is instead, related to the budgetary announcement made by Jack Markell on Thursday…. It begins with….
March 19, 2009 will forever be remembered as the date that Delaware’s Gilded Age officially ended. An age that was literally ‘built on a house of (credit) cards’ is no more.
The interesting point is that ultimately, it is the responsibility of the wealthy to carry the weight of the rest of us. Pandora follows the same theme with “What’s In The Water At CNBC”: apparently someone argued on that show that Wall Street couldn’t be run by anyone making under $250,000…… the unsaid premise is that the wealthy, who are overpaid for their results, need to make sacrifices so those making less, do not have to…
However the most uplifting piece of the entire weekend, was on this blog and had nothing to do with the economy… or the wealthy… It is about race, and in a spirited fashion on the weekend that Battlestar Galactica ended its 6 year run, Cassandra puts this vignette forward… I’m impressed she saw it, since she admits she doesn’t watch the best show on television this decade. Next to Obama’s Philadelphia campaign speech on the reality of “race”, this is as good as it gets….
This blog has taken on new life with the economic crises swirling around us… In an amazing piece, Steve Newton (in real time) breaks down the implication of Markell’s budget cuts and other attempts to balance the budget, and illustrates how those cuts will affect our employees… I can proudly say, it as good, or better than that other Delaware blogger who is prone to such analysis…… Again the same theme comes out…..
But the reality doesn’t work that way. If you eliminate one unnecessary management position making $120K, then you have saved enough money to keep thirty employees at the $40K and below level from having to take a hit.
Again the message is simple: Cut off the top to save those on the bottom, holding everything up… The shocking truth of what happens when citizens are preoccupied with other matters than their government, showed up in this comment…. “a vacant position in my agency, one that had been vacant for 1 1/2 years got filled by someone on Minner’s staff. Let me reiterate. WE DID WITHOUT THIS POSITION FOR 1 1/2 YEARS. AND NOW WE FILL IT? Luckily it is not a merit position, so it’s possible that the position gets vacated anyhow. But this is one of those 120k positions. “
Again the message: cut the top to save the bottom….
Delaware Politics begins with their take on Markell’s budget… One noticeable trend has been the life recently pumped back into conservative blogs. I have not yet commented upon it, but…. they were pretty shoddy all election season and up until the inauguration…. But with the Democrats now in the driver’s seats, the conversation among the back seat drivers, has again become interesting to listen to… At least one can feel they are getting pumped up, perhaps stealing the energy leaking away from those liberal blogs, who are now getting tired, and starting to wind down in their ardor and intensity…
Dave Burris does his take on Markell’s budget… Most notably he notices the lack of cuts in services…
“But when the rubber hit the road, not only did they fail to cut an agency, they didn’t cut ANYTHING. That is a massive failure to lead. We got such a large deficit (I don’t believe the numbers, but maybe you do) because we grew our government at a rate of 2.5 times inflation during the Queen Worthless administration. If we don’t address that, we will continue to have this problem as more and more of the economy is eaten up by the government.”
I noticed there was no mention that the failure of the Bush economy has drastically reduced ALL sources of revenue pouring into state coffers on which our government used to thrive during the last 8 years… But he does agree with Markell on across the board cuts: “I agree with the administration that cutting pay across-the-board is better than across-the-board layoffs in this environment, because layoffs would cost the state unemployment money,”
Interestingly, being conservative in a time of crises, leads to some silly conclusions… This one for example: “the gain from the Gross Receipts Tax increase is a pittance compared to what the state would get if they would just get out of the way and let these small business owners grow the economy”. Really? Currently we have 7.5 % unemployed, and our largest employer, the state, is taking an 8% across the board pay cut? And paying more for medical? And more in taxes? Where is all that money going to come from to allow these small businesses to grow the economy? You can give them a zero tax rate, but it no one spends in their business, they don’t pay taxes anyway… Nope, you need to make people spend, before any type of business aid makes sense…. Small businesses aren’t going to grow… They are just trying to hang on and stay solvent! Screw growth!!!!! lol.
In another attempt at silliness the lovely Marie Evans is proposing the Greenville Casino… The land is available… Three casinos, she points out in a state 96 miles long, with some creative placing, puts one every 16 miles…( as I said: creative placing… lol).. Unfortunately since Greenville is too close to the northern edge, were one to go in up there, her 16 mile theory would be impossible…
Likewise the Special Olympians apology to our and their president, does crack a faint smile….
And I’m outraged, outraged that there is no mention of the Democratic Party in each of these instances.
And the DSEA? They also are outraged, outraged that while arguing for higher taxes on all other people, under Markell’s budget…. THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY HIGHER TAXES TOO… OUTRAGEOUS!!! lol….
Welcome back to the fight guys!
Dana carries the AFSCME demostration over the cutbacks… They want the rainy day fund tapped out so they have their jobs… The only question, besides that is must be repayed every year., is that once spent, then what gets done next year…
Nancy covers the controversy over whether pensions should be capped at higher rates, than those just years away from retirement….
Mike Matthews has a job interview today… GOOD LUCK from all of Delaware’s Blogosphere…
The same theme brought to you by Markell’s budget cuts appears in Byron Short is Wrong (IMO)
In short, the most disappointing thing about Gov. Markell’s proposal is he’s shifting too much burden on the poor, lower-middle class and, in reality, isn’t asking much of those state employees (cabinet heads, directors, etc.) who could stand a tightening of the belt. Or a complete axing of their positions.
Knock something off the top, to save the foundations supporting the bottom…. Where have I heard that before?…
Already two proposals are in state legislature that work to mitigate the effects of the cuts… One doesn’t allow retirees to have the lower wages be used as a determinant of their pension size, and the other, gives two state employee’s married to each other, less cuts than two single state employees sharing an apartment, would get… These bring up questions of fairness.. One can sense in both these proposals that these employees are “entitled” to earning more money.. It’s a valid point.. They are lucky to have jobs… and if they get a “by” or a “pass”, who is it then who gets hit with the charge for allowing them not to carry the load everyone else is being dealt… If they really wanted to have done something constructive… they could have worked for Kerry…. But nooooo, they didn’t.. and now they are paying the price…. We all are.
Where have we heard that sentiment before? I don’t know… but it sounds vaguely familiar…
And some wise words to AFSCME union wannabe’s who wish to increase their power within their organization… “Suck it up and be thankful you still have a job because others will be glad to take it.”
Mike Mahaffie went to the last of the Markell meetings before this budget proposal came out… What is interesting is how the theoretical side of the equation seems dreamlike when compared to the reality all all the posts following the Thursday budgetary announcement… But although Markell was unable to attend due to the death of his father, Mahaffie does capture many of the sentiments “flickering” around the room…. One that stands out, was this gem:
As things wrapped up, Senator Simpson and Representative Carey, both Republicans, made a point of praising Governor Markell, a Democrat, for his bipartisan approach to the budget problem and openness to working together. They pointed out that Sec. Kee is one of several republicans in the Markell cabinet.
“On my count… all hands pull on the ropes…. Heave!”
One of those heaving is Brian from the Mourning Constitution. He tackles sports betting from the revenue side, and argues income beats job cuts….. Bringing money into the state, by making us the Vegas on the east coast, could keep some people some jobs…
For some facing job cutbacks, some good advice on how to survive a panic attack, can be seen here… This lesson might come in handy…. and then again, if you start foreseeing your own death.………
As for the current vacancies at the Delaware DOC – just a month ago at a meeting of the Corrections hearing before the Joint Finance Committee, there were 33 vacancies in order to assure MINIMUM staffing – while in actuality there are over 330 vacancies that need to be filled to assure smooth, safe, and efficient operation of Delaware’s prisons.
Redwaterlily shows us what is occurring across the state simultaneously. Everyone is questioning their department, and wondering how they can afford any more cutbacks… Every department has needs… Every department has hard working employees who are not making the money they deserve… But as El Somnambulo points out above, by law,any extra money is spent in one sector, must be cut from another one…. The total amount is to remain the same… So each time one says they must keep their department open…. They are dooming another department somewhere in the State of Delaware, to double the amount of cuts….
Although quite prolific lately, this was a quiet weekend for the Colassus of Rhody… amounting to this list of what was NOT said by Obama on Jay Leno’s show….
Tommwonk’s weekend contribution deals with: Jack Markell’s budget…. Tommy focuses on how this budget will be perceived by the staff budget meetings…
We are open to discuss other ideas to meet our financial challenges, and in fact encourage your ideas, because the $750M [deficit] we face now may be our best-case scenario, if the fundamentals of the national economy do not improve.
Our best case scenario.. In this sobering piece,
..
The actual budget proposal made by Markell is here…
Looking at our problems…. it is easy to get overwhelmed.. sometimes it helps to realize through out history greater problems have befallen greater numbers of human beings…. But somehow we muddled through… We will muddle throughout this time, ….
And to give us a greater perspective, as always, Duffy weighs in with two sentences… Sentence One….. and Sentence Two….
Remember how this opened? It was a celebration of an American hero… Like them, today we need our wealthy to contribute more to the nation that gave them opportunity. Today we need our wealthy stepping up and heeding the call of their country. Like our young boys who are on foreign soil, they too must suffer the sacrifice, and without grumbling, willingly pay more to the state to cover those expenses incurred assisting those less fortunate than themselves…
Courtesy of Department of Defense
So here is what is going on across Delaware’s blogosphere….
The Colossus of Rhodey is bemoaning some publication’s or journalistic attempt to describe the left side of the Supreme Court as being moderate… Like Jane Fonda’s hell he says…. He also revisits John Edwards (remember him) sending a campaign staffer to by a Wal*Mart Playstation 3, while slamming Wal*Mart in his campaign speeches… The seventeenth of November was a light day for him, …but then Battlestar Galactica came on that evening… as his review on the eighteenth brings that episode back to life….
Duffy has a post covering open ended gaming... it’s worth it visiting to see his reminiscence of his reaction to playing on a 2600…. I didn’t know that Americans spend more on games than movies? He also finished an extensive piece on religion and science.. Instead of debating between science and religion…we should include science in the classification of religion… I was intrigued by this statement….and after turning it over, I would have to say it is true… “There are many points of contention and conflict between Arab Islam and the West, but the chief religious contention between Islamists and the West is not really between Islam and Christianity but between Islam and Western scientific-materialism.” And to show you that Republicans never learn... Trent Lott is again appointed to the Number 2 spot….. Wow.
Delmar’s Dustpan covers a cover girl, a beauty of Delmar fame… Another Delmar, beauty, this architectural wonder, was once owned by the William Freihofer Baking company. But with new news of a priestly scandal, Delmar’s Dustpan makes a surprising find about the difference between two Delmarva newspapers… The News Journal and the Daily (Salisbury) Times….. If one’s blood has not boiled once yet today, they should view his catch (same link) of the FBI knowingly sending 4 men to jail to protect the identities of their informants… Two died.
Merit Bound Alley tells us of Joe’s plan to hook up with Tyler Nixon for a seminar of alternative energy, featuring a symposium of solar, wind, and bio fuels.. Someone named William Kempton is speaking on wind. Joe M is still in the process of trying to find out how many Karen Peterson votes were written in during the election just passed… but the Department of Elections does not plan on releasing them until the next year… He also gives a head shout to another blogger who made his predictions for the next race… two years away…. titled appropriately… “True Addiction“… Equally fascinating was Joe M’s personal vignette covering the problems being hidden within the Wilmington Catholic Diocese.
Delaware Watch recommends visiting Merit Bound Alley as well. (I didn’t check out the audio…) Dana Garrett takes on the Republican Party’s blame game among themselves and their propensity NOT to blame those who made the decisions …but underlings of those who made the decisions…. no matter what the economic status is within their families…. He also notes that Liberals have outed the Conservatives among our neighbor to the North… Apparently across the board, the term Conservative is equatable to Creationism, which was another once firmly held belief, despite the total absence of fact to back it up…. Dana also pokes holes in capitalist theory… Guess who’s gross domestic product — a measure of all the goods and services in the economy — rose 10.2 percent from July to September compared to the same three-month period during the previous year? Did anyone say Chavez? “It’s ironic, this revolution. The rich are even richer now.” Dana also uncovers a little know legislative attorney who defends Rep Wagner’s little past double dipping episode: charging in front of a judge, that anyone who wanted to sue against collecting from the state twice…. “had no standing to do so.” Aye! Protecting the little guy, huh?
Nancy’s The Delaware Way has a piece attributing the Democrat’s win to Dean and moderate conservatives who left the Republican Party… Even she admits she is reeling from the events of this past week with her pictorial representation she posts here…. She appears to be going through a light phase… going back a week is her celebration that Andy Reid accepts that his play calling sucks….
From Down State, Mikes Musings, starring a blogger still remarkably self absorbed since 1962, shares with us one of his life changing moments….. But more important for us, is the changing of Delaware’s status away from being the first state… nay, even being a state at all! But solutions are the real reason Mahaffie is happy. Using technology to bring back the best of olden times, is what technology is all about….
Tommywonk has his thing on Purple America…. He also celebrates another blogger’s bump to the home page of Daily Kos… He takes time to eulogize an economist responsible for uttering these profound words of wisdom: What George W. Bush has done has been to shift taxes from the present to the future–and also made future taxes uncertain, random, and thus extra-costly from a standard public finance view. So no matter how high our taxes go… Democrats cannot be blamed….
This person is wondering what the difference is between a Republican and a Democrat… Do we see seeds of a future post? Perhaps… But nevertheless, he has picked a new chairperson for the Republican Party.. One who has combed through all evidence and knows their weaknesses inside and out… The name of their new chair, may surprise you….. And this, will make you want to hug your kids forever.
Dave Burris, quotes an article from TIME, outcrying that Republicans were only 77,611 votes shy of taking control of the House of Representatives, and that just a shift of 2847 votes in Montana, could have kept them in control of the Senate…. In fact, instead of drowning his sorrows for the Republicans faulty showing, he is crowing that in a bad year, where they should have been squelched, they weathered the storm rather well… “In a year that was supposed to be a big, blue wave where Democrats dominated from sea to shining sea, it almost wasn’t that at all. I can’t imagine conditions that would favor the Dems more, so this will probably be the best they can do.” he boasts.
Delaware Liberal, along with Tommywonk, and FSP, praise Joe M. for his work in pursuing the missing write in vote… a vote whose total was to be suppressed until after the choices were made for Senate leadership…. Also Jason goes out on the early line in his predictions for two years hence… I wonder how prognosticatable he will be? One of the interesting aspects of our blogosphere is the interaction between right and left… This interesting exchange covers Bush’s handling of the Iraqi war…I hope no one eats their words…. He comments on FSP’s head scratching over what was going on with the National Republican Leadership.. Dave Burris with this quote: “I spoke to the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club on Wednesday, and one portion of my message to them was that I was certain that our leaders in Washington had gotten the message that voters sent on Election Day.
Now, I’m not so sure.” And we have breaking News that Mike Castle has filed again…One must check out the link provided… We also have the traditional rant over the “liberal media” which is not so liberal after all.…. then proves it with this worthy piece about the News Journal burying an environmentally sensitive piece that might offend the entrenched powerful….even though not publishing it could kill someone over time….. That Delaware blogger had better slow down… He just might burn himself out….. lol
At least I’m glad to see he his taking a break… on this post election weekend….
Oh! And as if we needed another one……….From the ranks of our regular commentators, a new Delaware blog is now on the boards as of 11/17……Welcome. Here is its opening post…..We shall see if it makes any difference… Most likely, due to “the fix” that’s in ….. this blog too will matter very little…….
Photo Courtesy of Northington 08
It is hard to run a Congressional campaign… sometimes things go wrong…
But sometimes one does things right, and that in itself, is an achievement worth celebrating…
Jerry Northington has run a good campaign from his own bootstraps… Not only is it good, but running without the “backing” of the state’s primary neutral Democratic party, he has emerged as one who has the potential to ruin Republican Mike Castle’s dream of his last election…
And that, is what this years Delaware election is all about…
I don’t need to preach to the choir about how Mike Castle has voted the Republican line… I don’t need to preach to the choir about how Mike Castle has voted for the war of oil; I don’t need to preach to the choir about how having a Republican in the extreme minority of the House (it will be entirely Democratic) will affect our slice of federal money; I don’t need to preach to the choir about how having a Congressional Republican from Delaware, puts growth in this state on ice. No…. you all know that already.
You also know that the challenges we will face in the next four years, here at home, 200 miles away in Washington, and across the world, will require a new path to be taken. They will require new ideas to inspire. They will require smart people for a change…. smart enough to work out the details….
And what impressed me about Jerry… was his intelligence…
(Now don’t get all hot and bothered if you support another candidate…I’m refusing to make comparisons…You can discuss it among yourselves if you wish…)
Intelligence… that IS a relative term…..Let me explain….I (cough, cough) have been called on occasion, by misguided people, “intelligent” at times for some of the posts I have written here…. But… I would not expect Dave or Hube to EVER utter such a compliment (except perhaps at my funeral) …. for based on what they represent….(making the assumption they are intelligent too)… my ideas appear bunk… 🙂 But, without them, the blogosphere would fall like a thud, cracking our asses wide open like a seesaw that someone has jumped off too quickly. The world needs some type of balance. We need those guys for constructive dialog, just as they need us….
So real intelligence is the understanding that even though we put the best argument for OUR side up for debate, we NEED another side to debate against, in order to get what we need done…..
I know… it is a big concept to grasp….(come back to it later, will you?) The big guys get it…. I think Clinton got it mid term… I actually heard Newt a year ago in New Hampshire, and I think he got it too. Despite our distaste now for Carper, I know he gets it… and the reason Castle has won so big so many times, is that he gets it…
So let me tell you about Jerry….
First if you haven’t, you should check out the Congressional Primary Debate here.… You should, really… For we are talking about our strategy to navigate this state over the next ten years….
Usually since the beginning of this nation, an outgoing administration has set in place, plans that self perpetuate over several years before they become obsolete.. This administration, however, has been so preoccupied with day to day dilemmas, that they are leaving us with no future plan and an empty treasury starting January 20th……
We need to choose someone smart.
Why? For what happens in Washington, for those of you that do not know, is that a lobbyist shows up at your door with a pre-written bill, he wants you to sponsor it, you horse trade, and then you set your staff on bringing it to the floor… The bills are never read by Congressmen, maybe only by two staffers, and the rest is all hype. To really change Washington, we need smart people to say, “wait a second, why are you billing us for this…?” Dumb people, oh dear, will just rubber stamp…..
I am afraid to say that Mike Castle has become a rubber stamper,…. In his defense, if I had been there as long as he, as I got old I would probably evolve into the same… In the twilight years it just gets so hard to read reams of paper; the cocktail circuit is much more intriguing and fascinating…..
There comes a time, for an old general to retire…. His past victories though glorious, are meaningless if he leads us into one more battle that loses it all……..History is full of such generals who have stayed on a little bit too long…. The best way to preserve ones legacy, I think, is to walk away from it while it is still intact….
Jerry is tall enough to fill Mike Castle’s shoes… To be honest, he is the first Democratic candidate since Mike and Tom flipped, to do so…
In listening to Jerry, one gets the sense that we will do ok if he represents us… He is not harsh like the last candidate…. He is open and understands that he has been led down a miraculous path, one he could ever imagined would continue as far as it did…..
The only reason he is not yet considered a strong contender, is because so few people have gotten to know him… My sources and calculations show him winning on Tuesday… Soon more will learn how good a candidate he really is… We know he’s tough… His gentle toughness has got him this far… But what impressed me most, was that he is solidly balanced….He may not be the raving Liberal that some progressives want….
Unlike most previous candidates for that office, I sense he understands the need, that if America is to get better…. WE ALL HAVE TO GET BETTER AT THE SAME TIME… Conservatives too.
It’s time we had a smart person in Congress. And Jerry can, I believe, push a moderate form of Health Care that will cover all Americans, without busting the budget…. His focus will be on prevention… If a pill taken early costs $3 dollars and a surgery costs $30,000, preventive heath care makes sense…
My favorite line, and the one I think that pushed me to understand that this man has not only the smarts to represent Delaware, but the charm, confidence, and intelligence to make things happen ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, was this one:
“Ladies, and gentlemen, I’m a veterinarian… My medical experience…is that;… taking care of sick animals… We have known in veterinarian science, that the cheapest, most cost-effective way to treat a large population of animals…. is through preventative health care… We have known that for 100 years….. Now if we have known that, and we can accomplish it for animals….why in hell’s name,… can’t we come to an agreement, to do it for Human beings?”
Yeah, I think,……… he’s the one.
Courtesy of Department of Defense
Obviously the conventions would dominate those weeks in which they take place within our local blogosphere….
Since the Democrats began their convention, the number of posts relating to just national politics were as follows.
Delaware Liberal 77
Delaware Libertarian 6
Delaware Politics.Net 26
Delaware Watch 5
Delaware Way 5
Down With Absolutes 13
The Colossus of Rhodey 20
The number of posts relating to our state races were as follows:
Delaware Liberal 12
Delaware Libertarian 5
Delaware Politics.Net 5
Delaware Watch 2
Delaware Way 7
Down With Absolutes 13
The Colossus of Rhodey 6
Of course there were some judgment calls. Most particularly with our Senator running as Vice President, that always forced a judgment on whether the post should be considered local or national.
I say it should be no wonder that most local posts remained focused on the national fracus… For these are historic times… The first person with Afro-American blood is right now, running for the White House. The first conservative female (ever) is vying to survive the achievement of the Vice Presidency…. The first Delawarean in anyone’s lifetime, is right now on the national ticket…There was even a storm that looked like Katrina all over again…and the Republican convention downsized accordingly…. Out West, the police busted up a group of drinking conservatives who allegedly threatened to assassinate Obama… The other convention’s police, not to be outdone, were able to arrest Amy Goodman….
So I don’t want to fault those who ignored local politics in order to focus on the national agenda…
I just want to debate whether that is the most effective use of our time, irregardless of whatever party we are discussing…. The underlying question begs to be asked…. Does anything we say or picture upon our blogosphere …make even the slightest difference in the National Race?
Meanwhile we have local people desperately trying to find out about their candidates, as well as candidates trying to get their message past the WNJ’s blockade……and can’t; because we are not talking about it…And it certainly wasn’t a very quiet week in local politics.
The last week before the Primary begins today. On the Republican side, we have the hard liners fighting new blood… After 8 years of Bush, Republicans must consider whether they should stay the course, or molt into a new party still sporting the same name? Protack versus Copeland-Lee is about to determine that….Should Protack upset the regular party faithful, as his state’s highest ranked candidate, he will have considerable input on the direction his party must take, at least until a new figure emerges…. Conventional wisdom considering his win, says there is no way…. But across this nation, Republicans have lost three seats in special elections, all in reportedly safe districts…. If enough of Delaware’s Republicans want to force their party to run on issues, instead of running on slander, then Protack could just get enough bounce to go over the top…..
Stranger things have happened.
On the Democratic side, the governors race is heating up. But you would never know it if you only read the blogs for information (Unless you read Down With Absolutes)… Since a majority of bloggers consider themselves not only Democrats, but progressives, this is a tragic silence. Fortunately the News Journal stepped in, and took over the bloggers role this time, and published a great comparison of both candidates. Hats of to their editing department for their picturesque face off: that put bloggers to shame.
One would think there would be some buzz over the Democratic race to pick Mike Castle’s successor. Granted, the candidate we wanted to run is either going to win or lose the governor’s race next Tuesday, but irregardless, in a Democratic year, nothing substantial has been said about any of these candidates…
Fortunately WPVI Channel 6 stepped in and carried the bloggers role by televising their debate last Sunday morning…. But none would know by just reading the blogs…. It was actually a good chance to see who was honest and direct, who was prompted with canned answers, and who was trying to toe the center by not giving specifics and speaking in platitudes…..
And our insurance commissioners are infighting among the Democrats to see who takes on John Brady…. To be honest, the only one I know anything about is Gene Reed, and that is because of Mike Matthews. There have been three debates yet no one has mentioned them in blogworld…..
But the big, really big race. ie the one affecting us (up North) the most, is the Gordon-Coons battle. Tuesday decides it; there is no Republican challenger…. Fortunately this race has gotten some mention. Before the conventions started, cassandra m wrapped up a synopsis of their debate, that was not flattering to Gordon… But where we get our hard nuggets of info, are out of comments, as one side’s supporters bash those representing the other side…. But the real question of who will better reign in our developers ravaging our countryside, has yet to be answered…..
Equally strategic, is whether Bill Dunn can upset Paul Clark…. Clark is better funded, but previously committed official endorsements for Clark are now dropping like flies, since Bill Dunn has now entered the race….At stake is the question of whether developers should have unlimited access to our county government? Or should they have only the same rights as everyone else? Dunn is for reform… Clark is “the way we were”……
Up North, the big General Assembly race is in the fourth… the seat previously held by Copeland…. Three Republicans, and two Democrats, are battling among themselves for the right to go to Dover… All are well funded for a Primary and the fourth is covered with election signs… However very little has been said about this race within the blogosphere. What will be done when they are elected, will be anyone’s guess….
Democrats in the 6th Senate have a battle on their hands between John McKenzie and Mike Terranova. That race has not registered in our little blogosphere…. Nor has the Republican race for the 10th….between Andrea Daley and James Weldin…. Andrea is a frequent writer on Nancy’s Blog, Delaware Way…… But has any blog covered the pros and cons of either candidate? No.
County Council 8 and 12 are up for grabs on the Democrat’s side. In the 8th, John Cartier and Carl S. Colantuono go head to head for the grand prize… Carl Colantuono was previously highly recommended during a different race two years ago… In the 12th, the new guy Thomas Scherer is giving William Bell a run for his money…. Bell has all the trappings at his disposal that come with being an incumbent, but it appears that Tom is making up the discrepancy on the ground……
In town since Republicans do not exist in the city proper, the mayor, city council president, and the members of Districts 1,2,3,4,8 are all to be settled next Tuesday… But if one were reading the blogs for news, no one would ever know…. Before he left, Tommywonk featured Campbell Hay, who has the dubious distinction of being the only city candidate featured in blogland….
Kent County has a primary in the 3rd district of Levy court, just among the Democrats… and that winner goes against blogger David Anderson, I presume? Further south, Sussex County has a three way Republican race in the 2nd District, and a two way Republican race in the 3rd. In the last race, one of our states more insightful bloggers has put his hat into the ring… To find out his stance on everything, just Google Jud’s Rants Delaware... It should lead you right there……
So all that aside, during this week of conventions, what did we learn locally?
1) We learned we are more exited about the national circus than we normally let on…. It can suck up all our energy…..
2) We learned that we did not live up to our reader’s expectations; who will walk in to the booth on primary day, still in the dark, as if we didn’t exist at all.
3) We learned that candidates need to use us by sending their info to be published, and in order to distinguish ourselves from the News Journal, we need to print it…..
4) We learned we need to apply endorsements based on our values, and adequately explain to readers why our support is forthcoming…..
5) We all have favorites. But if you read the local blogs during this past week of convention coverage….. you would never know it…..
With one week to go in the primaries, we can make some inroads. However the lesson that we take for this week, is that as thoughtful bloggers, we CAN make real impacts on local races decided by the slimmest of margins. Talking mostly about national campaigns, only helps keep things running in our state, the same way as they always have been.
And none of us would agree that running in the same way…is good…..
Nagle received an op-ed piece in the News Journal. Northington’s response was buried.
Here is what he had to say:
In a recent op-ed article, my opponent in the Democratic congressional primary, Karen Hartley-Nagle, listed a series of problems facing the United States and the world. What she did not do was suggest solutions to the problems we face. Delaware voters deserve more than a restating of challenges; we deserve ideas and solutions. We need a new direction for this state and the nation.
For most Delawareans, the top issues are the state of the economy and the Bush administration’s disastrous foreign policy adventures. Nearly eight years of Republican mismanagement of the economy, including an utter lack of any energy policy, has left many Delaware families on the edge financially.
Add to that the increasing cost of health care, food and fuel and the financial pressures on the men, women and children of this state are overwhelming. Clearly, we need a new direction in these areas.
Much of the economic crisis facing Delawareans stems from two dramatic errors made by the federal government: the lack of a comprehensive energy policy, and no regulation whatsoever in critical financial markets.
My economic solution calls for the creation of a national energy policy that will incorporate new and sustainable long-term energy sources with a steady decline in U.S. reliance on foreign oil. While the notion of complete energy independence is laudable, to get there we must fully exploit existing and emerging technologies.
Delaware is uniquely poised to be on the forefront of these technologies. For example, converting the soon-to-close Chrysler plant in Newark to build wind turbines would not only create a new industry for Delaware, it would play an integral role in energy policy and benefit the environment.
Without doubt, the federal government must play a more substantial role in regulating the financial industry, especially those segments that touch people directly, such as the mortgage industry. That is why once in office, I will submit legislation to ensure Americans never again are the victims of predatory lending by mortgage companies or other financial institutions.
American foreign policy has led to us being less secure. Our military is facing exhaustion. The war of choice in Iraq has cost lives, resources and strength, making it nearly impossible to respond to crisis spots around the world.
Contrary to what Republicans such as President Bush and Congressman Mike Castle believe, going to war does not make a nation stronger. It just puts us in greater jeopardy.
As a Vietnam veteran myself, I support bringing the bulk of our troops home as soon as possible and rebuilding our military so we can defend ourselves from credible threats, such as terrorism.
In a short newspaper article, it is difficult to touch on all the critical issues facing Delawareans and all Americans such as health care, crime, the environment and property rights. That is why I have a comprehensive list of issues and solutions at my campaign Web site, www. Northington08.com.
I am asking for your vote in the Democratic primary Sept. 9. Together we can turn Delaware and the nation in a new direction.
Posted by Jerry W. Northington,
This was too good to keep “under a bushel.”
Today there was much talk around the blogosphere of establishing an alternative form of media which provides the real news, which the powerful find too embarassing to be published in News Journal. Gannett, by the way, has announced laying off 1000 more people… As paper’s die, blogs grow.
Here is a stream of consciousness writing by one of our frequent commentators: Call It.
Here is the line: I feel that those here in the Delaware blogosphere would do Delawareans a service to provide a well thought out and well examined take on stories breaking locally. We need to separate ourselves from the main news sources, just like Showtime does from the main entertainment channels, and challenge our viewers to a more sophisticated way of looking at the world.
Then in a comment stream on Northington’s blog, I still remember a time when journalists posed tough questions and tackled issues of importance rather than pandering to the rich and powerful. We need a return to accountability and responsibility in our nation today.
This came as a response. I think journalists need to band together and form their own papers. The Old Guard has to be challenged.
And this from a letter to Steve Newton of Delaware Libertarian:
Finally, our nation – and especially the national media – needs to witness an avalanche of support made possible by a dedicated group of Americans who truly love liberty and will fight to get it back.
Being hit by three similar snippets on three separate blogs, from a logical frame means nothing. After all I have flipped a coin with heads three times in a row. But on an emotional frame, if one connects the dots, it appears that the emphasis on truth has left the mainstream media…..
Now I’m not naive enough to believe old newsmen never lied…. But today, it would be acceptable to say today’s version never tell the truth. Instead, they “present” sides.
I was just reading a local paper’s coverage on Watergate back in ’74, and realized that when people read those stories, (perhaps with Elvis playing in the background), they felt they were getting the truth. That refreshing feeling is found today only from international press.. Why? My guess is that since this is not their country, and because they have the dubious distinction of explaining our abnormalities to their citizens back home,….. they write what actually happens…. Not as I am afraid every American paper today is guilty of……writing what they want to happen…..
Were I a Gannet newspaper based out of Basin Road, New Castle, anxious to get readership back in tow, I would enlist a blogger to write a daily column for them. Offer No charge and guarantee no editorial control….
Suddenly, not knowing what to expect…. might make reading a newspaper fun again……
Hard as it may be, as crunch time comes up, it becomes difficult to focus on Georgia, Iran, and our long term relations with China. Even though New Castle County primary elections have little to offer rivaling the scale of dodging nuclear missiles, we as single individuals on the other hand, have far more effect on local politics, than could we ever impact our national policy.
Endorsements, may work for some people…….But realistically, they are a waste of time….So I’m planning on going through the election season without any endorsement. Cop out? Could be, but does anyone really care? But equally viable, it could also be a stroke of genius…. again, does anyone really care?
But if one steps back and thinks large scale, what may be important and more persuasive than any endorsement, would be to publish those elements that stacked up to tip my vote one way or another….
So we start with the Clark-Dunn race for New County Council President. Basically the choice is simple. If you are a developer wanting to take over personal property to make a profit, then Mr. Pam Scott is your man… (inside joke)… If you think our county belongs collectively to its citizens, and should cater to their needs as opposed to developers, Dunn is the one to vote for…
Clark has up to this point done a fairly good job on excusing himself whenever his wife’s property interests are before the Council…. that is fine. The tipping point, however, was the email going out several months ago. That was a mistake we were told…. But the silent question, the question never asked was this. Why does one of this state’s top retail lawyers have bedroom access to the President of New Castle’s County Council’s computer?
One does not have to be a polar bear expert (another inside joke) to figure that out. Bottom line is this:
Why should a conglomeration of Realtors have inside information, and citizens have to wait in the dark until it is vetted in order to find out about it? Obviously if we approve of this arrangement by voting for and supporting Mr. Pam Scott for County Council President….this trend will continue.
On to Gordon and Coons.
Obviously the black shirts of county government are rebelling and looking for a Bonnie Prince Charlie to return them to their former glory. It’s not going to happen… and Bonnie Prince Charlie will have to dress up like a women again and slip off to France…
Gordon did some great things and I don’t want to overlook that fact. When he authorized the temporary moratorium against development, I stood up and cheered. He ran our County Government, granted during AWESOME financial times, in good fashion. But, the financial weather took a turn for the worse the very same year Coons was elected….
The cutting of all beneficial Federal Programs by both Houses of a Republican Congress, dried up a lot of money which Gordan had previously put to good use. On top of that, the bursting of the financial bubble caused by John McCain’s chief economic officer, Phil Gramm, has recently sapped that income normally flowing in from the transfer of property…… Both these sea changes must be considered when making any comparison…..
But what does not need any extenuating circumstances to compare, is the morality between the two candidates. The Freeberry-Gordon connection is just creepy. Her romantic involvement with him during his term of office, casts a pale shadow over an otherwise good administration. Many within the country administration are dreading the return of the “enforcer’ and her realm of terror she brought to those whose incomes depended upon her capriciousness.
In the absence of either candidate flatly coming out for a moratorium on all New Castle County development for five years, which throws everything discussed up to here out the window; the subsequent, lower level, real but oft unmentioned activities mentioned above, will need to be considered.
If someone offers you a free berry,….. do you take it?
The following elections I won’t comment on at this time….
County Council District 8
John Cartier
Carl Colantuono
County Council District 12
William Bell
Thomas Scherer
Mayor
James M. Baker
Robert I. Bovell, Jr.
President of City Council
Theopalis K. Gregory, Sr.
Norman D. Griffiths
City Council District 1
Nnamdi Chukwuocha
Charles Potter, Jr.
City Council District 2
Ernest M. Congo II
Michele A. Griffiths
Devon L. Hynson
Lawrence C. Smith
City Council District 3
Stephanie T. Bolden
Richard L. Dyton
City Council District 4
Mack D. Cochran
Hanifa Shabazz
City Council District 8
Campbell Hay
Stephen L. Martelli
Joseph D. Zilcosky
City Council District at Large
Darius J. Brown
Dwight L. Davis
Charles M. Freel
Samuel L. Guy
Gary E. Hutt
Loretta Walsh
Vincent M. White
Justen Wright
I could,.. but doing so, at this point would truly be done out of too little information. Anyone can begin their own research at this site here…..
(If I become persuaded to comment on some of these very interesting races, I will post later.)
Insurance Commissioner: Gene Reed had it in his hand but that was blown by Matthew’s campaign sleuthing. In his favor, if Reed was truly crooked, he would have waited to accept those questionably donations, so that the 30 day financial statement would be our first glimpse of his records. Obviously he is a neophyte to how things are done, and possibly, (stress “possibly”) just had a great idea of how to earn money and exercised it. He wouldn’t be the first politician in this state to do so….. June calls him a “Matt Denn in progress”. But anyone who touches tainted money has the dye on his hands for a long time. Most progressives among each other whisper when party leaders are not present, that Brady, a Republican (shudder), will continue Matt Denn’s approach better than any Democrat…..
Governor: Despite his flaws it is obvious that Protack is the better choice. He wanted the nomination and has worked diligently towards achieving it. If some can be believed, perhaps too diligently…. That enthusiasm has to be balanced with the lackluster attitude of his opponent. First he is not in, then he is in, then not, then in Florida, then after a draft is compiled from a few Protack haters, we get a rousing “well, I guess so… if no one else will do it…. ok….” Imagine if he were elected governor? “Wow… Look at me… I’m a governor…. Time for vacation.” If one does not have a workable agenda, how enthusiastic will be be? We have just gotten through 8 years of a chief executive hailing from Sussex County who had no plan? Why would we want another four? Protack had a plan as far back as 2007. It actually has many good points.
On the other side we have a repeat of a Danello-Shipley match… Bad blood will be spilled, giving Republicans a huge shot in the arm starting on September 10th….. Democrats have no choice but to start slugging in the next few days…. Vision is what is at stake…. Old tricks are stale…..
Jack was first on wind. Carney along with (almost) every other party Democrat lined up behind NRG’s clean coal….. That is fine at first suggestion, but as certain bloggers started turning out real facts to counter fossil fuel’s “fake” facts, Carney wisely switched. Carney seized the high ground by out-flanking Markell and winning Babcock and Brown’s promise to make Delaware a hub for a new industry. He followed that announcement with another: Del Tech would become a center for Off Shore Wind technology….. courtesy again of Babcock and Brown…. Markell was sidelined. With the final passage of a very weakened version, constructed by Tony DeLuca, Carney looked as if he had hit a home run……
Then it hit. Eminent Domain…. He backed the version that allowed developers to seize property to make a profit….. The obvious thought flashed across all Delawarean’s consciousness….. Ok, despite his words, he is really in bed with the developers. Hmmm.
So left with a choice of a Democrat in favor of wind, who is totally independent from developers, and the opposite: a Democrat who is in favor of wind, and incapable of overriding the developer’s wishes, the answer simply presents itself for those willing to see with unfettered eyes.
Delaware collectively (Burris the exception) is tired of Castle… Compromised by his party affiliation, he has lost effectiveness. Oh, he can still show up and cut ribbons, but Delaware deserves more. Oh, he can get tariff exemptions of certain chemicals, but Delaware deserves more. Mike Castle has run his course and the tired, old campaign signs of his, show the same side he first ran in 1992.
Any of you still drive a car from 1992? Any of you still have a computer from 1992? If so,,… how well does it work? There is nothing wrong with longevity, as long as it is productive. But with a Democratic leadership running both Houses of Congress, just how much positive good will a Republican moderate, shunned by his own party’s leadership, be able to provide?
Therefore to remove him, care must be taken to position someone in that other party, who does not make Castle look better in comparison.
KHN did well two years ago. But two years are a long time in the losers chair….
Mike Miller did not do well in his previous two attempts running against Castle. Even though Castle is vulnerable, it is hard to imagine him doing any better this time around. Obviously his run was orchestrated (by someone) to water down any real candidate from gaining traction, by stealing votes from one of Delaware’s minority populations away from someone who actually had a real chance.
Jerry Northington has had a local website up for a good while. He was a regular contributor on the Daily Kos before he tossed his hat into the ring. One can see where Jerry stands and his stands are admirable. No candidate in Delaware has kept the pressure on Castle as well as has Northington. Northington, a veterinarian, summed up the health care crises with the most succicnt remark I have heard on that topic:
“We have for over 100 years known in veterinary medicine that preventive health care is the way to go. If we have known and can do that for animals, why in hell’s name can’t we do it for people?”
That is a good question, and one Mike Castle would never ask.
He who fights harder, wins better.
And I need someone to fight for me for a change.
kavips 
