When’s the last time Rep. Mike Castle set forth new ideas for leadership in his representation of Delaware in its sole seat to the US House of Representatives? For that matter, when have Joe Biden or Tom Carper done the same? Recent memory tells me they haven’t. They certainly haven’t walked the walk and they can barely talk the talk.
But US Congressional candidate Karen Hartley-Nagle is talking and walking a lot these days. And what she has to say makes a helluva lot of sense. She’s been up and and down the state these past few weeks seeking support from individuals in all three counties. She’s a filed candidate looking forward to a robust primary season with her two Democratic opponents. She pulled a wonderful move by hiring Mat Marshall as her communications director and the fruits of his labor are already showing themselves. Several weeks ago Karen sent out her first position paper on energy. As well as naming the problems facing the country today, it also offered ACTUAL, DO-ABLE solutions to those problems. When’s the last time Mike Castle posited such ideas? Sure, stem cells, but that shit couldn’t get past the right-wing evangeliturd president currently squatting on public property.
Relying on a plan that seeks the elimination on the reliance of fossil fuels as well as using no nuclear power (Karen rightly says: “What do you do with the waste?”), Hartley-Nagle’s plan is sensible states “our energy future must be centered around:”
- wind, both onshore and offshore
- solar, both “rooftop” units and full-scale utility plants
- energy storage technology to address the intermittent nature of the two aforementioned sources
- near-total elimination of fossil fuel usage
- smart grid technologies and distributed generation
- wider use of electricity and hydrogen for vehicle fuel
- other renewable sources, like tide and geothermal power
- resource conservation through utilization of waste (“zero waste”)
- wider use of mass transit, including electric trains
- designing more energy-efficient communities by making them more pedestrian-friendly and providing easier access to transit.
Sure, I sound like I’m fawning here, but I’ve known Karen for nearly two years and recognize she’s whip-smart, passionate, and eager to serve the citizens of Delaware. She’s the best person the Democrats could put up against Mike Castle. I can’t cloud the fact that should Karen win the primary that the general will be the fight of a lifetime. I’ve even told her I think it’s impossible for her to beat an entrenched incumbent that people seem to like for some strange reason.
But she will fight. If anyone wins, it will be the people of Delaware for having heard Karen’s passionate ideas. I look forward to her second position paper.
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 10:40 PM PDT
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I’ve been to a few of these brick-oven pizza events in Dover and they’re hella fun! On May 18, Jason from Delaware Liberal is hosting a fundraiser for Jack Markell’s gubernatorial war chest. Though I will be far away and unable to attend, you should definitely go. Sure, it’s $50 per person, but you get TONS of food, hayrides, hot gossip from some of the coolest political folk in the state and you get to know your money is going to a great guy like Jack Markell. Details below. Be there or be a Republican:
Jason Scott and Peter Schaeffer
cordially invite you to:
The 2nd Annual Markell Pizza Party
in honor of
Jack Markell
Delaware State Treasurer
&
Candidate for Governor
Sunday, May 18th, 2008 11am to 3pm
Pleasanton Abbey
1548 Persimmontree Lane
Dover, DE 19901
Menu
Real Brick Oven Pizza
Tandor Shish Kabobs
Saffron Rice
Salads & Heavy Hors d’oeuvres
Beverages
Suggested Donation: $50 per person or $60 per family (Hay Rides)
To RSVP, please email to Ken at Kennedy@markell.org
Under Delaware law, we are allowed to accept personal, PAC, partnership and
corporate contributions not to exceed $1,200 per person.
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 9:55 PM PDT
Talk dirty to me »
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
- MLK, Jr., August 28, 1963
Tonight Barack Obama won the North Carolina primary by a huge margin. I really hope Hillary decides to drop out of the race. It is so painfully clear that there is no way for her to win regardless of what happens going forward. The exclusion of Michigan and Florida leaves Barack Obama with an insurmountable delegate and popular vote lead. Even if she managed to somehow convince superdelegates to throw their support behind her because of her strength as a candidate, she’d be accused of having “stolen” the election.
The Democratic National Convention will take place on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s beautiful “I Have a Dream” speech. During the convention, Barack Obama will be named the nominee to represent the Democratic Party in the general election. Regardless of which candidate you support, which party you belong to, or what happens in the general election, there’s something very fitting about that.
Posted by Dominique in General at 11:01 PM PDT
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According to the WSJ and NPR, this morning the FBI raided the offices of Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch who oversees protection of federal whistleblowers. The agents seized computers and shut down email service as part of an obstruction of justice probe.
Oddly enough, Bloch was looking at Karl Rove’s involvement in using the federal government to further political prospects of Republicans up for election. He also started the April 2007 investigation into Rove’s missing emails and the charges that the White House was politicizing appointments.
This could get very interesting…
Posted by Dominique in General at 3:47 PM PDT
Talk dirty to me »
Yesterday Laura Bush made a rare appearance in the White House press room to slam the Myanmar government and military for their miserable handling of the aftermath of a tragic cyclone that has taken an estimated 15,000 lives. Among other things, Mrs. Bush accused the government of having “blood on their hands” and being “very inept”. And she should know.
January 20, 2009, will be a great day for our country and the world. As happy as I am to see George W. Bush leave office and his reign of mayhem come, mercifully, to an end, I am equally happy to be rid of his dear, sweet wife.
For eight years I have listened to the media fawn over that woman. Phrases like “everybody loves Laura Bush” and “Laura Bush’s approval numbers are very high” and “popular First Lady Laura Bush” make me fume. Who loves her? Why are her approval numbers high? Why is she popular? Who are these people that are being surveyed?!?!
I would be interested to see the gender breakdown of each survey taken on Laura Bush. I can’t imagine that her approval numbers among women is as high as it is among men. Ripped from a scene of Leave It to Beaver, she is weak, vapid, and meek. If I close my eyes, I can see her vacuuming the White House carpets in her pumps, pearls and form-fitting wool dress; virtually every man’s dream.
Laura Bush has accomplished next to nothing of substance in her life and her alleged popularity has set the women’s movement back 40 years. She appears to hold no opinion of her own; she’s perfectly happy to nod – eyes firmly focused in headlights – and agree with whatever her husband says. I doubt she’s had an original thought in years. How could anyone – especially any woman – respect that? Her voice is as soft and quavering as her spine and when she speaks in that slow, deliberate manner, I find myself motioning for her to speed it up, cut to the chase – SPIT IT OUT! – not because I’m ever even remotely interested in what she has to say, but because I want her to finish. I just want it to be over. 259 days and counting.
Posted by Dominique in General at 7:33 AM PDT
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Hot shit. Oh my!
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 9:52 PM PDT
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Wow…got some crazy tips from multiple sources. Apparently, the Delaware GOP is so hard-up for cash that they’ve resorted to brown bag lunches. Sources tell me that yesterday’s lunch in Dewey was a bag lunch consisting of a ham and cheese sandwich, a chocolate chip cookie, and a bottle of water.
I should call Precious Priscilla Rakestraw and ask her if this lovely lunch was catered or if some toothless hick from Sussex slaughtered his own pig for the meat.
I had to ask my source if he had to eat the thing and he said he had to because he was so damn hungry. With gas prices being so high, he said he had no choice.
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 9:49 PM PDT
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When Allan Loudell interviewed GOP Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell last week, he asked her a question about left-leaning bloggers infatuated with her royal conservative beauty-highness. The lovely Lady O’Donnell sends those bloggers a shout-out, but we know she really means she loves Mike Matthews and wants to finally accept his invitation for some prime rib at Walter’s on Union…and soon!!
So turned on was I that I mashed up these two photos. One of the beauty and the other of the hideous beast.
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 6:11 PM PDT
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Upon hearing of my intention to vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee, several people have reminded me of the perils of voting for a republican in terms of Supreme Court appointments. I have a somewhat unorthodox opinion about the issue: I’m willing to take that chance.
Have you ever heard of Sarah Weddington? She is a hero of mine. Sarah Weddington successfully argued Roe vs. Wade before the Supreme Court in 1972. While that may not seem like all that big a deal, it’s important to note that she was only 26 years old. Pretty impressive, right? Well, what if I told you that prior to Roe vs. Wade, Sarah Weddington had never argued a contested case? Let that sink in for a minute. It turns out that back in the late 60’s and early 70’s law firms weren’t in the habit of assigning “real” cases to female attorneys because they didn’t expect them to stick around for long. The logic behind the discrimination was that women would leave their jobs to get married and have children. So, despite graduating from the University of Texas School of Law at the top of her class in 1967, Ms. Weddington had never handled anything beyond wills and divorces prior to Roe vs. Wade. To have accomplished something as monumental winning a landmark Supreme Court case at the tender age of 26 with no real courtroom experience is, well, goosebump-worthy.
Except for a brief period during my freshman year at Padua when I bought into the butchered baby stories, I have always been pro-choice. I have donated money to Planned Parenthood and marched on Washington for reproductive rights several times. I genuinely care about women’s rights, reproductive and otherwise. I understand and respect that women have had to scratch and claw their way to almost being treated as equals in a country that boasts its superiority in terms of, among other things, personal freedom. I stand in awe of the fiercely strong women who fought and struggled so that I can walk through the doors that they opened for me. Sometimes I wonder if the women of Generation Y fully understand that. I wonder if they really appreciate what the generations of women before us endured for the freedoms we enjoy today. That may be why I have virtually stopped caring about the possibility of Roe vs. Wade being overturned.
This election season has taken a toll on all of us. For me, the most disheartening aspect of it has been the venomous personal attacks that have been launched against Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro. It’s difficult enough to stomach when it’s coming from men, but hearing young women speak so horribly about these two trailblazers is what offends me the most. It’s one thing to disagree with policy, but to attack them personally is quite another. Every time I hear a woman minimize Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments by claiming that she somehow owes everything she has accomplished to her husband, I cringe. When I think about the horrible things that many women said about Geraldine Ferraro, I feel physically ill. Maybe if the next generation of women had to fight for some of their rights, they’d stop taking them for granted and start appreciating them a little bit more; maybe they’d start showing a little bit of respect for the sacrifices that were made on their behalf.
That said, it is important to note that a majority of Supreme Court justices appointed by republicans does not necessarily guarantee that Roe vs. Wade will be overturned. Here’s an interesting little tidbit – Roe vs. Wade was a 7-2 decision. Of the seven justices in the majority, only two were appointed by democrats. Of the two dissenting justices, only one was appointed by a republican.
PS – This month HBO will be running Iron Jawed Angels - available On Demand from May 12–June 8. It’s a riveting movie about the suffragists who fought for passage of the 19th Amendment. Please don’t miss it and, if possible, watch it with your wife/girlfriend, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and/or aunt.
Posted by Dominique in General at 11:04 PM PDT
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Cassandra over at Delaware Liberal mentioned something about the State GOP and sockpuppets, and I had a brain-flash.
Instead of known, identifiable State Legislators spending our tax money and/or funding their retirements in private, smoke-filled back rooms, and not letting us know what they’re doing, why don’t we have anonymous legislators who must conduct all State business on the internet for all to see? That way, all the ego is removed, and we get to see how our tax money is being spent and how the state is managed. And this is great for the Legislators. They don’t have to face personal criticism because we don’t know who they are. And its great for the tax payers because the lobbyists of special interests don’t know who to bribe.
Brilliant.
Posted by Intercourse in General at 9:35 AM PDT
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Hillary’s at it again. This sneaky “sample ballot” that’s reportedly being handed out in early polling places in North Carolina has her fingerprints all over it. She’s clearly trying to frame Barack. It’s sickening to think that anyone would stoop to this level, but what else can we expect from an underhanded liar like Hellary/Billary/HillBillary? She’ll do ANYTHING to win.
Posted by Dominique in General at 9:09 PM PDT
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Hillary Clinton went head to head with the Democrats’ arch-nemesis Bill O’Reilly last night and had her way with him (watch it here and here). She was comfortable, confident, and well-informed. She was fiercely strong, but good-natured and charming. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation on any issue. She proved, once again, that she is the most stalwart, fearless candidate in the field. Unlike the stammering, hesitation, uuuhhhh-ing and uuuummm-ing we’ve come to expect from Obama, her answers were crisp and clear. I defy even the most ardent Obama supporters to find reasons to criticize her performance. In fact, after the initial interview (part two will air tonight), Bill interviewed two Obama supporters who begrudgingly admitted that it was a “remarkable” performance. One of them even had to drag out the tired old “she voted for the war” line in an attempt to divert attention away from her superior ability to confront the issues head on. It really surprises me, btw, that they still cling to “he’s got better judgment” as being the core reason for supporting him in light of all of the examples of his poor judgment that have come to the forefront of late. But I digress…
By every measure, Hillary Clinton is behind in the race with virtually no chance to win the nomination. Yet, after months of harsh criticism from both the media and her own party, personal betrayals and key defections, she marches on. With the odds stacked against her, she remains completely energized and full of vigor. At 60 years of age, she is proving that she has super-human strength and determination; qualities that anyone would want in a president. She is an inspiration. Obama, on the other hand, after just a few weeks of tepid criticism from the media with which he had enjoyed a months-long love-in, looks completely beaten down and exhausted. He’s 46 years old and in peak physical condition, but he looks like he could use a three-day nap. Yeah, he’s ready for the rigorous job of leader of the free world.
Barring some Red Bull miracle that causes voters in the remaining primary states to wake up from their Sominex haze, Obama will win the nomination. Thinking about it leaves me at the intersection of Queasy and Enraged, desperately seeking directions back to my home on Sanity Lane, but every day I grow a little closer to accepting it. Everything happens for a reason and maybe some greater good will come of turning yet another election into an American Idol-style, media-driven popularity contest with more emphasis on appearance and fluff than on substance. Maybe electing a black president will allow our country to finally turn the corner and begin to improve race relations. Then, and only then, will it have been worth choosing nice over strong, pretty over competent, meek over determined and aloof over focused.
Posted by Dominique in General at 8:33 AM PDT
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I’ve been to many political meetings, banquets, and bullshit sessions in the past 2-plus years. Most of the time I went simply for my own personal pleasure. Often I would get a story out of these gatherings that would pique the interest of you fine readers. Something I have never done is go to the local Representative District meetings held by either the Democrats or the Republicans. Well, I think I’ll be attending more often after the fun I had tonight.
Let me first preface this by saying I’m not at all in tune to the Democrat party’s rules on endorsements — at all. So, this entire post could be a load of bullshit. However, I just got back from the meeting and since there’s been a dearth of Mike of late, I thought I’d regale you this tale.
The Fifth Representative District (RD) Democrats met tonight to offer endorsements for the offices of lieutenant governor, New Castle County executive, insurance commissioner, and US Congress. It is my understanding that for an RD to make an endorsement, all prospective candidates should be present to offer their few minutes to give a speech. However, in the race for insurance commissioner, there was one candidate who didn’t show up. Yes, the candidate who has, of late, been covered quite a bit on this site as well as The News Journal: Gene Reed.
Now, 5th Rep. Melanie George Marshall, the eternal hottie of the House Democratic Caucus, has a voting role on the committee. She arrived on time, but from the start she made it clear she had somewhere else to be. I already know who her vote for insurance commissioner would be; she announced her support for Reed ages ago. However, there were five other individuals (I think) with a vote and I refuse to believe that with two other candidates present (Karen Weldin Stewart and Tom Savage) that they would dare consider endorsing Gene Reed. The man didn’t show up. I asked the committee at the conclusion whether Gene Reed had spoken to them some other time; he did not.
So, I wonder how much pull Rep. Melanie George Marshall has on this committee. Did it not phase anyone that Reed has been caught accepting questionable sums of money from an industry that holds contracts with the office he’s looking to lead? Something just doesn’t seem right here.
Any ideas?
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 9:55 PM PDT
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It seems the Reverend and Barack now have a matching set of tire tracks.
Good for you, Barack!
Posted by Dominique in General at 8:11 PM PDT
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NEVER QUESTION A DRUNK . . .
I was shopping at the local supermarket where I selected:
A half-gallon of 2% milk,
A carton of eggs,
A quart of orange juice,
A head of romaine lettuce,
A 2 lb. can of coffee, and
A 1 lb. package of bacon.
As I was unloading my items on the conveyor belt to check out, a drunk standing behind me watched as I placed the items in front of the cashier.
While the cashier was ringing up the purchases, the drunk calmly stated, “You must be single.”
I was a bit startled by this proclamation, but I was intrigued by the derelict’s intuition, since I was indeed single.
I looked at the six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual about my selections that could have tipped off the drunk to my marital status.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I said: “Well, you know what, you’re absolutely right. But how on earth did you know that?”
The drunk replied, “Cause you’re ugly.”
Posted by Dominique in General at 12:42 PM PDT
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On May 18 Jason at Delaware Liberal is hosting a fundraiser for Jack Markell, our best hope for sanity in Delaware government. Using a small portion of your tax stimulus to invest in putting a competent leader, Mr. Markell, in the highest State office will guarantee a return to better lives for Delaware citizens. Essentially, attending the fundraiser will provide an ROI (”return on investment”) far exceeding the small donation asked.
Details of the party are below:
Jason Scott and Peter Schaeffer
cordially invite you to:
The 2nd Annual Markell Pizza Party
in honor of
Jack Markell
Delaware State Treasurer
&
Candidate for Governor
Sunday, May 18th, 2008 11am to 3pm
Pleasanton Abbey
1548 Persimmontree Lane
Dover, DE 19901
Menu
Real Brick Oven Pizza
Tandor Shish Kabobs
Saffron Rice
Salads & Heavy Hors d’oeuvres
Beverages
Suggested Donation: $50 per person or $60 per family (Hay Rides)
To RSVP, please email to Ken at Kennedy@markell.org
Under Delaware law, we are allowed to accept personal, PAC, partnership and
corporate contributions not to exceed $1,200 per person.
Posted by Discourse in General at 9:43 AM PDT
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Move over, Bill Clinton, there’s a new sheriff in town. His name is Reverend Jeremiah Wright and you’ve got absolutely nothin’ on his ego.
For reasons that escape logical thinking, especially that of the Obama campaign, the good reverend couldn’t see fit to leave well enough alone. Rather than show an ounce of humility or respect for his congregant (and a generous contributor to his church) and wait until…I don’t know…November 5th to defend himself, he agreed to be interviewed by Bill Moyer. OK, fine, he wanted to set the record straight. How much harm could come of that? You’d think that would have been enough to massage his bruised ego, but no. No. He had to follow that interview up with a speech to the NAACP in Detroit, where he mocked the accents of JFK and Lyndon Johnson in some kind of a lame comparison to Ebonics, and another one this morning to the National Press Club during which he waxed poetic about reconciliation while he attacked whites for being racist. Pretty ironic from where I’m sitting.
Those two speeches, during which he made absolutely no attempt to tone down his rhetoric, evidently weren’t enough to make him feel vindicated. With a team of black church leaders in the audience applauding and cheering his every crazy word, he participated in an awkward Q&A session where he strutted about like a peacock and gave perhaps the most divisive answers he could have given. With each crazy sentiment he expressed, the church leaders would burst into boisterous applause and/or laughter, causing the host of the session to ask several times for quiet. He wasted no time throwing Obama under the bus, first by accusing him of doing what he had to do “as a politician” then of accusing him of not attending church on a regular basis. It was, without a doubt, the last thing the Obama campaign wanted or needed at this point in the game.
Like it or not, the Reverend Wright’s attitude and conduct will be considered very off-putting to many voters. As a Hillary supporter, I can’t say I was entirely disappointed; however, as a citizen who is looking at the very real possibility that Barack Obama will be my next president, I am very concerned that the senator seems to lack the sense and the courage to completely separate himself from this lunatic who clearly has no interest in helping him get elected.
Posted by Dominique in General at 8:59 PM PDT
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No, I haven’t drank any of the alluring Dominique’s Kool-Aid. I’m just tellin’ it like it is. Don’t believe Obama when he says “He’s not ducking,” in reference to Hillary Clinton’s request for a 22nd debate Lincoln-Douglas style. Obama, without the foolish moves of the Michigan and Florida Democrats, you’d be a fucking loser. You need to praise the Lord and thank your lucky stars for that. And you need to stop being a pussy and debate Hillary.
Posted by Mike Matthews in Political Landscape at 5:24 PM PDT
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“As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist the country’s 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the country’s 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways.” LINK.
Oh good. 80 million drunk rednecks looking for an excuse to show a little bravado, but with absolutely no training and limited intelligence. Speaking of which, does the State of Texas allow this guy to operate a motor vehicle on public roads?
Posted by Intercourse in General at 7:24 AM PDT
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My sister meets the end of her college career in three weeks and she’s ready to go out with a bang. Capping off a significant senior year, in which she was named producer of Hofstra University’s late-night program “Thursday Night Live” and completing a documentary that saw her interviewing most of the Cast of “Saturday Night Live,” my sister will tonight co-produce an annual telethon in the hopes of raising funds for a student who was murdered several years ago.
Even if you’re not in the Long Island region, you can live stream the telethon via Hofstra’s Streaming Video site. If you’d like to donate money, you may be able to select from a bunch of premium gifts donated by local and regional businesses. The telethon raised $4600 last year and they’re hoping to break $5000 this year. Pre-pledged donations are already well over $1000. If you’d like to donate, click here.
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 4:09 PM PDT
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I had to steal this from the below wRONg Williams post by Intercourse. Tell us how you really feel, Al!
If she’s playing footsie with Reed, it probably means Reed is the new go-to guy for getting this done. Should it happen because Matt Denn decided to take a taxpayer-paid vacation (which is all the Lt. Gov. job is; if it required work, do you think Ted Blunt would be interested in the job?) instead of standing by his post, he won’t get my vote.
Claws are out! Go Al!
Posted by Mike Matthews in First State Filth at 3:45 PM PDT
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Ever seen a racoon with a broken back? Half dead meat, half razor-honed, finely tuned six-pack of chainsaws. Yes, its Hillary.
Posted by Intercourse in General at 10:53 AM PDT
Talk dirty to me »
Today’s editorial by wRONg in the NJ regarding Copeland and Lee reached a high point: “I haven’t seen Republicans this upbeat since their own Donna Lee Williams decided not seek re-election as insurance commissioner.”
More good news. Rumors of Donna Lee hovering around the Gene gReed Insurance Commissioner campaign carry as much weight as her left thigh. Has one of the embarrasments of the GOP switched sides?
Posted by Intercourse in General at 9:52 AM PDT
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I am seriously considering the idea of starting a cleaning business so I woke up this morning with a plan to time myself cleaning my entire house single-handedly. Good times…good times. I was still in my pajamas contemplating my course of action when Mat’s friend, Tim McBride, called to see if I was going to be attending this morning’s Markell/Carney debate. Evidently, Carney had managed to drum up quite a few supporters and the Markell supporters were extremely outnumbered. So, rather than begin my time trial, I quickly got ready and scooted off to Wilmington to support my candidate.
I should probably preface this by saying that I am a member of Women for Markell (a fundraising group). As a member of the group, I have had the opportunity to get to know Jack and his wife, Carla, over the past few months and I can’t express how impressed I am with both of them. They are two of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met. Even though I am involved with the Markell campaign, I can also say I like John Carney. While I don’t know him very well, he came to our home last September to address a group of about 30 members of the Young Democrats Movement . He was extremely gracious and polite; a genuinely nice guy. Jack Markell had spoken to the group a few months prior to that and had developed a bit of a fan base. I’m certain Carney knew that many of the YDM members (including Mat) were actively involved with Jack’s campaign when he spoke to them, but he was still willing to come which I think says a lot about his character.
This morning’s debate was hosted by the Interfaith Coalition which consists of religious leaders from various churches and denominations across the city. Audience members were given forms on which they could ask the candidates questions. Most of the questions were about the prison system, health care, education and jobs. Carney evidently spends a lot of time “rolling up his sleeves”, a phrase he used quite often; however, most of the sleeve-rolling seems to have been done on blue-ribbon commissions during fact-finding missions. He spent a lot of time talking about his first-hand knowledge of the issues because of his involvement as chair or co-chair of many of those commissions, but I didn’t hear too much of what had actually been accomplished beyond gathering statistics.
Markell spent a lot of his time speaking about the importance of the community working together to improve society as a whole. It takes a village, if you will. He supports creating educational programs for children as young as three years old so that they are ahead of the curve when they enter kindergarten. He believes that there is no limit to what children with strong mentors at home and in the community can do with their lives. He spoke of two boys that he and his wife have mentored over the past six years and the difference it has made for both the boys and the Markell’s. (Carney spoke of a child he mentored as well and the impact it had on both Carney and the “little guy”). Markell believes that strong education and a strong community are important aspects of reducing crime and improving society as a whole.
In terms of addressing crime and recidivism, Markell spoke of ensuring that inmates were properly rehabilitated – including drug/alcohol counseling and education – so that when they are released, they can begin to rebuild their lives in a productive manner. Carney expressed similar sentiments and added something about prisoners knocking you over the head and stealing your pocketbook (or something to that effect) if they were not properly rehabilitated. That was an interesting visual. Almost as vivid as when he described how he can hear gunshots in the distance when he walks his dog in his neighborhood at 19th and Broom. Hmmm.
At the end of the day, both Markell and Carney are good guys. The state would do well with either of them at the helm. However, Markell definitely has better plans for how to improve our state and a much more innovative vision for our future.
Posted by Dominique in General at 2:54 PM PDT
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