DelawareLiberal.Net

I have to admit that I’ve been slacking.

We have about 30 days left in this legislative session and we need to turn up the heat on Harris McDowell and Charlie Copeland and stop them from blocking the off shore wind power project. McDowell, Copeland and Delmarva have telegraphed their “run out the clock” strategy in today’s News Journal - we can’t let that happen.

To apply the pressure on the State Senate and Lt. Governor John Carney, I’ve been trying to get together a polite but direct advocacy letter template complete with bullet points and email links so that we can get a bunch of letters to Carney, each Delaware Senator, The News Journal, the Delaware State News, as well as calls to radio stations.

We each need to NOT ONLY make 50 or so contacts (including calls to the Delaware State New’s “Sound Off”) , we need to expand our circle a bit and get this letter template to other groups and intervals that are sympathetic to the cause of wind power.

This “open source” model worked well with the radio ad that we did, so add what ever you want in the comment section. Here is my half-assed start, but I’m asking for your help getting this thing done. Thanks for pitching in !

1) Offshore wind power should be brought to a vote in the Delaware Senate as soon as possible.

a. HCR 38, which would recommend that the Controller General approve the power purchase agreement (PPA) between Blue water Wind and Delmarva Power, has eight sponsors in the Senate and only three more votes are needed to pass the measure.

b. After a year and a half of effort, analysis, negotiations, radio ads, and overwhelming expressions of support from Delaware’s citizens, it is time to bring HCR 38 to a vote.

c. Contrary to Delmarva Power’s claims, offshore wind power won’t cost us more unless fossil fuel prices magically go down instead of up.

d. Delawareans want the price stability that offshore wind power in Delaware will provide.

e. Delawareans want to protect our health by replacing coal and natural gas with non-polluting wind power.

f. Delawareans want to lead the country in renewable energy technology.

g. Delawareans don’t think that Delmarva Power should enjoy veto power over energy policy in Delaware.

h. Delawareans are sick and tired of Delmarva’s phony statistics and stalling tactics.

Delmarva Power wants to to write and editorial pissing on Blue Water Wind, but we have too much integrity to just come out and piss on wind power just because Gary Stockbridge tells us to…right?

Anyway, this New Jersey BS should Stockbridge off our backs for a few days.

The Republican party is in deep trouble. In races all over the country seats which were once firmly ensconced in the Republican column are now up for grabs. Fewer and fewer people are describing - or admitting - themselves as Republicans, and the hope that McCain will win over Independents is slipping away.

Okay, McCain is a terrible candidate. He has denied the Republicans use of their favorite words: Flip-flop and waffling. But he isn’t solely to blame for the state of his party. Oh no, this was a group effort, beginning with Ronald Reagan’s pandering to the Far Right. His validation of the pro-life/family values groups is his legacy, and while Reagan got away with paying lip service to this group present day Republicans aren’t so lucky. Which brings us back to McCain whose positions are becoming as fickle as a teenage girl.

Juggling two lovers usually ends with the juggler losing both. Eventually the lovers discover each others existence and then all hell breaks loose. Oh yeah, the “Maverick” has a big commitment problem. Whispering sweet nothings no longer works, and the promises being made to the far right concerning Supreme Court Justices and abortion will not win the hearts of the much needed Independents. McCain is - if you’ll permit me to bludgeon a theme - torn between two lovers.

So, with all the talk about the survival of the Democratic Party have we missed the fall of the Republican Empire?

Castle simply can’t admit that he was wrong to support Bush and his war in Iraq. And so the fantasy world spinning continues unabated.

Even now he still says crazy ass stuff like this…

“Our troops have made tremendous security gains in Iraq, but this progress is simply unsustainable if Iraq’s leaders are not fully committed to reaching some level of understanding on the most divisive issues.

Tremendous security gains? Progress? Oh yeah, I remeber… we painted a school.

I delivered this message to Ambassador Sumaidaie and expressed my strong support for shifting the day-to-day combat mission from U.S. soldiers over to the Iraqi security forces. Our talk was cordial and informative and we agreed to continue our dialogue on these critical issues in the future.”

That is just super! Continuing our dialogue as we shift “day-to-day combat missions” to Iraqis should take…oh… about 100 years.

NOTE TO DELAWARE “JOURNALISTS”: How about a follow up question once in a while you lazy stupid goofballs? When Castle claims that we have “made tremendous security gains” in Iraq - how about asking him to give an example? How about asking if you heard him right? How hard is that?

Do your jobs you lazy sons of bitches.

I take this as proof that Hillary Clinton’s “kitchen sink” attacks on Barack Obama were proping up McCain’s campaing.

As she fades from the scene, it is more and more clear to the traders that Obama is the prohibitive favorite.

Click to view graph

How much longer are we supposed to pretend that she is America’s sweetheart?

I am wrapping up “Big Enough To Be Inconsistent” today and on page 95 there was this little nugget:

“The first state that Lincoln tried to enlist in his program of gradual emancipation was Delaware, which had so few slaves - a total of 1800 in 1860 - that it was hard to imagine strong opposition to their being purchased and freed by the federal government (for $500 per slave).  In late November 1861, Lincoln went so far as to draft a bill to be presented to the Delaware state legislature providing for gradual, federally compensated emancipation.  Under its propopsed terms, slavery would not be totally eliminated until 1893.  But even in a state that had no significant economic stake in slavery, the fear that emanicpated blacks would claim equal rights caused a bill allong the lines that Lincoln recommended to be narrowly defeated.”

go figure, some things never change I guess in this state…

This is a poorly designed, terribly worded survey that is hard to get to throught the Delaware Energy Office’s cluttered web site. Which I’ll skip and link to directly. You might find it easier to respond to if you ignore their wording “Least Important to Most Important” and think of these items in terms of “Important to Very Important.”

That’s what I had to do.

SURVEY HERE

“State energy officials” are complaining that nobody is taking the survey, but who knew about it - and how could anybody find it on that terrible web site?

State energy officials are encouraging residents to share their views on Delaware’s energy priorities during a month-long survey developed to help draft a new long-range energy plan.

Between May 1 and Friday, only about 180 individuals had completed an Internet version of the survey. The 20 questions range from opinions about the importance of energy efficiency, conservation, land use and climate change to the priority that should be given to transportation issues and types of fuel for energy generation.

Delaware last released a five-year energy plan in 2003, when concern about climate change, energy supplies, fuel prices and the nation’s economy was less acute.

“We’d like to get as many responses as we can, and we’d like to get folks who are local, from Delaware,” said Suzanne E. Sebastian, Delaware Energy Office planner. “We are just getting the planning started, and we want to find out what people feel is important.”

Delaware officials hope to complete the plan in January, but are trailing neighboring states in their plans to deal with energy needs. The survey of public opinions will continue through the end of May.

Celia breathlessly reports that Mike Castle’s fans at the DE GOP convention were so charged up by the party’s endorsment of the 97-year-old-empty-suit that they demolished a light fixture with….a….. beach ball. The “Girls Gone Wild Bus” has nothing on the wild and crazy DE GOP.

Another (Mike Castle) beach ball pulverized another chandelier.

That is two Mike Castle beach balls pulverizing two light fixtures two years apart. WTF?

BTW - Mike Castle and John McCain think the Iraq war should “grind on” for 100 years.

Just sayin’

I think everyone has about 4 to 5 blogs that they check out all of the time.

I’ve been a slacker when it comes to reading and commenting on other blogs and have shaved that number down to 2 to 3.
So I know I’m missing some great stuff, but where?

Use this thread to discuss you poll choice - or let me know about a blog that I’m missing altogether.

For the record, I still miss Delatacit.

Voter Registration Drive in Delaware TOMORROW

Wilmington, DE – The Obama campaign announced today that grassroots volunteers will hold a Vote for Change kickoff event on Saturday, May 10th in Wilmington. Vote for Change is a 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive aimed at getting millions more Americans registered to vote and involved in the democratic process ahead of the November election.

Go to my.barackobama.com/voteforchange to find out more about the 101 Vote for Change kickoff events that will be held nationwide on May 10th.

WHO: Obama volunteers

WHAT: Vote for Change Kickoff Event

WHERE: Rodney Square
902 N. Market St
Wilmington, DE

WHEN: Saturday, May 10, 2008
10:00AM-1:00PM

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2008
Contact: Obama Press Office 312-819-2423

I love the Obama campaign.

5/9/08 20:06 UPDATE: I left two messages for Carper’s Legislative Dirtector, Bill Ghent who is a buddy of mine from my San Francisco bath house days (long story) - but I guess he is busy so he had the très joli  Bette Phelan reply via email. Her email stated that Carper “remains an uncommitted superdelegate” which I take to mean “is still hoping for a Clinton miracle.”  Zut alors!

Oh well. Plus 9 (NINE!) supers for Obama today alone. Let the floodgates open.

5/9/08 UPDATE: I placed another call to Bill Ghent this morning and hope to hear from him today.

A Tom Carper endorsement of Obama would be a punch in the gut to fellow DLC’er Hillary Clinton, but I first heard on Tuesday night that Tom Carper would be endorsing Barack Obama sooner rather than later. [Read more →]

The tapestry that is McDowell/Copeland effort to kill the off shore wind project has many threads. This comment from an anon reader does a great job winding those threads together.

Sounds like Senator Copeland has all the sudden realized this could be problematic running for governor - I mean Lt. Governor - being part of an illegal group trying to kill the wind farm and set up a huge, multi-million dollar enterprise and make lots of money for themselves with cake jobs.

I mean, did he just realize this “enterprise” had expired? What planet is the guy on? And being against the wind farm should do Mr. Copeland wonders in his race for the governor’s mansion. Maybe he could talk about creating jobs for the state in his campaign, or skyrocketing energy prices, a clean environment, national security, health care costs. LOL.

Pretty good except I happen to think that Copeland has already won the job that he was going after; “Savior of the DE GOP”

I must have hit a nerve with my post earlier. Charlie Copeland dropped me an email to fill me in on his stance after he spoke to Tyler Nixon.

I was unaware of the expiration of the SEU oversight board. I spoke with Tyler Nixon about it earlier today, and I will no longer attend oversight board meetings. If you check the debate on the Senate floor for SB 228 (which should be available from the Secretary of the Senate), I stated that the SEU should operate under FOIA and that I, as a member of the Oversight Board, would not vote on selecting the “winner” of the RFP being issued by the Energy Office. Obviously, this on-the-record comment was made before I was aware that the board had expired, but emphasizes the point that I have been consistently trying to get the SEU up and running on its own without inappropriate legislator influence.

I plan to contact the Secretary of the Senate next week to confirm Charlie’s assertion, but this is progress. I wonder if the SEU will ever make quorum again.

There was some question around here last week about whether or not the SEU was acting within the law that created them. There was an allegation that their term had expired per statute. Here is the pertinent part of the law:

There is hereby created the SEU Oversight Board which shall, from passage of this Act until January 31, 2008, consist of all members of the Sustainable Energy Utility Task Force (“Task Force”) appointed pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 45 from the 143^rd General Assembly and Senate Concurrent Resolution 6 from the 144^th General Assembly. By December 31, 2007 the Task Force shall recommend to the General Assembly the composition of the Board to serve after January 31, 2008.

So according to this, their term expired on January 31st, three and a half months ago. I spoke to an assistant to Senator McDowell and confirmed that, indeed, the authority was not renewed. On the recommendation of counsel, they have continued to operate as if they were still a legal entity. This may explain why they were unable to answer whether of not they were a public body in their last meeting. According to my source, they are continuing to meet in order to solicit input on how to structure the permanent SEU oversight board.

I contacted Tyler Nixon for comment (note to self, never ask a lawyer for a comment without specifying a maximum number of words). Mr. Nixon’s full comment is below the fold.

Senator Harris McDowell, and any other person knowingly and/or wilfully disregarding Del C. 29 Sec. 8059(e)(1), is unlawfully operating a rogue quasi-agency by purporting to hold meetings and make decisions dispositive of the Sustainable Energy Utility’s future, months after the former SEU Oversight Board’s authority expired. [Read more →]