Archive for October, 2009
Stamping Feet When There’s No Reason To
A recent Gallop poll shows that most gun owners (55%) think that President Obama wants to ban the sale of guns.
Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport notes that President Obama has never said — either on the campaign trail or after taking office — that he intends to push for a ban on the sale of [...]
95 and 495: High-Speed Death Traps?
It seems as though once every two weeks, or maybe even, once every a week, I-95 and/or I-495 come to a screeching halt due to accidents cause by high-speed or inattentive driver. Now, I haven’t gone out and gotten any statistics on this, but from my experience driving on 95 and 495, the State Police [...]
21Oct2009 | nemski | 14 comments | Continued
I’ll Believe It’s Not About Race When Pat Buchanan Does
In his latest column Pat Buchanan explains why the white working class is so upset.
America was once their country. They sense they are losing it. And they are right.
I’m really tired of all the good old days pining, because those days weren’t good for everybody. Note: Ozzie and Harriet and Leave It To Beaver were [...]
Blue Collar Jobs Coming Back to Delaware?
There is finally some serious cause for optimism. Andrew Eder, writing in today’s News-Journal, reports that the Boxwood GM plant is attracting a lot of interest:
Fisker Automotive confirmed Tuesday that it has talked with Delaware officials and toured the Boxwood Road assembly plant, idle since late July when General Motors closed the factory.
The company is [...]
OMG GOP WTF?!
Credo Mobile has a weekly quiz called OMG GOP WTF?! It donates $0.10 per correct answer to a progressive organization (this week The Nation). I’m sure you’ll not be surprised that I earned a 5/5. I’m not sure how they choose their subjects because the GOP has so many moments. Perhaps [...]
21Oct2009 | Unstable Isotope | 6 comments | Continued
Not So Suddenly Sudan
After months of hard work and analysis, the Obama Administration recently unveiled its Sudan strategy. According to the US State Department, the Sudan strategy will focus on three areas:
A definitive end to conflict, gross human rights abuses, and genocide in Darfur.
Implementation of the North-South CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) that results in a peaceful post-2011 Sudan, [...]
If You Have Some Free Time…
Most of the health care debate has now moved behind closed doors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have an effect. Tonight the Delaware Democratic party is sponsoring a phone bank:
OFA Phonebank in New Castle County
(Time to Deliver Call Party)
What: Time to Deliver Call Party
When: [...]
GOP Death Spiral?
Despite what you may be hearing from Republicans, poll results are showing big trouble in the Republican ranks. The latest Washington Post/ABC poll showed Congressional Republicans with an abysmal 19% confidence rating (great deal/good deal), down from 29% in January. (Obama has 49% and Congressional Democrats have 34% confidence ratings, Obama’s overall approval [...]
20Oct2009 | Unstable Isotope | 26 comments | Continued
Tuesday Open Thread
Tell everyone your deep, dark secrets. We promise not to tell anyone.
Let’s get this conversation started:
A heartbreaking story of a man who lost his job and joined the army to get his wife cancer treatment. Health care reform now! h/t dkos
In March, he was laid off from his job as a raw materials [...]
Secret Service Is Very, Very Busy
I find articles like this extremely disturbing – probably because it’s so easy to see where it’s heading.
The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according to government officials and reports, raising new questions [...]
As DuPont Earns, News Journal Spurns Delaware Workers
More laziness from The News Journal regarding DuPont.
20Oct2009 | nemski | 22 comments | Continued
The Peasants Are Revolting
New York Times “Wealth Matters” columnist Paul Sullivan brought us the dire tale of how the wealthy are suffering during the economic downturn:
IT turns out the other half — or at least the tiny slice who live at the top of the wealth pyramid — are not sleeping any better than the rest of America.
At [...]
Redo in Afghanistan
President Hamid Karzai has relented to international and internal pressure agreeing to a runoff election scheduled for Nov. 7th of this year. Whether the runoff election will be held in two weeks is still up to much speculation as there is widespread concern that the election commission can setup up a national election in 14 [...]
20Oct2009 | nemski | 7 comments | Continued
Grab A Mop, Get to Work
So I’m still catching up on the news and watched President Obama speak at a fundraiser in San Francisco. Definitely a red meat speech — as much as he actually does that — but it is a great speech specifically calling out the Party of No:
20Oct2009 | cassandra_m | 2 comments | Continued
Presidential Derangement Syndrome
Remember Bush Derangement Syndrome? Paul Krugman describes the symptoms:
The symptoms of Bush Derangement Syndrome, in its fullest version, are that you believed
1. That the Bush tax cuts were sold on false pretenses, and were fiscally irresponsible
2. That the Iraq war was sold on false pretenses, and that invading Iraq was a mistake
3. That for [...]
Late Night Video — There’s A Rep for That!
Don’t know if Apple will be asking to take this down anytime soon, but this is clever and funny:
19Oct2009 | cassandra_m | 2 comments | Continued
Down With Tyranny Evaluates John Carney
…with help from Progressive Democrats of Delaware and Delaware Liberal contributors. The writer here also runs the Blue Progressive PAC and was looking for some input from the locals on John Carney’s progressive cred. You can see the full blog post over at Down With Tyranny here. The key evaluation comes from Rebecca, I think:
19Oct2009 | cassandra_m | 52 comments | Continued
Tea For One
Things are getting crazier out there. And Paul Baumbach asks a great question.
What effect will conservative tea-party activists have on the GOP?
Well… given the increase in criticism from some big names in the party, I’d say the GOP is concerned. Check out the latest blow-up.
Via Think Progress:
Ziegler attended the Western Conservative Political Action Conference in [...]
Where Cries of Socialism Meet Racism
Christopher J. Lee, assistant professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has an interesting op-ed piece in the Christian Science Monitor looking at the racist undertones of the rightwing shouts of socialism.
Yet, as seen at various town hall meetings and the Tea Party rally in Washington Sept. 12, a deeper sign of [...]
Monday Open Thread
I’m still all juiced up from the weekend craziness. You guys were chatty this weekend!
It’s open thread time – what do you want to talk about? It’s a special week this week – National Chemistry Week! The theme this year is “Chemistry – It’s Elemental.” Yeah, I know we’re not the most [...]
The News Journal Op-Ed Page: A Wingnut Bastion?
What’s in the water over at the News Journal Editorial Board?
Today they are running an op-ed, “An Unconstitutional Nobel”, tha looks at whether or not President Obama can constitutionally accept the Nobel Prize. Oh yeah, the article is written by Ronald Rotunda, a senior fellow of the Cato Institute, and Peter Pham, a senior fellow [...]
Spending Your Money Smartly
There are some upcoming events that Democrats and Liberals should consider spending their hard-earned money to support.
On November 10th, The Delaware Democratic Party is hosting their annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at the Chase Center on the Waterfront in Wilmington.
On November 13th is a fundraising dinner for the 25th districts state representative (and the top progressive in the house) John Kowalko.
19Oct2009 | liberalgeek | 13 comments | Continued
The Republican Base Operates In Another World
James Carville’s political polling organization, Democracy Corps, released a very interesting report last week (warning: PDF). They surveyed the base of the Republican party and found that they had a different understanding of the world than the rest of the U.S. It’s a much more paranoid view.
19Oct2009 | Unstable Isotope | 28 comments | Continued
H1N1 Vaccine – Why Is This A Controversy?
On Friday my children brought home permission slips to receive the H1N1 vaccine. I completed them immediately, but, then again, my brother is an immuno geneticist so we had this discussion months ago. Actually, had the vaccine been ready months ago I wouldn’t have spent the evening filling out permission slips because my kids would [...]
19Oct2009 | pandora | 32 comments | ContinuedSocial Media
