Archive for November, 2009
Biden Leads Castle In A Just-Released Poll
Whoa, big news! All-but-announced Senate candidate Beau Biden leads Mike Castle in a new poll by 5%. This is bad news for Mike Castle:
In a hypothetical match-up of the candidates, Democrat Beau Biden leads GOP challenger and Delaware Congressman Mike Castle by a margin of 45 to 40 percent; 8% are undecided and [...]
People’s Settlement Final Report Released
Today, Tom Wagner published the final report of his investigation into People’s Settlement. The findings are as follows:
- They did not meet the standards of the Green Energy Savings Program
- Their accounting standards are inaccurate
- Questionable real estate transactions have been referred to the Attorney General
- Department of Education audit findings were not reported to the board
Monday Open Thread
Happy Monday all! Can you believe it’s already open thread time? I know you’ve been waiting anxiously for one.
Now this is funny. An activist speaks at an anti-immigration tea party against European immigration to the United States. It’s quite amusing because he doesn’t reveal all until the end of his speech.
Being [...]
16Nov2009 | Unstable Isotope | 18 comments | Continued
Fear Not Wingnuts
The latest crazy Republican talking point floating around concerns the decision of the Justice Department to try some high profile terrorism suspects in the federal courts in New York. Their concern is that the suspects could be acquitted (and there wouldn’t be any danger in that would there wingnuts if Bush/Cheney didn’t have so [...]
16Nov2009 | Unstable Isotope | 30 comments | Continued
Is This A Joke?
I’m honestly not sure. Given all the lunacy spewing out of Republican mouths this comment may not be just a throw-away.
Host Chris Wallace pointed out that former Vice President Dick Cheney did not bow to the emperor when he visited Japan. (He did not elaborate on how this difference in greeting affected American policy or [...]
Learning The Wrong Lesson
Al Franken’s election was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2008 election. Franken is turning out to be an excellent senator. He’s already made an impact with his amendment that prohibits the Defense Department from contracts with companies that force rape and assault victims into arbitration – an instance when a lawmaker [...]
16Nov2009 | Unstable Isotope | 2 comments | Continued
Hypocrisy and The Art of Judge Blocking
At this point in the last two presidents’ first terms, W had 28 lower court justices confirmed and Clinton 27. Guess how many for Obama. Seriously, guess. Come on just guess before you get to the next sentence. Okay, okay, the answer is six, or 6 for those of you who prefer the numeral version, [...]
16Nov2009 | nemski | 19 comments | Continued
Joe’s In Charge — Biden Style
Fake Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live. Very funny. h/t Ryan Cormier
15Nov2009 | nemski | Comments Off | Continued
Measure Twice, Cut Once
It’s silly pundits day on Delaware Liberal! The last time we talked about David Broder, he was spewing incorrect information on Mike Castle and the Senate race. I think he should have stuck to less complicated subject like domestic politics but this week he turned his conventional wisdom insights to Afghanistan:
The more President [...]
After The Deluge
Tropical Storm Ida has left her mark on Delaware. The question we have is will we learn from Ida’s destruction or will we keep on doing the same old, same old. WHYY reports that it will cost some $15-20 million to replenish the beaches. The News Journal reports that over $100 million has been spent [...]
15Nov2009 | nemski | 32 comments | Continued
Death Panelling Goes For Cheap
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) writes in The New York Times about his intentions and the ramifications of a small piece of legislation he added into the health care package.
. . . I found it perverse that Medicare would pay for almost any medical procedure, yet not reimburse doctors for having a thoughtful conversation to prepare [...]
Weekend Foodie Thread
Since last week’s Foodie Thread was such a big hit – can’t wait to try out all the recipes! – let’s give it another go. This week’s theme is “meals in under 30 minutes.” (And this week I have measurements!)
I’ll begin with one of the easiest and most delicious recipes in my arsenal…
Creamy baked chicken [...]
Where Did You Hear That Before?
Lobbyists ghostwrote a few, no, several, no, many speeches that uttered during the historic health care debate last week reports The New York Times.
Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.
E-mail messages obtained by The New [...]
War – What Is It Good For?
Matthew Yglesias takes a look at the cost of war versus the economic benefits on the home front and comes to the standard meme that the financial burden of war might have some good on the economy:
But the basic progressive analysis of the current economic situation is that higher short-term debt levels are socially beneficial, [...]
Biden To Appear on The Daily Show
Pen this in on your calendar, Vice President Joe Biden will appear on The Daily Show Tuesday night. Last week we had soon-to-be-retired Congressman Mike Castle on Colbert talking about cocks and this week, Biden will say something stupid as well.
15Nov2009 | nemski | 2 comments | Continued
Weekend Open Thread
It’s time for your open thread – thread away!
Good.
THE SUBJECT LINE on the e-mail simply reads, “The End.”
As in, the end of the Valley Club, the small, sleepy Huntingdon Valley community pool that was thrust into the national spotlight this past summer, allegedly for discriminating against minority campers who’d signed up to swim there for [...]
‘Bulo’s Music For the Masses-Johnny Mercer Edition-Volume 1
The great lyricist Johnny Mercer would have celebrated his 100th birthday this November 18 were he still around. I just saw a great documentary on Turner Classic Movies about him. It’s what inspired me to do this two-part Music for the Masses.
Here are some reasons why you may want to celebrate what the great [...]
Ted Kaufman, Rock Star?
Things I learned today when reading the New York Times article that featured Senator Ted Kaufman.
Kaufman has reached rock-star status among Senate professional staff
On a weekly basis, recognizes superior work by federal employees
That I am sadden he’s not running for re-election in 2010
Hot Stove League: Republican Gains in 2010, Not So Fast
For those political junkies out there, Bob Benenson of CQ Politics has an analysis of the 2009 elections and what they may or may not mean for 2010: GOP Comeback: Not So Fast.
But there’s a significant amount of countervailing evidence [to claims of a GOP resurgence] , not only in the relative handful of election [...]
The Bedwetters Party
Those darn Constitution huggers have done it again! They haven’t been listening to Republicans, who believe that a terrorist attack means we should throw out the Constitution. What those Constitution-hugging liberals want to do is try terrorism suspects in federal courts:
The Obama administration said Friday that it would prosecute Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the [...]
Politico’s Improbable Look at History
Politico reports that the Obama Administration will “focus extensively on cutting the federal deficit in 2010.” Politico then lazily writes:
The big question for Obama – and the country – is whether the sudden concern about deficits will be more rhetoric than reality once his first State of the Union address concludes.
Hmm, let’s use the WABAC [...]
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
I think I’ve started to notice a trend among conservatives: they like good-looking women. They like to hear what they’re thinking come out of the mouths of good-looking women – it’s sort of like money-laundering, idea laundering or something. Here is how it’s done:
1) Find good-looking woman who leans conservative, make sure that [...]
Next Up for the Obama Administration: Immigration Reform
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says that security has been beefed up on our borders as well as an increase in workplace immigration enforcement reports The Los Angles Times. In her speech at the Center for American Progress, Napolitano hinted that immigration reform could be on its way in 2010. Some haters believe that the [...]
14Nov2009 | nemski | 14 comments | Continued
Friday Afternoon Bacon Blogging — Bacon Tiara
Many of us went to the Jefferson Jackson Dinner this week to see President Bill Clinton and to see what political rumors we could pick up — but we also went thinking that we’d have one of those rare chances to hang with RSmitty and Mrs. RSmitty. Why? Because we were really, really, really sure that Smitty would be sporting one of these:
13Nov2009 | cassandra_m | 4 comments | ContinuedSocial Media
