Tuesday Open Thread [3.19.13]

Filed in Open Thread by on March 19, 2013

How long until it is revealed that Tucker Carlson and/or the ghost of Breitbart were directly involved in the procurement of this false testimony and the illegal payments? Because I am quite impatient when it comes to seeing Tucker Carlson in prison.

“We’ve got a socialist in office right now — how’s that working for us?” — Republican National Committeeman Henry Barbour (R), quoted by The Hill, while talking about the Republican Party’s need to improve its brand.

Well, Haley, it is working out quite well, actually. The Stock Market is hitting record highs, the economy is growing and showing real signs of a take off this year, the unemployment rate is falling, millions of new jobs are being created each year, and we have cut our deficit in half over the last four years. If that is what socialism is called, then hell yeah, give me more socialism!

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus told CBS News that he wants the party hold its presidential nominating convention earlier, preferably in June or July. Well, conventions used to be held in mid to late July. But it is interesting that the GOP will want to unilaterally disarm like this. If the Dems keep their convention in late August or early September, that is going to be quite an advantage for the Dems.

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  1. Jason330 says:

    The side of the GOP that wants to win elections in the future was answered by Rush Limbaugh who gave his take on why Republicans lost to Obama TWICE… “Not conservative enough.”

    When a true and pure conservative Presidential candidate finally snags the GOP nomination, then we liberals will surely pay.

  2. puck` says:

    I love that RNC is still pushing the socialist thing. That means they still don’t want to win.

  3. cassandra_m says:

    I love that too. It also means that they haven’t come to grips with the depth of their issues here. The Socialist got quite a few more votes than the Capitalist did. By the standards of their own narrative that means that people wanted the Socialist. Even without the real socialism attached.

  4. So, I’m driving home from the Al Show today, and Allan Loudell is interviewing Alan Levin about the Astra Zeneca exodus. Here’s the WDEL podcast:

    http://wdel.com/features/0319levin.mp3

    Levin asserts that ‘we’ (State of Delaware) ‘won’ the deal. No empirical info, but he says that, at its peak, AZ employed something like 5200 people, more than the 4000 they promised the State. No cost-benefits analysis or anything. But, then again, this wasn’t a Markell Administration deal, this is on TC. However, don’t tell me we ‘won’ without disclosing the score.

    He also said something I found quite newsworthy, and I’d like to know more about it. He said that this ‘could have been much worse’ without the intervention of the governor. I took it to mean, perhaps incorrectly, that AZ had talked of moving their corporate HQ elsewhere.

    Which raises the question: Did Markell talk AZ leadership out of moving, or did he promise yet more to get them to stay? Just what did Levin mean? I’m not a reporter, but I know that reporters read this blog…

  5. duty says:

    “we have cut our deficit in half over the last four years”
    Now that’s funny!

  6. Roland D. Lebay says:

    Did anyone read TNJ’s article on Gordon’s budget?

    One paragraph jumped out at me:

    “He also broke a piece of nonbudgetary news, saying county cops would be sworn-in as Wilmington cops within the next few weeks. City officers would be sworn-in as county officers as well.

    Does the County Executive have the unilateral power to make that happen?

  7. Sven-Erland says:

    Niklas Nordström, senior partner at Prime Group – one of Europe´s leading communications agencies, former Social Democratic top politician and member of the Delaware Referendum committee, describes his love for America. And his dislike for the Tea Party movement (did I mention that he is a social democrat).

    http://delawarereferendum.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/sweden-can-learn-delaware-and-washington/

  8. cassandra_m says:

    Does the County Executive have the unilateral power to make that happen?

    I’m not sure of the process, but this plan seems to have been a done deal for months. At least, WPD officers were talking about it months ago as some of the changes to expect.

  9. Rustydils says:

    Friday one of my best customers(who has been employing about 50 to 60 people these last few years, has been losing to much money these last few years, told me he is selling his building, most of his equipment, and down sizing to about 10 or 15 people.

    This week, one of the largest health care companies started laying off long time key employees due to obamacare. So fasten your seatbelts, the true results of socialism are on the way

  10. Roland D. Lebay says:

    Rusty-can you support any of the above w/ a link, or are you just talking out of your rectum?

    Also, do you even know what the word “socialism” means?

  11. Roland D. Lebay says:

    Thank you, cassandra_m.

    I have to wonder what the point of the swearing-in is.

    As I understand it (and I could be wrong-it certainly wouldn’t be the 1st time) cops are cops in DE. They (even phony ass DRBA cops) have full arrest powers anywhere in the state. Why is it necessary or desirable to “cross-swear” NCCPD & WPD cops?

  12. Rustydils says:

    Support with a link, I was at my customers facility on Friday afternoon working, on one of his machines, when he told me in person. When I got home tonight my wife told me about the people who got laid off at her work yesterday, and the reason why. No link, this came straight from the horses mouth, you either believe me or you dont, your deciision

  13. Roland D. Lebay says:

    Rusty-I was more concerned w/ this:

    “This week, one of the largest health care companies started laying off long time key employees due to obamacare.

    This company may very well be laying people off. Do you have any evidence that the layoffs are actually due to “obamacare”?

  14. Rusty Dils says:

    Yes, my wife told me they are changing the groups that they cover, the way I understand it is that they no longer will be offering health plans for certain groups because of the affordable care act, so they are having to lay people off, and reassign certain people to different divisions at about a 25-30% pay cut. I know all the people that she told me got laid off, or reassigned, Some of them had been there for 12 years. They had zero notice, and this is a big, well known company. How ever, I am not willing to state their name because my wife works there.

  15. X Stryker says:

    I’ll bet their Marketing department took a big hit, Rusty.

  16. Sven-Erland says:

    In Sweden we are amazed that you argue about healthcare reform in the US. You’re paying almost twice as much as the average EU country in terms of percentage of GDP. The quality of care is roughly the same, but you have had a large portion of the population without coverage. For a European it’s obvious that you’re not getting value for money.

  17. Miscreant says:

    “As I understand it (and I could be wrong-it certainly wouldn’t be the 1st time) cops are cops in DE. They (even phony ass DRBA cops) have full arrest powers anywhere in the state. Why is it necessary or desirable to “cross-swear” NCCPD & WPD cops?”

    While cross-swearing is a bit unusual, it’s very common for bordering agencies to engage in Mutual Aid Agreements so they can back each other up in certain incidents. Law enforcement agencies have that authority under Delaware Code, and they tend to be very complicated documents. They usually included indemnification clauses. If I recall, as an example, I believe Wilmington has one with State Parks because of the Brandywine park they assumed control over several years back. All state, municipal, and federal agencies (law enforcement, and otherwise) now have the capability to instantly intercommunicate with each other because of the cellular based radio equipment they use. While most of the small municipalities and state agencies have their officers trained at DSP Academy, they also have the option of sending them to the county and city academies. I’d be interested to know whether this includes some merging of training as well.

    Assuredly, there is some accompanying document to delineate county/city responsibilities and jurisdictions. I’d like to see how this the agreement may differ from standard Mutual Aid.

  18. puck says:

    This week, one of the largest health care companies started laying off long time key employees due to obamacare.

    Good. Then Obamacare’s medical loss ratios are starting to work – money is going to pay claims instead of administrative overhead. Assuming Rusty’s story is even true, it’s the same old story of management laying off the peons to protect their own pay and perks.

  19. puck says:

    And here’s the second clue: “started laying off long time key employees ”

    That’s how you cut retirement costs these days.

  20. Pencadermom says:

    I think I know which company. Glad I read all of the comments because I almost named it. I won’t since I read Rusty’s comment. A friend of mine was just recently laid off from there too. She is a nurse. I don’t know all of the in’s and out’s but that it was sudden and she worked there for a long time.