Backing Up Mike's Post As He Works Out The Kinks

First, donate close to $100,000 to a candidate through 'limit' donations of $1,200.00 per corporate member, employee, spouse and relative. Do this a year before the election.

Second, donate the same amount again after the primary.

And why, the discerning reader asks, would someone donate this much money in increments of $1,200.00 a pop to a state-wide candidate? Why would numerous out-of-state, non-Delawareans donate 80% of a candidate's war-chest a year before the election?

Let's fill in the blanks. The office is Insurance Commissioner. The obvious answer is that the donors are insurance companies hoping, by buying this office, to make up for ground lost under Commissioner Denn. But you'd be wrong!!!

So why would out-of-state people donate almost 80% out of $100,000.00 reported in 2007 to an Insurance Commissioner candidate? Who, outside of insurance companies, would benefit from buying a State office (or, more specifically, buying an elected official)?

Why, that would be Regulatory Insurance Services, Inc. (RIS); a family-friendly corporation that has made millions from auditing Delaware insurance companies for the Department of Insurance. The Insurance Commissioner awards this contract, and what better way to 'help' your chances than by paying for an elected official. The well-funded Insurance Commissioner candidate is none other than Gene Reed, Jr. Mr. Reed's much touted campaign fund is a direct result of the friends and families and related corporations of Regulatory Insurance Services, Inc. in pursuit of the multi-million dollar contract awarded by the Insurance Commissioner. What's a couple hundred thousand in campaign donations compared to a contract worth millions?

Sounds to me like a recipe ripe for foam-at-the-mouth profit-mongers more interested in installing a candidate who will serve their interests as opposed to those of the citizens of Delaware. But let's not rely merely on rhetoric and conspiracy theory-like claims. Could Gene Reed be a Donna Lee Williams-lite; the kind of Insurance Commissioner who doesn't give a damn about the consumer and who lives to serve the corporate behemoths who so richly line his campaign war chest?

Perhaps not. Perhaps the incredible amount of money spent auditing Delaware companies does not affect us tax-paying Delaware citizens. But then again, if I was an insurance company being hit with these million dollar fees from the State contractor, I'd just add the cost to insurance premiums, and BANG, we tax-payers do foot the bill.

Wow. I say it louder.

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – According to the New Hampshire State Republican Party and an Associated Press report, Republican presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul will be excluded from an upcoming forum of Republican candidates to be broadcast by Fox News on January 6, 2008.

“Given Ron Paul’s support in New Hampshire and his recent historic fundraising success, it is outrageous that Dr. Paul would be excluded,” said Ron Paul 2008 campaign chairman Kent Snyder.

“Dr. Paul has consistently polled higher in New Hampshire than some of the other candidates who have been invited.”

Snyder continued, “Paul supporters should know that we are continuing to make inquiries with Fox News as to why they have apparently excluded Dr. Paul from this event.”

Fair and balanced, indeed. Just as I was starting to warm up to Brit Hume's bloodhound face, too (come on... tell me you don't want to scratch his ears).

Shameless Advertising

This one is for my grandfather, Leo, who was very proud of himself for creating a blog. I didn’t think too much of it at first — the curse of being born into a digitally saturated world — but it’s good. Really good. Damn good.

I guess you could call it political, but it’s not. It’s more of a social commentary kind of thing. It’s called “The Final Solution” (keep reading), and it’s basically about how he hates certain things in our society (attorneys, politicians, the number 9, etc.). Cynical as he may be, and much as I may disagree with him at times, it’s a stitch. Should you find yourself with the time to do so, click over to The Final Solution, by Leo Vadala.

Hartley-Nagle Announces Candidacy.... YES!!!

Wilmington, Delaware – Karen Hartley-Nagle, 2006 candidate for Congress in Delaware's sole Congressional District, officially announces her 2008 candidacy and campaign and will hold events across the state over the next several weeks. Since making her intentions of seeking Delaware's sole Congressional seat in 2008 public, Democratic candidate, Hartley-Nagle has received numerous calls of support and offerings of help.

It is a reflection of her 2006 campaign in which she spent very little money and still received an enormous amount of support from voters across the state. In her 2008 campaign, Hartley-Nagle has started early and instituted an aggressive fundraising effort and professional campaign team that will allow her to defeat Congressman Castle in November.

"I know I can win. I have already received a great deal of support encouraging me to get into this campaign and am starting much earlier than last time", said Hartley-Nagle. "It is clear that voters are looking for change - someone to stand up for what truly matters to them. I will fight for the issues that matter most to our families and communities."

Hartley-Nagle's drive to provide a voice to all citizens can be seen in her advocacy on behalf of children, her work to pass family-friendly legislation, and her commitment to open and accountable government. She will bring that same unwavering spirit and common sense leadership to Congress by working tirelessly to stand up for what truly matters to the people of Delaware - not just offer a lot of grandiose talk and political posturing.

"By working together, we can win this seat in November and bring competence, progressive values, and common sense solutions back to Congress. We can and need to accomplish real change for the people of Delaware," said Hartley-Nagle.

----

Karen Hartley-Nagle is a Democratic candidate in the 2008 election for Delaware’s sole Congressional seat. In her 2006 campaign for Congress, Hartley-Nagle received strong support and performed remarkably well, although faced a substantial difference in campaign spending. Hartley-Nagle’s reputation is that of a strong vocal leader who puts the interests of children, families and her community above that of special interests and partisan bickering – someone who will work tirelessly to stand up for what truly matters to the people of Delaware. She previously served as Board member of the non-partisan Common Cause, Board member of the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, and Executive Director of the Nagle Foundation, a national non-profit child advocacy organization.

The Soapbox Is Packing Up

About a month ago, I received an e-mail offering posting rights to Down With Absolutes. I was hesitant to accept at first, thinking that becoming part of Mike's blog would water down the integrity of what I was saying (in other words, I didn't want an editor) and that it would take away from the signature aspect of what I was saying (in other words, I didn't want to have my writing misattributed to Mike). However, after much deliberation, I realized that not only was I dealing with the single person least likely to tell me what I could and couldn't say, and that not only was it was more important that I said what I was going to say than everybody knew it came from me, but also that my lack of posting as of late (especially considering the recent appearance on TV to talk about posting) was going to really be an issue if I wanted to keep any readers. Silence is only casually posting, so, much as I love what he has to say, he's not keeping me afloat. The fact is that I count three people who have posted to DWA recently, which gives me more than just a little room to skip a post and still keep readers. And, frankly, I like Mike, and I like the idea of being able to work with him somehow.

So, technically, I'm moving to DWA. I thought doing it on the 100th post would be appropriate.

HOWEVER.

It has been brought to my attention that not all of my readers feel 100% comfortable with that, so I'm going to make a compromise with you. I will be copying my posts here from DWA. Or from here to DWA, if you want to look at it that way. So TSB will not be defunct. I'll just be featured quite regularly on Down With Absolutes.

Within the past 8 months, I have managed to offend at least one elected official, probably two; I have gotten in many a debate with adults (one of which is running for governor), and regardless of whether I won or lost, I held my own; and I have met more people directly through this venture than I have through any other. It's been a fun ride.

See you kids on the other side,
Mat

And So It Begins. Again.

The War On Christmas is finally back!

Seriously, I get a kick out of this. Christians being portrayed as the victims of bigotry... Ha! HA!!
In honor of the battle my heathen, atheist brethren and I will be waging against all things good and Jesus-loving this winter, I am changing the layout of the blog to a nice, general, holiday get up (think FSP, but subtle).

Once I find one, at least.

Happy Holidays.

Not-So-Dopey NJ Letter

This has been changed from its original form to amend the god awful editing/typing from which The News Journal suffers.

Markell's support comes from 'faithful' Democrats

We write this letter in response to Ron Williams' Nov. 21 column, "Machine-age politics still run the show". Mr. Williams wrote that he "can count on one hand who of [Jack Markell's] supporters are hard-core party faithful." We thoroughly disagree with this claim.

All of us -- Read Scott, Mat Marshall, Chaz Hoard, Harry Berger, Helen Boyer and myself -- consider ourselves faithful Democrats. Many of us even volunteered in the 14th District's special election that Mr. Williams cites, and we are all supporters of Mr. Markell's campaign for governor.

We believe that Jack Markell represents what is best in the Democratic Party, which is why the Democratic National Committee named him one of the 100 Rising Stars of the party in 2000. But most of all, we believe that Jack Markell has the vision and will to take Delaware in a new direction.

Because of this belief, come primary day, just as we did in the 14th District, all of us, along with many other party faithfuls, will be out working hard to elect Jack Markell as the next governor of Delaware.

Tim McBride, Wilmington

Help Wanted?

As Christmastime approaches, I need to save up a good amount of money for my loved ones. Also, I need insurance money, as my mother refuses to let me drive her car. Also, my parents are both giving me a lot of crap. So, long story short, I need a job. Any suggestions?

In-Depth Delaware A Success

Despite my troubles finding the place, we got there pretty early. Sat around, twiddling my thumbs for a little while. Karen Hartley-Nagle and Liz Allen both came and talked to my parents and me. Mom is blown away by both, as I was when I first spoke to them. Dana arrived shortly thereafter, and within 10 minutes, the show started.

I have to say, it went a lot better than I thought it was going to. I was certainly nervous at first, and those of you who watched the show may have noticed a certain freezing up on my part early on. Dana had prefaced the interview before the cameras lit up by reminding me it was "just a conversation", which certainly helped me calm my nerves (it also helped that Dana was as kind as he was, calling me "profound" at one point in the show).

I'm told I did well. The one moment where I felt myself falter was when a caller, Kevin, was trying to ask me a question, but for the life of me I couldn't understand it (something about Mexicans??). That and when my sister called in to call me handsome. Either way, the show went pretty smoothly (I will make an effort to post any videos I can when I get a hold of them). Liz and Karen are both incredibly nice -- Dominique is still gushing about Karen and her candidacy for Congress. I hope to do it again sometime.

Photojournalism At Its Best

Yes, the picture makes me laugh hysterically too. That's me in the middle, hair blowing in the wind. On the right is YDM co-president Tim McBride, and on the left is Nancy Boyer, a 50-something who is in much better shape than myself. They both dusted me, making it 2 miles without too much issue. I ran for about half a mile before my figure got the better of me (I'm a blogger, not a jogger). My chest was on fire, my shoulders were hurting like hell, and somehow the jogging induced vomiting. All of this was left in a voicemail on McBride's phone, along with profane interjections.

You may ask why in God's name I would subject myself to this torture.

It's because of this schmuck.

The schmuck in question, Ezra Temko, is running for Newark City Council, and, at the age of 22, has the potential of becoming the youngest elected official in the state. He is a schmuck not because of his platform (which is actually quite wonderful -- he is proposing that Newark goes green, reforms its laws to promote growth in the business sector, and advances its government to utilize available technologies), or because he's mean (he's one of the nicest people I know)... it's because he thought it would be cute to "run for office" by running 2 miles -- uphill -- to city hall to file for his candidacy. As he had taken time out of his schedule to speak at the most recent YDM house party, and as I just find him very likable, I was nothing short of obligated to join him.

I just hate him for it is all.

In all seriousness though, I wish Ezra the best of luck in his race for the 5th.

Tune In, Kids!

This Sunday (November 18th), I will be on Channel 28 from 3-4 PM, along with fellow blogger Dana Garrett. Karen Hartley-Nagle and Liz Allen are co-hosting a show called "In-Depth Delaware", and are bringing me on to talk about (you guessed it) blogs, specifically their impact on the elections. The way I see it, three things can happen:

- I speak eloquently and succinctly.
- I speak eloquently but in a drawn out, awkward manner.
- I don't speak much at all.

I generally end up doing the second. Come for the interview, stay for the laughs.

Newsflash: Rudy Giuliani Is A Twit

It's hardly a secret by now that Fmr. Assistant Attorney General Daniel Levin underwent the process of waterboarding and said it was equivalent to torture. It's also no secret that those comments led to a forced resignation in 2004. And it's no secret that Rudy Giuliani (911911911911911911911911911911) is running a smear/fear campaign. But this goes a little bit far.

For those of you who don't know what waterboarding is, retired Rear Admiral John Hutson gives a good definition (source: ABC News):


"There is no question this is torture -- this is a technique by which an individual is strapped to a board, elevated by his feet and either dunked into water or water poured over his face over a towel or a blanket."


Thompson, Romney and Giuliani have all come out in favor of this (FSP can't be far behind). While I'm not trying to ignore Thompson and Romney's support of several horrendous interrogation practices, I find Rudy's especially disturbing because, well, Rudy Giuliani is an arrogant dickhead. John McCain (a former prisoner of war) came out against the practice, along with several other torture techniques. Rudy's response?


"I can't say that I [know more about torture than Sen. McCain] but I do know a lot about intensive questioning and intensive questioning techniques. After all, I have had a different experience than John. John has never been - he has never run city, never run a state, never run a government. He has never been responsible as a mayor for the safety and security of millions of people, and he has never run a law enforcement agency, which I have done."


That's not the whole quote, but I need to interrupt to point out that Giuliani never ran a state either, nor did he do a bang-up job with the safety and security of millions of people (see: FDNY). Yes, yes, he did great on crime control (mind you, many of those "criminals" were potheads; he flaunts the mafiosos, of course, but I have a feeling that Tony was outnumbered 3 to 1 by Chong), but is there honestly nobody who would have managed crime control AND had the common decency to support the FDNY adequately?

I also need to point out that John McCain has been much more intimate and familiar with the presidency and (this is a huge one) foreign policy than Giuliani; by his own logic, the only position Rudy's really qualified for is Mayor of New York; by mine, the only position Rudy's qualified for is head of security at the Concord Mall. Maybe.


"Now, intensive questioning works. If I didn't use intensive questioning, there would be a lot of mafia guys running around New York right now and crime would be a lot higher in New York than it is. Intensive question has to be used. Torture should not be used. The line between the two is a difficult one."


This begs the question, which techniques did you use, Rudy? Would you honestly say that controlled drowning is a gray area between being the bad cop and risking a casualty? Of course, I couldn't have expected anything less from the asshole who said this:


"They talk about sleep deprivation. I mean, on that theory, I’m getting tortured running for president of the United States. That’s plain silly."


I'm only in a high-school level psychology class, but they've already taught us that without sleep, we become incapable of speaking or thinking correctly, our immune systems go all to hell, we become much more prone to cardiovascular disease, fainting, hallucinating, hernias, hypertension, memory loss, psychosis, Type 2 Diabetes, etc. Just plain silly.

Ennis Takes 14th In A Landslide

Jason is reporting a 2-1 margin. Jesus.

I'm slowly trying to pull my foot out of my mouth and am not even going to begin to try and explain that endorsement... but suffice to say, if Ennis rises above the track record Vaugn left him, I can support him. If, however, he pulls a Nancy Cook and starts voting down civil rights bills, he and I are through.

So there.

I'm Breaking the 11th Commandment!

I know Reagan had an 11th Commandment, and I read about Carper swearing the JJ Dinner to not speak ill of a fellow Dem (changing Reagan's old saying to fit the D's), but I'm going to break that rule...

Is anyone going to run against Harris McDowell? I must admit that I'm not in his district, nor am I a huge follower of State Senate business, but I have heard and read enough to completely convince me that 31 years in the General Assembly might just be enough for him.

The latest news that Harris has become a crony for Delmarva Power isn’t the only troubling story of my good friend's tenure. First off, he has been one of the more loyal supporters of Senate Pro Tem Thurmond Adams. As the story goes, Senator Blevins (a pretty good Dem, I must say) was on her way to becoming President Pro Tem after Sen. Sharp left office, and McDowell was one of her supporters. But last minute, Harris changed his vote; now supporting the network of “good old boys” in a deal that most likely secured him the Majority Leader’s position (a seat which he luckily doesn’t hold anymore). This may just be a rumor, but if it is true, Harris single handedly kept the State Senate in the hands of men like Adams and Vaughn (God forgive me for desecrating the name of the deceased) who have worked to maintain the public’s skepticism of the General Assembly, to put it mildly.

Besides Harris’ opposition to wind power and his coup d'état of the Senate Leadership, his almost spineless leadership on issues that he supports, like equal rights, has also led me to wonder why he is still in office. Yes, he was one of the main sponsors of SEED. Yes, it is a good program, but come on who is really against Education? I’m sorry, I am forgetting that he SUPPORTED Sen. Henry’s needle-exchange effort. But in reality, Harris deserves little credit for that. It was Margaret Rose and Helene Keeley (I know I may get in some trouble for saying that on this blog) that did all of the hard work and received much of the negative press.

Year after year, legislative session after legislative session, Senators and Representatives continue to bring up a bill which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation from many facets of life, including housing and employment. Every year, this bill is passed by the House, and every year, the McDowell supported Adams’ Senate ignores it. Thanks to an archaic Senate rule, committee chairman can keep bills held up in their committee until the end of session, effectively killing the legislation. But there is a little known rule that can be used to override the Chairman and President Pro Tem; if a certain amount of Senators sign a letter requesting a floor vote, the bill can by-pass the committee stage. From what I have heard, they have been just under the necessary amount of signatures needed to get a vote, and guess who is one of Senators who fails, every year, to sign that letter:

Yes, you guessed it, Harris McDowell!

Quick Side Note: Luckily, enough pressure was brought to bear that Adams finally passed the bill on to the Insurance and Elections Committee (which had a friendly Chairperson, the wonderful Ms. Patti Blevins), but because Nancy Cook resorted to “voting with her district,” she opposed that bill and voted to keep it IN committee…but that is a whole other issue.

Okay, I am finished, I won’t write anymore about Harris… but, someone, please… PLEASE run and let Harris know that Democrats in his district won’t sit idly by while he corrupts the party platform to resemble one of both a meeting of the Delmarva Board of Directors and a Dixiecrat rally.

-Silence Dogood

Last-Minute Endorsement

I am feeling especially burnt-out after 5 excruciatingly boring hours of SATs, so I'll keep this brief.

I am, and have been for quite some time, a supporter of Joanne Christian for the 14th District special elections. My undecided readers in Smyrna (both of them) should keep this in mind -- as for me, I'll be at the 14th. Not quite clear as to what I'll be doing (I'm going down with a couple of hardcore Dems), but I suspect I'll be doing some work for Ennis. In the interest of maintaining a clear conscious, I'm urging you to vote for JC.