Granted, The Moonie Times is not a real newspaper -  but it was still surprising to read this brazen lie in an article about how "fierce grassroots opposition to the (immigration) legislation is helping several state Republican parties".

"At our state party convention two weeks ago, we passed unanimously a resolution adamantly opposing the amnesty bill," said Delaware GOP Chairman Terry Strine, who said not one of the 350 delegates and 150 alternates to the convention voiced opposition to the resolution.

Wha...?

I didn't hear anything about any  GOP resolution opposing the Bush amnesty bill. What gives?

Even prior to the full release, the new VoteVet ad blogged here has forced Michael Castle of Delaware into apologizing for supporting George Bush.

In an unexpected and candid letter to his "Fellow Delawareans" Castle apologized for supporting Bush after his "intellect and conscience demanded that I speak up."

Castle astonished his critics and supporters alike by flatly stating, "I sincerely apologize for my cowardice in not doing so."

The entire letter is below.  

The Progressive Democrats for Delaware (PDD) is an organization that grew out of the "Dean Meetup" in Newark Delaware.  Since it's founding it has elected three members to the state legislature and pressed for a progressive renewal of state's Democratic Party.  

Today the PDD called on the state's Congressional delegation to pursue impeachment.  

April 25, 2007    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWARK, Del. – Progressive Democrats for Delaware today called on Delaware’s Congressional Delegation in Washington, Rep. Michael Castle in the US House of Representatives and Senators Joseph Biden and Thomas Carper in the US Senate, to introduce, or support, legislation leading to the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice-President Richard B. Cheney.

I had been meaning to try my hand at  creating a youtube ad drawing attention to the fact that Michael Castle is a stalwart Bush supporter in a very blue district.  

Castle's continuing support for Bush's open ended war in Iraq and this $100 prize got me off the dime.

I'm not unhappy with this first attempt - but as I watch it again I see a great many thing that I'd do differently.  

My hope is that this ad comes in 5th out of 6 or 7 entries in the contest that runs through the end of April.  (View the ad below the fold)

In my last diary I mentioned that Michael Castle is a top pick-up target for Dems this year with his Bush-loving voting record in solidy blue district. (Swing State Project Link).

The stakes have just been raised for Castle, as that post inspired an anonymous  benefactor to create a $100 prize for anyone one who can turn Castle's pro-Bush vote on HR1591 into  an effective youtube ad.  

The post full is hereDelawareliberal  and I have repoduced it in the body below.

Michael Castle is a top pick-up target for Dems this year with his Bush-loving voting record in solidy blue district. (Swing State Project Link).

This is the first grassroots scripted anti-Castle ad of the next election posted on Delawareliberal.

I just heard it today and it is probably the most moving anti-war song I've ever heard.   it is on Itunes and I've contacted The Duhks to see about getting permission to use an audio clip but have not heard anything yet.

If anyone knows The Duhks and could get an audio clip of the song, I'd be in your debt.   For now here are the lyrics.  

Walk down Marva road a stranger.
Threw my stone far across the bay
Sent my son to a foreign ocean
And dreamed of my home so far away
The darkness split to see a soldier
Struck by the spinning of the beacon's light
Take your tune he said treat it tender
And make good use of it tonight
Sing a love song for the first to fall
And keep singing until they fight no more
Tell my love I'll be waiting there in Dover Delaware.
In Dover Delaware.

Delaware House Majority Leader Wayne Smith (R-Brandywine) resigned yesterday. From the press release:

"Smith, aged 44, is leaving elected office to take a position as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Delaware Healthcare Association (DHA)."

He is going to be using this position to funnel money from the state government to his new constituency in the health care industry - but that is not the main point of this diary.

Everyone knows you don't want a windfarm.  But can you please shut up about the clean, renewable wind power project proposed for Delaware?

Thanks!

PS. This Wlimington News Journal story does a pretty good job giving the backstory of of proposed wind park 10.5 miles off the coast.

(LINK)

We have our hands fullwithout contending with your BS:

Does Barack Obama need a "Meetup" in your town?

Let me back up a bit.  

It is clear that one of the reasons Howard Dean’s campaign broke away from the pack early was that fact that Dean was the only Democrat saying that Bush’s war was a huge mistake. (He was the only person saying it for that matter when you add in the press corps and all the  various pundits and talking heads.)

While other Democrats, like John Edwards, Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden were voting FOR the war in order to cover their political asses, Dean was saying, “WTF?”. It was a simple message that any Democrat with an ounce of common sense was absolutely panting for.

The other reason he built up steam quickly was because his campaign leveraged the power of a new social networking web site called “Meetup”.

As reported in an earlier diary George Bush is headed to Delaware on Wednesday to hide out from the aftermath of the State of the Union address.

Since Delaware is small and within the Philadelphia media market we have a sense that this event is going to be huge.

The Progressive Democrats for Delaware, (a group first formed as a "Dean meetup" that now has members in leadership roles in the State party) and Pacem in Terris are organizing a rally for the afternoon of Bush's visit.

Bush is headed here to hide from the debacle that is going to be the State of the Union.

Here is the thing, Delaware is a small state so I'm not inclined to let him use us as his little spider hole.  

As far as I'm concerned,  it is on.

We'll have the national spotlight for a few minutes. What should we do with it?

Help me out?  What should the 72% of Delawareans who think Bush is doing a lousy job do to make his visit memorable...?

On October 29th, 2006 driving home from a party in Ocean city Maryland, Delaware State Rep. John C. Atkins was pulled over while speeding and driving erratically.  Atkins registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 on a breath test, considerably above the 0.08 legal limit in Maryland, admitted to having been drinking, and had open containers in his car.

Atkins was not arrested, however, when he showed his state legislator ID and said that Delaware State Police could be used to drive him home.  (Backstory link)

Turns out I was right all along:  

• Bush is a maniac.
• It is all about the oil.
• We need to get out of Iraq.
• We are not more safe now.
• We'd have been be much, much, much better off if we put the Iraq money into alternative energy.  

While it was satisfying to be found to be "right all along"  I did not gloat when my right wing father-in-law agreed that Bush should be impeached.  

Why don't Republicans want Bush and Cheney impeached?

There are some good reasons for Republicans to be in favor of impeachment, so I wonder why they have not warmed up to it.

1)Impeachment would mark a return to "true conservatism".

In the wake of the recent elections many Republicans are yammering on about how the electoral loses stem from a departure from "true conservatism".  In fact Bush's faith based invasion and occupation of Iraq is an anathema to some small government conservatives.  

2)Impeachment would distance the party from the failed leadership of George Bush.

Any way you cut it Bush is a miserable failure and I don't see him turning things around in the next two years. If Republicans don't want to be know as the "party of failure" I would think they would push to get rid of the poster boy for that failure.

(From the diaries. More here -- kos)

If anyone still doubts that Howard Dean's "50 State Strategy" is a huge success compare this recent email message from the Delaware Democratic Party to this recent newspaper article about the Delaware Republican Party:  

First the Dems:

We need your help -- this is NOT the end...
Election Day 2006 has passed, but the work at the Delaware Democratic Party is really just beginning.

All five staff members are staying on and we all have a full plate. There are still many jobs that need to completed all over the state, and we need your help.

The worst possible result of an election -- especially a successful one such as this -- is that our supporters go home and are not heard from for two years.

It is in that light that we ask for your help. Please email Kristin Dwyer (kdwyer@deldems.org) or Renee Bensley (rbensley@deldems.org) with:

1) Your list of volunteers from the recently finished campaign; and/or

2) Your ideas as to what we can do to keep our many excellent volunteers (like you!) around during off-years.

As always, we need you in order for us to succeed. Please continue to help us as much in off years as you do during election cycles.

(emphasis added)

Now check out the Republicans:

State GOP ousts staff
Three paid employees out on Dec. 31; party chief blames money woes

The Delaware Republican Party has fired its entire paid headquarters staff, effective at the end of the year, blaming a post-election cash shortage.

State GOP Chairman Terry Strine said David Crossan, the party's executive director, Ken Grant, its communications director, and Chris DuHadaway, the office manager, will stay on the payroll through Dec. 31.

He said unpaid volunteers will perform the office manager and communication director jobs until the party is on a better financial footing, but that the GOP will look for a new executive director.

"It's a very, very difficult job and something I'd rather not do," Strines said. "But it's something we have to do to keep the doors open."

The dismissals follow disappointing Election Day results for the GOP, highlighted by the loss of three state House of Representatives seats and the defeat of Ferris Wharton, the Republican candidate for state Attorney General.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

Last night the New Castle County Democratic Executive Committee unanimously passed this resolution in support of DNC Chairman Howard Dean.

Resolution of Support for
Chairman Howard Dean, M.D.

Whereas the New Castle County Executive Committee recognizes the leadership of DNC Chairman Howard Dean in our success in the 2006 elections and,

Whereas the New Castle County Executive Committee wishes to express our support of and thanks to DNC Chairman Howard Dean, now be it

Resolved that: The New Castle County Executive Committee wholeheartedly endorses and supports Chairman Howard Dean and his 50-state-strategy.  Further, the Committee  members are looking forward to the continuance of Chairman Dean's leadership and victory in 2008 under that leadership.

Everyone is talking about who the Democrats should nominate for President.  Over at Eschaton any such thread quickly turns into a discussion of hypothetical combinations:

Gore/Clinton
Clark/Obama
Obama/Vilsack
Bayh/Richardson

   on and on....

The VP is traditionally chosen after the winner of a bruising primary season consults the electoral map and whatever tea leaves he has on hand.  We all know how well that system has worked for Democrats.  Edwards was okay, but Lieberman was HORRIBLE and cost Gore the election.

I have a better idea.

Whoever comes in SECOND at the convention should have the right of first refusal.   Since 1984 this would have given us.

Mondale/Hart
Dukakis/Jackson
Clinton/Brown  (okay this is not a perfect system, but Brown ran a good race and people liked him.)
Gore/Bradley

I see some winning tickets in that list.