++SCOTUS rejected the Prop 8 supporters' petition to delay California's same sex marriages.
++Jim DeMint and Gary Bauer appeared to argue that same sex marriages hurt kids and to argue for transvaginal probes on the Sunday talk shows. Luckily Rachel Maddow was there to shut them down on both items.
++Chris Christie vetoed Medicaid extension in New Jersey indicating he is touching the base to make way for the primaries.
++The House's anti-abortion law was scored by the CBO and found that it would cost the government $75 to $400 million over 10 years.
++House Republicans are complaining that sequestration will mean that some military bases will not have enough money for July 4th fireworks.
++Republican members of the Senate sent the NFL a letter protesting the idea that they might run ads on Obamacare, claiming the Administration was strong-arming them on a "divisive "issue even though it is law.
++The NYTimes reports that Republicans have come up with a new strategy to fight Hillary Clinton--they claim she is too old to be President while the GOP has younger candidates who just happen to have really old ideas.
++Linda Greenhouse has a column in today's Times about the real John Roberts. It's not pretty.
++House Republican leadership has sent out hugely mixed signals on immigration reform. Newsmax is horrified that Paul Ryan has spent hours trying to persuade the Republican Caucus that passage of immigration reform is necessary. Eric Cantor said that the "Dream Kids" have to have a country. But the House is going ahead with its own version of reform that would not include a path to citizenship. Stay tuned.
++Ray LaHood,Obama's Transportation Secretary,and former Republican Illinois Congressman, told the Washington Post that he feared the Republican Party was bordering on irrelevancy with regard to their Do Nothing Attitude. He pointed to the immigration bill and the farm bill. The failure to pass the Farm Bill,lingering for two years, will hurt House members. Dairy farmers will go out of business if it isn't passed. It is one of those routine bills that needs to be passed every few years. Like debt ceilings, it almost always has.
++One wise guy noted that Rand Paul's claim same sex marriage would lead to bestiality is strange because in Kentucky bestiality is legal, while same sex marriage isn't.
++The Daily Beast had a piece that said that Rand Paul's problem in winning the Presidency is because he is short. As Randy Newman sang, "Short people got no reason to live." Maybe Rand Paul can run as an incarnation of James Madison, who was also very short.
++In the Beltway, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul,Paul Ryan are considered serious presidential contenders. Forget it,we had only two Senators in my lifetime who made it. Lightening isn't going to strike three times. I bet the governors will lead the race--Chris Christie,Rick Perry (Oh, yes), Mike Huckabee,John Kasich, Gary Pence, and Vishnu Jindal. The question national Republicans are asking is "who can take Ohio?"
++Most observers like myself believed that gerrymandering gave the GOP the House until at least 2020. Carville and Greenberg say,"Hold on." They have a poll this week that the American people identify Congress with Republicans and that Democrats stand great chances of picking up swing seats in the House. What's interesting is that their findings even baffled them who thought the same way as the rest of us. By the way, Charlie Cook wants to remind everyone that Obama has held a 50% approval rating the last two weeks.
++In their quest for the youth vote, the GOP is letting Elizabeth Warren's bill to cap interests rates die so the loans will double starting tomorrow.
++The New Yorker cover with Bert and Ernie cuddling and watching the television with the five judges who supported same sex marriages has come under flak. Heritage Foundation went out of its way to denounce Bert and Ernie "coming out" and of course this is another reason NPR should be defunded. Brian Fischer claims the New Yorker cover encouraged child sex abuse.
++Not all evangelical Christians are wackjobs,the New York Times has a nice piece on Mariano Rivera,who keeps chugging along. The article details how in his 19-year career everyone on the field has always known where his pitch will go, even the batter, but he keeps saving games with a single pitch. Go figure!
++But some Christians are wackos. The World Nut Daily has called for a Christian revolution because of same sex marriage and Obamacare and says that the Gary Bauer type Religious Right is just misleading "real Christians" and accepting there is a separation not church and state.
++Sarah Palin is thinking of leaving the Republican Party if it keeps forgetting its platform and joining Mark Levin in the Freedom Party.
++In the Republican quest for the youth vote, they might like to know over 50% of 18-30 say they have no religion. A much larger percentage say they are for same-sex marriage. And even greater percent think dope should be legalized. Rand Paul is talking about the last item but don't hold your breath.
++Nancy Pelosi aims to put the GOP to the test about its minority outreach by sponsoring the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Senator Leahy says he is working on a draft in the Senate.
++The EU is going ballistic over revelations in Der Spiegel that the NSA has been eavesdropping on German citizens and the EU parliament.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
The Gay Keep Coming
++The 9th Circuit Court has lifted the stay on same-sex marriage in California and marriages can begin. San Francisco is already reporting weddings. Jerry Brown tweeted it's the law of the land. This is three weeks before my prediction in a previous post and what analysts had said.
++President Obama said the DOMA ruling didn't go far enough so he's extending federal benefits to same sex couples in non-same sex states.
++A federal court struck down the Michigan law denying public benefits to domestic partners.
++ENDA--the law to end discrimination in hiring gays has picked up 46 co-sponsors in the Senate.
++A CORRECTION: I said all Romney states allowed sex with horses. New Jersey also does and it went for Obama.
++President Obama said the DOMA ruling didn't go far enough so he's extending federal benefits to same sex couples in non-same sex states.
++A federal court struck down the Michigan law denying public benefits to domestic partners.
++ENDA--the law to end discrimination in hiring gays has picked up 46 co-sponsors in the Senate.
++A CORRECTION: I said all Romney states allowed sex with horses. New Jersey also does and it went for Obama.
Down the Rabbit-Hole and into the Bleachers-Can the GOP Reform?
++First, gays are urging Andrew Sullivan not to go down the rabbit-hole since he urged gays to be generous to their adversaries. But Andrew has taken note of Bill Clinton's recent emergence in favor of gays rights when he signed DOMA and DADT into law. I'm with Andrew on this. DOMA was clearly a homophobic piece of legislation that Bill Clinton should be held responsible for. It occurred when Republicans got whiff that Hawaii might approve same-sex marriages in the 1990s. DOMA was aimed particularly to head this off at the pass. Clinton was looking to re-election so he didn't want the backlash if he vetoed the bill. And we can credit Clinton with welfare reform, which he persuaded supporters he would correct once re-elected.
++John Oliver did a fun spot on the House Republican reaction to same sex marriage and wondered why Republicans when they think of it always descend into the area of bestiality. He can be forgiven because he is a Brit but all the Republicans come from states where Romney one--which all make it legal to have sex with a horse.
++Likely states where same sex marriage will be approve sooner rather than later are states where 50%+ favor it. These include New Jersey at 60%+, Michigan at 57%+ Virginia at 57% and Illinois at 50%. Grass-roots campaigns are hitting Arkansas,Ohio, North Dakota, Wyoming and Michigan.
++As Andrew Sullivan noted yesterday, the conservatives in the House plan to introduce a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. The problem is that enough states already legalized it to stop such an amendment.
++Nate the Great Silver has surfaced again to say that Hillary Clinton has a 60-70% advantage if she decides to run for President. He argued that her advantage is akin to a sitting President. He says she has to signal her desires sometime in 2014 to clear the way in the primaries or harm any Democrat who might run as a nominee.
++Now to the issue at hand. The Times They Are A Changin". Can Republicans reform themselves? Reince Preibus did an autopsy which showed that voters thought the GOP was anti-modern,intolerant, racist, sexist and ignore the youth vote. Michael Gerson explained to the party that supporting immigration reform was not really about winning the Hispanic vote but was about dispelling the image that the Republican party was against immigrants in general and were intolerant. Others have weighed in and Fred Malek told the Post Today that donors were hanging back because they wanted the party to appear pragmatic. John McCain morphed into a diplomatic politician yesterday after the immigration reform win in the Senate to suggest he would be politely conferring with House colleagues about passing reform. Asked whether Republicans could win without it,he gave a polite reply, the equivalent of "We're Toast". Michael Tomasky in the Daily Beast countered today with an article about how others in the GOP believe they can win through 2050 by doubling down on the white vote and exploiting xenophobia.
++With the internet and television shows like Rachel Maddow, the escapades of the GOP at state levels are more prominent today than at any time and the picture is particularly nasty. Women's healthcare rights are being "disappeared" by Republican state legislatures dominated by men. Egged on by the Christianist fringe,this year has been the worst in terms of access to abortion procedures and even contraception.
++With the gutting of the Voters Rights Act, states are now embarking on changes that the DOJ has said are "overtly racist". The Maddow show did a segment on how Texas' Voter ID law will further depress the Hispanic vote and how redistricting in Texas only benefited white legislators. These plans are now being implemented in about six other states right after the Supreme Court decision--don't wait, just GO.
++The once modernizing state of North Carolina has moved into reverse and became the first state not to receive federal aid to the long-term unemployed.
++The GOP's obsession with Obamacare has led to 39 House votes to repeal it and States have turned down Medicare expansion that would have insured millions of poor people. The GOP's attempt to gut Obamacare and underfund it will just mean it will be implemented in about half the country, while the rest will again have no healthcare.
++In their appeal to the Young, every Republican in Congress is against stopping the increase in college loan payments from doubling.
++The fanatical anti-science attitude of the Republican base bodes ill for any constructive attempts at climate change policy.
++On the issue at hand, Republicans honestly believe they will garner 70% of the white vote so there is no incentive to change, particularly with a by-election creeping up where turnout if low and the electorate is predominately white.
++So this leaves John Boehner between a rock and a hard place. Privately, Boehner has told close acquaintances he favors an immigration law and believes the House will pass some version. But in the last few days, his Caucus have been overt in denouncing the Senate bill and saying the Senate can go "stick it". Politically, it does not matter to the sitting members because through gerrymandering people believe Republicans will keep the house, having lost the house by a million votes in 2012, so what does it matter.
++Remember Republicans have lost the popular vote for election in 5 out of the last 6 presidential elections. You would think this would wake them up but it does not appear to be so. Currently,they have manufactured another urban myth that Romney would have won and the IRS acted like ACORN in thwarting the white vote. The problem with the party is that their donors base is wary about such ideas because they were assured by the party Romney would win. So the big donors are sitting on their wallets.
++Unless they have a conversion experience, I see the GOP sleepwalking into the future. They are not disappearing yet but they sure are creepy.
++John Oliver did a fun spot on the House Republican reaction to same sex marriage and wondered why Republicans when they think of it always descend into the area of bestiality. He can be forgiven because he is a Brit but all the Republicans come from states where Romney one--which all make it legal to have sex with a horse.
++Likely states where same sex marriage will be approve sooner rather than later are states where 50%+ favor it. These include New Jersey at 60%+, Michigan at 57%+ Virginia at 57% and Illinois at 50%. Grass-roots campaigns are hitting Arkansas,Ohio, North Dakota, Wyoming and Michigan.
++As Andrew Sullivan noted yesterday, the conservatives in the House plan to introduce a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. The problem is that enough states already legalized it to stop such an amendment.
++Nate the Great Silver has surfaced again to say that Hillary Clinton has a 60-70% advantage if she decides to run for President. He argued that her advantage is akin to a sitting President. He says she has to signal her desires sometime in 2014 to clear the way in the primaries or harm any Democrat who might run as a nominee.
++Now to the issue at hand. The Times They Are A Changin". Can Republicans reform themselves? Reince Preibus did an autopsy which showed that voters thought the GOP was anti-modern,intolerant, racist, sexist and ignore the youth vote. Michael Gerson explained to the party that supporting immigration reform was not really about winning the Hispanic vote but was about dispelling the image that the Republican party was against immigrants in general and were intolerant. Others have weighed in and Fred Malek told the Post Today that donors were hanging back because they wanted the party to appear pragmatic. John McCain morphed into a diplomatic politician yesterday after the immigration reform win in the Senate to suggest he would be politely conferring with House colleagues about passing reform. Asked whether Republicans could win without it,he gave a polite reply, the equivalent of "We're Toast". Michael Tomasky in the Daily Beast countered today with an article about how others in the GOP believe they can win through 2050 by doubling down on the white vote and exploiting xenophobia.
++With the internet and television shows like Rachel Maddow, the escapades of the GOP at state levels are more prominent today than at any time and the picture is particularly nasty. Women's healthcare rights are being "disappeared" by Republican state legislatures dominated by men. Egged on by the Christianist fringe,this year has been the worst in terms of access to abortion procedures and even contraception.
++With the gutting of the Voters Rights Act, states are now embarking on changes that the DOJ has said are "overtly racist". The Maddow show did a segment on how Texas' Voter ID law will further depress the Hispanic vote and how redistricting in Texas only benefited white legislators. These plans are now being implemented in about six other states right after the Supreme Court decision--don't wait, just GO.
++The once modernizing state of North Carolina has moved into reverse and became the first state not to receive federal aid to the long-term unemployed.
++The GOP's obsession with Obamacare has led to 39 House votes to repeal it and States have turned down Medicare expansion that would have insured millions of poor people. The GOP's attempt to gut Obamacare and underfund it will just mean it will be implemented in about half the country, while the rest will again have no healthcare.
++In their appeal to the Young, every Republican in Congress is against stopping the increase in college loan payments from doubling.
++The fanatical anti-science attitude of the Republican base bodes ill for any constructive attempts at climate change policy.
++On the issue at hand, Republicans honestly believe they will garner 70% of the white vote so there is no incentive to change, particularly with a by-election creeping up where turnout if low and the electorate is predominately white.
++So this leaves John Boehner between a rock and a hard place. Privately, Boehner has told close acquaintances he favors an immigration law and believes the House will pass some version. But in the last few days, his Caucus have been overt in denouncing the Senate bill and saying the Senate can go "stick it". Politically, it does not matter to the sitting members because through gerrymandering people believe Republicans will keep the house, having lost the house by a million votes in 2012, so what does it matter.
++Remember Republicans have lost the popular vote for election in 5 out of the last 6 presidential elections. You would think this would wake them up but it does not appear to be so. Currently,they have manufactured another urban myth that Romney would have won and the IRS acted like ACORN in thwarting the white vote. The problem with the party is that their donors base is wary about such ideas because they were assured by the party Romney would win. So the big donors are sitting on their wallets.
++Unless they have a conversion experience, I see the GOP sleepwalking into the future. They are not disappearing yet but they sure are creepy.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Senate Passes Immigration Reform 68-32
++For the first time in a generation,the immigration system got a make-over with the Senate passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill by an overwhelming margin.
++Since everyone said it would fail, now the pessimists can focus on the House. House republicans made a lot of negative noise today but we will see in the near term how courageous they are.
++Since everyone said it would fail, now the pessimists can focus on the House. House republicans made a lot of negative noise today but we will see in the near term how courageous they are.
The Day After
++Before Andrew Sullivan got smashed yesterday at Stonewall,he penned a moving, patriotic piece about what the day meant to him. People, even in the gay community, always said he was crazy to advocate same sex marriage as he has done over the years way before anyone thought this was a mainstream idea and they also said America was too bigoted to elect a black President. His piece is entitled "I Believe" because he saw. Congratulations for a struggle well-waged,Andrew.
++Court observers have since read Kennedy's majority opinion ruling DOMA unconstitutional and realized that it established the seeds of the argument when the Court will have to rule same-sex marriage the law of the land. The time frame is estimated at 4 to 5 years. Judge Scalia in his raving dissent thinks it will be sooner.
++Little mentioned is that the California Prop 8 case now rests with Judge Walker's original and wonderfully argued decision. Jesuit-trained Jerry Brown has ordered all county officials in California to ready the marriage licenses when the time is ready, which will be about 24 days from now.
++Rep. Steve Chabot asked the CBO to score the reversal of DOMA, expecting it would cost money. The CBO estimates it will save $450 million a year on the federal budget. Fox News Business claimed it will make social security costs soar.
++Rand Paul demonstrating his presidential qualifications said that the court decisions will lead to humans marrying non-humans. Senator Cornyn thinks that people will marry "turtles".
++Mike Huckabee said that Jesus wept. Dan Savage said "I wept too".
++I thought NOM, the National Organization for Marriage had a delightfully bizarre statement. The slammed the Court's rogue decision and they said that millions of Americans will ignore it. Sure, because millions are heterosexual and it doesn't affect them.
++The Mormon Church, the Catholic Bishops, and the Fundamentalists all worried about what the decision will mean to "religious freedom". "Will the Bible be banned as hate speech?" said one fundamentalist. Meanwhile, the National Cathedral rang its bells when the court decisions were announced and the Episcopal, Unitarian, Presbyterian also rang their bells here in the Beltway.
++Chuck Hagel immediately announced that gay couples in the military would have all the rights and benefits of others. President Obama said he expected federal benefits would be extended across state lines into those jurisdictions where same sex marriages are now allowed. Gay activists say that this is easiest for the IRS and federal income taxes but that with Social Security and survival benefits this will take a little juggling.
++E.J. Dionne wants to remind us in today's Washington Post that whatever joys the Roberts Court provided with the gay decisions it is still ruthlessly trying to turn us back to the Gilded Age in terms of economic matters. His column is worth a read.
++Thom Hartman gave an excellent analysis that the United States is heading to a two society country analogous to the pre-civil war period. He points out the disparity between states with same sex marriage, health care innovations, labor rights and those who he calls the Reagan Red States who will move rapidly with the neutering of the Voters Rights Act to put up barriers to minority participation in government.
++Republicans have been very tepid about correcting Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. Nancy Pelosi wants to introduce a bill the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill to restore protections for minority voters. Eric Cantor voiced support for a Voting Rights Act, citing his trip to Selma with John Lewis. John Sensenbrenner, a Republican House member, said that prejudice and racism are still roadblocks to voting and wants the act revamped. John Boehner says the House doesn't have time--(especially before 2014) and Lindsey Graham says that South Carolina has progressed so far that there is no need for a Voting Rights Act.
++Meanwhile in Texas, Rick Perry has called a "special session" of the Texas Senate on July 1 for the sole purpose of passing the draconian anti-abortion bill since the GOP was caught out trying to fudge the vote after Wendy Davis' filibuster.
++Chris Christie signaled he would run by denouncing the same sex decisions of the Supreme Court. I am also betting on Rick Perry making another run on the Christianist Nationalist Platform.
++Meanwhile we may be heading to immigration reform in the Senate today as that body keeps passing the 60 vote margins on everything from the border surge to cloture votes. The game here in D.C. is whether the House would ever pass such a thing. John Boehner has been warned by the Republican Caucus that his job is endangered if he allows a bill to be brought to the floor without a majority of Republicans supporting it. Will he break the Hastert rule again, which would enable the House to pass the Senate bill? Stay tuned.
++Can the Republican Party overcome its epistemic closure? There are some voices in op-eds urging them to deal with immigration reform and not to engage in cultural warfare because the tide has changed on these issues. I am not hopeful because there is a counter-push to double down on efforts to increase their white support, which the gutting of the Voters Rights Act gives them ample motivation. But remember they aren't running against Barack Obama anymore--although they did run against FDR until 1960.
++Court observers have since read Kennedy's majority opinion ruling DOMA unconstitutional and realized that it established the seeds of the argument when the Court will have to rule same-sex marriage the law of the land. The time frame is estimated at 4 to 5 years. Judge Scalia in his raving dissent thinks it will be sooner.
++Little mentioned is that the California Prop 8 case now rests with Judge Walker's original and wonderfully argued decision. Jesuit-trained Jerry Brown has ordered all county officials in California to ready the marriage licenses when the time is ready, which will be about 24 days from now.
++Rep. Steve Chabot asked the CBO to score the reversal of DOMA, expecting it would cost money. The CBO estimates it will save $450 million a year on the federal budget. Fox News Business claimed it will make social security costs soar.
++Rand Paul demonstrating his presidential qualifications said that the court decisions will lead to humans marrying non-humans. Senator Cornyn thinks that people will marry "turtles".
++Mike Huckabee said that Jesus wept. Dan Savage said "I wept too".
++I thought NOM, the National Organization for Marriage had a delightfully bizarre statement. The slammed the Court's rogue decision and they said that millions of Americans will ignore it. Sure, because millions are heterosexual and it doesn't affect them.
++The Mormon Church, the Catholic Bishops, and the Fundamentalists all worried about what the decision will mean to "religious freedom". "Will the Bible be banned as hate speech?" said one fundamentalist. Meanwhile, the National Cathedral rang its bells when the court decisions were announced and the Episcopal, Unitarian, Presbyterian also rang their bells here in the Beltway.
++Chuck Hagel immediately announced that gay couples in the military would have all the rights and benefits of others. President Obama said he expected federal benefits would be extended across state lines into those jurisdictions where same sex marriages are now allowed. Gay activists say that this is easiest for the IRS and federal income taxes but that with Social Security and survival benefits this will take a little juggling.
++E.J. Dionne wants to remind us in today's Washington Post that whatever joys the Roberts Court provided with the gay decisions it is still ruthlessly trying to turn us back to the Gilded Age in terms of economic matters. His column is worth a read.
++Thom Hartman gave an excellent analysis that the United States is heading to a two society country analogous to the pre-civil war period. He points out the disparity between states with same sex marriage, health care innovations, labor rights and those who he calls the Reagan Red States who will move rapidly with the neutering of the Voters Rights Act to put up barriers to minority participation in government.
++Republicans have been very tepid about correcting Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. Nancy Pelosi wants to introduce a bill the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill to restore protections for minority voters. Eric Cantor voiced support for a Voting Rights Act, citing his trip to Selma with John Lewis. John Sensenbrenner, a Republican House member, said that prejudice and racism are still roadblocks to voting and wants the act revamped. John Boehner says the House doesn't have time--(especially before 2014) and Lindsey Graham says that South Carolina has progressed so far that there is no need for a Voting Rights Act.
++Meanwhile in Texas, Rick Perry has called a "special session" of the Texas Senate on July 1 for the sole purpose of passing the draconian anti-abortion bill since the GOP was caught out trying to fudge the vote after Wendy Davis' filibuster.
++Chris Christie signaled he would run by denouncing the same sex decisions of the Supreme Court. I am also betting on Rick Perry making another run on the Christianist Nationalist Platform.
++Meanwhile we may be heading to immigration reform in the Senate today as that body keeps passing the 60 vote margins on everything from the border surge to cloture votes. The game here in D.C. is whether the House would ever pass such a thing. John Boehner has been warned by the Republican Caucus that his job is endangered if he allows a bill to be brought to the floor without a majority of Republicans supporting it. Will he break the Hastert rule again, which would enable the House to pass the Senate bill? Stay tuned.
++Can the Republican Party overcome its epistemic closure? There are some voices in op-eds urging them to deal with immigration reform and not to engage in cultural warfare because the tide has changed on these issues. I am not hopeful because there is a counter-push to double down on efforts to increase their white support, which the gutting of the Voters Rights Act gives them ample motivation. But remember they aren't running against Barack Obama anymore--although they did run against FDR until 1960.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
The Least We Can Do Is Wage A War Against Women
++For a complete and subjective view of the Supreme Court rulings on same sex marriage, read Andrew Sullivan's live blogging about it. And congratulations to Andrew, a pioneer in advocating same sex marriage as a conservative position. About Edie Windsor's reaction, check out the NewYorker's blog.
++In the interest of re-branding the Republican Party in Virginia, Ken "The Cooch",candidate for Governor,yesterday has petitioned the Supreme Court to reinstate Virginia's anti-sodomy law. This is a man who said he would run as a moderate. So no BJs for you guys.
++The patriarchy strikes back. Texas was minutes away from passing a draconian anti-abortion bill, which would have effectively closed all abortion clinics in the state. It even surpassed recent laws in North Dakota and elsewhere. A lonely State Senator Wendy Davis filibustered the bill the old-fashioned way--speaking for 13 hours straight without any breaks. Constantly challenged by the Republicans throughout her speech. They tried to say the testimony of women affected by the law was irrelevant. They actually did close down her speaking with 1 hour and 20 minutes remaining. But the clock ran out, even though they said the bill had passed in time. So now the issue is whether the bill passed after midnight is legal. The Texas Senate claims not and Governor Perry, straight after executing his 500th person,announced he would call the Senate back into special session just for this bill. Women circled the Senate and erupted in cheers as Wendy Davis seemed to have succeeded in stalling the bill. Naturally, the protestors had to be arrested.
++Meanwhile Ed Markey, veteran Democratic congressman, romped to victory, taking Senator Kerry's old Senate seat in Massachusetts.
++Immediately after the Supreme Court tossed out Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act,Texas announced it would immediately adopt its Voter ID law. Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina,also followed suit. John Lewis who had his head bashed in as a civil rights activist to get the law in the first place said he never thought he would see the day where he would have to fight this fight all over again. The only Republican who voiced dismay over the ruling was African-American Michael Steele, the former RNC chairman. What a sorry story!
++Yesterday, Senate Democrats challenged the IRS about why IRS investigators highlighted the targeting of tea party groups when in fact the IRS went after groups with Occupy,Progressive and Israel in their name. The answer was forthcoming--Republican staffers in the House asked them to.
++But as the IRS scandal slides away from the White House and the Obama Administration, Rep. Issa's response is to subpoena State Department officials about Benghazi. Anything to keep the Right happy.
++President Obama gave a groundbreaking speech yesterday on Climate Change and outlined steps he was going to take to combat this threat. Michael Mann, who is a foremost Climate Change scientist who faced attacks by our Virginia Attorney General, called the speech and its plans the most important ever coming from the Executive Branch. Al Gore applauded the speech as the boldest ever coming from a President of the United States. The seminal speech at Georgetown University was only covered by the Weather Channel. This morning when the same sex marriage cases were announced, Fox instead covered a story about what companies would profit if the Keystone Pipeline were cancelled--naturally they are linked to President Obama.
++We were told before the speech President Obama would not mention the Keystone Pipeline. But, he did. He said it would not be approved if it increased carbon emissions. Expect a lot of pushback from Republicans on this.
++Like a lot of President Obama's actions on climate change, the little initiatives add up to a lot. Buried in the speech were mundane sounding things like increasing the efficiency of appliances and better housing insulation,etc. His initiative in his first term to increase gas efficiency of cars would incredibly boring but significantly reduced carbon emissions already.
++Now President Obama is in flight to Senegal and then will make a swing to South Africa and Tanzania. Potential stops in Nigeria and Kenya had to be ruled out because Nigeria faces an Islamic threat in the North and Kenya has a President wanted by the ICC for human rights violations.
++This week clearly showed the differences between Republicans and Democrats--the comparison did the GOP no good.
++In the interest of re-branding the Republican Party in Virginia, Ken "The Cooch",candidate for Governor,yesterday has petitioned the Supreme Court to reinstate Virginia's anti-sodomy law. This is a man who said he would run as a moderate. So no BJs for you guys.
++The patriarchy strikes back. Texas was minutes away from passing a draconian anti-abortion bill, which would have effectively closed all abortion clinics in the state. It even surpassed recent laws in North Dakota and elsewhere. A lonely State Senator Wendy Davis filibustered the bill the old-fashioned way--speaking for 13 hours straight without any breaks. Constantly challenged by the Republicans throughout her speech. They tried to say the testimony of women affected by the law was irrelevant. They actually did close down her speaking with 1 hour and 20 minutes remaining. But the clock ran out, even though they said the bill had passed in time. So now the issue is whether the bill passed after midnight is legal. The Texas Senate claims not and Governor Perry, straight after executing his 500th person,announced he would call the Senate back into special session just for this bill. Women circled the Senate and erupted in cheers as Wendy Davis seemed to have succeeded in stalling the bill. Naturally, the protestors had to be arrested.
++Meanwhile Ed Markey, veteran Democratic congressman, romped to victory, taking Senator Kerry's old Senate seat in Massachusetts.
++Immediately after the Supreme Court tossed out Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act,Texas announced it would immediately adopt its Voter ID law. Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina,also followed suit. John Lewis who had his head bashed in as a civil rights activist to get the law in the first place said he never thought he would see the day where he would have to fight this fight all over again. The only Republican who voiced dismay over the ruling was African-American Michael Steele, the former RNC chairman. What a sorry story!
++Yesterday, Senate Democrats challenged the IRS about why IRS investigators highlighted the targeting of tea party groups when in fact the IRS went after groups with Occupy,Progressive and Israel in their name. The answer was forthcoming--Republican staffers in the House asked them to.
++But as the IRS scandal slides away from the White House and the Obama Administration, Rep. Issa's response is to subpoena State Department officials about Benghazi. Anything to keep the Right happy.
++President Obama gave a groundbreaking speech yesterday on Climate Change and outlined steps he was going to take to combat this threat. Michael Mann, who is a foremost Climate Change scientist who faced attacks by our Virginia Attorney General, called the speech and its plans the most important ever coming from the Executive Branch. Al Gore applauded the speech as the boldest ever coming from a President of the United States. The seminal speech at Georgetown University was only covered by the Weather Channel. This morning when the same sex marriage cases were announced, Fox instead covered a story about what companies would profit if the Keystone Pipeline were cancelled--naturally they are linked to President Obama.
++We were told before the speech President Obama would not mention the Keystone Pipeline. But, he did. He said it would not be approved if it increased carbon emissions. Expect a lot of pushback from Republicans on this.
++Like a lot of President Obama's actions on climate change, the little initiatives add up to a lot. Buried in the speech were mundane sounding things like increasing the efficiency of appliances and better housing insulation,etc. His initiative in his first term to increase gas efficiency of cars would incredibly boring but significantly reduced carbon emissions already.
++Now President Obama is in flight to Senegal and then will make a swing to South Africa and Tanzania. Potential stops in Nigeria and Kenya had to be ruled out because Nigeria faces an Islamic threat in the North and Kenya has a President wanted by the ICC for human rights violations.
++This week clearly showed the differences between Republicans and Democrats--the comparison did the GOP no good.
Prop 8 Case Tossed 5 to 4
++By 5 to 4, Roberts,Scalia,Breyer, Ginsberg and Kagan being the majority punted and dismissed the case because the plaintiffs did not have standing in the court because the State of California would not defend Prop 8. The Supreme Court orders the U.S. Court of Appeals decision has no legal force and sent the case back and ordered the Court to dismiss the case. So same sex marriage stands in California and people can still marry. But the Court avoided the broad decision to make same sex marriage constitutional everywhere. The decision was telegraphed by Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the early days of the argument that Roe versus Wade was a sweeping Court decision that created an endless backlash that lasts until this day and that the Court should avoid sparking the same in same sex marriage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)