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via Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post President Obama’s lunchtime announcement that all American troops will be out of Iraq by year’s end will produce a series of political reverberations — some of which we know and some that, quite frankly, we don’t. Here’s our look at the knowns and unknowns from Obama’s announcement today. KNOWNS … Continue reading
via Los Angeles Times Important as it was, the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” did not put gay and lesbian service members on an equal footing with their straight counterparts. A poignant story by Times staff writer Phil Willon described how partners of gay service members are still denied benefits available to other couples, including marriage … Continue reading
via Amy Gardner, The Washington Post Herman Cain has succeeded in introducing himself to voters. He has moved from the bottom of the pack all the way to the top. His “9-9-9” tax plan is the most talked-about proposal of the fight for the Republican nomination. But as the battle moves beyond televised debates and into a phase … Continue reading
via Trip Gabriel, The New York Times Today, Republican candidates are competing over who can talk the toughest about illegal immigration — who will erect the most impenetrable border defense; who will turn off “magnets” like college tuition benefits. But after such pointed proposals heated up yet another Republican debate, on Tuesday night, some party officials see … Continue reading
via Michael McAuliff, The Huffington Post Some of Hillary Clinton’s most ardent supporters just are not willing to let go — and they’ve mounted a push to get her into next year’s White House race by making donations of $20.12 to her old presidential campaign committee. A review of Clinton’s most recent Federal Election Commission … Continue reading
via Michael D. Shear, The New York Times Jon M. Huntsman Jr. won’t be at the next debate, in Las Vegas. But it’s not a sleight by the organizers. Mr. Huntsman is boycotting the event on Tuesday to protest the state’s decision to hold its caucus on Jan. 14. That decision has complicated the voting … Continue reading
via Marie Diamond, ThinkProgress Yesterday, Senate Republicans unveiled their much-hyped alternative to President Obama’s jobs plan. The “Jobs Through Growth Act” is heavy on Republicans’ favorite policies like cutting corporate taxes and reducing regulation, but light on details. Nevertheless, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) declared that it would create 5 million jobs. Moody’s Analytics estimated that … Continue reading
via Robert Creamer, Alternet The Occupy Wall Street movement really frightens the Right Wing. It is not frightening to the Right because of Congressman Eric Cantor’s feigned fear of “the mob” that is “occupying our cities.” It is not frightening because anyone is really worried that Glenn Beck is correct when he predicts that the … Continue reading
via Hope Yen, The Huffington Post In the run-up to the 2012 elections, the federal government is ordering that 248 counties and other political jurisdictions provide bilingual ballots to Hispanics and other minorities who speak little or no English. That number is down from a decade ago following the 2000 census, which covered 296 counties … Continue reading
Defense: via Peter G. Peterson Foundation
via Felicia Sonmez, The Washington Post After months of focusing on economic rather than social issues, the House this week is poised to take up a measure that will bring the abortion-rights debate back to the floor for the first time since May. On Friday, the House will consider H.R. 358, the “Protect Life Act.” … Continue reading
via Same Stein, The Huffington Post Tuesday was Mitt Romney’s night. The former Massachusetts governor entered the ninth GOP debate riding a long, fortuitous wave of positive news. His nearest competitors for the nomination had crumbled amid missteps or mismanagement. Prospective candidates had declined to launch bids of their own. One of them, New Jersey … Continue reading
via Carley Schwartz and Ryan Grim, The Huffington Post Three years on, not a single Wall Street banker has been prosecuted after a financial crisis rooted in rampant fraud brought the global economy to its knees. President Obama’s Department of Justice has more dangerous miscreants to worry about: medical marijuana shop owners. The DoJ has … Continue reading
In July, KDNuggets.com, an online newsite focused on data mining and analytics software, ran an unusual listing in its jobs section. “We are looking for Predictive Modeling/Data Mining Scientists and Analysts, at both the senior and junior level, to join our department through November 2012 at our Chicago Headquarters,” read the ad. “We are a multi-disciplinary team of … Continue reading
via Radly Balko, The Huffington Post The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill Thursday that would make it a federal crime for U.S. residents to discuss or plan activities on foreign soil that, if carried out in the U.S., would violate the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) — even if the planned activities are legal in … Continue reading
via David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement Mitt Romney today denounced hate speech in his address to the Values Voters Summit, a virulently anti-gay right-wing extremist convention held and attended by several certified anti-gay hate groups. In response, Bryan Fischer, the public face of the certified anti-gay hate group, American Family Association, called Romney’s speech … Continue reading
via Don Hazen and Colin Greer, Alternet Author and public intellectual Colin Greer tells us how we got where we are today. It’s not a pretty picture, but hope is on the way. At this moment, there are growing protests on Wall Street in Manhattan, in Boston at the Bank of America, and in cities around … Continue reading
via CNN A pastor of a mega church in Dallas said Friday that Republicans shouldn’t vote for White House hopeful Mitt Romney because he’s a Mormon and described the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a “cult.” “I think Mitt Romney’s a good, moral man, but those of us who are born again … Continue reading
via Laura Bassett, The Huffington Post Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) proposed a bill on Thursday that would force women in the early stages of pregnancy to have a physically invasive and medically unnecessary ultrasound procedure before they can legally consent to having an abortion. The “Heartbeat Informed Consent Act” requires doctors to … Continue reading
via Brian Lyman, The Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, USA TODAY The Justice Department asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to block Alabama’s strict new immigration law, saying it creates discrimination and drives aliens from the state through procedures outside those established in federal law. In a filing with the Atlanta-based court, the department … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, a Democrat, signaled on Friday that she’ll oppose passage of a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, according to the AP. “My top priority is creating jobs,” said Perdue in a statement. “Too many people are out of work and I’ve heard from several business leaders … Continue reading
via Josh Lederman, The Hill House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) threatened Friday to withhold funding from the Justice Department unless it agrees to defend a ban on government-recognized same-sex marriages. “We’re going to take the money away from the Justice Department, who’s supposed to enforce it, and we’ll use it to enforce the law,” Boehner … Continue reading
via Tammy Duckworth, Politico On the 10th anniversary of sending troops to Afghanistan, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is due to give a foreign policy address in South Carolina. This is a good time to reflect on President Barack Obama’s record — and reflect where Romney and the Republican field could take us. The bottom … Continue reading
via Ansley Haman, Times Free Press Dorothy Cooper is 96 but she can remember only one election when she’s been eligible to vote but hasn’t. The retired domestic worker was born in a small North Georgia town before women had the right to vote. She began casting ballots in her 20s after moving to Chattanooga … Continue reading
via Alexander Trowbridge and Mackenzie Weinger, Politico Many Hispanic students and workers have stayed home in response to Alabama’s tough new immigration law — and that’s the whole point of the measure, Rep. Mo Brooks said on Thursday. The Alabama Republican told POLITICO in an interview that he does not consider the above-average number of … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 