via John Dickerson, Slate Mitt Romney says he is a numbers guy, but in the end he got the numbers wrong. His campaign was adamant that public polls in the swing states were mistaken. They claimed the pollsters were over-estimating the number of Democrats who would turn out on Election Day. Romney’s campaign was certain … Continue reading
via Scott Bauer, The Huffington Post A Wisconsin judge on Friday struck down nearly all of the state law championed by Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers. Walker’s administration immediately vowed to appeal, while unions, which have vigorously fought the law, declared victory. But what the ruling meant … Continue reading
via Mike Blumenthal, The Huffington Post Polling tracking the impact of the Republican convention has been sparse, but on Monday the Gallup Poll weighed in with a new survey showing the convention had only a “minimal impact” on the fortunes of Republican nominee Mitt Romney. In interviews conducted over the three days since the close … Continue reading
via Nick R. Martin, Talking Points Memo, Muckracker Gabriela Saucedo Mercer hasn’t even won the Republican primary for Congress in Arizona yet, but she is already facing attacks from the Democratic Congressman she is hoping to unseat in November over some incendiary comments she made in the past about Middle Eastern immigrants. In an interview … Continue reading
via David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement Former Republican Governor Charlie Crist announced he is endorsing Barack Obama for President noting his former party’s “extreme” positions have made the GOP “incapable of governing.” Citing “the failure of those who favor extreme rhetoric over sensible compromise,” Crist, 56, withdrew from the GOP in his 2009-2010 … Continue reading
via Frank Bruni, The New York Times It makes no strategic sense for Bob Kerrey to bring up his support for gay marriage on the campaign trail in Nebraska, where he’s the Democratic nominee for an open Senate seat. Republicans far outnumber Democrats here; the state’s voters are socially conservative; his opponents are already smearing … Continue reading
via Lester Brathwaite, Queerty Earlier this month, Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld Mexico City’s same-sex marriage law as constitutional, but on Tuesday the court extended the legality of those marriages to all 31 states. So basically, any gay marriage registered in Mexico City has to be honored in all of Mexico. Each state, however, is not required … Continue reading
via Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times Four years ago, John Brooks cast his ballot for Barack Obama, becoming one of the voters won over by his promise for changing Washington. This time, he had been undecided, but he said Mitt Romney made his decision easier by placing Representative Paul D. Ryan on the Republican … Continue reading
via Jonathan Easley, The Hill’s Ballot Box A plurality of Americans are not enthusiastic about Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday. Forty-two percent said they viewed Ryan’s candidacy as a “fair” or “poor” move by the Romney campaign, compared to 39 … Continue reading
via AP, NPR Dinh Thi Hong Loan grasps her girlfriend’s hand, and the two gaze into each other’s love-struck eyes. Smiling, they talk about their upcoming wedding — how they’ll exchange rings and toast the beginning of their lives together. The lesbians’ marriage ceremony in the Vietnamese capital won’t be officially recognized, but that could … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post Chick-fil-A’s anti-gay marriage stance has gotten some high-profile support by way of Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin and other conservative lawmakers. But among their longtime customers, it’s a much different story. Polling organization YouGov found that the Atlanta-based chain’s brand approval ratings have plummeted in the wake of Chick-fil-A President … Continue reading
via Reuters Scotland’s devolved government said on Wednesday it would legalize same-sex marriage after British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to push through legislation to enshrine it in law in England despite church and some political opposition. “We are committed to a Scotland that is fair and equal and that is why we intend to … Continue reading
via Lauren Kelly, Alternet, Salon [Editress’ Note: You can only vote for politicians once every few years. You can vote with your wallet every single day. Make change happen.] — 1. Chick-fil-A It won’t be news to many readers that Chick-fil-A’s owner is deeply entrenched in conservative politics and social issues. The chain has … Continue reading
via Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post Like so many others in this fiercely independent island nation, Steve Baker, a dashing English engineer, is fed up with the long hand of the European Union in British life. The E.U., he said, has meddled for years in British legal affairs and labor laws. But now the 27-nation … Continue reading
via Emily Le Coz, The Huffington Post * Abortion opponents say laws promote safety, better care * Mississippi could be first state without abortion facility * Nearly 40 laws passed this year, 60 in 2011 American women face increasing legal obstacles to obtaining abortions as more states pass laws restricting access, some so stringent they … Continue reading
via The Associated Press, NPR The Supreme Court on Monday reaffirmed its 2-year-old decision allowing corporations to spend freely to influence elections. The justices struck down a Montana law limiting corporate campaign spending. By a 5-4 vote, the court’s conservative justices said the decision in the Citizens United case in 2010 applies to state campaign … Continue reading
via The Editorial Board, The New York Times This is now the pattern of business in the House of Representatives: Spend most of the time passing bills designed not to become law but to satisfy the ideological desires of conservative voters. And block laws that actually need to get passed. This colossal waste of time, … Continue reading
via Douglas Belkin and Caroline Porter, The Wall Street Journal Wisconsin voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker in a bitter dispute over his efforts to curb unions that could affect the presidential race and influence policy toward organized labor nationwide. More than $60 million has flooded … Continue reading
via Suzanne Goldberg, The Guardian The ultra-conservative Heartland Institute admitted it was in financial crisis on Wednesday, with the flight of corporate donors making it difficult to pay staff or cover the costs of its annual conference aimed at debunking climate science. In a speech at the close of this year’s climate conference, Heartland’s president, … Continue reading
via Guy Adams, The Independent Declaring that “life must always be protected”, a senior Vatican cleric has defended the Catholic Church’s decision to excommunicate the mother and doctors of a nine-year-old rape victim who had a life-saving abortion in Brazil. Cardinal Giovanni Batista Re, who heads the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, told reporters that … Continue reading
via Paige Lavender, The Huffington Post Mitt Romney said the protesters rallying against Bank of America in Charlotte this week are too young “to really understand how the economy works.” “Unfortunately, a lot of young folks haven’t had the opportunity to really understand how the economy works, and what it takes to put people to … Continue reading
via Cameron Joseph The Hill’s Ballot Box Richard Grenell has resigned his role as a foreign policy spokesman for the Romney campaign following criticism of Romney from some social conservatives for having a gay man on his campaign. “We are disappointed that Ric decided to resign from the campaign for his own personal reasons,” Romney … Continue reading
via Mike Sacks, The Huffington Post On Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the federal government’s challenge to the Grand Canyon state’s controversial anti-immigration law, S.B. 1070. The case, Arizona v. United States, will not only be the Court’s second politically-charged blockbuster in as many months, but also a rematch between … Continue reading
via Mark Osler, The Huffington Post I’m a sinner. At one time or another, in the course of my own advocacy (on the death penalty and other issues), I have committed each of the five sins I am about to describe. In fact, so have most who work in advocacy, whether they are progressive, conservative, … Continue reading
via Tim Price, Next New Deal, Salon “If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with blacks on that date… Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress, e.g., on the highway… In a pure meritocracy there would … Continue reading