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via Rachel La Corte, The Huffington Post The Washington state Senate is set to take a crucial vote Wednesday on a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill has narrow support in the Senate, but is expected to pass because supporters have secured 25 “yes” votes – the minimum required for approval. Five senators, two … Continue reading
via Domenico Montanaro, NBC In a country sharply divided on almost every issue, most Americans agree on one thing: they don’t like Congress, and they would vote to replace every single member — even their own — if they had the option. Fifty-six percent of registered voters say they would vote out every member of … Continue reading
via AP, Indianapolis Business Journal An Indiana Senate panel has approved a bill that would allow creationism to be taught in Indiana’s public schools. The Times of Munster reported that the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 Wednesday to send the legislation to the full Senate despite pleas from scientists and religious leaders to keep … Continue reading
via Dave Crary, The Huffington Post With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments this week, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue. In Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, bills to legalize same-sex marriage have high-powered support … Continue reading
via Paul Krugman, The New York Times “And greed — you mark my words — will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.” That’s how the fictional Gordon Gekko finished his famous “Greed is good” speech in the 1987 film “Wall Street.” In the movie, Gekko got his comeuppance. … Continue reading
via Jackie Calmes, The New York Times From the House that Newt Gingrich once ran through the Washington establishment to state capitals across the nation, some Republicans are going public with their concerns that Mr. Gingrich would be a weak general election candidate and a drag on the party’s fortunes if he won the presidential nomination. “Since … Continue reading
via Josh Gerstein, Politico President Barack Obama does not plan to veto a defense bill seeking to direct more terrorism suspects into military custody, the White House signaled Wednesday afternoon. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement that changes lawmakers made to the legislation to accomodate White House concerns were sufficient to avoid a veto. The … Continue reading
via Arthur Delaney, The Huffington Post Since Republicans proposed drug testing the unemployed last week, both Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington have been quiet on the controversial proposal. Spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have repeatedly referred questions on specific parts of a broader Republican jobs … Continue reading
via Michael McAuliff, The Huffington Post The Senate on Thursday blocked a second attempt to spare U.S. citizens from potential indefinite military detentions and was set to vote on a third effort to do the same later in the day. Under a provision of the mammoth defense authorization bill, the military would be granted the … Continue reading
via Jennifer Liberto, CNN There’s one thing that turns some Tea Party Republicans into government-job lovers like their Democratic rivals: Their neighborhood post office. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service’s reach into every state and congressional district is a big reason why Americans shouldn’t expect Congress to make the drastic changes that the postmaster general … Continue reading
via Kristen McQueary, WBEZ It’s that time of year when candidates for political office come knocking. In Illinois, people running for everything from village board to Congress need hundreds of signatures by Dec. 5 to get on the ballot. But the old-fashioned practice of going door-to-door is getting an update in the Internet age. Technology … Continue reading
via Denise Lockwood, Caledonia, Wisconsin Patch Wisconsin recall supporters outed an anonymous Facebook group called Operation Burn Notice on Tuesday as a coordinated effort designed to destroy petitions signed to force Gov. Scott Walker and other Wisconsin Republicans out of office. Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, denounced the anonymous group, in a Madison … Continue reading
via Amy Bingham, ABC News Now that the 12-member congressional “supercommittee” has announced its failure to produce an all-encompassing, deficit-reduction package before its Wednesday deadline, the full Congress faces deadlines of its own. Before lawmakers pack up for Christmas, they must first decide whether to extend the payroll tax break and long-term unemployment benefits, both … Continue reading
via Jeremy Herb and John T. Bennett, The Hill A supercommittee failure would trigger at least $500 billion in cuts to national security spending, but there is no consensus on just where they will be made. Lawmakers included the automatic cuts in the debt ceiling deal as an incentive to get Congress to agree to … Continue reading
via AP, USA TODAY Senate Democrats who back gay marriage have decided now is the time to repeal a federal law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The Democrats may satisfy their gay marriage supporters, but the bill won’t get very far. The repeal could be approved by the Senate … Continue reading
via Sabrina Tavernise and Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times The landslide vote to repeal an Ohio law that limits collective bargaining has sounded a strong note of caution for Republican governors and lawmakers across the country, raising questions about some of their legislative efforts, especially those that would weaken labor unions. But the victory, … Continue reading
via David Bailey, Reuters Wisconsin Democrats will launch a drive November 15 to force Republican Governor Scott Walker into a recall election and are confident of getting the more than 540,000 signatures needed, a party spokesman said on Tuesday. The effort to recall Walker follows an unsuccessful bid by state Democrats to take control of … Continue reading
via Sam Stein, The Huffington Post The Obama administration has been careful in its handling of the Occupy Wall Street movement, expressing sympathy with the sentiment behind it but never going so far as to formally endorse it. But on financial regulatory and consumer protection issues, there is a clear — and inviting — overlap … Continue reading
via Michael McAuliff, The Huffington Post Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leveled a blistering attack at Republicans Tuesday that echoed the message of Occupy Wall Street, saying the GOP wants to protect the very richest Americans at the expense of everyone else. Reid (D-Nev.) was arguing against Senate Republican resistance to a $60 billion measure … Continue reading
via Hayley Miller, The Huffington Post The Supreme Court may treat corporations like people who can spend whatever they want on elections, but the American people don’t have to accept it, said Democratic senators who proposed a constitutional amendment Tuesday to retake control of campaign spending. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), doesn’t … Continue reading
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 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 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
The Brandt Standard 