tagged w/ U.S. Politics
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(In the interest of Full disclosure this article does feature an interview from me. It isn't often that someone on the U.S. politics group here at Current finds themselves in the news and that was the strange case for me today on CNN. )
To hear leaders of the "Draft John Mellencamp for Senate!" Facebook group tell it, this is a story about "insider" politicians, "street-level voters" and whether a likeable rock star with strong grass-roots appeal will run for the U.S. Senate.
The "movement," as the group calls it, was born less than three weeks ago with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh's stunning announcement he would not not run for re-election. The next morning, Gabrial Canada, 21, was at home watching cable news reports about a Facebook page aimed at bringing Mellencamp, 58, into the race.
"After I saw that I went right to the Facebook group," Canada said Wednesday from his home in Indianapolis. "By then it had only been a matter of hours and it had already gotten a thousand members. It was incredibly exciting to see that catching hold." He contacted the group's founder and from then on he was hooked. So far, the group has garnered more than 7,000 members in 16 days.
"There's all this faux populism out there -- people who get paid millions of dollars to generate campaigns that look like they're supporting the people," said Canada, a self-described community ambassador for a local PBS TV station. "When you have the prospect of somebody as genuine as Mellencamp campaigning as someone people can relate to, it's unique, it's something you can't replace."(In the interest of Full disclosure this article does feature an interview from me. It... more
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Evan Bayh's departure from the candidacy for Senate has left a large void in Indiana politics and with no other candidate approaching the favorability, name recognition, or money that Bayh had behind his candidacy in an already tough year for Democrats and in a lean red state to boot the party is now scrambling for answers and as Katrina VandenHuvel of the Nation asks us, don't laugh, but she and others are seriously suggesting the answer to replace Senator Evan Bayh may be Senator John Mellencamp.
Katrina is a personal acquaintance of the performer who is no stranger to politics. He famously and unapologetically took an anti war stance while at the same time raising funds for veterans, working with the U.S.O. and doing a benefit show at Walter Reed after the scandal concerning the treatment of wounded soldiers there. He also made political hay, over attempts by republicans to use his songs during their campaigns and was at the white house only last week for a concert celebrating the Civil Rights movement.
Because Evan Bayh left the race one day before the filing deadline for the Indiana primary and no other candidate received the needed signatures it is now up to the Democratic party of Indiana to select a candidate and in light of the shocking nature of Evan Bayh's departure and the strangeness of this election cycle where even Ted Kennedy's seat can be filled by a republican state senator there would certainly be less strange occurrences than choosing a populist candidate with universal name recognition in a state which is both rural and populist.
Also writing in advocacy for a Mellencamp campaign, Brent Budowsky, who at one time worked for Bayh's father, Birch Bayh, when he held an Indiana Senate in the 1960s and 70s wrote today in The Hill: "John “Mellencamp is one of the great advocates of small-town America, of the kind of "square deal" for Americans that Teddy Roosevelt once championed. He is a voice for working people and a champion of farmers who puts his talent, his body and his money behind his words.”
As the la times puts it in the article above: "With the Republicans cozying up to all sorts of untested Tea Party oddballs, it would be hard for conservative pundits to engage in any of their customary celeb bashing if Mellencamp were to actually throw his hat in the ring. If in the movie business this is the year of "Avatar," in politics this is the year of the amateur."Evan Bayh's departure from the candidacy for Senate has left a large void in... more
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Per ABC, President Clinton was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital this afternoon. News reports it is more than likely for a rush stent procedure. No other news was available at this time.Per ABC, President Clinton was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital this afternoon.... more
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Corn ethanol? Just how much do they owe the corn industry and Monsanto? Do they realize there is a food crisis going on? And yet, they support MORE corn ethanol that has already been proven to contribute to climate change? And they are still supporting "clean coal!" There is no such thing as "clean coal." This proves they are totally out of touch with the true urgency of cutting Co2 emissions. To say they will have carbon sequestration up and running by 2016 is misleading. We spew 70 plus million tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere EVERY DAY. Do they even comprehend what that will amount to by 2016? So what good are their "green jobs" making solar panels if people will still be able to get dirty coal energy cheaper? Where is the aggressive stance on movng us to cleaner energy? All I see are the same markers being paid to campaign contributors over caring about the environmental and health effects of burning fossil fuels and also in clearing land to grow corn for fuel instead of food!,0,6179879.story
Corn ethanol? Just how much do they owe the corn industry and... more
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Asian-Americans more liberal than other racial/ethnic groups
by Jeffrey M. Jones
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup Daily tracking data reveal that Asian-Americans tend to be more Democratic and much less conservative than the general population in their political views.
These findings are based on aggregated data from Gallup's 2009 Daily tracking survey, including interviews with more than 4,000 Asian-Americans. For the purpose of analysis, respondents are categorized as Asian-Americans if they self-identify their race as Asian.
"Asian-Americans tend to be less religious than those in other racial or ethnic groups."
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Asians made up 4.5% of the U.S. population in 2008, and so, Asians rank as the fourth-largest racial or ethnic group behind whites, Hispanics, and blacks. Still, the number of Asian respondents in a typical public-opinion-poll sample is generally too small for analysis. However, the larger samples from aggregated Gallup Daily tracking provide an opportunity to examine the political dynamics of the Asian-American population.
Overall, 41% of Asians identify politically as Democrats, 41% as independents, and 16% as Republicans. As a result, Asians are above the national average in terms of the percentage of political independents (37% nationwide) and Democrats (34%), and below average in terms of the percentage of Republicans (27%).
One can compare the political leanings of Asians with those of the other major racial and ethnic groups by looking at the percentage of each group that identifies as Democrats or leans Democratic (after initially identifying as independents) versus the percentage that identifies or leans Republican. On this basis, Asians are not as Democratic as blacks, somewhat more Democratic than Hispanics, and much more Democratic than whites.
Read the total article, see all the graphs, etc., by clicking on this link:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125579/Asian-Americans-Lean-Left-Politically.aspx?CSTS=alertAsian-Americans more liberal than other racial/ethnic groups
by Jeffrey M. Jones... more
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~y2010m1d23-Is-Haiti-is-just-one-of-the-many-poor-countries-that-the-US-uses-for-their-own-gain-and-interests~y2010m1d23-Is-Haiti-is-just-one-of-the-many-poor-countries-that-the-US-uses-for-their-... more
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http://mediamatters.org/blog/201001150038
(I'll preface this post by explaining that it does come from a media advocacy organization therefore I won't be reposting the editorial elements of this article in its summary however I'll be providing my own based on the facts of the data on news coverage which speak for themselves.)
This week has brought to us what sadly may prove the worst humanitarian crises of a generation. Struggling U.N. aid workers have discussed that as bad as the southeast asian tsunami was this is proving frustrating in new ways as there are no longer any functioning beurocracies with more than ten government ministries either damaged or destroyed and the U.N mission itself severely damaged and personnel displaced. The Haitian government has said that they fear as many as 100,000 are dead and that the total may be much worse.
In the face of this crises, the leading conservative media outlet in America has chosen to devote only seven minutes to Haiti over its top rates shows compared to its rivals including MSNBC which were shown to have devoted more than two hours. Fox's headline detailing the presidential response read, "President Obama Reacts to Haiti Earthquake Faster than Christmas Bomber." Upon the announcement that the Obama administration had accepted Haiti's request to give Haitians in America temporary protected status, an immigration policy designed to respond to natural disasters or war the headline read "Obama Moves to Grant Amnesty to Haitian Illegal Aliens." On the same topic a fox news guest and sitting congressman suggested that all Haitians in America should be immediately deported and forced to become relief workers.
Rush Limbaugh first stated that Obama was responding quickly to appeal to his black light and dark skinned constituency. Then, in response to a caller said that "Americans already give to Haiti, its called the federal income tax." When a caller brought up what his mother was doing to help limbaugh replied, We've been helping them for thirty years and its all come to nothing. In 1994 Limbaugh had this to say about Haiti. "We are there because the congressional black caucus want's it. Our only interest in Haiti is that they make baseball bats." Previously this year Limbaugh criticized Obama for ordering the killing and capture of somali pirates stating a white president killing an African child would be treated differently.
Glen Beck mirrored the Fox Headlines by complaining, that he believed that the presidents reacted quickly to intentionally divide Americans. While Pat Robertson of the 700 Club Said that Haitians were cursed because their slave revolt was a deal with the devil to rid them of the French and they had suffered misfortune throughout history as a result.
Fox did respond to the criticisms of its coverage, with two minutes devoted to it on their editorial program Red Eye. Thats a third of the time they had previously spent covering the disaster on their editorial programs. Calling the group responsible for the study disturbed, and then playing a supposed animated reenactment of the organization talking about the study which ended with one of the two characters representing the media advocacy organization soliciting the other for gay sex.
I'll judge Fox and the rest of the conservative media through their own rubric: "We Report You Decide." Please let me know what decision you reach on this fair and balanced news coverage of more than 100,000 killed, three million made homeless and the two million children among the affected. If you believe I am fabricating these reactions I will post each individually for your edification.http://mediamatters.org/blog/201001150038
(I'll preface this post by... more
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Can you imagine an America without a strong middle class? If you can, would it still be America as we know it?
Today, one in five Americans is unemployed, underemployed or just plain out of work. One in nine families can't make the minimum payment on their credit cards. One in eight mortgages is in default or foreclosure. One in eight Americans is on food stamps. More than 120,000 families are filing for bankruptcy every month. The economic crisis has wiped more than $5 trillion from pensions and savings, has left family balance sheets upside down, and threatens to put ten million homeowners out on the street.
Families have survived the ups and downs of economic booms and busts for a long time, but the fall-behind during the busts has gotten worse while the surge-ahead during the booms has stalled out. In the boom of the 1960s, for example, median family income jumped by 33% (adjusted for inflation). But the boom of the 2000s resulted in an almost-imperceptible 1.6% increase for the typical family. While Wall Street executives and others who owned lots of stock celebrated how good the recovery was for them, middle class families were left empty-handed.
The crisis facing the middle class started more than a generation ago. Even as productivity rose, the wages of the average fully-employed male have been flat since the 1970s.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-warren/america-without-a-middle_b_377829.htmlCan you imagine an America without a strong middle class? If you can, would it still... more
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The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the CIA, the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and three other government agencies on Tuesday for allegedly refusing to release information about how they are using social networks in surveillance and investigations.
The nonprofit Internet rights watchdog group formally asked more than a dozen agencies or departments in early October to provide records about federal guidelines on the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr for investigative or data gathering purposes, according to the lawsuit.The Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the CIA, the U.S. Department of Defense,... more
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Arlen Specter more famous for his recent switch to the Democratic Caucus than his record on civil rights or mairrage equality made a surprise move on the Senate floor proposing the repeal of the so called Defense of Mairrage act that barrs gays from many federal rights and priviledges.
From the New York Times:
First, he spoke on the Senate floor Monday evening and then put out a bulletin on Twitter.
And on Tuesday morning, Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican-turned Democrat who is running for his sixth term in the Senate, posted a short piece on the Huffington Post’s Web site in which he says it’s time to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
The announcement by Senator Specter, a longtime supporter of the marriage act who once said he favored fortifying it with a constitutional amendment, came amid his primary battle for the Democratic nomination against Representative Joe Sestak, who favors its repeal.
Both Mr. Sestak and the Republicans, in the past 12 hours or so, have been quick to point out that Mr. Specter voted for the act in 1996 and even proposed that it be fortified with a constitutional amendment in 2004, when he faced a tough Republican primary challenge from Pat Toomey, a conservative. (Mr. Toomey is running again as a Republican for the Senate seat and is opposed to repealing the marriage act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages.)
But now, Mr. Specter writes:
“Enacted 13 years ago when the idea of same sex marriage was struggling for acceptance, the Act is a relic of a more tradition-bound time and culture.
Connecticut, Iowa, and Massachusetts have already passed laws recognizing same sex marriage and other states are moving in that direction. The states are the proper forum to address this divisive social and moral issue, not the Federal Government with a law that attempts to set one national standard for marriage.
Mr. Sestak released a statement pointing out the shifts in Mr. Specter’s position and highlighting the campaigns by gay and lesbian groups under the L.G.B.T. abbreviation. He said:
“As the longtime Republican Senator carries on his attempt to run away from his 30-year Republican record, this time on his vote to support the Defense of Marriage Act, he should be honest about his votes to oppose equal rights for L.G.B.T. Americans. He actually voted with Republican Senator Rick Santorum to deny equal benefits to legally married L.G.B.T. Americans in the first place. Without Joe Sestak’s leadership in supporting L.G.B.T. rights, the Senator would continue to deny married gay and lesbian couples their right to file joint tax returns, receive spouse benefits under social security, take an unpaid leave to take care of a sick or injured partner, or share retirement benefits like straight couples.Arlen Specter more famous for his recent switch to the Democratic Caucus than his... more
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From Reuters:
The United States is the most admired country globally thanks largely to the star power of President Barack Obama and his administration, according to a new poll.
It climbed from seventh place last year, ahead of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan which completed the top five nations in the Nation Brand Index (NBI).
"What's really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009," said Simon Anholt, the founder of NBI, which measured the global image of 50 countries each year.
He believes that during the previous administration of George W. Bush the United States suffered in the world ranking with its unpopular foreign policies but since Obama was elected, and despite the recent economic turmoil, the country's status has risen globally.
"There is no other explanation," Anholt said in an interview, referring to the impact of Obama.
The global survey, conducted by GFK Roper Public Affairs & Media, involved 20,000 people in 20 rich and developing countries around the globe. They were asked to rate 50 nations in categories such as culture, governance, people, exports, tourism, landscape and education.
Canada took the biggest hit in the latest survey, falling to seventh from fourth place, while China climbed several spots to 22nd, which Anholt believes in due in part to the successful staging of the Olympics.
What follows is simply my oppinion:
I don't know about you, but one of the reasons people voted for Obama was to change how America was viewed in the world and something that has been much derided as apologism on the right has actually been a success in shaping Americas image as not only a positive force in the world but one that is now admired again rather than resented. There can be no doubt that the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Global Financial Meltdown, Torture, and Freedom Fries hurt our global image. There can also be no doubt that Obama has succeeded in improving how other nations view America for the positive.
I think that this is an important acknowledgement this week, when people in our own nation are so up in arms over our leader being awarded a global honor and accusations he has done nothing to earn it.
Since taking office global approval of America rose faster than the approval of any other country in this studies history. France, Russia, and China came to the table in real negotiations with Iran which opened itself up to weapons inspectors and shared uranium enrichment, real progress away from a nuclear armed Iran. Russia came back to the table for renewal of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and further nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The G20 under Obama gave one trillion dollars for economic aid to the IMF as well as allowing the IMF to create and sell bonds for the first time to offer economic development to the third world to help weather this recession and aid in the fight against global warming there.
Ask yourself what the right did in that time? Ask yourself why a nobel peace prize for our president is an insult? Why is it bad that Americas image abroad hasn't just returned to what it was before Bush but has actually improved by leaps and bounds? Why is it that when America was a symbol of hope under Kennedy or even Reagan it was camelot and a shining city on a hill but under Obama it's socialist? Ask yourself simply why?From Reuters:
The United States is the most admired country globally thanks... more
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state complacency among rank and file donors, and de-facto boycott by wealthiest givers...put
off by party's harsh rhetoric toward 'big business'.state complacency among rank and file donors, and de-facto boycott by wealthiest... more
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Randy of Houston Texas brings his 1934 Ford Coupe to Southwest Rod and Custom for Pete to finish it out RIGHT! After visiting with Randy, Pete finds out that he has lost a son in the Iraq war to a Suicide Bomber, and decides to do Randy a big favor. Pete decides to build a Dedication Hot Rod in Memory of 1st Lieutenant Jeremy Ray. Watch the upcoming videos. This car is going to be one mean machine.. Support Gold Star Families....Check out SWRNC on "YOUTUBE" To get the WHOLE STORY!Randy of Houston Texas brings his 1934 Ford Coupe to Southwest Rod and Custom for Pete... more
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swrnc
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MARYVILLE, Tenn. – Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in his grandparents' Tennessee home, surrounded by photos and memories of the father he'll never meet: a Marine who died in combat a month after marrying her from thousands of miles away.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke was killed in Iraq in 2008, leaving his widow and infant son, both Japanese citizens, in immigration limbo: A 1950s legal standard meant to curb marriage fraud means U.S. authorities do not recognize the marriage, even though the military does.
Ferschke and his bride had been together in Japan for more than a year, and she was pregnant when he deployed. They married by signing their names on separate continents and did not have a chance to meet again in person after the wedding, which a 57-year-old immigration law requires for the union to be considered consummatedMARYVILLE, Tenn. – Hotaru Ferschke just wants to raise her 8-month-old son in... more
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The president is Reagan, and the date is November 14, 1988. Reagan talks about how wrong things were before he came into office, and how well he was doing as president. He promoted his theory of tax cuts, wanting a balanced budget amendment, line item veto, and promoting gun purchases by “responsible citizens.” And then Reagan applauds himself for supporting “Negro colleges and universities.” And no word that this was vetted ahead of time to give parents an opportunity to opt out.The president is Reagan, and the date is November 14, 1988. Reagan talks about how... more
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Congress has approved $8 billion for high-speed-rail lines that, according to advocates, will make traveling by train faster than driving. But for high-speed trains to live up to their potential, planners also have to consider how long it takes to get to your destination after you get off the train.
That's the kind of story mass transit advocates hate to hear — and it provides a cautionary tale as cities and states vie for federal money to build higher-speed-train lines. In North Carolina, leaders hope to upgrade existing tracks to allow trains to go more than 30 percent faster. But Pat Simmons, the head of the state rail division, knows it will take more for travelers to choose the train instead of their cars.Congress has approved $8 billion for high-speed-rail lines that, according to... more
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Bill Moyers appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday night for a long conversation, much of which focused on health care. When asked by Maher what would be a metaphor that could change the current thinking on health care, Moyers answered "we're all in the same boat." He went on to talk about the moral message that health care reform would send, which is that "we are in this together."
"I don't want to live in a country where am I on a hospital floor getting an operation that costs $25,000, and two floors above me someone is being denied that same surgery because he or she has no money. What kind of a civilization is that?" Moyers said.Bill Moyers appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday night for a long... more
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The politics of climate change are difficult in the Senate, it's often said, because it's a regional issue: coal state senators are afraid their economies will be driven under if the price of dirty energy rises too quickly.
Climate change is, in fact, a regional issue, but not in the short-term way that the coal senators think, according to new analysis from The Nature Conservancy. The environmental group finds that rural Midwestern states will face the greatest consequences of climate change. The three that will face the steepest rise in temperature -- Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa -- are farm states whose soil will be significantly less productive as temperatures rise more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit there by 2100.
The rise by by 2050 -- only 41 years from now -- is also projected to be substantial. (Click here for an interactive map of the analysis.)
The two Republican senators from Kansas, which will be most ravaged by climate change, are unlikely to support legislation addressing it.The politics of climate change are difficult in the Senate, it's often said,... more
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To quote my friend, because I couldn't say it any better, "That the bullshit media never ONCE reported this when Skip Gates was arrested. And they waited until the controversy died down until it was revealed. Prime example of media bias. What ...was the 'teachable moment ?' We had to only believe the cops version of what really happened?"To quote my friend, because I couldn't say it any better, "That the bullshit... more
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