May 14, 2012

How Is Obama’s Support Of Same-Sex Marriage A Political Slam Dunk?

Last week President Obama publicly gave his support to same-sex marriage. It’s mostly symbolic since the president maintains that it’s a matter for the states to decide, but it’s important symbolism nonetheless, and immediately and predictably the attacks from the Right began. It’s noteworthy that much of the pushback from the Right has been along the lines of criticizing President Obama on political grounds and not on same-sex marriage itself. In other words, it seems many on the Right, especially Fox News pundits, have been careful in how they are critical of Obama on this issue. Could it be that they are well aware that a majority of the country now supports same-sex marriage?

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May 9, 2012

President Obama Announces Support For Same-Sex Marriage

A couple of days ago I started the new poll question, “When will President Obama publicly support same-sex marriage?” The choices were “Before election”, “Second term (if elected)” and “Never”. When I started the poll I never imagined we’d have the answer so soon. I just closed the poll after only five votes because President Obama announced today that he now supports same-sex marriage. Out of five votes, nobody chose “Before election”.

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May 8, 2012

North Carolina Constitutional Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Passes Popular Vote

Who would have thought a southern state would vote to limit rights? In a display of intolerance and backwards thinking, North Carolina voters went to the polls on Tuesday and voted for “Amendment 1” which will amend the state constitution to say the only recognized “domestic legal partnership” is between a man and a woman. It also strips away civil union rights which were recognized in some jurisdictions in the state.

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May 8, 2012

Pennsylvania Sued By 93-Year-Old Woman Over Discriminatory Voter ID Law

Yes, Pennsylvania’a new voter ID law (and similar laws in other states) is in fact discriminatory. I don’t care about rationalizations, because the Republican lawmakers responsible for these laws know exactly what they are doing. Their rationalizations might have convinced Republican voters that voter fraud is a serious problem, but for the rest of us these laws are a big steaming pile of horseshit.

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May 8, 2012

Federal Government Posts First Monthly Budget Surplus In Three Years

It’s a bit misleading, but the federal government had a $58 billion surplus in April according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The surplus is due to tax season, which results in an April surplus most years even if the yearly numbers are still deep in the red. It’s notable because there hasn’t been a surplus month in three years and it could be a sign of an improving economy.

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May 7, 2012

Hey Mitt, It Was A Republican Who Was President When The ‘Great Recession’ Began

I would like to remind Republicans, particularly presidential candidate Mitt Romney, that it was a Republican who was in the White House when the ‘great recession’ began. Romney can try to spin it as Obama’s economy or Obama’s recession, pretending that Obama was responsible for the worst recession since the great depression, but it was George W. Bush who was president at the time.

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May 5, 2012

Connecticut Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Legislation

Early Saturday the Connecticut Senate passed a bill that would allow the use of medical marijuana in the state. The measure already passed the state House and now awaits the approval of Governor Dannel Malloy. Malloy has indicated he will sign the bill into the law. If that happens, Connecticut will join the District of Columbia and sixteen other states in the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes.

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