PRESIDENT
A historical, exhausting and costly campaign led to victory for a President who spent 4 years not tackling global warming, taxing billionaires, jailing bankers or reforming immigration. As a dozen toss-up races were decided, the new Senate bolsters the same majority that's been hostage to a filibustering minority, stymied by lethargy, protocol and conservatism.
And after volunteers pounded the pavement to determine scores of tight House races, we still have Speaker John Boehner. The most expensive election in history just maintained the status quo. But with the extreme right-wing alternative, the status quo doesn't look so bad.
Plus with a record number of women in the Senate, our first gay Senator, first Buddhist Senator, our first Hindu member of Congress, votes for marriage equality across the country, as well as for marijuana reform and union rights & names like Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin & Alan Grayson, the status quo just got a little better. Read more
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the launch of a new initiative from the Union of Concerned Scientists – The Center for Science and Democracy. The UCS itself was founded in the late 1960′s in response to the Cold War nuclear arms race. Read more
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and causes 1 in 5 deaths in America every year.
Tobacco use is an epidemic that must be stopped. Stepping outside, into a bar or restaurant, or a park is a dangerous.
That is why I push for the Stop Smoking Act which would make tobacco illegal and establish the Department of Health and Death (DOHD) whose goal is to protect the health of all smokers–and non smokers–and provide essential information on the dangers of smoking.
The Stop Smoking Act would help smokers protect themselves. Read more
When MSNBC fired Keith Olbermann and replaced him with Lawrence O'Donnell, I was a bit annoyed. But now that Olbermann had crashed and burned over at Current TV, and O'Donnell has turned into a pretty effective pundit, I have changed my mind. For an example of why I like O'Donnell so much, consider this depressingly accurate tirade about the Newsweek cover with the headline, “The First Gay President.” Read more
So it was last Sunday morning and the "news" shows and respected journalists were yammering about whether or not coming out for same sex marriage will help or hurt Obama’s re-election efforts.
"Sixty percent of those polled indicate his stance will have no effect on their vote; 16% said they are less likely to vote for him while yadayadayada." Read more
Today's Headlines:
"JP Morgan Chase exec steps down after $2B loss. In related news, your boss would like you to stop buying the wrong type of copy paper."
"Initial headline for Time Magazine's cover photo: 'Hey ladies! Check out this woman breastfeeding her preschooler! Now.........FIGHT!'"
"Button batteries account for 84% of battery-related ER visits by children. Regarding the other 16% a hospital spokesman said, 'Man, you don't even want to know. Kids are some real flexible idiots.'"
"On Friday, Senator Rand Paul said of President Obama's support for gay marriage that thought the President's views 'couldn't get any gayer.' He then high-fived the reporter next to him and hurried off to Intro to Econ to take notes for some of his brothers in Kappa Kappa Psi."
Was President Obama still "evolving" on equality,
was it just his strategy that was metamorphosing,
-- or did the Vice President's off-the-cuff comments
jumpstart a sudden survival-of-the-fittest sprint?
Was Biden a trial balloon or a useful buffoon,
the Prez a shrewd strategist or crude pragmatist,
or was it just time that leaders started to follow
the direction their party & populace were moving?
Some argue the announcement's too early politically,
some contend that it's long overdue morally,
some wonder if the President will even act on it
and many think he felt this way all along.
Maybe Obama was biding time or acting on Biden Time
-- either way: welcome to the right side of history. Read more
Remember the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and its language “affirming” the military’s power to indefinitely detain anyone, including U.S. citizens, without charge or trial? Well, the 2013 NDAA bill begins its journey through the legislative process tomorrow morning in the House Armed Services Committee; take a look at what power they’ll be trying to affirm for the Defense Department this time around:
SEC.941 MILITARY ACTIVITIES IN CYBERSPACE.
Section 954 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112–81; 125 Stat. 1551) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 954. MILITARY ACTIVITIES IN CYBERSPACE. Read more
As a blogger, I watched the Republican nomination challenge very closely. I also watched the fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008 and I know it got a little dirty; Hillary ended up crying which broke my heart but also solidified my support for Barack Obama. I was originally a Hillary supporter because I have a great deal of respect to her. That respect is mostly because of how she held her head high during her husband’s impeachment trial, but, when she cried during her run for the presidency, she showed me that she was not yet ready for the White House. To me, a president should only cry for others but never for themselves. Read more
Every week is big for Living Liberally. With 250+ chapters, no week goes by without guest speakers, candidates and advocates, without special events and new promotions.
But this is a particularly big week -- not only because of what we're doing but who we're doing it with.
This Thursday is the Living Liberally Annual Celebration: a gathering of the tribe, a critical fundraiser, a big old party. This raises most of the funds that support our shoe-string budget for our national programming -- and it does it with an open bar, sustainable food shindig that's a staple of the progressive calendar. Read more
George W. Bush was arrogant. He loved to brag and brag big – flying to an aircraft carrier to deliver a speech under a banner declaring “Mission Accomplished” a few months after the beginning of the war in Iraq, claiming victory for a war that would take several years to complete, and then by another president.
President Obama ordered and oversaw the attack on Osama bin Laden that ended in his death, even though some in his cabinet, including Vice President Biden advised against it. It was a huge success. Read more
After indicating that they may veto the House’s cybersecurity bill (CISPA) over privacy concerns, the Obama Administration is reaffirming its support for a competing cybersecurity bill in the Senate, the Lieberman-Collins “Cybersecurity Act of 2012.” Problem is, the Lieberman-Collins bill is nearly as bad on privacy as CISPA. Read more
We’re being told that fiscal responsibility requires big cuts in education, nutrition, and health care for millions of children. This shortsighted and uncaring thinking is not only a nightmare for those directly affected; it is an imminent threat to America’s economic future.
We have to let our policy makers know that fiscal responsibility requires caring economic policies. Here’s why. Read more
4/30/12 On the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, Mitt Romney insists that he would have made the same decision as President Obama did a year ago to order the killing of bin Laden. “Even Jimmy Carter would have made that call.” Romney scoffed. Read more
