Tag Archives: Topic: Politics

The Daily Iowan: Poll numbers show Americans are becoming more progressive on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues, but most of the 2012 Iowa caucus candidates oppose expanding gay rights.

The Washington Post: The suit asks the Richmond Circuit Court to prevent Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who presides over the Senate, from casting the decisive 21st vote in favor of the GOP when the 40-member Senate organizes next month.

Cal Thomas at Townhall: Ultimately, what voters must decide is this: Does a presidential candidate’s personal flaws rise (or fall) to a level that inhibits his ability to do the job of president? Put another way, if you are about to have surgery, do you care if the doctor is a cad, or do you care more whether most of his patients are alive and well?

Dennis Prager at Townhall : To religious readers, I point to God Himself, who apparently thought that King David deserved to remain king — and even have the Messiah descend from him — despite a particularly ugly form of adultery (sending Bathsheba’s husband into battle where he would assuredly be killed).

LifeSiteNews.com: The truth is more complex…and perhaps confusing. Congressman Paul’s view of same-sex “marriage” can best be summed up in one phrase: states rights. Ron Paul believes homosexuals should be allowed to “marry”…in states that legalize the practice.

NY Daily News: If it were up to Michele Bachmann, gay marriage would be gone in Iowa. In an appeareance on Fox News Sunday, the conservative GOP candidate slammed a 2009 court decision allowing same-sex marriage in the state.

The Hill: A defiant Herman Cain maintained that various allegations of sexual impropriety plaguing him were untrue, but nonetheless suspended his presidential campaign Saturday.

TheHill.com: But eager to leave no stone unturned as they peruse the electorate for 2012 supporters, Democrats are setting out to court faith-based voters by connecting their policies on economic issues to the values of equality, tolerance and humanitarianism.

LifeNews.com: After making headlines nationwide with curious comments in an interview in which many observers say he indicated he believes human life begins at implantation, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has restated his pro-life views.

Politico: Fresh off snubbing Donald Trump by refusing to participate in a debate he’s moderating, Ron Paul blasts his fellow GOP presidential candidates for paying the billionaire businessman so much credence.

NYTimes.com: In the aftermath of New York’s legalization of same-sex marriage this summer, gay men and lesbians lionized Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, showering him with gratitude, praise and awards. Now, they are rewarding him with something more tangible: campaign cash.

OregonLive.com: Cornilles said that, contrary to Right to Life, he supports allowing abortion in cases of rape and incest. His campaign manager, Mary Anne Ostrom, said Cornilles also parts way with Right to Life on two other controversial issues. She said he supports in vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research, both of which have been opposed by Right to Life because it leads to the destruction of embryos.

Breaking from groups that believe human life begins at the moment an egg is fertilized — also the position of the Catholic Church, of which he is a member — former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told ABC News he believes life begins at implantation.

News.com.au: FEDERAL Labor looks set to back gay marriage as the party’s national conference gets under way in Sydney.

News from The Associated Press: The toughest opponent Tommy Thompson may have to overcome in next year’s U.S. Senate race is Tommy Thompson himself.

ADF Attorney Joel Oster appeared on the Bott Radio Network to discuss this case. | MP3 audio 22 mins

Religion Clause Federal Election Commission Releases Enforcement Files On Catholic Group’s Robocalls BNA’s Daily Report for Executives [subscription required] reports that on Nov. 25, the Federal Election Commission released documents in an enforcement case against Informed Catholic Citizens (ICC), a 501(c)(4) non-profit …

OneNewsNow.com: Mayor Cook challenged the recall effort, arguing that Brown violated state election law by using church resources to collect signatures for the recall petition. The Alliance Defense Fund is challenging the constitutionality of that law in federal court.

Texas court refuses to issue immediate order that would prevent recall election against mayor, two council members

Dan Balz at The Washington Post: The 2008 election was a reminder of the demographic forces that are changing America and potentially the political balance in the country. The most diverse electorate in the nation’s history added to the favorable winds that pushed President Obama to victory. He will need the assistance of those shifts even more in 2012 if he is to avoid defeat.

Thomas B. Edsall at NYTimes.com: For decades, Democrats have suffered continuous and increasingly severe losses among white voters. But preparations by Democratic operatives for the 2012 election make it clear for the first time that the party will explicitly abandon the white working class.

The Hill: Polls show likely voters are increasingly wary of America’s overseas wars after a decade of fighting, and that economic issues will dominate the 2012 presidential race. But where the candidates stand on several high-profile national security issues will play a role in the campaign

CNN.com: Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, a 16-term Democrat, will announce Monday he does not intend to seek re-election in 2012, according to a statement from Frank’s office.

Real Clear politics links to the video of the discussion.

Josh Gerstein at Politico: When Romney steps on stage tonight for another debate, this one devoted to foreign policy, that kind of China-bashing is likely to be a favorite theme. With a moribund economy, and relatively little traction for other international issues, the threat posed by cheap Chinese imports and Chinese purchases of U.S. debt is an irresistible target.

LifeNews.com: “I have no names for you, it’s presumptuous, I’m not the nominee,” Romney began, then adding, “There probably are 15 names of people, including Kelly Ayotte.”

Examiner.com: Colorado elected their first openly gay house minority leader. State representative Mark Ferrandino was elected to office by the Colorado constituents.

Michael Brown at Townhall : Rush Limbaugh has now confirmed what I wrote last week, explaining to a caller on Friday, November 18th that the elephant in the room in the Penn State scandal was that the alleged pedophile acts committed by Jerry Sandusky were homosexual in nature.

LifeNews.com: Herman Cain has reversed position and decided to sign a pro-life pledge on abortion a prominent pro-life group has had other Republican presidential hopefuls sign that Cain initially declined to attach his name to months ago.

Education News: The head of the nation’s largest labor union says Republican efforts to restrain the power of unions has produced a middle-class backlash across the country that could cost Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and other GOP politicians their jobs.

The Des Moines Register: The pledge advocates several issues, including the Defense of Marriage Act, personal fidelity to the signee’s spouse, appointment of “faithful constitutionalists” as judges, and reformation of anti-marriage elements in divorce, tax and welfare laws.

San Francisco Chronicle: Republican presidential candidates seeking to become the main alternative to Mitt Romney in Iowa criticized the Occupy Wall Street movement and called for a greater religious presence in civic life as they made their case to about 3,000 social conservatives at a Des Moines church.

Washington Examiner: Virginia Senate Democrats are considering suing Senate Republicans after the GOP lawmakers claimed they have outright control of the Senate even though both parties control 20 of the 40 seats. At issue is whether Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling . . .

LifeNews.com: The re-election campaign of President Barack Obama has hired an activist who formerly worked for one of the top pro-abortion groups to head up a new women’s outreach effort for the 2012 presidential election.

TheHill.com: Today, the split between young Americans, their parents and grandparents is as glaring as the difference between Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party. It extends to their votes but has its roots in racial, economic, religious and demographic differences.

The video is here.

NECN.com: As he’s done in previous sessions, Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal says he intends to stop action on a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage.

The Washington Post (embeds Ron Paul video ad): Texas Rep. Ron Paul, long dismissed by the GOP establishment as a fringe candidate, has broadened his electoral appeal and emerged as a major player in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, according to several recent polls and conversations with a handful of longtime Hawkeye political operatives.

Rasmussen Reports.

Daniel Henninger at WSJ.com: The decision by the Obama administration to “delay” building the Keystone XL pipeline is a watershed moment in American politics. The implication of a policy choice rarely gets more stark than this. Put simply: Why should any blue-collar worker who isn’t hooked for life to a public budget vote for Barack Obama next year?

Politico: Former Cornerstone Action executive director Kevin Smith tells John DiStaso he’s in the open seat race for governor.

The Hill: Newt Gingrich said a Gingrich-Hermain Cain ticket would be “a real possibility” if he won the Republican presidential nomination.

The Hill: Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) on Wednesday night said Republican governors and legislatures are purposefully pressing for the enactment of voter identification laws in order to suppress Democratic voter turnout in the 2012 election.

Sydney Morning Herald: The Left will push at conference not for a conscience vote but for a change of policy to endorse same-sex marriage. Its senior operatives said yesterday that Ms Gillard’s attempt to frame the outcome in advance would not stop this push.

JSOnline: The senators: Pam Galloway of Wausau, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls, Van Wanggaard of Racine and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau.

Businessweek: Republican Rick Perry, who needs a strong Iowa showing to resurrect his presidential campaign, used a speech in the state today to call for a streamlined federal government, term limits for federal judges and a “part-time” Congress with smaller pay and office budgets.

The Hill: Democrats on Capitol Hill are worried that the Supreme Court will rule against President Obama’s healthcare reform law.

Bloomberg: A Bloomberg News poll shows Cain at 20 percent, Paul at 19 percent, Romney at 18 percent and Gingrich at 17 percent among the likely attendees with the caucuses that start the nominating contests seven weeks away.

SeattlePI.com: Calling itself Washington United for Marriage, the coalition is also comprised of Equal Rights Washington, Human Rights Campaign, Legal Voice, and Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest. It includes unions and such major faith groups as the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

Public Policy Polling: Newt Gingrich has taken the lead in PPP’s national polling. He’s at 28% to 25% for Herman Cain and 18% for Mitt Romney.

CNN Poll: According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Monday, 24% of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say Romney is their most likely choice for their party’s presidential nominee with Gingrich at 22%. Romney’s two-point advantage is well within the survey’s sampling error.

CBS Atlanta 46: Private investigator TJ Ward said presidential hopeful Herman Cain was not lying at a news conference on Tuesday in Phoenix.

FRC: “Marriage is not some prize that liberals can award to a small, vocal and already well-off special interest group. Marriage between one man and one woman was created prior to the formation of any governments and is given benefits by governments because it uniquely contributes to a productive society.”

NYTimes.com: The Obama administration is preparing to delay a decision on the contested Keystone XL pipeline while it studies an alternate route, effectively pushing any action past the 2012 election, officials and lobbyists who have been briefed on the matter said on Thursday. An announcement is expected as early as Thursday afternoon.

The Hill: Abortion-rights supporters say the issue can help President Obama’s reelection campaign regain ground with voters who supported him in 2008 but have drifted since.

The Hill: The group’s website, NotMittRomney.com, launched this week.

The Hill: Rick Perry struggled to remember which federal agencies he would cut, Herman Cain had the crowd’s support in dealing with sexual harassment allegations, and Mitt Romney sailed through Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate.

The Hill: Those in the crowd at the CNBC debate booed moderator Maria Bartiromo when she asked Cain about whether he had the character needed for the nation’s highest office.

The Washington Post: Most coverage of Tuesday’s night’s recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce (R) in Mesa, Arizona has focused on the fact that Russell authored the state’s controversial immigration legislation.

Dorothy Rabinowitz at WSJ.com: Newt Gingrich’s rise in the polls—from near zero to the third slot in several polls—should come as no surprise to people who have been watching the Republican debates, now drawing television viewers as never before. The former speaker has stood out at these forums, the debater whose audiences seem to hang on his words and on a flow of thought rich in substance, a world apart from the usual that the political season brings.

Republicans had hoped for a 25-25 tie and the potential to move forward on now-gridlocked priorities, such as a move to begin the process to ban same-sex marriage in Iowa.

Utah Pulse: Numbers from the Pew Research Center shows that 46% of Americans oppose gay marriage, while 45% support legalization. However, 85% of “staunch conservatives” and 72% of “Main Street Republicans” oppose gay marriage, while Democratic groups are all over the map.

ADF Attorney Kevin Theriot at Speak Up Movement Church Blog: A recent column in USAToday titled “5 rules for faith and politics 2012” proposes rules the authors say would avoid both theocracy and hostility toward religion. But all they succeed in doing is marginalizing people of faith who have the audacity to think their most cherished beliefs about God and morality should affect all aspects of their lives – including how they vote

The Guardian: Jonathan Sumption QC believes that UK judiciary is too closely involved in making decisions best left for parliament

Rasmussen Reports™: There’s a lot of anger in America today, but voters seem to reserve a special place in hell for Congress and the large banks bailed out by the federal government.

News from The Associated Press: GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann says too many Republicans aspire to be “frugal socialists” and the party can’t afford a nominee who isn’t a rock-solid conservative.

The Washington Post: Those potential unintended consequences are what makes Initiative 26 — or MS-26 — a powder keg. If passed, the abortion debate could hit a pitch not seen since the passing of Roe v. Wade. That’s because the “personhood” law would be unprecedented, and its backers have said they intend to take the issue to other states.

Eastern Iowa Government: Based on PPP’s survey of 878 likely voters from Nov, 4-6, Mathis leads Golding 52 percent to 46 percent. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.3 percent.

A special election on Tuesday for an Iowa State Senate seat could change the balance of power there and encourage Republicans to try to overturn the state’s approval of same sex marriage.

Eastern Iowa Government: At a rally with the Family Research Council Action’s Values Voters Bus Tour and the National Organization for Marriage, a day ahead of an election to fill a vacancy in Iowa Senate 18, Republican Cindy Golding told supporters not to accept media attempts to make the race about any one issue, especially same-sex marriage.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi led 130 fellow Democrats in filing a friend-of-the-court brief Thursday challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, arguing that Republicans defending the law, which denies all federal benefits to married same-sex couples, do not represent the full House.

San Francisco Chronicle: A California lawmaker from the Central Valley has revealed that she is gay, making her one of eight openly gay members of the Legislature. Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani . . .

Politico: If the Supreme Court next year gets rid of the health reform law’s requirement to buy insurance, Republicans could gain momentum to get rid of the rest of the law — and President Barack Obama would suffer a huge embarrassment at the height of an election year.