Southern Democrats Urge A Return To Party Basics

Southern Democrats are joining others in the party who say that a return to advocating to lift people out of economic hardship and emphasizing spending on education and public works will re-energize black voters and attract whites as well.

"It's time to draw a line in the sand and not surrender our brand," Rickey Cole, the party chairman in Mississippi, said. He believes candidates have distanced themselves from the past half-century of Democratic principles.

"We don't need a New Coke formula," Cole said. "The problem is we've been out there trying to peddle Tab and RC Cola."

Cole and other Southern Democrats acknowledge divisions with prominent populists such as Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to run for president in 2016, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Yet they see merit in pushing stronger voting rights laws, tighter bank regulation, labor-friendly policies such as a higher minimum wage and other familiar party themes.

Democratic politics have become a tough sell in the conservative South. A major challenge in the region is finding candidates who can win high-profile races now that Republicans, who scored well in midterm elections earlier this month, dominate the leadership in state legislatures and across statewide offices.

Georgia Democrats thought legacy candidates were the answer. But Senate hopeful Michelle Nunn, former Sen. Sam Nunn's daughter, and gubernatorial challenger Jason Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's grandson, each fell short by about 8 percentage points despite well-funded campaigns and ambitious voter-registration drives.

Arkansas Democrats lost an open governor's seat and two-term Sen. Mark Pryor. Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu led an eight-candidate primary but faces steep odds in a Dec. 6 runoff. Democrats' closest statewide loss in the South was North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan's 1.7 percentage point margin of defeat.

Exit polling suggests Democrats did not get the black turnout they needed and lost badly among whites. Nunn and Carter got fewer than 1 in 4 white votes, while Pryor took 31 percent and Landrieu 18 percent.

Why I Should be a Republican, But I’m Not

By Allen Clifton

I’ve dedicated a good portion of my life, and sometimes my own sanity, to fighting against Republican ignorance. And while I’ll describe myself as a liberal, a progressive or even a Democrat deep down, I honestly just use common sense when it comes to determining where I stand on any given issue.

That being said, pretty much everyone who meets me who isn’t aware I’m a liberal always assumes I’m a Republican. And I can kind of see why. I’m:

• A born and bred Texan
• Christian
• Straight
• White
• Male

Outside of being wealthy, the Republican party goes out of its way to try to pander to people just like me. I own cowboy-style work boots, listen to country music (I actually like all kinds of music), own a few pieces of camouflage clothing (though I don’t hunt), own a truck, I pray every night and I prefer the quieter country as opposed to the hectic city. Hell, I even have a more than slight country accent.

But make no mistake about it, I’m sure as hell not a Republican.

As far as I’m concerned:

• I don’t believe the poor and middle class are served best by making rich people richer.
• I don’t think any American should be forced to abide by laws or rules based on a faith that they don’t follow.
• I don’t think homosexuals choose to be gay, I believe they’re born that way.
• I think women should determine what they do with their own bodies.
• I think the poor should be helped, not vilified.
• I feel that greed is far more dangerous than laziness.
• Corporations are the reason why our government is so corrupt in the first place, so it makes no sense to further deregulate them.
• I believe that health care should be a right for every human being.
• Guns, while not the sole problem, are part of the problem with gun violence in this country.
• Education should be just as big of a priority as our national defense.
• Science and faith are not mutually exclusive, it’s possible to believe in both – because I do.
• War should be a measure of last resort, not the first option on the table.
• If a business can’t afford to pay its workers a living wage then they shouldn’t be in business.
• Demand creates jobs, not tax cuts.
• The vast majority of the world’s scientists aren’t wrong when they say humans are causing climate change.
• We should be making it easier for people to vote, not more difficult.
• Patriotism should be about helping Americans, not waving a flag while vilifying millions of the poorest among us.
• Getting an education shouldn’t place students into debt for decades.

I believe in all of that and a lot of other things. So as a straight, white Christian male from Texas I might seem like I would be the prototypical right-wing conservative. Except I have a mind of my own and lack the key ingredient on which being a Republican is built – blind, hateful ignorance.

Reality Check for Democrats: Republicans Sell Lies Better Than You Tell the Truth

In the days after every election, I avoid the political media as much as possible. During this time all these “experts” will go back and forth trying to overcomplicate the “whys and why nots” of what happened, just like they have this election. Even though the truth is glaringly obvious: Republicans sell lies better than Democrats tell the truth. 

All I’ve heard since Tuesday night is how “serious” Mitch McConnell is about working with the president to end the gridlock in Congress.

Really? McConnell is “eager” to end our perpetual gridlock in Congress and work with the president? The man who once famously declared, with a smile on his face no less:

“Our [Republicans] top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term.”

That is the individual Republicans are “promising” will work with the president to end congressional gridlock?

Tweet of the Day!

Polling place locator.

Dem. Candidate Withheld Info About His Military Service — TRUTH REVEALED!

And the truth that came out is exactly what you’d suspect from a soldier who is also a Democrat.

Legendary Boston Globe journalist Walter V. Robinson has built a huge career on exposing political clowns who lie about or exaggerate their military service and the honors they received while in service. But when he went after Seth Moulton — the Democratic nominee for Congress for Massachusetts Sixth Congressional District — he uncovered some “dirt” that he’s never uncovered before. Moulton is a decorated Marine and doesn’t tell people. Not even his parents.

Moulton, a Marine who saw fierce combat for months in Iraq, chose not to publicly disclose his awards. Robinson, however, reviewed an official summary of Seth Moulton’s five years of military service and discovered that Moulton was awarded the Bronze Star medal for valor and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal for valor. When pressed by Robinson, Moulton confessed.

From the The Boston Globe:

In 2003 and 2004, during weeks-long battles with Iraqi insurgents, then-Lieutenant Moulton “fearlessly exposed himself to enemy fire” while leading his platoon during pitched battles for control of Nasiriyah and Najaf south of Baghdad, according to citations for the medals that the Globe requested from the campaign.

Why so secretive?

In an interview, Moulton said he considers it unseemly to discuss his own awards for valor. “There is a healthy disrespect among veterans who served on the front lines for people who walk around telling war stories,’’ he said. What’s more, Moulton said he is uncomfortable calling attention to his own awards out of respect to “many others who did heroic things and received no awards at all.’’

Bill Clinton Absolutely Crushes Republican Anti-Obama Fearmongering

I’m a fan of President Obama, but I’m not sure if there’s a president I’ll ever like more than Bill Clinton. While I know he (just like every other politician in United States history) is far from perfect, I’m not sure if there’s anyone better at getting their message across to the American voter. Well, at least those voters who have the ability to think for themselves.

During a campaign stop in Arkansas for Senator Mark Pryor, the former president absolutely ripped into right-wing anti-Obama rhetoric when it comes to this year’s elections.

Clinton said:

“You can not afford to do what their opponents want. They want you to make this a protest vote. All three of these races they’re saying hey, you may like these guys, but you know what you gotta do. You gotta vote against the president. After all, it’s your last shot. It’s a pretty good scam, isn’t it? Give me a six year job for a two year protest. That’s Mark Pryor’s opponent’s message.
Yeah, I voted to cut student loans. Yeah, I voted to raise the interest rate. Yeah, I voted against the Violence Against Women Act. No, I’ll never vote for equal pay for equal work. Are you kidding? Would I vote for raising the minimum wage? No way, but I’ll give you one more protest vote. To do it, you gotta give me six years for a protest that will be irrelevant in two. Does that make any sense to you?”

Mark Pryor is currently in a campaign battle against Republican Arkansas Rep. Tom Cotton.

But the former president is exactly right. Because Republicans couldn’t beat President Obama in 2008 or 2012, they’ve used the midterms (where liberal voters unfortunately show up in smaller numbers) to try to “defeat” the president. Even though no matter what voters decide on this November, President Obama isn’t going anywhere for another 2+ years.

And let’s think about that for a moment. The senators who are elected this November aren’t serving two-year terms. Oh, no. The candidates the American people elect to the United States Senate this November will be in office for the last remaining years on Obama’s second term plus the entire first term of the next president.

So, like Clinton said, how does it make any sense to vote against a candidate based on a president that won’t even be in office for most of their next term?

Besides, it’s asinine to vote for or against any politician based on who the president is. Vote for or against each individual candidate based on their voting record and what they stand for, not who currently occupies the White House.

And this whole anti-Obama propaganda is such b.s. anyway. Most conservative voters can’t even name five factual statements about the president. Most of what they dislike about him is based on misinformation or outright lies pushed by Republicans and the conservative media.

If you don’t like a president’s policies, that’s fine. But at least know the truth about those policies. Not some made up political drivel that’s based on propaganda rather than facts. Which is exactly what Republicans do.

I just hope for our country’s sake, Arkansas voters were listening.

Eliz. Warren, 4 other Dem. Senators, join NOH8 photo campaign

US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has joined four other Democratic US Senators in being photographed for the pro-gay/pro-tolerance “NOH8” campaign.

NOH8 is the brainchild of photographer Adam Bouska, and was inspired by the Proposition 8 campaign in California that repealed gay marriage in that state. (Prop 8 was subsequently struck down by the courts, and gay couples can now marry in California.)

The campaign consists of celebrities and regular people being photographed with the phrase “NOH8″ (i.e., “no hate”) tradtionally written on their cheek, often while having a strip of silver tape across their mouths. Many of the members of Congress opted for a more subtle placement.

The addition of Warren and Mark Udall (D-CO), Carl Levin (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tom Udall (D-NM), brings the number of Senators in the campaign to 12. Over 100 US House members have also joined. That entire group includes only one Republican, U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.

Here are the new Senators:
Senator Heinrich, photographed earlier, was one of the few who opted for the full tape and tattoo.

Data Shows: Conservatives really ARE the problem

The nonpartisan Pew Research Center released a new report on political polarization in the American public, and it came to the utterly unsurprising conclusion that conservatives are far more likely to belligerently oppose the opposition and label them as a threat to the country’s well being.

Sure, the study indicates that some of that kind of thinking is present on both sides of the ideological spectrum, but it is far more widespread among consistently conservative Republicans. Indicator after indicator shows that conservatives and Republicans are more entrenched in their ideologies and less willing to negotiate and govern. Conservatives are more likely to consume media that only caters to their existing political biases. They’re more likely to surround themselves with people who are like-minded on political issues.

Perhaps most telling, though, in the context of Washington gridlock, is the fact that conservatives balk at the very idea of compromise. Where 82 percent of consistent liberals say they support politicians who are willing to compromise, fewer than a third of consistent conservatives agree. Conservatives overwhelmingly prefer politicians who “stick to their positions.”

That revelation makes perfect sense when one considers the recent shutdown of the federal government. Repeatedly, tea party Republicans in Congress have threatened to shut down the government, or allow the US to default on its debts rather than pass legislation with which they disagree. As a rule, they have been more willing to allow calamitous consequences to occur than to be seen compromising with the other side of the aisle.

So, at the risk of sounding like a conservative, I’m going to go ahead and say, yes, the other side is the problem, and they are a threat to our democracy as a result.

Democrat Jack Trammell speaks out about Virginia congressional race

Virginia Democratic congressional nominee Jack Trammell responded to questions from msnbc’s Krystal Ball about his policy views and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s primary defeat. This Q&A was one of Trammell’s first with the national press.

Q: So, you jumped into this race out of the blue a little over a week ago. You were nominated in a conference call Sunday night. What made you wake up and decide you wanted to run for Congress? 

A: Well truthfully, I’ve been thinking about running for several years but really committed to the idea a few months ago as I watched the dysfunctional politics of Congress continue to hurt Virginians. I’m running to give Virginians a leader who will get Congress focused on the priorities that matter to our community.

Q: We know you’re a history professor at Randolph Macon College. Your opponent Dave Brat is also a professor at Randolph Macon. (I guess faculty meetings are about to get a bit awkward!) Do you know Professor Brat? What else should we know about your background and your beliefs?

A: Professor Brat is a casual friend, meaning we know each other, and talk on occasion. We might have even played a game or two of basketball together! Although we do know each other, my beliefs drastically differ from those of Professor Brat. I think it’s important for people to know that I am a very active member of my community, so I’m very connected to the issues that are important to our community.

Q: Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s loss to David Brat was obviously a stunning upset that next to no one predicted. Did you expect to face Cantor in the Fall? To what do you attribute his loss? 

A: Part of me did; part of me believes in the unpredictability of politics. I believe his loss is just another indication that Virginians believe as I do that it is time for fresh ideas and new leadership in Washington.

Q: Have you spoken with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee? Will they support you?

A: Right now, I am working with my 7th District committee leaders, as well as the state party, to put as many pieces into place as possible in a reasonable amount of time. We’re focused on building our campaign and reaching out to Virginians to share our message.

Q: David Brat’s campaign against Cantor was animated by his opposition to what he calls amnesty for undocumented immigrants. Do you believe that the Dream Act, which would grant citizenship to the children of undocumented workers, or comprehensive immigration reform represent amnesty? What would you look to do on immigration?

A: I think immigration reform is a perfect example of how partisanship derails progress. We have to work together in order to enact change and move forward in the right direction.

Q: Virginia’s approach to health care reform has also made a lot of news this week with The Washington Post reporting that Republicans pressured a Democratic state senator to resign in order to prevent Democrats from moving forward with Medicaid expansion. Do you believe Virginia should accept federal government dollars to expand Medicaid to all those under 133% of the poverty line?

A: I am in favor expanding Medicaid. Here in Virginia alone, 400,000 people could benefit from doing so.

Q: What are your views on the president’s health care law more broadly? Would you change it? Repeal it?

A: The status quo wasn’t working for middle class families or our country’s bottom line. The only people who liked the status-quo were the insurance companies and the politicians they fund. The law isn’t perfect and I believe in remaining vigilant over time to monitor and improve any aspects of that law that need strengthening. We should fix what’s not working and keep what is.

Q: Sadly school shootings and gun violence have continued to dominate headlines this week. Would changing our federal gun laws help to prevent these sorts of tragedies?

A: My views on this issue are shaped by my life experience as both a teacher who would not want guns in my classroom, and as a rural resident with many friends and neighbors who are safe and responsible firearm owners. Generally, I would take my cues from law enforcement officials – but gun violence is a problem that has no easy, one size fits all solution – we need a complete approach that addresses mental health, education and a careful look at the legislation.

Q: Finally, Majority Leader Cantor was a very conservative member of Congress and was still ousted by forces even further to the right in the Republican Party. Is that hard right ideology typical of the 7th Congressional District? What does your path to victory look like? 

A: It is certainly not typical, meaning that it doesn’t represent everyone’s views, by any means. In spite of the way the district was drawn, there is a wealth diversity in its demographics. As I meet new people and connect with those I already know, I’m reminded of this. There are so many issues affecting our community that cross party lines. The people of the 7th District deserve a leader who can work across those lines, stand up to the reckless dysfunction in Washington, and get results on the issues that matter to us.

Young, HIV-Positive Gay Man Mulls Run For Congress

“Young people have very, very powerful voices,” Aaron Darr says. “We just need to speak up.”

The 23-year-old Democrat has worked on campaigns for Hillary Clinton and Anthony Wiener. He’s currently living in Largo, Florida, where he’s weighing a 2016 run for the Florida House of Representatives in District 66.

If elected, he will be the youngest person, the third openly gay person and the first openly HIV-positive person ever elected to a district office in the state of Florida.

Queerty chatted with Darr over Skype about his political ambitions, his chances of winning in a Republican dominated state and district, and how his HIV-status actually enhances his candidacy.

You’re considering a run for the Florida House of Reps.

I’ve been in the process of laying some groundwork for myself and to help other Democrats to win some local and state races down here. I’m a campaign coordinator for Shawna Bercher, which is right under campaign manager. [Laughs] Which is funny, at 23, that that’s what I’m doing.

How did you get involved in politics?

But I’ve doing things in politics since I was 16 years old. My first experience ever working on a political campaign was when this very, very remarkable, extraordinary human being named Hillary Clinton ran for president. I worked on her campaign and did a lot of stuff for her in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana throughout the whole Democratic primary process. It changed my life.

So many young people seem to be about “me, me, me, me, me.” My generation, at least. You know, that’s not always a bad thing. But with everything that’s going on in the world, younger people, in general, need to step up and makes some kind of contribution.

Do you think you have a shot?

You have to play a little more moderate down here. I was born and raised Baptist for 19 years of my life, so I understand the views and opinions of those with whom I disagree. I understand them and I respect them. But I find that the more you educate people on these things called math, science, and facts, I think you can persuade them to come around and swing to your view.

If I do run, I’m going to win. I really do think it’s possible. And I’m going to try my darnedest. I think that it’s very important that LGBT people run for office. My idol is Harvey Milk. Right now we do not have a Harvey Milk, and we need a Harvey Milk. Someone in the gay community needs to step up and step forward and speak on all of our behalves.

If I’m elected, I will be the third LGBT person elected to a statewide office in the state of Florida, I will be the first openly HIV-positive person, and I would be the youngest person elected.

You’ve mentioned before that you are HIV-positive.

I like to look at myself as a people’s candidate. I understand these things. I’m not ashamed of this at all. I was diagnosed HIV-positive three days before Christmas in 2008, my sophomore year in high school. I had only ever had sex with three people and its forever changed my life.

I remember thinking of Samantha Jones when she had been tested for HIV on an episode of Sex and the City and I thought “Well, I’ve only been with two people. This isn’t going to happen to me.” And, sure enough, it had.

HIV/AIDS is very real to a lot of people. HIV/AIDS is not a gay disease. The highest infection rate of people living with HIV are heterosexual African American women. The two states that are having the highest infection rates are Mississippi and Louisiana, right here in the South.

I don’t know if this is necessarily going to help me. It’s a part of me. It’s not who I am. I hope, if anything, it encourage others to know their status. You have to know your status and you have to protect yourself.

Do you feel as though you lacked enough information to protect yourself as a young person?

I do feel I had lacked the information necessary to protect myself as a teenager. The reason I got tested in the first place was because of the information I learned about unprotected sex in a health class I had taken the semester before during my junior year.

In Ohio, there are those who believe that keeping men, women, and children in ignorance of reproductive healthcare, contraceptives, and information that children would and should learn at a young age about the ways in which they can protect themselves, isn’t something that should be included in education in public schools.

In reality, the infection rate of HIV/AIDS and the rate of teenage pregnancy actually increase dramatically, according to the work that The Campaign Against Teenage Pregnancy has conducted, when you deny others access to reproductive healthcare, contraceptives, sex education in schools, and proper family planning.

What was it like learning you had HIV at such a young age?

If anything, it forced me to grow up. I remember driving home and looking at the tree branches with snow on them. I had always noticed them before, but not how beautiful they really were. I learned to appreciate life, my surroundings and my family. I learned not to take for granted a single moment the struggles and hardships that I had faced in life. Yes, what happened to me was very unfortunate, but it is nothing in comparison to what is going on in the lives of others around the world and that this was a blessing from God for me to help others not have to learn some of life’s hardest lessons the way I had to.

And what about your family? How did they respond?

My mother could tell I visibly upset when I had got home. She asked me what was wrong and I wouldn’t answer. She then yelled at me to tell her what was wrong, so I told her. This for me became a defining moment in my life. I learned what it was like to break someone’s heart. In that moment that I had told my Baptist mother I was HIV-positive, at 17 years old, I broke her heart. I will never forget the complete and utter shock on her face and the hurt in her eyes. My stepfather then looked at me and said, “How could you do this to your mother?”

How did you deal with that?

I threw myself into theater and school to keep my mind off of my new diagnosis and try to adjust to it the best way that I could. I then had finished the rest of my junior year of high school and had the summer off to really learn about myself. I had become very sad, depressed and had so much resentment towards myself. I turned 18 and had gone out all summer, became friends with the wrong people and gotten into alcohol and became quite promiscuous. I was very sad, so sad that I actually moved in with my father whom I hadn’t had a relationship with due to the fact that he was an alcoholic and had beaten my mother, brothers and myself for the first eight years of my life. It was the worst decision I could have possibly made, but I learned from these mistakes.

What should the state and federal government be doing about the rising infection rates among young gay men?

I believe that both state and federal governments and elected officials must start a dialogue. Start a conversation, about the importance of reproductive healthcare, teenage pregnancy and sex education in public and private institutions of education. HIV/AIDS is still very taboo in America and around the world, which is truly a shame. We need to be investing money into programs like Planned Parenthood, local Health Departments, HRSA HIV/AIDS Programs like The Ryan White Program and ADAP. As a voter, we also must ask these questions of our elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans. We have a moral obligation to take care of one another and we need to elect public officials who understand the importance of investing in healthcare, because Democrat or Republican, we all get sick.

If you could give one piece of advice to sexually active gay teenagers today, what would it be?

I would tell young gay men that just because you are young that you are not invincible. Gay or straight, this can happen to you. I had only slept with three people before I had learned I was HIV-positive and to just remember that it only takes one time.

[HIV] isn’t as simple as just taking a pill every day, which sounds easy. You have to worry about what you eat, your personal and social habits, the protection of yourself and your sexual partners, and making healthier choices in life to ensure that your CD4 count is high and your viral load is always low. I think if anything, this is the hardest part about becoming HIV-positive, adapting to the diagnosis.

I know there is a lot said about the rate of teenage suicide among LGBT children and what they feel of their own self-worth. Younger LGBT people, in particular younger gay men, need to know they can grow up to be whatever they want to be and that they are valued members of society, and that they do have a voice, and that they need to stand up and use it, while being smart about the choices that they make in the process, which includes practicing safe sex, always.

House GOP Tanking: Dems Surge Ahead Six Points in Latest Poll

A new poll reveals that the Democrats have an edge in the upcoming 2014 mid-terms.

A poll released by McClatchy/Marist on Tuesday shows the Democrats with a national lead, even in the South. According to the numbers, 48% of respondents said they would vote Democrat, while only 42% said they would vote Republican. 90% of Democrats polled said they would be willing to vote for a Democrat, while 94% of Republicans polled said they would be willing to vote for a Republican – remember this number, since this is after 50+ attempts to repeal Obamacare, the Ryan Budget, and the other insanities of the Kamikaze Caucus. What this means is that the people polled were knee-jerk Republicans, abjectly clueless, FOX viewers, or out playing terrorist in Nevada and stealing land from the American people (note the categories are not mutually exclusive).

The real boost for the Democrats is the number of Independents polled who said they would vote Democrat – 43% – verses the ones who said they would vote Republican – 40%. Democrats also have a solid lead with moderates as well; 53% of that population polled would vote Democrat, versus 35%, who favor the GOP.

The breakdown continues in the Democrats’ favor even on the regional level, especially in the South, where they hold a one point advantage. The only region where the Democrats are trailing is in the Midwest, and that’s not by much – the GOP only has a two point lead.

These poll numbers suggest that people are itching to show the Kamikaze Caucus the door. Naturally, this is the population polled, and these numbers are empty if people don’t get out to vote in November. The Democrats need 17 seats in the House – let’s get out there in November and make that happen, people!

Anti-Equality Party Chair Hopeful Splits Virginia Democratic Party

Democrats in Virginia will be electing a new party chair next week, and prospect Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones is causing a rift in the party over his stance against marriage equality. Presently 71 Central Committee members and 40 local party officers have all signed a petition asserting, “Unless Mayor Jones makes a strong public statement in support of legal marriage equality, we cannot consider supporting him.”

Jones, a Baptist pastor, has expressed his support for general LGBT equality but draws the line at marriage due to his religious beliefs and the Baptist denomination's opposition to marriage equality. In 2006 Jones voted for the constitutional amendment banning the recognition of all same-sex relationships and encouraged the federal government to do the same, distancing himself from supporting Obama after the President endorsed marriage equality.

An anonymous insider said that the anti-LGBT members within the Democratic party are "our Tea Party." 

Congresswoman Sandra Fluke? Social Justice Activist ‘Strongly Considering’ Running

Congresswoman Sandra Fluke? The former Georgetown University Law student who made a name for herself by standing up for women’s rights — only to be labeled a “slut” by Rush Limbaugh — is considering running for the congressional seat currently held by 20-term Democratic icon Henry Waxman.

“I’m flattered that I’m being discussed as a potential candidate, especially for Rep. Waxman’s seat, considering his incredible legacy,” Sandra Fluke said in a statement to The Huffington Post. “A number of folks I respect very deeply have reached out today and encouraged me to run. I am strongly considering running. I’ll be making my decision soon.”

Fluke is now a practicing social justice attorney in Los Angeles.

Rep. Waxman, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has been a tremendous supporter of progressive issues, LGBT civil rights, and women’s rights.

On Twitter, the hashtag #RunSandraRun is being used to fuel support. Fluke is also on Twitter, @SandraFluke.

Push for minimum wage hike led by localities, Democrats

States and municipalities across the country are leading a localized push to raise the minimum wage, driven largely by Democrats, who see an opening to appeal to working-class Americans at a time of growing inequity.

Efforts in Congress to raise the national minimum wage above $7.25 an hour have stalled. But numerous local governments — including those of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, and the District — are forging ahead, in some cases voting to dramatically increase the pay of low-wage workers.

The efforts, while supported by many unions, threaten to create a patchwork of wage rates that could mean workers in some areas will be entitled to vastly less than those working similar jobs nearby. The campaigns reach from coast to coast.
“Congress can’t do anything right now, and even if they could, they wouldn’t even come close to the level that various cities and states around the country are looking at,” said Phil Mendelson, the Democratic chairman of the D.C. Council, which is expected to take an initial vote Tuesday setting the city’s minimum wage at $11.50 an hour by 2016.
The county councils in Montgomery and Prince George’s voted this week to reach $11.50 — higher than any rate in effect in the United States — by 2017. The coordinated effort emerged in recent months after local officials decided they could not wait for Congress or state legislators.
As minimum wage fights have gone increasingly local, Democrats have led the charge, working to define themselves as the party of blue-collar workers while casting Republicans as defenders of corporations and big business.
Backing minimum wage increases, even in otherwise conservative states, sharpens that definition, they believe. Minimum wage increases have broad public support, and income inequality issues have touched a nerve in many places.
“When the pope starts criticizing trickle-down economics, you know the gulf between rich and poor has become too much to ignore,” said Tom Lindenfeld, a Democratic consultant with close ties to labor unions.
Recent initiatives
President Obama has called for an increase in the national rate, mentioning it in his most recent State of the Union address and recently signing on to a proposal from congressional Democrats to set a $10.10 hourly rate. But congressional Republicans have opposed any increase, saying it would hurt employers and curtail job growth.
“When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it,” House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said in February.
Many states long ago set their rates slightly above the federal minimum, and a handful of cities — notably San Francisco and Santa Fe, N.M. — joined them. The District has set its minimum wage at $1 above the federal standard since 1993. But the recent push is distinguished by the number of jurisdictions involved and the magnitude of the increases proposed.
This year, a group of unions, led by the Service Employees International Union, spurred efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for airline and restaurant employees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, just south of Seattle. Voters in 2012 decided to increase the minimum wage in Albuquerque to $8.50, and have yearly cost-of-living bumps, beginning this year. 

 

More

'Battlefield Dallas' off to an awkward start

There is a concerted Democratic effort underway to make Texas a more competitive electoral battleground. The effort, dubbed "Battleground Texas," is being led by former Obama for America field director Jeremy Bird, and it seems to have rattled some Texas Republicans.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R), for example, recently said, "Over our dead bodies are we going to let this state turn blue." State Attorney General Greg Abbott described the Democratic campaign as "an assault far more dangerous than what the leader of North Korea threatened when he said he was going to add Austin, Texas, as one of the recipients of his nuclear weapons."

But the GOP anxiety is also evident at the grassroots level (via Zandar).

Take Texas GOP chairman Steve Munisteri's efforts to drum up support for "Battlefield Dallas," an attempt by Dallas Republicans to counter the Battleground Texas push. Munisteri flew up to Dallas for an event and said all the right things during his speech.

It was billed of "the first public meeting of Battlefield Dallas." But a Tea Party Republican made the headlines when he had this to say about GOP voter outreach efforts.

"I'm going to be real honest with you, the Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote if they're going to vote 9-to-1 for Democrats," Ken Emanuelson said.

First, when the RNC wonders why the party struggles with minority outreach, and Tea Partiers wonder why they've developed an unfortunate reputation, I hope they'll keep this quote in mind.

Second, I'm generally skeptical of the Democratic efforts to turn Texas "blue," at least in the short term, but it appears some Republicans in the state really are concerned -- at least concerned enough to say ridiculous things.

And third, does Emanuelson quote suggest African-American voters in Texas should expect a new round of voter-suppression efforts?

Democrats vs. Republlicans

Republicans fear that the government has too much control over corporations. Democrats fear that corporations have too much control over our government.

Democrats believe it benefits all of us to help the weakest and the poorest among us. Republicans believe it benefits all of us to help the wealthiest and most powerful among us.

Republicans believe large corporations will always do what is best for the American people if the government stays out of the way. Democrats believe large corporations would disembowel you and sell your organs to the highest bidder if the government didn’t stop them.

Democrats believe everyone is entitled to health care regardless of their ability to pay. Republicans believe everyone is entitled to jack squat if they can’t pay for health care.

Democrats believe too much of our money goes to crooked corporate executives who take government subsidies and pay themselves $80 million salaries. Republicans believe too much of our money goes to teachers who make $30,000 a year.

Democrats believe anything that helps the American people during a recession or a time of crisis is the true essence of patriotism. Republicans believe anything that helps the American people during a recession or a time of crisis is the true essence of communism.

Democrats believe that we need to set high standards for clean air and drinking water. Republicans believe that standards for clean air and water are burdensome over-regulation.

Democrats believe the President and Congress need to work together to create jobs during a weak economy. Republicans believe that Congress should do nothing to create jobs and then blame the President.

Defeat of DOMA, More Critical Than Ever, as Key Senate Democrats Signal They Will Abandon LGBT Amendments to Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Today will likely be the day many of us have long known would come. Twenty years of grass roots organizing and exhaustive advocacy has brought us here, and yet it will now fail. The historic opportunity to pass a Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with an amendment providing for the unification of LGBT families, is almost certainly gone.

Without an amendment in Committee, there stands zero chance of such an amendment being added next month on the Senate floor. Media reports (Politico, Washington Blade, AP) in the past few days has all but confirmed that at least two leading Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have caved to empty Republican threats to sabotage immigration reform if lesbian and gay Americans are included. These two prominent members of the Senate Judiciary Committee could have stood up to the outrageous Republican scapegoating of lesbian and gay Americans, but they did not. If you have ever felt like calling a U.S. Senator, particularly if you live in New York or California, you should consider making that call now.

Despite hearing from tends of thousands of constituents in recent weeks, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) have not budged. They will refuse to vote for either amendment, and as a result, Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy, will likely not call either of his LGBT amendments (the one based on the Uniting American Families Act, which I helped write 14 years ago, or his historic and unexpected Marriage Equality “DOMA Carve Out” exception) for a vote knowing that the amendment will fail to garner the necessary 10 out of 10 Democratic votes to pass out of Committee.