Like Most Progressive Ideas, Marijuana Legalization Is Just A Matter Of Time

Gays will one day soon serve openly in the military. They’ll eventually be able to marry anywhere in the United States. And marijuana will one day be legal. Like most progressive ideas, it’s just a matter of time. We’ll look back upon these struggles as archaic; as archaic as the fight for women’s right to vote and the right of blacks to serve in an integrated military.

Backers of California’s Proposition 19 are encouraged that the measure got 46% of the vote, more votes than losing gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman received.

We’re going to win,” said Aaron Houston, the executive …

One Possible Accomplishment For The Lame Duck Congress: The DREAM Act

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was reelected with strong support from Latinos, would like to pass the DREAM Act before this session of Congress is through. The legislation would allow illegal immigrants who came here as children to become citizens if they go to college or serve in the military.

Advocates of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act – better known as the DREAM Act – say Reid has a better chance of passing the bill in the “lame duck” session than he would when the new, divided Congress is sworn in this January.

…

If …

Ed Asner: Truther

Actor Ed Asner isn’t buying the official explanation of 9/11.  Interviewed by Adam Carolla, he explained why he thinks the government was behind the fall of the Twin Towers. (via Mediaite).

“No high-rise has ever gone down by fire,” Asner explains. “Those buildings fell at the rate of gravity in ten seconds, flat.” He served up some more supposed “facts” as to why the buildings had to have been brought down by domestically planted explosives rather than internationally hateful terrorists. Carolla tried to debunk the conspiracy theory by asking why the surreptitious government of Asner’s mind, if it was …

And Now, The 2012 Senate Race

by Stuart Shapiro

OK, this is my last post on 2012 until the first Republican declares for president (which admittedly could be next week).  The Senate prognosis for Democrats is grim.  Kos sums it up:

Overall, it’s clear that Dems are going to be playing a great deal of defense in 2012. It’s not a favorable map. Not just the Democrats at the bottom of the list above, but several more not recently polled by PPP — Kent Conrad in North Dakota, Jim Webb in Virginia, and Joe Manchin (again) in West Virginia.

In a bad climate, 2012 will be …

Cindy McCain Vs. John McCain: She Says Our Government Messages That Bullying Is Acceptable (UPDATED)

John McCain, one of the leading proponents of retaining “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” is a major part of the government that wife Cindy blasts in this anti-bullying video. As AMERICAblog put it:

Cindy McCain joined a number of celebrities in a video about gay youth suicide and bullying. Mrs. McCain’s part of the video condemned DADT and then accused our government of sending bullies a message that what they do is okay.

The woman basically accused her husband of sharing the blame for gay kids killing themselves.

Cindy McCain says, “Religions and political leaders tell LGBT youth that they have …

Frank Rich Is Right: Obama Is The Rodney Dangerfield Of U.S. Presidents

He don’t get no respect. No respect at all. He went to a business executive who told him the economy was bad. Obama said, “I’d like a second opinion.” The executive said, “I hate the Affordable Care Act, too.”

Corporations in the United States will have their biggest earnings growth in 22 years.  The stock market will have it’s best back-to-back annual gains since 2004. The Standard and Poor’s 500 Index is up more than 43% since Obama became president.   Yet, a Bloomberg Global Poll shows 63% of investors believe his polices are detrimental to their interests, bearing out …

On Friday’s Radio Show…

• Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), host of Huckabee on Fox News Channel, sits down with Alan to discuss the outlook for Republicans – including himself – in 2012.

• Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider, tells Alan why he plans to open new clinics that offer late-term abortions.

• It’s the Friday Night Free-For-All!…

Supreme Court Says Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Stands, For Now

The Supreme Court has denied a request by the Log Cabin Republicans to lift the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell military policy preventing gays from serving openly.

The Log Cabin Republicans had won a district court ruling last month that found the policy was unconstitutional and barred the military from enforcing it. The Obama administration appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and won permission to continue enforcing it while that court reviewed the case.

The Log Cabin Republicans asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and lift the stay.

SCOTUS released no comment with the decision.…

Eric Cantor Decides We Shouldn’t Speak With One Voice On Foreign Policy

If a Democratic Member of Congress promised a foreign leader he or she would side with that leader against a Republican president, can you imagine the hell that would break loose? When the administration criticized Israel for settlements in East Jerusalem, Republicans were critical. In a highly unusual one-on-one meeting between a sitting congressman of the president’s opposing party and a foreign leader, incoming Majority Leader Eric Cantor promised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Republicans would be a check on the president’s Israel policy. (h/t Think Progress) The following statement is a readout from Cantor’s office:

“Eric stressed …

Looking Ahead To 2012

by Stuart Shapiro

Yeah, it’s early.  But the first Republican presidential debate is scheduled for the spring so it is time to start the meaningless analysis.  Nate Silver says that there are four clear favorites:

Based on the objective indicators — which is to say, the polls — you have four clear front-runners: Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich. Each has comfortably over 80 percent name recognition among Republicans, and they are about 10 points ahead of any other candidates in trial heats that have tested various combinations of the candidates against one another. Each is also pretty …

Just 40% Pleased With Election Outcome; 49% Say Let Tax Cuts For Rich Expire

As conservatives pump themselves up with the myth that the 2010 elections are either a mandate for them or a repudiation of liberalism, a CBS poll shows a majority of Americans are either disappointed with the election results or just don’t care.

While 40 percent do say they are pleased by the election outcome, that’s a significantly smaller percentage than the 58 percent who were pleased following the 2006 midterm elections.

Americans also don’t expect much from those they elected: Forty-one percent predict fewer accomplishments than usual from the new Congress. The percentage who expect more to get done than …