Hello Wisconsin

Democrats in Wisconsin dropped off 1.5 tons of signatures at the state Government Accountability Board's office today. 1.5 tons is apparently what over a million signatures weighs. Yes, nearly as many people that elected Scott Walker in 2010 have now signed on to recall him.

Call Governor Markell. Have His Back.

Evidently Gov. Markell is receiving lots of criticism from blood thirsty conservatives on his brave decision to grant clemency to Robert Gattis. If you supported and approved his decision, and if you would have criticized him if he did not grant clemency, then you owe it to yourself, to us, and to Governor Markell to take at most five minutes and email him your thanks and support. His email address and phone numbers are inside.

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Indian River Prayer Case

I just do not understand the need to turn every public gathering, whether it be a graduation cermonies, school board meetings, and other assemblies into religious events. It is as if someone wants to repeal the First Amendment and establish a National Religion, and then have the Government force the population to worship God according to the dictates of the National Religion.

Tuesday Open Thread [1.17.12]

So apparently there was another godforsaken Republican debate on last night. I was watching Betty White's roast so I missed it. Not that I have ever watched a GOP debate live (I see the clips afterwards though, and that is painful enough). But I hear that Romney had his worst debate, was painfully evasive even for him, and that Gingrich was throwing red meat to the lions and getting a raptureous response for it. Some pundits now think the performance will boost Gingrich as we head into Saturday's primary.

To Governor Markell…

In an unprecedented 4-1 decision announced Sunday, the Delaware Board of Pardons is recommending that the death sentence for convicted killer Robert A. Gattis be commuted to life in prison. It will now be up to Gov. Jack Markell to decide if he will accept the board's recommendation to spare Gattis' life or if he will allow the execution of the 49-year-old by lethal injection to go forward as planned early Friday.
A life is literally in Governor Markell's hands. He might not want this responsibility. But he asked for it, and now he has to decide. I now address the Governor directly....

Thus ends the most quixotic Presidential run this cycle…

So former Utah Governor and former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, mired in the low single digits in the polls in South Carolina after a respectable but insufficient third place finish in New Hampshire, is dropping out of the race. There was a time, before he became Ambassador to China, that I most feared Huntsman as a potential rival to President Obama. But a misreading of the political landscape and a patriotic decision ended that threat.

Sunday Open Thread [1.15.12]

We got two new polls showing Mitt Romney surging and Gingrich dropping. Looks like the Bain attacks backfired on Gingrich. Republicans love vulture capitalists and firing middle and working class people. Therefore, Romney is their hero. We also have Stephen Colbert's latest campaign ad. It's hilarious.