National

For the first time since polling began in 1999, Gallup found that there are more social liberals in the United States than social conservatives. Gallup reported that the number of respondents who called themselves social liberals has increased to 31%, while the number of self-identified social conservatives has fallen to 30%. The number of Democrats who refer to themselves as social liberals jumped from 47% in 2014 to 53% in 2015. The number of Republicans who call themselves socially conservative has declined from 60% in 2014 to 53% in 2015.

The fifth most Republican and conservative state in the Union --- NEBRASKA ---- yes, freaking Nebraska, voted with the dirty hippies and voted to repeal the death penalty. Hey, Trey Paradee, explain that! No bother, the Republicans did for you:

Republicans offered a variety of reasons for supporting the death penalty’s end, from the high cost of administering executions to the surprisingly uncommon idea that it’s important to be consistent in support for human life. “I’m pro-life from conception until when God calls somebody home,” state Sen. Tommy Garrett told the World-Herald. “I’m not going to quibble over innocent life versus those who are guilty for what they have done. This is a matter of conscience.”

“Is there something about the left — and I am going to put the media in this category — that is obsessed with sex?” — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), quoted by the Texas Tribune, when asked about gay rights. Only the most sophmoric knuckle dragging idiot would equate promoting equality for all, including those who are gay, with an interest in sex. Indeed, Mr. Cruz has it reversed. It has been all of our experience, proven time and again, that those who are the most homophobic are usually in the closet, having all the gay sex they can. Those promoting "family Christian values" and condemning women's rights and divorce are usually those who one to four mistresses on the side.

....and it is likely that is the way it will be. He will be released after the treatment is completed with no disclosure as to what his treatment was for, and then at the end of the summer he will announce officially his candidacy for Governor. But, despite the best efforts of the Biden camp and those who think his medical condition is none of our business, the News Journal has a poll up this morning, and the votes so far reveal that this is a matter of some debate. The question is framed in such a way that it assumes that if Beau Biden were currently in office as a public official, the public would undoubtedly have a right to know all about his medical condition.

It is Primary Election Day in Philadelphia. The current Mayor, Michael Nutter, has served two full terms and is term limited. So with this being an open election, we have several notable candidates: former longtime District Attorney Lynne Abraham, City Councilman Jim Kenney, State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, former City Solicitor Nelson Diaz and insane crazy man Milton Street (entitled brother of horrible former Mayor John Street). Until recently, this looked like a close contest between ex-City Councilor Jim Kenney and state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams. While labor is heavily backing Kenney, Williams is benefiting from a super PAC funded by wealthy pro-charter school businessmen. However, a recent independent poll gave Kenney a massive 42-15 lead, with former District Attorney Lynn Abraham also at 15, and no one has released any contradictory numbers.

Nine people have died after a shootout between rival motorcycle gangs in Waco on Sunday, when gunfire erupted in the parking lot of a Twin Peaks restaurant in the central Texas city.

Where is the White leadership on this? Why aren't moderate Whites speaking out and condemning this? What is it about the white community that allows this culture of violence to flourish?

I am personally loving that we have been discussing whether the Iraq War was right again, and I am loving how every single Republican, even Jeb Bush after some indecision, have declared that the last Republican President's greatest legacy was nothing but a horrible mistake that should have never happened. Paul Krugman hails the opening of a much-needed and long-postponed debate about the Iraq disaster, made inevitable by Bush 3.0. E. J. Dionne, Jr. notes in his latest Washington Post column that "other hawks would rather see the was-the-Iraq-War-right question magically disappear because they know it's a no-win for them."

"Most Americans now think the war was ill-advised. Why remind them that most of the same people who are super hawks now brought them an adventure they deeply regret? Thus did the Wall Street Journal editorial page on Friday come out firmly and unequivocally in favor of -- evasion. "The right answer to the question is that it's not a useful or instructive one to answer, because statesmanship, like life, is not conducted in hindsight." On the GOP side it may be that Jeb's blundering is very bad news for Lindsey Graham and other Iraq war supporterts and equivocators, but good news for Rand Paul.

NY Times:

So Jeb Bush now says he would not have invaded Iraq if he knew then what he knows today. Neither would Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John R. Kasich, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum or Marco Rubio. In fact, Mr. Rubio said, “Not only would I not have been in favor of it, President Bush would not have been in favor of it.” Which raises an interesting question: Would George W. Bush still have authorized the invasion in 2003 had he known that Iraq did not actually have the unconventional weapons that intelligence agencies said it did? Mr. Rubio’s staff said he based his comment on the fact that Mr. Bush had expressed regret about the false intelligence he relied on and — since the war was predicated on it — it is reasonable to assume he would have decided differently, if he had known differently. But in fact, while Mr. Bush has said he was sick to learn the intelligence was off base, he has always defended his decision to invade Iraq as the right one, arguing that the world is still better off without Saddam Hussein.

This really presents a logical conundrum for Republicans. Because for the last two years, hell, for the last seven years, every single Republican has criticized President Obama for withdrawing from Iraq, and then they blamed that pullout for the rise of ISIS. But how can that be? If they all now think that the U.S. invasion was wrong, then they have to blame President Bush for the consequences. And the consequences were sectarian violence and terrorism. We liberals said so at the time. And we were right.

Amy Walter on why Hillary needs Obama: “Every presidential election is a response to the current president, even when the current president isn’t seeking re-election. If people don’t like the guy in the White House, it’s almost impossible for a member of his party to be elected to succeed him. Even when voters are happy with their incumbent president, it’s not always a guarantee of success for the party’s nominee. Voters are often looking for a change in style as much as substance (see: Bush v. Gore, 2000). This is why we should spend as much time checking in on President Obama’s job approval ratings as we do the polling data of the potential presidential candidates.” “The magic number for Obama – and ultimately Hillary’s chances – is somewhere around 47 percent. If Obama’s job approval rating is above that, a Democrat has a decent to a good chance of winning in 2016. Below that number, especially if Obama is in the 45 percent range or below, it will be hard for a Democrat to gain entry to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.” President Obama's job approval is currently at 48%.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) slammed House Republicans who voted to cut funding for Amtrak a few hours after a deadly train accident in Philadelphia, TPM reports. Said Rendell: “Here, less than 12 hours after seven people died, these SOBs, and that’s all I can call them, these SOBs didn’t even have the decency to table the vote.”

Dear Governor Bush, Acknowledging that the invasion of Iraq was a bad idea doesn't "disrespect the troops." It respects the truth. Jason330