Friday Open Thread [7.5.13]

Friday Open Thread [7.5.13]

Jobs report: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that, seasonally adjusted, the private sector added 202,000 new jobs in June while government shed 7,000. The official unemployment rate remained steady at 7.6 percent. The private sector has now added more jobs than it has lost for 39 consecutive months. The monthly tally makes no distinction between full-time and part-time jobs, nor does it consider how much those jobs pay or provide in non-wage benefits compared with the ones that have been lost. June is also tough for the BLS to measure accurately because of the large number of youth who enter the job market that month. The 175,000 jobs gain the BLS reported for May was revised to 195,000. Gains in April were revised from 149,000 to 199,000.

Wednesday Open Thread [7.3.13]

5 Comments
I think Kavips is right. We have a libertarian Supereme Court.
There appears to be a solid libertarian bias that leans through this court. If progressive, they are libertarian progressives, if conservative they are libertarian conservatives, and if split, then the most libertarian of them all, Justice Kennedy, is the decider. Let me first touch on those decision made last week. a) Voting Rights Act… If there is no firm reason not to leave it to the states, then leave it to the states… Libertarianism. b) Repeal of Clause 3 of DOMA… If the government is picking favorites of one custom over another, that is not the government’s business… Government needs to butt out… Pure Libertarianism. Those inured in thinking only in terms of “left” and “right” are by their blinders.. baffled. However there is a very clear aim through out this court and that aim clearly states that the government should not be interfering with people’s rights to decide things for themselves.

Tuesday Open Thread [7.2.13]

30 Comments
Huffington Post: "Over the Christmas break of 2010, Mitt Romney and his family took an internal poll on whether he should run for president once more. Twelve family members cast ballots. Ten said no. One of the 10 was Mitt Romney himself." "The doubts that the former Massachusetts governor harbored before ultimately launching his second unsuccessful bid for the presidency are one of several attention-grabbing details in Collision 2012, the newest book on the 2012 campaign." I don't believe this for a second. Sure, he may have voted that way, but he wasn't being honest with his family in doing that. He just wanted it to appear that he was more relunctant so that his family would be more understanding and supportive. But whatever the machinations or rationales, I do not believe for a second that Mitt Romney was conflicted about running for President. He started running in 2012 on November 4, 2008. Former Governor and possible future Presidential candidate Jeb Bush (R) said that it's time Republicans "cease being the obstacle" to immigration reform and urged House GOP leaders to hold a vote on legislation passed by the Senate last week. I think immigration reform will define the 2016 Republican Primary much like the Iraq War defined the 2008 Democratic primary. Given the racist Republican base, voting or being against Immigration Reform will be the winning side. Thus, Bush and Rubio have already ended their presidential campaigns, they just don't know it yet.
Sunday Open Thread [6.30.13]

Sunday Open Thread [6.30.13]

6 Comments
Lt. Governor Matt Denn:
I want to take special note of the work that newly-elected Representative Paul Baumbach did this year to get both landowners and residents to agree on a bill to set some limits on rent increases for manufactured home residents. Working with Senator Bruce Ennis, who has championed this issue for years, Paul helped do what the General Assembly had been unable to do for well over a decade. Thousands of manufactured home residents, many of them on fixed incomes, will benefit when the Governor signs the bill this afternoon. Paul was quietly effective, and even after the bill's passage has sought little attention for himself -- but he deserves it. Kudos to both him and Senator Ennis.
Indeed, Paul Baumbach hit Leg Hall running and has been a progressive champion.
Friday Open Thread [6.28.13]

Friday Open Thread [6.28.13]

2 Comments
Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims (D) of Philadelphia introduced a Marriage Equality bill in the Pennsylvania State House after the DOMA decision, and he sought to speak to the chamber supporting his bill. Sims is openly gay, the first openly gay lawmaker in Pennsylvania. And he was not allowed to address the chamber. Why? Because a fascist theocratic bigot disguised a supposed freedom loving Republican, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, raised the following procedural objection:
"I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God's law," Metcalfe had told WHYY of Philadelphia.
I am fracking floored. Metcalfe must be impeached. Whomever sustained the objection must be expelled from the chamber. (Yeah, today I am on a "kicking the evil GOP out of office" theme). For they both have just violated the Federal and State Constitution by endorsing a state religion and approving a religious test, both of which are explicitly forbidden by both Constitutions.
Thursday Open Thread [6.27.13]

Thursday Open Thread [6.27.13]

2 Comments
Conventional wisdom holds that the Republicans will hold the House in 2014. Indeed, typically, the President's party in the six year midterm suffers an average loss of 26 seats. The only time in recent memory that the President's party has actually gained seats was in 1998, when the Democrats gained in the House as the backlash against the partisan impeachment of Bill Clinton began. And even if the Dems won the national popular vote again as they did in 2012, the Republicans have been so ruthless and skilled in their gerrymandering efforts that it will take a Democratic popular vote win of at least 8 points to win the House by 1 seat. So there is reason why all the Vegas money is on the GOP keeping control of the House next year. But the first Democracy Corps Congressional Battleground survey of the competitive House races this year has some encouraging news for Democrats.
Wednesday Open Thread [6.26.13]

Wednesday Open Thread [6.26.13]

4 Comments
Last night was something pretty amazing to see. Texas State Senator Wendy Davis filibustered the unconstitutional and rape-approving Abortion Ban for nearly 13 hours, until the Republicans played some trickery to end it. You see, in Texas, when you filibuster a bill, your comments in filibustering have to be germane to the bill you are filibustering. So you cannot just stand up there and read the phone book. Seems like a fair rule. Well, it depends on how you apply it. The Republicans felt the term "Sonogram" was not germane to a discussion of abortion. Well, the chamber descended into chaos at that ruling, with the galley, packed with Davis' supporters and supporters for women's rights and reproductive freedom, began shouting "LET HER SPEAK" repeatedly, and would not shut up to let Lt. Governor Drew Dewhurst run the chamber. I passed out around there, but I gather that the Democrats filed motion after motion appealing the ruling, and I gather that they were successful in running out the clock to midnight. Under Texas law, the legislative session ends at midnight on the 25th of June, and no bill passed after that is considered a validly passed law. The Republicans, of course, ignored the law and passed the bill anyway. So expect court battles over that. For more info, see here.

Tuesday Open Thread [6.25.13]

21 Comments
yesterday, Comprenshive Immigration Reform passed its first hurdle in the U.S. Senate. The Border Surge Amendment sponsored by Republican Senators Bob Corker (TN) and John Hoeven (ND), which provides approximately $40 billion over the next 10 years to bolster border security, doubles the endorcement agents to 40,000 and the completion of 700 miles of border fencing. Cloture was filed on the amendment, which means that the Senate was voting to end debate on the Amendment and proceed to a floor vote on the Amendment. The Cloture vote was 67 to 31, with two Democrats absent. So that gives us our first indication that immigration reform may garner as many as 69 votes in support (as it is hard to imagine that the 31 Republican Senators voting to filibuster the Border Security Amendment would vote in favor of the full package with they say endorses amnesty. This caused Sarah Palin to rev up her bigotry machine, and she took to the airwaves (or Facebook pages) to rip Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and the Immrigation Bill.
Said Palin: "Just like they did with Obamacare, some in Congress intend to 'Pelosi' the amnesty bill. They'll pass it in order to find out what's in it. And just like the unpopular, unaffordable Obamacare disaster, this pandering, rewarding-the-rule-breakers, still-no-border-security, special-interests-ridden, 24-pound disaster of a bill is not supported by informed Americans."
If by "Pelosi," Sarah Palin means pass significant and comprehensive reform that improves the lives of many in an efficient manner, which Nancy Pelosi did as Speaker, then she's right.
Monday Open Thread [6.24.13]

Monday Open Thread [6.24.13]

4 Comments
I am starting to have some respect for Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican of South Carolina. For it seems to me that he has decided, and has said as much, that he is going to do and say what he thinks is right and damn the radical tea party base of his party that is sure to primary him. He is saying things like this more and more:
"Schumer's been incredible. He's a worthy successor to Ted Kennedy, and that's saying a lot."
Now, in the neandrathal minds of the tea party, you don't laud either Chuck Schumer or Ted Kennedy. You dance on the latter's grave while you dig one for the former. So these comments are not going to go over well.

Saturday Open Thread [6.22.13]

10 Comments
The NYT takes a look at What Else Could a $30 Billion ‘Border Surge’ Buy?
Regardless of where it’s going, $30 billion is a staggering figure. But Republicans want to use the money to almost double the size of an already robust Border Patrol, to 40,000 agents from 21,000. They want to add 700 miles of fencing. And for good measure, they plan to throw in some infrared ground sensors and thermal imaging cameras, along with a fleet of drones. Given that these are not exactly boom times, recent investment in other projects of major national consequence has been seriously inadequate. Infrastructure spending, for example, is now at its lowest point in 20 years. Excruciatingly expensive trains can barely make their way at anemic paces along the northeast corridor without breaking down, and we’ve all but abandoned talk of expanding to real high-speed trains. In the past month alone two bridges collapsed — in Washington State and Minnesota — and countless others desperately need repairs. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave this country’s bridges a C+ rating for 2013.