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28 Dec 2011 14:44

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Politics: Gary Johnson officially changes party registration, kicks off new campaign

  • We are just fed up with the two-party system. The Democratic Party, I think, has turned their backs on gay rights, marriage equality, their anti-war base, their anti-drug war sentiment. …Republicans are no longer the stewards of the pocketbook. Republicans are no longer good stewards of tax dollars.
  • Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson • Giving a mission statement of sorts as he makes it official — former Republican candidate and governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson has leapt over to the Libertarian Party to mount a third-party candidacy for president. Johnson was a popular governor in New Mexico at the time of his departure, and boasts a platform that was markedly unorthodox for the present GOP field (save the occasional overlap with Ron Paul, who Johnson endorsed in 2008). Should he gain any traction, a Johnson candidacy could have a scale-tipping effect in 2012, as the recent polling surge by Ron Paul illustrates a decent spate of GOP voters are willing to look at a different brand of conservative this cycle. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2011 14:26

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Politics: Anderson Cooper questions Obama’s sincerity on gay issues

  • Hard to see how the president’s position has changed so much, The only thing that has changed is his need for a wider audience to vote for him. … Democrats attack conservatives for being hypocritical on issues that they’re hypocritical about. But I don’t hear a lot of Democrats attacking their own president for hypocrisy.
  • CNN anchor Anderson Cooper • Giving voice to dissatisfaction with President Obama’s tact on gay rights issues. We happen to agree strongly with his premise, if not entirely his closing (Democrats on the left end of the spectrum were fairly vocal about Obama’s listlessness during the push for DADT repeal). There’s an extent to which candidate Obama’s stance against gay marriage never seemed terribly genuine. When you consider that he supported the idea in 1996, the reality starts to look pretty stark — a flip-flop for political expedience. But, Mr. President — gay marriage has since polled with majority support! And considering you have tepid enthusiasm from the liberal Democratic base ahead of the election, would there ever be a better time to give up the game? The LGBT movement deserves better than this, frankly. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 16:09

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Politics: 2012 Election: Will T-Paw finally put his name in the hat?

  • YES Tim Pawlenty is officially running for President source
  • » The least surprising item of the day: It’s not as if anybody really doubted that Tim Pawlenty would be running for President, as he’s made that rather abundantly obvious the last year or so (the title of his recent book, Courage To Stand, basically says all you need to know about his ambitions). However, the timing of this official announcement works to Pawlenty’s favor — it comes quickly after the GOP was set reeling by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’ decision not to run. Suddenly facing down a field with virtually no electable candidates, save the primary-vulnerable Mitt Romney, Pawlenty is in a prime place to gain ground, if he can get a little buzz going. A tip from us to T-Paw, though — you don’t have a southern accent, and it’s weird to try to pretend otherwise.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2011 16:17

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World: Fatah, Hamas sign reconciliation deal to Israel’s chagrin

  • Signed on the dotted line: Hamas and Fatah made official their surprising reconciliation deal today, which calls for a new interim government and for elections within one year. This has sparked a lot of angst from Israel, who are fearful of the a unified Palestinian authority that includes Hamas  — they’re also opposed to a Palestinian attempt to get statehood recognition from the United Nations, expected to take place this September. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2011 16:56

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World: Nigerian Presidential election goes to Goodluck Jonathan

  • Goodluck Jonathan wins in Nigeria: So says Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, but his political opposition has claimed intimidation, ballot stuffing, and the like. Project 2011 Swift Count, a Nigerian election observer, sought to rebut that claim — while they acknowledged that violence, intimidation and illegal voting took place in isolated incidents, they say their reports from a random group of 1,468 polling stations suggest this didn’t change the eventual outcome. Nonetheless, many Nigerians have been hurt in an outbreak of election day riots, a grim and depressing reality to be sure. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 1 Comment • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 13:42

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World: Kazahkstan’s incumbent President decimates opposition

  • 95% of the vote for Kazakhstan’s President Nazarbayev source
  • » An electoral red flag: International elections monitors are crying foul over what took place in Kazakhstan yesterday, as incumbent President Nursultan Nazarbayev (who’s been in power since the 1980s) soared to this startling vote tally. It’s being reported (albeit from an unnamed source) that students were threatened with expulsion if they didn’t head to the polls. We’re reminded of a point about show elections made by Christopher Hitchens; why do these leaders always desire such a staggering percentage of the vote? It all but screams a corrupt, undemocratic, strong-armed process- the leaders in question could lay much more claim to credibility if they tried to manipulate themselves to, say, a 55-45 win instead.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 13:19

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World: Tough times for Sarkozy in wake of French elections

  • 35.7% the vote, in yesterday’s French elections, for the Socialist Party under Martine Aubry
  • 11.6% the vote for the far-right National Front Party, headed by Marine LePen, a strong showing
  • 20.3% the vote for Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Majority Party, a weak outcome source
  • » Sarkozy may be sweating right now: The election had a low turnout at just 45% of the nation’s voters (still, turnout like that trounces the U.S. average for non-Presidential elections). While the threat to President Sarkozy posed by the Socialists is well known, as polls show him trailing their yet unknown candidate in his reelection effort, the big takeaway concern may be the rising power of the National Front Party under Marine Le Pen. The far-right nationalist party took 2 seats in the 102-seat general council, and have effectively flexed more political muscle much quicker than most thought they could.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Mar 2011 13:37

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Politics: Newt Gingrich loves America too much to stay faithful

  • There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.
  • Newt Gingrich • Making an argument about his own infidelity that one suspects he would’ve decried as disgraceful and a reason to resign if Bil Clinton had said it. You might wonder why, at this moment, Gingrich is even addressing this past, until you consider who he’s making this pitch to. He spoke to the Christian Broadcasting Network, and knowing full well the power of the Christian right-wing in Republican politics, he wants to make it plainly clear that he’s not only sorry, but he’s apologized to his God as well. The broader consequence is that it reminds everybody of Gingrich’s biggest political liability; his actions during the Clinton impeachment were as close to bald, unambiguous hypocrisy as you can see in the political realm. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Feb 2011 12:51

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U.S.: The Republican Presidential field narrows as in-or-out time nears

  • NO Senator John Thune will not run for President in 2012 source
  • » The Republican field thins: The handsome young Senator from South Dakota (who was arguably the most President-y looking Republican) has decided he’ll return to his present job in 2012, serving his second term. It’s wholly likely Thune simply saw the writing on the wall as to his own electability, but will the Presidency be an easy grab for any challenger? This comes in concert with Mike Huckabee’s recent remark that Obama will be “tough to beat” in 2012, as well as voicing happiness with his current job at Fox News, leading some to think the former governor may sit this one out as well. Right now Mitt Romney is rubbing his hands together knowingly as he enjoys a celebratory cupcake.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2011 12:23

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World: Secession of South Sudan has overwhelming mandate

  • 99% of South Sudanese voted for secession source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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