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19 Aug 2011 19:26

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Politics: Russ Feingold’s out: Wisconsin political institution sits out 2012 races

  • While I may seek elective office again someday, I have decided not to run for public office during 2012.
  • Former Sen. Russ Feingold • Breaking the hearts of many a progressive with a single quote. The Wisconsin institution, who’s currently teaching at Marquette Law School and working on a book about 9/11, says he’s enjoying the stuff he’s currently working on and wants a little bit of a break from the political game. This is not a particularly great sign for Democrats going into 2012, as Feingold was seen as likely to do well in another Senate race. Feingold lost his Senate seat, which he held for three terms, last year. Let the speculation begin: Perhaps he’s holding out for a race with Scott Walker? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Aug 2011 20:35

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Politics: Rand Paul: Government should prioritize “national defense”

  • There are a few things the federal government should be doing, and one of them is national defense and the other is taking care of veterans.
  • Sen. Rand Paul • Speaking to a group of veterans regarding the funding set aside for them. Now, obviously, Rand Paul isn’t exactly like his dad, but he shares enough of his views that this makes us scratch our heads just a little. Not so much the second part — it’s clear that if he’s in a room of veterans, he’s going to say that — but the first. Is this a deviation between him and his father, or is he simply emphasizing the need for a limited military streak that involves having a defense mechanism? Wonder what you guys think. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Aug 2011 14:31

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U.S.: President Obama tries to reassure after credit rating downgrade

  • No matter what the agencies say, we will always be a AAA country.
  • President Barack Obama • Talking about the S&P’s downgrade of the United States in a speech today. He explained that they didn’t downgrade us because they didn’t believe that we would default on our debt, but because our politics get too much in the way — and because the threat of default was used as a bargaining chip. He also talked about our real challenge — long term deficit reduction. He stuck to his guns on policies like tax  cuts for the wealthy, and also said that we need to keep unemployment benefits around to keep our recovery going. However, just from this speech it’s clear that it isn’t going to be easy. It’s evident that despite the fact that Obama has good intentions, the politics simply aren’t going to change overnight. Obama also honored the troops that died in the helicopter crash over the weekend, which was well-deserved and moving. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jul 2011 14:45

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Politics: Firebrand Rep. Joe Walsh has a pretty big financial problem

  • $117,000 owed in child support source
  • » That’s a lot of money: Walsh, a member of the Tea Party who calls for the country to cut spending and pay its bills, is having trouble paying some of his own, according to a recently filed lawsuit. He’s had other financial troubles, too — he lost a condo in a Chicago suburb to foreclosure, but he eventually got that cleared up. Our question: Should Walsh’s own issues be on the table, considering the way he goes after the government’s fiscal issues?
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Jul 2011 14:13

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Politics: Stylin’: Michele Bachmann spends a lot on hair and makeup

  • $4,700 the amount she spent on a stylist source
  • » Most people don’t make that in a month: For a candidate that is championing lower spending to conserve taxpayer dollars, that seems quite a lot of money to spend on herself. It’s also far more than she spent on stylists than during her Congressional campaign. Appearances may be important when running for president — don’t get us wrong, anything to help her prevent a Nixon moment — but this seems a tad excessive. And it’s an excess not uncommon to Democrats, either — John Edwards famously got $200 haircuts in his pre-scandal days.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Jul 2011 13:29

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U.S.: Rep. David Wu explains why he’s resigning from Congress

  • The wellbeing of my children must come before anything else. With great sadness, I therefore intend to resign effective upon the resolution of the debt-ceiling crisis.
  • Rep. David Wu • Discussing his decision to resign from Congress amid allegations that he had unwanted sexual contact with an 18-year-old woman. Earlier he said he wouldn’t seek reelection after this controversy, but now he’s resigning after increasing pressure from other representatives. He’s had his fair share of troubles — namely his wife father passing away, and a midlife crisis that’s manifested itself in embarrassing ways. At least he’s making it clear that he’s doing this to help his kids out, and let’s hope this doesn’t turn into Weinergate 2.0. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2011 14:38

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U.S.: Presidential fundraising numbers out, Obama trumps competition

  • $47 million Obama raised in the second quarter of 2011 source
  • » That’s a new record – but kind of a specific one. Obama now holds the record for second-quarter financing in the year before an election. He made way more money than any of the GOP presidential hopefuls, getting donations from over 550,000 people. That’s a lot of people. Granted, this doesn’t mean that he’s automatically guaranteed victory, but it’s definitely a strong sign that much of his base is sticking by him in 2012.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Jul 2011 14:27

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Biz, Politics: Unemployment numbers show Obama’s major hurdle in 2012

  • 9.2%unemployment rate, which jumped last month unexpectedly
  • 18,000number of jobs added, which is straight-up anemic source
  • » Why this stinks for Obama: Early on in his administration, he said it wouldn’t go higher than 8.2%. While unemployment declined for a little while, it’s been steadily going up again. The Obama administration is trying to downplay the issue, but it’s proving difficult, and could prove his major flaw in the upcoming election. It’s an easy target for GOP candidates. Instead of talking about how he’s helped turn the economy around, Obama is going to have to fight back by saying how the Republicans will make it worse, and let’s face it: That doesn’t sound like such a great defense.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 13:29

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U.S.: President changes military condolence policy for suicides

  • This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated. But these Americans served our nation bravely … we need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.
  • President Barack Obama • Reversing a previous policy that didn’t send military families condolence letters if their family member had committed suicide. This is definitely a good thing, because suicide is actually a common cause of death in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just because a soldier isn’t killed by the enemy, doesn’t mean their life means any less — military families deserve a letter from the president, regardless of the cause of death. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 16:31

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U.S.: Follow the leader: Joe Biden has an official VP twitter account

  • A few days after President Obama started tweeting, our VP is too. Well, it’s not really him, but it still shows how hard the White House is trying to reach people through social media. Sure, it’s kinda lame, but it’s also pretty cool – after all, they wouldn’t be trying things like this if they didn’t care, right? It’s also pretty interesting to note that Joe Biden had a Twitter account back when he was a senator, but it hasn’t been updated since August of 2008. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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