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21 Sep 2010 10:51

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Politics: Group: Tea party, GOP conspiring against Wisconsin voters

  • what A group called One Wisconsin Now claims that the state’s GOP and Tea Party plan to disenfranchise voters using a process called “voter caging.” They also claim to have proof of conspiracy in the form of audio.
  • how Basically, they claim that those involved will use a list of people whose mail was marked as undeliverable to prevent them from voting on election day and to create unbearably long lines. How true is this, anyway? source

21 Sep 2010 10:24

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Politics: John McCain plans to hold defense bill hostage over “Don’t Ask”

  • This is turning legislation related to our national defense and military preparedness into a vehicle to force a partisan agenda through the Senate, often on a party-line vote. Their desperation – because they see a Nov. 2 election coming up – is palpable.
  • Sen. John McCain • On his plans to filibuster the defense bill wending its way through the Senate because it includes a measure to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” While McCain and the rest of his family supports repealing the measure, along with three-quarters of Americans, he feels that it should be done after the Pentagon completes its review of the impact the change would have on the military. Democrats are unsure if they have the 60 votes to override McCain’s appeal. They also claim he’s playing politics. Funny, because he claims they are. source

20 Sep 2010 20:41

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Politics: Tough crowd: Obama’s toughest town hall question today

  • Wow. That stings. At Obama’s town hall today, the president took a couple of questions like this one, which seems really pointed for a town hall. That said, Obama’s answer to the question was effective and not one bit pandering. Still though, you have to wonder if he’s going to be able to bounce back from a sluggish recovery in one piece. source

20 Sep 2010 09:21

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World: Swedish anti-Muslim party does well in elections

  • 5.7% of the vote for far-right anti-Muslim group source
  • » In the U.S., that percentage means you lose. But Sweden uses a parliamentary system. In Sweden, that means that they just won 20 seats in parliament, enough to affect the country’s balance of power. A harbinger of bad things?

18 Sep 2010 15:12

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Politics: Michael Bloomberg decides to put his muscle behind the center

  • Backing Harry Reid and Meg Whitman. Pushing for cooperation. Where have you been? The NYC mayor, known for both his high-spending ways and his love of the iPad, has been starting to put some of his weight into a bunch of key national political campaigns lately. Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent, has been making a concerted effort to help encourage more agreeability in Congress. Could Bloomberg, who thinks the Tea Party is a fad, run for president? He’d be someone we’d at least look at. source

18 Sep 2010 10:52

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Politics: Lisa Murkowski jumps into the abyss with write-in senate campaign

  • She most assuredly won’t win, and Sarah Palin and her friends are angry. Lisa Murkowski isn’t going to let a guy with a beard into the Senate without a fight. The Alaska senator is launching a write-in campaign to get her seat back. “My heart is Alaska, and I cannot leave you. I cannot stop what we have started,”she said. For the Republican party as a whole, this is fairly misguided. See, a write-in senate candidate has won ONCE in U.S. history – Strom Thurmond’s 1954 election. It has the potential to split the vote between Murkowski and Republican nominee Joe Miller, plus she has to deal with petty attacks like this one from sworn enemy Palin: “It’s a futile effort on her part, it really is.” source

17 Sep 2010 12:11

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Politics: Christine O’Donnell: Don’t let my “youthful fervor” dissuade you

  • She was REALLY into her beliefs in her 20s. Delaware’s Republican Senate candidate did some things she regrets, except instead of getting a tattoo and digging way deep into her rocker chick phase, she went ultra-conservative and said some really insane things about AIDS and stuff. So now she’s backing off. “I was in my 20s and very excited and passionate about my newfound faith,” she said. “But I can assure you, my faith has matured. And when I go to Washington D.C., it will be the Constitution on which I base all of my decisions, not my personal beliefs.” Will that be enough to convince people? source
 

15 Sep 2010 22:38

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U.S.: Lame: Government pins increases in drug use on marijuana

  • Isn’t it weird how the government still plays the anti-pot line? See, in the latest version of the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, illicit drug use among the populace is up approximately 0.7 percent in 2009, to 8.7 percent. The study says the increase “was also driven in large part by the use of marijuana.” National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske seems to be convinced that marijuana’s possible medicinal effects don’t make it medicine, but continue to make it “an entry drug.” Whatever. More numbers:
  • 21.2%of young adults screwed with illicit drugs in 2009, which is very high
  • <50%of young adults think that pot is harmful – the lowest level since 2002
  • 23.3% of all people use tobacco products, a new all-time low source

15 Sep 2010 01:08

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Politics: How the Tea Party’s beacons fared in their races tonight

  • winThe biggest bellwether of the night was in Delaware, where Christine O’Donnell somehow showed lifelong GOPer Mike Castle the exit in their Senate race. The GOP isn’t backing her.
  • lose? While Delaware’s Senate race went Tea Party, New Hampshire’s Senate race is still close. Kelly Ayotte is tied with Ray LaMontagne’s possible long-lost brother Ovide LaMontagne.
  • winThe most surprising of the three? Rick Lazio’s gubernatorial primary loss in New York to complete frickin’ unknown Carl “gonna lose to Cuomo anyway” Paladino. source

14 Sep 2010 21:12

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Politics: Twitter’s talking about today’s big Congressional primaries