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June 16th, 2013
thesmithian
If we don’t pass immigration reform , if we don’t get it off the table in a reasonable, practical way, it doesn’t matter who you run in 2016…We’re in a demographic death spiral as a party, and the only way we can get back in good graces with the Hispanic community, in my view, is pass comprehensive immigration reform. If you don’t do that, it really doesn’t matter who will run, in my view.
Senator Lindsay Graham (Republican, South Carolina) on appearance on today’s Meet The Press.
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immigration elections politics demographics republicans US Senate lindsay graham south carolina hispanic
June 2nd, 2013
thesmithian
The 2012 election…formed nothing less than “a hinge of history.”

The 2012 election…formed nothing less than “a hinge of history.”

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elections history books authors culture obama President Obama jonathan alter nonfiction politics
May 29th, 2013
thesmithian
I kept thinking that if this were a movie, the extras would never have been cast with this much diversity. Yet here it was in real life…Wharton is arguably releasing the world’s future CEOs and other business leaders into the world. This is a group often identified as coinciding with Republican party ideals, and yet, as seen in the 2012 election, the GOP has a long way to go in attracting the votes of nonwhite citizens and women who are swayed by concerns other than their tax liabilities. If the Wharton graduation is any indicator, the face of business in America might be changing, and political powers would do well to take note.
S. L. Huang, at Racialicious
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education graduate school wharton school colleges universities united states women race republicans elections taxes politics
May 19th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom For a so-called fifty-fifty state, you’d think Democrats would have more luck running for statewide office in Ohio…State Democrats’ electoral troubles are truly biblical…many are called but few chosen…Cleveland State Senator Nina Turner represents one of the Democrats’ best shots at reversing this tradition of futility, as she weighs a presumed run for Secretary of State. She’s already beat the odds once. more.

For a so-called fifty-fifty state, you’d think Democrats would have more luck running for statewide office in Ohio…State Democrats’ electoral troubles are truly biblical…many are called but few chosen…Cleveland State Senator Nina Turner represents one of the Democrats’ best shots at reversing this tradition of futility, as she weighs a presumed run for Secretary of State. She’s already beat the odds once.

more.

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May 15th, 2013
thesmithian
Takoma Park became the first city in the United States to lower its voting age—which was previously 18—to 16. The voting age amendment brought out young residents to an April 8…hearing where they cited their readiness and eagerness to participate in the city’s elections. boom.

Takoma Park became the first city in the United States to lower its voting age—which was previously 18—to 16. The voting age amendment brought out young residents to an April 8…hearing where they cited their readiness and eagerness to participate in the city’s elections.

boom.

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takoma park maryland united states cities voters teens teenagers politics elections
May 12th, 2013
thesmithian

‘Democrats have gained nothing by calling out the opposition for opposing. Nor has it ever worked. Democrats have been limply complaining about obstruction since early 2009 and so far it hasn’t cost a single Republican his or her seat in Congress…’

No Democrat has beaten a single Republican in an election race that was about the Congressional process. It doesn’t cost Republicans politically, nor does it change it the incentives to obstruction. Nor can Democrats point to any of their legislation they enacted into law by essentially school marming the Republicans into good behavior. Democrats have been trying this for years and have nothing to show for it at the ballot box or in terms of legislative victories or nominations. So what’s the point? Why keep doing it? Democrats have to change the incentives for Republicans. That is the only way to defeat obstruction. That is the only way to defeat Republicans in committee, on the legislative floor, and at the ballot box. To make opposition costly.

more.

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May 10th, 2013
thesmithian
This milestone shows the power of strong, strategic organizing…It also shows what happens when politicians threaten the rights of current and future African American voters. Across the country, we witnessed a variety of attempts by local, state and federal officials to…make it harder for Black Americans to vote. In response, starting a year before election day, we raised awareness of suppression efforts from the statehouses to the courthouses, organized with other faith and civil rights communities, and turned out at the polls to proclaim victory for our hard-won rights.

Minister Leslie Watson Malachi, director, African American Ministers Leadership Council

re

yesterday’s Census report confirming that African-Americans turned out to vote at a higher rate than any other ethnic group for the first time last year.

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Leslie Watson Malachi aamlc African American Ministers Leadership Council activism politics race voters elections states civil rights us census
May 9th, 2013
thesmithian

‘Those who are trying to make the Benghazi tragedy into a scandal for the Obama administration really ought to decide what story line they want to sell…’

Actually, by “those” I mean Republicans, and by “the Obama administration” I mean Hillary Clinton. The only coherent purpose I can discern in all of this is to sully Clinton’s record as secretary of state in case she runs for president in 2016.

more.

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May 9th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom Ali Haider Gilani…was campaigning in a suburb of Multan… He is a candidate for the Punjab provincial assembly…Gilani had just stepped out of a house in the Farrukh Town neighborhood when he was attacked by a group of unidentified gunmen riding at least one motorcycle and in a Honda automobile. They then opened fire…Mr. Gilani’s personal secretary was shot and killed. It remained unclear if Mr. Gilani himself was shot…Two of Mr. Gilani’s brothers immediately arrived at the scene. Ali Musa Gilani, who is running for a seat in Parliament…warned that unless his brother was set free by evening, he would not allow voting to be held in his constituency…Teary-eyed and sobbing, Ali Musa Gilani said, “I want my brother back.” more.

Ali Haider Gilani…was campaigning in a suburb of Multan… He is a candidate for the Punjab provincial assembly…Gilani had just stepped out of a house in the Farrukh Town neighborhood when he was attacked by a group of unidentified gunmen riding at least one motorcycle and in a Honda automobile. They then opened fire…Mr. Gilani’s personal secretary was shot and killed. It remained unclear if Mr. Gilani himself was shot…Two of Mr. Gilani’s brothers immediately arrived at the scene. Ali Musa Gilani, who is running for a seat in Parliament…warned that unless his brother was set free by evening, he would not allow voting to be held in his constituency…Teary-eyed and sobbing, Ali Musa Gilani said, “I want my brother back.”

more.

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Yousaf Raza Gilani families politics pakistan Ali Musa Gilani voters elections kidnapped
May 5th, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom Voters have braved long lines in Malaysia to take part in a historic general election that is widely expected to go down to the wire. more.

Voters have braved long lines in Malaysia to take part in a historic general election that is widely expected to go down to the wire.

more.

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voters elections politics malaysia
May 1st, 2013
thesmithian
Zoom Republicans cheered former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez’s Massachusetts primary victory, but Democratic Congressman Ed Markey enjoys tremendous advantages in the special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry…In Markey, the race pits a longtime liberal politician known for environmental advocacy against Gomez, a…social moderate with a distinguished biography and untested political skills. On paper, it looks like a competitive contest, but Republicans quietly concede that Markey is the strong favorite in a state where only around 11 percent of voters are registered Republicans. more.

Republicans cheered former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez’s Massachusetts primary victory, but Democratic Congressman Ed Markey enjoys tremendous advantages in the special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry…In Markey, the race pits a longtime liberal politician known for environmental advocacy against Gomez, a…social moderate with a distinguished biography and untested political skills. On paper, it looks like a competitive contest, but Republicans quietly concede that Markey is the strong favorite in a state where only around 11 percent of voters are registered Republicans.

more.

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politics republicans us navy gabriel gomez massachusetts elections democrats John Kerry ed markey liberalism Environment voters
April 19th, 2013
thesmithian
There is no doubt in my mind that Republicans, under political pressure from Wayne LaPierre of the N.R.A., will be marginalized to the point of irrelevancy, as the American people move inexorably to force the adoption of reasonable gun legislation. I just wish…our Republican leadership had done the right thing. We just handed President Obama the perfect way to defeat many Republicans in the next election.
Alfred Hoffman Jr., former Republican National Committee finance chairman.
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politics republicans wayne lapierre nra national rifle association united states guns gun control president obama obama barack obama elections alfred hoffman jr.
April 11th, 2013
thesmithian

‘…The Census has not released the data for the 2012 election, but the 2016 electorate will probably be more diverse than it was in 2012, even if racial groups turn out at ’04 rates.’

more.

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politics us census elections voters diversity race
April 10th, 2013
thesmithian

‘…From the 1980s until the birth of the Tea Party…the religious right and the secular left waged an existential struggle for the soul of American society…’

…Issues related to sexuality, drugs, religion, family life, and patriotism were particularly vexing, and many people over 40 can recall the names of battlefields such as Mapplethorpe, needle exchange, 2 Live Crew, and the flag-burning amendment. But the left won a smashing victory in the 2012 elections, including the first victories at the ballot box for gay marriage. These triumphs…give the left confidence that it will ultimately prevail on most issues in the Social Theater. The power base of the religious right is older, white, rural Protestants, a group that immigration, demography, and urban renewal have consigned to play an ever-shrinking role in American presidential elections. Both sides are now likely to shift several divisions and…task forces over to the Economic Theater of the culture war, where the single most important battle of 2012 was fought—the battle over marginal tax rates for the rich. The left won that battle on January 1, when the House of Representatives voted to raise tax rates for the rich, but victory in the overall war is far less certain. Economic issues such as taxation are moral issues—no less so than social issues like gay marriage—and neither side has full control of the key moral foundations that underlie economic morality: fairness and liberty.

more.

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society united states sexuality drugs Religion families robert mapplethorpe 2 live crew long reads race seniors politics culture economics elections immigration demographics cities taxes morality marriage LGBTQ the right
April 7th, 2013
thesmithian
'Worried about the 1 percent? Don't be. Worry about the 0.05 percent. That's the percentage of Americans who maxed out their contribution to any political candidate in the last election. Or the 0.01 percent who made contributions of $10,000 or more. That's the number of Americans who actually show up on the radar of politicians. But those are only flyspecks on the screen. Save your real worry for the 0.000042 percent. That's 132 people. Those 132 people provided 60 percent of all the money that ended up in Super PACs.'
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politics money wealth elections united states super pacs
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