Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category
Thanks to The Washington Post!
Times are tough. Folks are suffering. Time for Washington to act, Right?
Nope!
At least that was the answer in the Senate yesterday.
In a move that should surprise no one, the Senate GOP voted unanimously to block President Obama’s jobs bill.
The $447 billion proposal faced its first real test after being touted all over the country by the president himself. But the Republicans weren’t the only ones with “doubts” about the bill.
On Tuesday morning, senior White House officials said this is just the first act in a long-term play. They brushed aside the dissent among Democrats and urged Americans instead to look at the Republicans, unanimously voting against job-creation measures.”
Facing opposition from both parties, the next steps for the legislation remain unclear.
Votes on pieces of the bill could begin later this month, perhaps as early as next week, Senate Democratic aides said. Party leaders said they needed to consult their caucus before they decide on the timing or choose the provisions to be considered separately.”
Is the president running out of time? Or will be looking for a job soon?
Image from LA Times
After reconsidering a run for president, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stuck with his original answer…
Heck no!
The Republican governor had originally said some time ago he wouldn’t seek the White House. But, pressure from voters and donors unimpressed by the current Republican field caused him to give it one last look.
A media frenzy surrounded Christie’s possible entrance into the race, which would have offered an alternative to front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Perry.
During a press conference, he cited his current role as governor as the driving reason behind his decision.
It did not feel right to me, in my gut, to leave now when the job here was not finished.”
From Pepperoni Pizza to possible President?
That’s what Republican businessman Herman Cain would like to do.
Cain, who has never held an elected office, has been taking on the GOP political class and doing far better than anyone expected.
While he did once serve a term as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas, he’s best known as the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. The rest of the GOP lineup includes four governors, one former senator, and three members of the House of Representatives (including one former speaker).
Cain, much like former Governors Gary Johnson and Jon Huntsman, was not a household name before campaign season began. And yet, he won the recent straw poll in Orlando. Big time.
National Review, a conservative magazine, was quick to observe that past winners of this straw poll have gone on to clinch the GOP nomination.
But Why is Herman Cain doing so well? How is it possible that the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza trounced both former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Governor Rick Perry?
Is it his casual Muslim-bashing? For example,
“I would have to have people totally committed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of this United States. And many of the Muslims, they are not totally dedicated to this country. They are not dedicated to our Constitution. Many of them are trying to force Sharia law on the people of this country.”
Maybe it’s his “9-9-9″ economic plan, which sounds an awful lot like a carryover from his pizza days, and about which one observer remarked,
“Everything he’s talking about is if you just provide tax cuts to rich people we will all fare well… But hasn’t that been the theme for 30 years and doesn’t everybody agree that the middle class does not fare well? This is a triumph of amnesia.”
Who is Herman Cain? Plain-talking outsider? Defender against the imposition of Sharia law on American soil? Presidential material?
Thanks to the Daily Mail!
Something strange is going on among the GOP presidential contenders…
They’re seeking Donald Trump’s approval!
Recently, several of the potential nominees have headed to New York City to meet with the Donald, who very publicly considered a shot at the presidency himself.
Aligning themselves with Trump could help Republicans in a GOP primary because conservatives who make up the base of the party generally cheer him. But candidates risk losing moderates, independents and other general election voters turned off by Trump’s crusade against Obama’s birth certificate.”
So far, Trump’s guest list includes Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney (who chose to forgo any photo op). The next candidate on his schedule is Herman Cain.
Will the Donald’s support make any difference once the primaries begin? Or, are these candidates just securing their spot on the first season of The Republican Apprentice?
Thanks to Wired!
Still mad about the changes Facebook made earlier this week?
They’re not done yet.
At the f8 Developers Conference, the company presented its plans for the future.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg started the event by announcing an overhaul of the site’s design. The biggest since 2008.
For every major evolution we’ve done at Facebook, the profile is at the center. It’s a really personal product, and our job is to make this product the best way for you to share everything you want.”
There wasn’t a release date given for the update, dubbed “Timeline,” but a preview has been made available.
Other announcements included the addition of more apps, an increase focus on media, and other elements with a focus on “sharing.”
As users share their dismay with Facebook’s ever-changing nature, developers are continuing to see promise.
Thanks to The Advocate!
Yesterday, the “don’t” was officially removed from the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
The controversial ban (installed in 1993)… disallowed gay and lesbian soldiers from serving openly in the military.
The repeal of the law was passed by Congress in December of last year. After months of preparation for the new change, the Pentagon finally made it official September 20.
While service members celebrated in different ways across the world, the most folks talked about celebration that took place on YouTube.
Randy Phillips, a soldier stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, posted a video of himself coming out to his father over the phone. The video quickly gained views and became a symbol of the repeal.
Thanks to The Huffington Post!
Looking to make money? Stay in school.
We know, we know, you’ve heard it before…
But now it’s backed by facts!
The U.S. Census Bureau has determined education now has the largest impact on what you earn.
Based on data from before the recession, between 2006 to 2008, the report estimates that over a forty-year career, the variation in annual earnings between the least educated (or those with an eighth grade education or less) and the most educated (those with a doctorate degree) is $72,000.”
Don’t be fooled. Race and gender are each still contributors, as well.
Among full-time, year-round workers, white men with professional degrees make nearly 49 percent more in lifetime earnings than white women with a comparable education level. The gender gap is narrower for blacks with professional degrees: black men with professional degrees earn 24 percent more in lifetime earnings than their female counterparts.”
If a certain Republican presidential contender has their way, we all might be getting quite the return on our tuition.
Image from The Washington Post
We’re days away from the 10-year anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001.
As we approach the mark, it’s hard for many of us to remember life before the tragedy.
For the last decade, much of our political discourse has been engulfed by the War on Terror, comprised of two overseas operations, both with debatable impacts.
On the home front, the new thinking has altered long-held views about the effectiveness of military power and the likelihood that peace will ever prevail.”
Terms like IED, jihadist, and extremist have become a part of our discussions. And, extensive security procedures are the norm when traveling.
While these are obvious changes to the way we lived, there’s another part of life that has been forgotten.
The political unity that directly followed the attacks is one of the most distant memories. Now, the country seems more divided than ever over issues like the economy and job creation.
Are we doing those who lost their lives a disservice through partisan politics?
Image from Flickr
Across the country, there is a not-so-secret war brewing over a once settled issue…
Abortion.
Members of the decidedly pro-life Republican Party are mobilizing. Their goal is to restrict or deny a woman’s right to choose. Unfortunately for them, their goal remains elusive.
In Kansas, a new state budget barred Planned Parenthood from any of the state’s federal funding. On Tuesday, a judge ordered the state to resume payments immediately. (To be clear, Planned Parenthood does not use federal funds to pay for abortions.)
Also this week, a judge in Texas blocked parts of a law that would require women to go through a sonogram before an abortion, a tactic used to make them rethink their decision.
Considering abortion was made legal in 1973, should opponents abort their mission?
Image from International Business Times
It seems like all of the presidential candidates are taking a page out of Sarah Palin’s handbook because this week, everybody is on a bus.
While the GOP’s top tier members ride through early primary states, President Obama is taking his case to the Midwest .
The bus tour gives the “campaigner in chief” a chance to be seen beyond his day-to-day Washington backdrop.
Of course, not everybody is impressed.
The RNC describes the president’s effort to engage in a public dialogue about job growth and the economy at town halls and economic forums as ‘a totally non-political taxpayer-funded administration event that just happens to criss-cross several battleground states critical to the president’s re-election’ in the Obama critique, which is disguised as a briefing book.”
No word yet on their reaction to Rick Perry’s new ride.
If you don’t eat, breathe, and live politics (a crime some of us at USDemocrazy are guilty of) there is probably one GOP presidential contender who’s slid under your radar.
His name is Fred Karger, he’s gay, and he doesn’t stand a chance.
Don’t worry, he’d say the same thing himself.
Following decades as a Republican operative, Karger became the first candidate to join the 2012 field. Since then, the media’s neglect of his campaign can best be summed in with his quirky slogan, “Fred Who?”
The unlikely nominee’s latest fight to be heard comes after being denied a spot in Fox’s upcoming debate.
While his chances of a win are slim, his ulterior motive might be working just as he planned.
I want to send the message to gay younger people and older people and everyone in between that you can do anything you want in life, and don’t feel bad about yourself and don’t feel you have to live your life the way I did.”
Thanks to Newsweek!
This week started off with a lot of coverage of a certain magazine cover…
Newsweek is facing an onslaught of criticism, after its newest issue revealed a wide-eyed portrait of Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. The photo accompanies the title “The Queen of Rage.”
Conservative bloggers were the first to cry foul, claiming a liberal media bias against the Tea Party favorite.
Later, the National Organization for Women joined the fray with allegations of sexism.
In response, the magazine has released a gallery of similar outtakes from Bachmann’s photo shoot.
This isn’t the first time Newsweek has caused controversy this election season. In June they published a cover featuring Mitt Romney as the lead in the Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon.”
Thanks to The Huffington Post!
On a lighter note: Late night host Conan O’Brien was able to find some humor in the situation.
Thanks to the LA Times!
On Saturday, Gov. Rick Perry held his long-awaited, long-debated prayer service in Texas.
“The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis,” drew crowds and criticism for the state’s Republican governor. Since announcing the event, Perry, the GOP’s unannounced presidential candidate, had come under fire for mixing religion with politics.
That didn’t stop him from leading the over 30,000 who attended in prayer.
Father, our heart breaks for America. We see discord at home, we see fear in the marketplace, we see anger in the halls of government. And as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us. And for that we cry out for your forgiveness.”
President Obama was also the recipient of some faithful words.
Father, we pray for our president, that you would impart your wisdom upon him, that you would guard his family. You call us to repent, Lord, and this day is our response.”
If Perry should announce his candidacy for president, it’s highly anticipated that the religious-right will be in his corner.
Image from The Washington Post
Until a few weeks ago, you probably had never heard of the “debt ceiling,” let alone understood its dire implications for the U.S. economy.
Well, this “Debt Ceiling” debate might be better called “Clash of the Titans”.
As liberals push for one plan and conservatives push for another, President Obama and Congress have found themselves locked in a back-and-forth battle. Hopes for either to ultimately prevail in raising the debt ceiling ( and thus avoid potential economic chaos) seem dim.
On Tuesday evening, the Republican-controlled House passed a “cut, cap, and balance” plan championed by Tea Party supporters.
Earlier in the day, Obama praised an opposing bipartisan deal proposed in the Senate. The problem is: neither plan is expected to make it any further in time for the impending August 2 deadline.
Obama called the plan by the Gang of Six senators “broadly consistent” with his own approach to the current debt ceiling crisis because it mixes tax changes, entitlement reforms and spending reductions.
However, the top two Democrats in the Senate said they don’t think there is enough time before the government needs to borrow more money on August 2nd to pass the comprehensive Gang of Six plan.
A majority of Americans are hoping politics is pushed to the side in order for the two parties to compromise.
Strong majorities of Democrats and independents prefer that Democratic congressional leaders make compromises in this budget debate, while almost 70 percent of independents want Republican leaders to do the same.
Majorities, too embrace a large comprehensive solution to the crisis rather than a temporary band-aid fix:
…nearly six in 10 favor President Barack Obama’s proposal to lower the federal deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years by cutting federal spending, raising tax revenue from the wealthy and reducing some Medicare spending.
Image Courtesy of Daily Mail
In honor of Friday’s release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, we at Democrazy bring you a special edition of What’zup this weekend…for the magical world of Harry Potter!
Expulso! The final installment’s midnight premiere sells over 40 million dollars, and by Sunday, the film’s box office results are predicted to be record-breaking!
Polyjuice potion? Check out some of these look-a-likes.
Time for some Legilimency: Reflecting and remembering on what the end of Harry Potter means and what we’ve learned from the series on NPR, Canonball, and MTV.
Tweet, tweet. Nope, that’s not Fawkes or Hedwig. It’s Harry Potter on Twitter! #mischiefmanaged #pottersaga
Have you ever suffered from a “Hogwarts headache“? You’re not alone.
And what’s next? For the Potter crew, director David Yates, and the fans!
