Image from MSNBC!

What better way to spend your Saturday than getting ready for the announcement of South Carolina’s primary results tonight?  Check out the stories below and get excited for a primary party tonight!

Endorsements Galore!
Rick Perry drops out and endorses Newt.  VA Governor Bob McDonnell endorses Mitt.  SC Governor Nikki Haley endorses Mitt.  Jon Huntsman endorses Jon Huntsman…I mean, Mitt.  And Stephen Colbert endorses Herman Cain…or is Herman Cain endorsing Stephen Colbert?

Debate Highlights!
Haven’t had a chance to tune into all of the South Carolina debates?  Luckily, we’ve got some highlights for you.  John King versus Newt Gingirch and the marriage question.  The Sumter Item breaks down the bests and worsts.  And oh yeah, and Ron Paul – “He was there, too!”

Poll the Pols!
Public Policy Polling has Gingrich up by 9  points.  But that’s okay by Mitt – Romney says he won’t win every primary.

With nearly 50% of the votes in for the Iowa caucus, it’s clear that Gingrich’s refined – and newly stricter – stance on abortion just before the caucus didn’t help him garner support. At 10:30pm EST, coverage reporting 49% of the vote show a three-way tie between Romney (24%), Santorum (24%), and Paul (22%). It was reported that 46% of those predicted to caucus identified as “born again” or Evangelical.

Newt Gingrich has had a more “liberal” stance on a woman’s right to choose than the other candidates throughout the campaign, supporting exceptions be made in instances of rape and incest. However, when asked yesterday about his pro-life stance and his willingness to make exceptions, Gingrich replied,

No, I wouldn’t make exceptions.

Gingrich follows the tied pack of frontrunners with 13% of caucus support in reporting precincts – something that indicates his recent radicalization may not have made the difference he predicted.

Update: Now at 10:50pm EST, Romney leads with 25% of caucus support followed closely by Santorum (24%). Paul has fallen behind with 21% of support. Nearly 80% of precincts are reporting. Gingrich stays fourth with 13%.

Image courtesy good.is

While you were spending time resting, relaxing, and ringing in 2012, your favorite bloggers at USDemocrazy were keeping tabs on some of the most interesting stories of the new year.

Hate unused and seemingly useless balances on old metro cards? Some students at NYU have proposed an idea that would allow the more than $52 million dollars in unused fares to be used for community-based charities.

All eyes are on Iowa as the nation predicts the Republican nominee – well, most of them. A new study on the ever-coveted undecided voters seeks to define the complexities of the group. Twelve distinct types were found, including the Apathetics that are actually less likely to vote for candidates that try hard to get their votes. Another researcher claims that undecided voters are just interested in a candidate that can beat Obama.

Hundreds of people in Minneapolis protested the end of hawalas services there, the wire-transfer service that allows the largest population of Somali immigrants in the United States to send money back home. US banks call the transfers too risky, while many people that rely on the service are unsure of where to turn.

Continue to keep an eye on our posts this year for updates, especially as we move into election season!

Image from the Hindustan Times

What’s that climbing up the poll?  Is it a gecko?  A salamander?  No, it’s a Newt!

Well, that’s one way to get good press.

Where were you on 11/11/11?

Making jokes about Anita Hill might not be the best move for Herman Cain…

Thanks to Politico!

That makes number… Another GOP debate?!

Rotten apple? Apple’s earnings take a hit.

Tit for tats: Israel and Palestine swap prisoners.

And, what are teen girls learning from reality TV?

For the last several weeks one presidential candidate has been causing a stir without even announcing his candidacy.

After originally shooting down rumors of his intention to seek the GOP nomination, Texas governor Rick Perry has since started to reconsider the possibility. Political pundits have since kept a close eye on Perry while he thinks it over.

Some recent facts on Perry:

• He’s got a shaky past with former Texas governor and president George W. Bush.
• Leaders of the Christian Right are already rallying behind him.
• After Thursday he may have violated international law.

If and when he decides to join the race, Perry will be entering a crowded Republican field. There are already nearly a dozen candidates seeking the party’s nomination.

What do trains, pizza, and tea parties have in common?

Herman Cain, an up-and-comer in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, of course!

The last week has brought big news for the Cain campaign: Public Policy Polling reports that Cain’s support increased 8 points, putting him at 15 percent (tied with Sarah Palin) AND the campaign released its first music video (see above).

The Georgia native and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza is trailing a big name – Mitt Romney. But he’s ahead a few other pretty big names too, including Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, and Ron Paul.

Which brings us to the most important question: who exactly is Herman Cain?

According to his campaign website, Cain was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia where his parents taught him that

hard work was the key to achieving their American Dreams.

Cain went on to work in business, becoming CEO of a pizza chain facing bankruptcy. In a little over a year, the company had turned around. Now “the Herminator” hosts a conservative radio show and is a frequent speaker for the Tea Party.  In his music video Cain uses his involvement with the movement to rebut claims that the Tea Party is racist.

In 2004, Cain ran for Senate in Georgia – but lost to Johnny Isakson by 26 points.

Another perusal of his campaign website finds that Cain supports deregulation of the economy and environment, ending “health care ‘deform,’” promoting “America’s moral foundation,” reducing government spending, and depoliticizing national security.

Look out for more news about Herman Cain – he spent his Memorial Day weekend in New Hampshire, one of the important early primary states for the 2012 election and will be back there for the June 13 Republican primary debate.

In the meantime – watch out, Sarah Palin. Herman Cain sees your bus and raises you a train.

Image From The Huffington Post

Mississippi succumbs to record-breaking floods.

Add another place at the table: Former-House Speaker Newt Gingrich announces presidential campaign.

G-U-I-L-T-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you’re guilty! Billionaire hedge-fund titan convicted on charges of insider trading.

Check your baby, it might be stolen. Chinese children up for adoption might not be meeting regulations.

And, Betty White shares her thoughts.

Thanks to Wikicommons.

In Wisconsin, as well as other places across the nation a battle line has been drawn. The issue: public employee unions (such as those for teachers).

This is an issue which has been highly politicized. But what is behind the attempts to restrict unions ability to negotiate (and as a result, their power)?

Robert Barro, whose opinion appears in the Wall Street Journal, attacks unions noting that

For a teachers union, collective bargaining means that suppliers of teacher services to all public school systems in a state—or even across states—can collude with regard to acceptable wages, benefits and working conditions. An analogy for business would be for all providers of airline transportation to assemble to fix ticket prices, capacity and so on. From this perspective, collective bargaining on a broad scale is more similar to an antitrust violation than to a civil liberty.

On the other side of the line Hendrik Hertzburg, in an article for the New Yorker, argues that unions are

the only truly formidable counterweight to the ever-growing political power of that top one-thousandth [wage earners]

Many Americans, as Paul Krugman notes, agree with Hertzburg as

while people don’t necessarily love unions — hey, I personally don’t necessarily love unions — most people apparently see them as having a legitimate role.

However, the role of unions as a political balance may be coming to a close . Mickey Kaus notes that

The Internet has already empowered organizations like MoveOn.org to provide both dollars and volunteers to Dems through a structure that need not have anything to do with organized labor. … Why picket when you can click it?

No matter the end result in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) Nancy Folbre for Economix argues that the protesters time was not wasted as

the committed progressive activists of Wisconsin have raised the level of news organizations’ attention to state politics and broadened the public debate over the fiscal crisis.

So no matter what your beliefs are, don’t be afraid to stand up for them (especially if that means posting a comment).

Every year the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has among its attendees a hodgepodge of conservative leaders and supporters.  This year the crowd will be even more varied …but some members of the GOP aren’t happy about it.

The participation of GOProud, a group whose mission includes “represent(ing) gay conservatives and their allies,” has caused a number of top Republicans and organizations to boycott this year’s conference.

Over the weekend, Sen. Jim Demint (R-SC), who appears on the CPAC’s homepage, became the latest elected official to join in the rebellion.

Now, we know the GOP has not exactly been welcoming towards gays and lesbians but this seems to have taken the matter to new heights (or new lows).

Some see this as another sign of the drift to the right of the Party.