DOWNLOADS: (78)

PLAYS: (259)

Embed

Conservative columnist George Will suspects that the Supreme Court could support equal rights for LGBT people because "quite literally the opposition to gay marriage is dying... it's old people."

On Friday, the Supreme Court announced that it would take up cases on California's Prop 8 same sex marriage ban and the federal government's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denies benefits to gay and lesbian spouses.

Will on Sunday suggested that it was not a coincidence that the court decided to hear the cases just a month after voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington backed marriage equality.

"It could make them say, 'It's not necessary for us to go here,'" Will explained. "They don't want to do what they did with abortion. The country was having a constructive accommodation on abortion, liberalizing abortion laws. The court yanked the subject out of democratic discourse and embittered the argument."

He continued: "On the other hand, they can say it's now safe to look at this because there is something like an emerging consensus. Quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying... it's old people."

Republican strategist Mary Matalin, who has previously said that marriage equality is not a civil right, asserted that polls now show Americans support same sex marriage because they know it's not a "threat to the civil order."

"Well, because Americans have common sense," she explained. "There are important constitutional, biological, theological, ontological questions relative to homosexual marriage. People who live in the real world say, the greater threat to the civil order are the heterosexuals who don’t get married and are making babies. That’s an epidemic in crisis proportions. That is irrefutably more problematic for our culture than homosexuals getting married."

DOWNLOADS: (327)

PLAYS: (1708)

Embed

Charlie Webster, the chairman of Maine's Republican Party, sees "dozens of black people" voting on Nov. 6 as evidence of voter fraud because "nobody in town knows anyone who’s black."

In an interview with WCSH's Don Carrigan earlier this week, Webster said that Democrats were winning elections because they blocked an effort by the Republican Party to repeal same-day voter registration, which requires an ID and proof of residency.

"Let's just look at what happened on Tuesday," he explained. "I mean, literally hundreds of new people came in. We don't know if they're residents or not but they came in and voted. And there's no way of knowing that."

"In some parts of the state -- for example, in some parts of rural Maine, there were dozens -- dozens of black people who came in and voted election day. Everybody has a right to vote, but nobody in town knows anybody that's black. How did that happen? I don't know, but we're going to find out."

When Carrigan pressed the party chairman for specifics about where fraud occurred, he vaguely referred to "several rural Maine towns" and promised an investigation to find out more.

"What I'm doing is purchasing a post card, we're going to mail it in and thank people for registering to vote and see whether it comes back," Webster said.

"So, you think the Democrats bussed in people?" Carrigan asked.

"I just think that the system, without some kind of an ID or without some kind of way to check, is fraught for abuse," Webster insisted. "I'm just telling you my personal opinion. I believe it's a problem."

Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan also recently pointed to African-American turnout to explain his loss to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

“We were surprised with the outcome,” the Wisconsin Republican told WISC-TV’s Jessica Arp. “We knew this was going to be a close race. We thought we had a very good chance of winning it. I think that the surprise was some of the turnout, some of the turnout especially in urban areas, which definitely gave President Obama the big margin to win this race.”

(h/t: Think Progress)

DOWNLOADS: (77)

PLAYS: (171)

Embed

There are just so many Republicans these days willing to throw around inflammatory rhetoric it's difficult, even for political junkies, to keep up. This knucklehead's from Maine, but fits the pattern of loudmouths running amuck in this new Tea party era.

Consider this statement:

“We the people have been told there is no choice. You must buy health insurance or pay the new Gestapo – the IRS.”
Statement during radio address, July 7, 2012

The new Gestapo, not genocidal Germans this time but some jackbooted tax collectors. Words fail me.

Story by The Portland Press Herald. Video by WMTW.

AUGUSTA - Gov. Paul LePage used his own editorial judgment when he described the IRS as the "new Gestapo" in his radio address last week.

But the governor acknowledged Monday that his reference to the Nazi secret police "clouded" his message about the federal health care law.

LePage's written statement stopped short of a public apology, which had been demanded by national and local Jewish groups. However, Emily Chaleff, director of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, said LePage called her to personally apologize for his remarks.

At the same time, LePage told WMTW-TV in an interview Monday: "It was never intended to offend anyone and if someone's offended, then they ought to be goddamned mad at the federal government."

Monday was the third day of a controversy that has drawn national media attention, over a comment that LePage added to his weekly radio address, which aired Saturday.

Adrienne Bennett, LePage's communications director, often writes the governor's radio message.

She wrote the address for last week, but said the governor inserted the "Gestapo" reference after she and the staff had finished editing it.

DOWNLOADS: (74)

PLAYS: (134)

Embed

DOWNLOADS: (248)

PLAYS: (518)

Embed

It's hard to say what is behind Sen. Olympia Snowe's decision not to seek reelection in 2012, but MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell allowed the Senator to come on her show and play the 'both sides" are responsible for the partisan divide in Washington D.C. and pretend like it's not her party that hasn't moved the Overton window to the right so far that there's no place for someone like the Republican Snowe used to be in their party any more.

Steve Benen weighed in on Snowe's unexpected retirement announcement and just how far she's shifted to the right in recent years -- Snowe's stunning surprise:

When prominent members of Congress are considering retirement, there's nearly always some kind of hint in advance of the announcement. Maybe they stop raising money; perhaps they're slow to put a campaign organization together; maybe key staffers are seen moving to new jobs elsewhere; something.

But with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) of Maine, all of the evidence pointed in the other direction. Not only were there no hints about a pending departure, the Republican senator gave every indication of seeking another term, even moving considerably to the right.

It's what made Snowe's retirement announcement late yesterday such a stunning surprise.

"As I enter a new chapter, I see a vital need for the political center in order for our democracy to flourish and to find solutions that unite rather than divide us. It is time for change in the way we govern, and I believe there are unique opportunities to build support for that change from outside the United States Senate. I intend to help give voice to my fellow citizens who believe, as I do, that we must return to an era of civility in government driven by a common purpose to fulfill the promise that is unique to America."

There are a few angles to a story like this. First, in terms of the electoral consequences, Snowe's announcement is a brutal setback for Republican plans to retake the Senate majority next year. As Steve Kornacki explained, "With Snowe in it, Democrats had virtually no chance of winning the Maine Senate race this year. Now they are likely to do so, given the state's partisan bent."

Second, I can't help but wonder how much Snowe regrets her shift to the right, taking positions she never would have adopted earlier in her career.

Consider just the last few months. In October, she partnered with a right-wing Alabama senator to push a plan to make the legislative process even more difficult. A week earlier, she demanded the administration act with “urgency” to address the jobs crisis, only to filibuster a popular jobs bill a day later. The week before that, Snowe prioritized tax cuts for millionaires over job creation. Shortly before that, Snowe tried to argue that government spending is “clearly … the problem” when it comes to the nation’s finances, which is a popular line among conservatives, despite being completely wrong. Read on...

Regardless of the fact that Snowe contributed to making the partisan divide on Washington worse and that she was happy to cater to the leadership of Mitch McConnell who's primary goal is to make sure President Obama is a "one term president" Mitchell was more than happy to allow Snowe to have a pass here without any questioning about her shift to the right along with the rest of her party which has made bipartisanship next to impossible since the choices for "compromise" are somewhere between far right extremism and center-right corporatism.

Transcript below the fold.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (169)

PLAYS: (686)

Embed

From TPM's Livewire... score another one tonight for the good guys -- AP: Maine Voters Say Yes To Same Day Registration:

Voters in Maine have approved a ballot measure on allowing same day voter registration. The state had previously moved to require voters register no later than two days before an election. The state Republican Party had run ads urging the issue’s defeat, by suggesting that pro-gay rights groups supported it.

DOWNLOADS: (6844)

PLAYS: (2823)

Embed

As Ed Schultz noted tonight, the GOP governors appearing on the Sunday bobblehead shows all had their talking points ready and were on the same page with their defense of Wisconsin governor Scott Walker -- Wisconsin is broke, Democratic Senators are cowards and public employees have it way too good.

But as Ed noted, one Republican governor in Maine let the cat out of the bag with what their real agenda is: enacting so-called 'Right to Work' laws and busting unions.

LePage: 'We're going after right-to-work':

Maine Gov. Paul LePage said Saturday he would push forcefully ahead with right-to-work legislation in his state, even if it means a Wisconsin-style fight with unions.

In an interview at the National Governors Association, the Republican praised Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and couched his own proposal in the language of liberty loved by tea partiers.

"He's got a big challenge, and quite frankly, once they start reading our budget they're going to leave Wisconsin and come to Maine because we're going after right to work," LePage told POLITICO.

"I believe that the Declaration of Independence says 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,'" he said. "Whenever someone forces me to do something against my will, they're infringing upon my freedoms and my liberties. And that's what I think we're doing in Maine when we have fair share, which means that you are required to belong to a union, you're required to pay dues but you don't want to participate. I find that to be against everything the United States of America stands for." [...]

LePage said he's "never inspired by a fight," but that Wisconsin is unquestionably an impetus behind a renewed GOP push to demand concessions from public-sector employees and to go after union power. [...]

LePage said people who want to join unions have that right, but stressed that no one should be forced into the decision.

"I believe if an individual wants to join organized labor and work under a union contract, they should have the legal right to do so," he said. "At the same token, a person who does not want to work under organized labor and wants to work should have the ability to do so without the threat of having to join and having to pay dues to organized labor."

"It's that simple," he said. "It's all about freedom and liberty."

"Freedom and liberty" huh? I don't think so, Governor LePage.

As Ed pointed out, Maine workers cannot be forced to join a union already:

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (1784)

PLAYS: (1754)

Embed

Via NECN:

(NECN/WMTW) - Maine Governor John Baldacci signed a bill this afternoon making the state the fifth in the country to allow gay marriage.

The governor signed the legislation shortly after the Maine legislature passed it.

Four other states currently allow same-sex marriages. Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa have been ordered by the courts to do so, and Connecticut has enacted a law codifying a court ruling. Vermont passed a gay marriage law in April over the governor's objection.

"I think Maine people should be proud of the way this has been handled," said Baldacci.

"Under the Constitution, we are all the same," said Baldacci in referencing his personal feelings about this matter. "Times have changed."

(AP Photo) Gretchen Robbins, of Winthrop, Maine, smiles while hugging Sarah Reece of Los Angeles, after Maine's House members gave final approval to a same-sex marriage bill at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on Tuesday, May 5, 2009.

Complete statement below the fold.

Continue reading »