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Supreme Court delivers wins for gay marriage ... - Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago ... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal ...
Which Candidate is the most obnoxiously presumptuous, claiming they are historically owed the Whitehouse ???
Because or the War record.
Because they have worked for it.
Because of afirmative action.
Answer: Senator Barack Obama, “concerned about appearing presumptuous or antagonistic towards Hillary Rodham Clinton,” won’t declare victory Tuesday night even if he scores the big win expected in Oregon’s primary, says Politico’s Carrie Burdoff Brown. “Rather, he’ll tiptoe right up to the line, without explicitly asserting the race is over,” she writes. The “conscious decision not to declare victory is a revealing measure of the sensitivity surrounding overtures that appear to disrespect Clinton and her supporters. It’s also a reflection of the Obama campaign’s supreme confidence in the delegate math at this juncture — the campaign now appears secure enough in its commanding position that it no longer feels compelled to declare victory in an attempt to marginalize Clinton.” That, she notes, is a change in the Obama camp’s attitude from just two weeks ago. Salon’s Mike Madden looks at the importance of Jewish support for Obama in a general election campaign, and whether it might be undercut by the message President Bush delivered in his speech last week in Israel. The president seemed to implicitly accuse Obama of willingness to negotiate with Middle East terror groups. “The GOP is already pushing, and pushing hard, the idea that Obama has a problem with the Jewish vote, because of his proposals to sit down to negotiate with Iranian leaders who have threatened Israel, because of his former pastor’s ties to Louis Farrakhan and (though most Republicans don’t bring this up) because of false fears that Obama is secretly Muslim,” writes Madden. Loss of Jewish support to Sen. John McCain would hurt in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada, Madden writes. But “right now there isn’t much evidence of a lasting breach between Jewish voters and the presumptive Democratic nominee. By November, as the old saying goes, the Jews will most likely be good for Barack Obama.” We’ll all be paying more attention to health care as the general election unfolds. That’s because the gap between McCain and the Democrats on health care is “fundamental and philosopnical” writes National Journal’s Ronald Brownstein: “The two sides are offering divergent visions about the basic role of health insurance in the nation’s social safety net. The fork in the road could not be starker. The plans unveiled by Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton encourage the sharing of risk between the healthy and the sick, even at the cost of requiring the former to subsidize the latter. McCain’s proposal would maximize individual choice in obtaining coverage, even at the cost of reducing risk-sharing. This contrast, which reflects the broader divide between the Democratic emphasis on community and the Republican focus on personal freedom, is the wellspring from which all of the major differences in the candidates’ plans flow.” The Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne Jr. looks at growing national support for gay marriage, but wonders whether California’s Supreme Court actually undercut that support by knocking down the state’s domestic partnership law. In order “to find a constitutional right to gay marriage, the California majority chose to argue that the state’s very progressive law endorsing domestic partnerships for homosexuals — it grants all the rights of marriage except the name — was itself a form of discrimination.” Dionne writes. “This is odd and potentially destructive. As Justice Carol Corrigan argued in her dissent, ‘to make its case for a constitutional violation, the majority distorts and diminishes the historic achievements’ of the state’s Domestic Partnership Act. That’s true, and in many states, it will take years for a political and legal consensus in favor of gay marriage to develop. In the interim, civil unions and domestic partnerships are the best hope homosexuals in these states have for some form of legal recognition of their relationships.”
As a strong Obama supporter I question...the word presumptous...good or bad? YOU CHOSE:)
Category: Politics
Federalism and Liberty in the Supreme Court's Gay Marriage Cases ...
In his majority opinion today invaliding Section 3 of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Justice Anthony Kennedy employed two of the most common themes.
The Fallback
If you harbor serious thoughts of running for the presidency, the first thing you do -- long before you commission any polls or make any ads, years before you charter planes to take you back and forth between Iowa and New Hampshire -- is to sit down with guys like Chris Korge. A real-estate developer in Coral Gables, outside Miami, Korge is one of - Matt Bai profile of Gov Mark Warner of Virginia, who is emerging as fallback candidates for those Democrats who think Hillary Clinton is not electable; photos (L) - Matt Bai, a contributing writer who covers national politics for the magazine, is working on a book about Democratic politics. - By Matt Bai
Supreme Court Victory For Same-Sex Marriage: Surfer Stephen's ...
The Supreme Court delivered a history-making ruling sought by gay marriage supporters, striking down the 1996 federal law that denied benefits to same-sex couples. The court was more cautious in a second case involving ...
Why do people expect President Obamas promised change right now?
The only reason I ask is
a) because Im generally curious and
b) its for an article for a class.
Id like honest opinions please! Itd be great if you could help. ;D
(Also, Bush had eight years in office to ruin this economy, so why dont we give Obama some time? It looks like hes trying. >->")
Answer: We have seen a great deal of change under Obama, but the media simply doesn't report it. One example is GWB was losing 750,000 jobs per month, and Obama has seen job gain 12 straight months in a row. Here is something I condensed to bullet points from a larger article (I give you the url if you want to read the entire thing - it's quite good). Plus I added some more at the end:
By any rational measure, Obama is the most accomplished and progressive president in decades. This president has delivered more sweeping, progressive change in 20 months than the previous two Democratic administrations did in 12 years. In fact, when the history of this administration is written, Obama's opening act is likely to be judged as more impressive than any president's — Democrat or Republican — since the mid-1960s.
Think about what Obama and the congressional Democrats have accomplished in the last year and a half.
- Secured sweeping financial reforms that elevate the rights of consumers over Wall Street bankers and give regulators powerful new tools to prevent another collapse
- Brought 100,000 troops home from war and forged a once-unthinkable consensus around the endgame for the Bush administration's $3 trillion blunder in Iraq
-Rewritten America's social contract to make health care accessible for all citizens, something that politicians of both parties have been chasing after for generations
-Warded off another Great Depression and put the country back on a halting path to recovery while giving out largest middle class tax cuts in history and historic investments in infrastructure and alternate energy. According to a study by economists from Princeton and Moody's, more than 16 million jobs would have been lost without the interventions of TARP, the Recovery Act and the Federal Reserve — double the damage actually suffered.
-Credit card reform enhancing your rights
-Slashed nearly $200 billion in corporate welfare — reinvesting that money to make college more accessible and Medicare more solvent
-Prevented the collapse of the Big Three automakers — saving more than 1 million jobs
-Brought Big Tobacco, at last, under the yoke of federal regulation
-Fought to constrain carbon pollution by executive fiat and to invest $200 billion in clean energy — an initiative bigger than John F. Kennedy's moonshot and one that's on track to double America's capacity to generate renewable energy by the end of Obama's first term
-Brought a measure of sanity to the drug war, reducing the sentencing disparity for crack cocaine while granting states wide latitude to experiment with marijuana laws
-Improved pay parity for women and hate-crime protections for gays and lesbians and repealed DADT
-Installed two young, female justices on the Supreme Court
-Achieved historic nuclear agreements; both an international one about international terrorism, and one with Russia about nuclear weapons
-Holding the country back from the brink of the Second Great Depression, turning job numbers back in the right direction
What's even more impressive about Obama's accomplishments, historians say, is the fractious political coalition he had to marshal to victory. At its zenith, Obama's governing coalition in the Senate comprised 57 Democrats, a socialist, a Republican turncoat — and Joe Lieberman. Obama also had to maneuver against an unrelenting head wind from the "Party of No" and its billionaire backers, harassed as well as opposed.
In-depth analysis here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/220013
Obama has also gotten the START I Treaty passed, extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes, created an advanced manufacturing fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes, implemented a women-owned business contracting program, and much, much more.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/promise-kept/
Kudos are also due the 111th Congress.
Scholars agree-111th congress possibly the most productive in history
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/161270
A very productive Congress, despite what the approval ratings say
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902516.html
Did the 111th Congress get a bad rap?
The Congress now coming to a close may just be the most productive one in 50 years
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39723961/ns/politics-capitol_hill/
PolitiFact Tracking Obama's Promises (fact, not opinion)
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/
##
Category: Politics
Stars React to Supreme Court Gay Marriage Victories ... - Gossip Cop
Celebs reacting on Twitter to the Supreme Court declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, paving the way for gay marriage. SEE STAR REACTIONS HERE!
Whats your opinion on NYs decision on same-sex marriages?
Answer: I think it's good!
It's a big deal because thousands of gays and lesbians will be allowed to get married now! However, I don't think it's going to cause a ripple effect or anything. Unless people in other states react to it and try to get their legislators to pass a similar law, other states won't follow suit just because NY decided to pass it.
I do, however, think this is a step in the right direction. Right now I'm concerned about the whole California Prop 8 fiasco reaching the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equality, the entire country will be forced to allow gay marriage! Until then, this small victory is good for our morale! (:
Category: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered
Supreme Court hands major victories to gay marriage movement ...
10 hours ago ... The Supreme Court has given a major boost to marriage equality for gays and lesbians, striking down DOMA and clearing the way for gay ...
Should the Republicans afford Barack Obama the same respect and support the Democrats afforded George Bush ?
I think it should be exactly the same, not more or less. What do you think?
Answer: wow, I never thought of it that way.
We may be looking at a reverse of 1980, when Reagan won a 10-point victory over Jimmy Carter, and Republicans took the Senate and, working with Boll Weevil Democrats, effective control of the House.
With his tax cuts, defense buildup and rollback policy against the "Evil Empire," Reagan gave us some of the best years of our lives, culminating in America's epochal victory in the Cold War.
What does the triumvirate of Obama-Pelosi-Reid offer?
Rep. Barney Frank is calling for new tax hikes on the most successful and a 25 percent across-the-board slash in national defense. Sen. John Kerry is talking up new and massive federal spending, a la FDR's New Deal. Specifically, we can almost surely expect:
-- Swift amnesty for 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens and a drive to make them citizens and register them, as in the Bill Clinton years. This will mean that Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona will soon move out of reach for GOP presidential candidates, as has California.
-- Border security will go on the backburner, and America will have a virtual open border with a Mexico of 110 million.
-- Taxes will be raised on the top 5 percent of wage-earners, who now carry 60 percent of the U.S. income tax burden, and tens of millions of checks will be sent out to the 40 percent of wage-earners who pay no federal income tax. Like the man said, redistribute the wealth, spread it around.
-- Social Security taxes will be raised on the most successful among us, and capital gains taxes will be raised from 15 percent to 20 percent. The Bush tax cuts will be repealed, and death taxes reimposed.
-- Two or three more liberal activists of the Ruth Bader Ginsberg-John Paul Stevens stripe will be named to the Supreme Court. U.S. district and appellate courts will be stacked with "progressives."
-- Special protections for homosexuals will be written into all civil rights laws, and gays and lesbians in the military will be invited to come out of the closet. "Don't ask, don't tell" will be dead.
-- The homosexual marriages that state judges have forced California, Massachusetts and Connecticut to recognize, an Obama Congress or Obama court will require all 50 states to recognize.
-- A "Freedom of Choice Act" nullifying all state restrictions on abortions will be enacted. America will become the most pro-abortion nation on earth.
-- Affirmative action -- hiring and promotions based on race, sex and sexual orientation until specified quotas are reached -- will be rigorously enforced throughout the U.S. government and private sector.
-- Universal health insurance will be enacted, covering legal and illegal immigrants, providing another powerful magnet for the world to come to America, if necessary by breaching her borders.
-- A federal bailout of states and municipalities to keep state and local governments spending up could come in December or early next year.
-- The first trillion-dollar deficit will be run in the first year of an Obama presidency. It will be the first of many.
Welcome to Obamaland!
Category: Elections
THE NATION; Sizing Up the Opposing Armies in the Coming Abortion Battle
BEYOND the borders of South Dakota and its fewer than 800,000 residents, no one pays much attention to the long list of bills to restrict abortion that the states legislators ponder nearly every year. But last week, when they passed the most sweeping abortion ban in the country in more than a decade, the reverberations reached far beyond quiet - South Dakota legislators recently passed most sweeping abortion ban in US in over decade; some abortion opponents believe that chance to overturn Roe v Wade is close at hand; they presume that bill, if signed into law by Gov Mike Rounds, would eventually reach remade, more receptive US Supreme Court; other abortion opponents wonder whether court and American public will embrace complete reversal of Roe (M) - By MONICA DAVEY
2013 likely to be huge for the gay rights movement: Your thoughts?
We have two high-profile cases making their way to the Supreme Court against DOMA and Prop 8.
Gay marriage may appear on the ballot in Ohio.
Gay marriage may be legalized in France (population 65 million.)
and San Franciscos in the Superbowl.
Answer: Yes, but you have the Superbowl wrong. The Ravens have dedicated a victory in this Superbowl to Gay Rights. The irony is it is San Francisco that has been making the anti-gay comments. It appears God is currently showing support for gays and the Ravens.
Category: Politics
The Supreme Court Rules on DOMA and Proposition 8 Cases - ABC ...
11 hours ago ... The Supreme Court handed down two rulings today bolstering same-sex marriage by ruling part of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional ...
What has the Bush Administration done to advance or improve America?
Did he even fulfil the promises he made to Republicans:
Overturn Roe vs Wade
Include pray in school
Replace liberals in the Supreme Court with conservatives
Give religious institutions more say so in government
Capture Osama
A short war and victory in Iraq - ending before his term ends
Overhaul the education system
Change Washington for the better
prevent gay marriage
build the mexican border wall and curb illegal immigration
Answer: Nothing of significance. He took too long to react to Osama, then didn't follow up to capture him. He shifted everything towards Iraq, so him and his daddy could do some side deals in military and oil. He watched while the economy steadily declined. If he really wanted to do something about it, he would have pushed the same as he is pushing for this bailout. He won't rest until the taxpayers bail his buddies out. He''ll keep shoving it down congress' throats until they say yes.
Category: Politics
Will federally sanctioned gay marriage be the issue that define Obamas last 3 years?
I think it can turn the tide for him. He needs a victory over the right as Harry Reid surrendered the battle for gun control and all the innocent victims. Now he can focus on Civil Liberties and gay discrimination. This is like a civil war and he can be Lincoln.
Answer: Obama has had three major victories over the right. Getting elected twice (especially the second time!) and Obamacare.
If the Supreme Court bans laws against gay marriage, I don't think people will look back on it as a victory or achievement for Obama, especially since he didn't support it for his whole first term.
In 1967 the Supreme Court banned anti-miscegenation laws. Do people look back at this as a huge victory for LBJ? No. He didn't fight this particular battle, and besides, so much stuff happened during his term-and-a-half that this decision disappears behind Civil Rights, the Great Society, and the Vietnam War. I think that's how it will be with Obama and gay marriage.
Category: Politics
So what are republicans trying to do, amend the constitution and do away with freedom of religion ground 0 mos?
mosque.
I mean seriously, most Americans appreciate freedom of religion and enjoy and deeply believe in their right to worship how ever they choose! Now with that said, most Americans are against gay marriage, yet republicans said very little to nothing when Elena Kagan was appointed to the Supreme Court, the logic of republicans and media makes me thing elections are rigged and all must surely want to ensure Obamas victory in 2012.
Answer: Yes. And they also want to do away with electing our own Senators (Amendment #17), our birthright (#14), and take away women's right to vote (#19). You have to understand that Republicans don't care about the Constitution; they want to get back to looting the country as they did under Bush.
Category: Other - Politics & Government
Why did this make the United States Marines sad?
SAN FRANCISCO – Californias Supreme Court upheld the states gay-marriage ban Tuesday but said the 18,000 same-sex weddings that took place before the prohibition passed are still valid — a ruling decried by gay-rights activists as a hollow victory. The United States Marines stated this is a sad day for the USA.
Answer: Once again putting a legitimate news story with your own crazy ideas to make it look real.
Wonder how long it will take you to block me this time.
Category: Military
Gay marriage gets big boost in two Supreme Court rulings | Reuters
2 hours ago ... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal ...
Why are the Democrat party losing in elections?
Republicans control both houses of Congress and the executive branch of government, and some say conservatives control the Supreme Court. Even though the Presidents poll numbers are low, Congress numbers are much lower, (for both dems and republicans)((not good news for the dems)). There is wishful thinking about a Democrat victory in the next election, but no solid evidence to substantiate it. What led to the decline of faith in the Democrat Party? If you disagree with my question, please state in detail why. No bloaviating please.
q. When i wrote declining faith i meant faith in the democrat party. Not faith in God.
answer man, my tax cut was way more than 20 bucks. If you only go twenty you must work part time at burger king. the editor
hitler is bush. have you seen the liberal poll numbers lately?
dc girl, is the fact that gay marraige wont affect me the only factor in deciding if its right or wrong? I know many gay people that are against gay marraige.
dc, you say the republicans are falling from favor as if the democrats are not also falling right alongside them. They call that "the pot calling the kettle black".
Answer: My opinion: the Democrats have not had a strong, charismatic candidate for President since Clinton, and have had the same problem with many Senatorial and Congressional elections. Also the Republicans have been very good about their "market research" and know the right issues to promote, to get their candidates elected. I do not care for George Bush and most certainly did not vote for him, but his public relations and strategy planning teams do an amazing job. They are always first to bring up "hot" issues, things that people get heavily emotionally involved, and have done a nice job of picking some issues that really have no deep impact on the country but are guaranteed to rally supporters.
For example, gay marriage... now, in the grand scheme of things, unless you are a gay person who wants to get married, gay marriage is not going to change your life. Most companies offer domestic partner benefits already so your insurance won't go up, and if the gay guys down the street have a wedding, that won't magically turn you gay too. But it's a very hot issue and people who oppose gay marriage will be very loyal to a candidate who does too. And don't get me wrong--- I support gay marriage but I know it won't change my life one bit (except I guess I will have to buy some wedding gifts!).
I do think there will be a Democratic turn in the mid-term elections but that may also be wishful thinking on my part. Many Republican candidates are distancing themselves from the President, where they usually would bend over backwards to have the President on the campaign trail with them. Whether or not the Democrats take advantage of how the Republicans are falling from favor is another story, though!
PS The Supreme Court is leaning towards the Conservative side now but that's an appointed position, not an elected one, so we can thank all those who voted for Bush for that...
Category: Politics
The Unregulated Offensive
I. Justice Thomass Other Controversy If you think back to Clarence Thomass Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991, what most likely comes to mind are the explosive allegations of sexual harassment made by the law professor Anita Hill. Years from now, however, when observers of the court look back on the hearings, they may well focus on a - Jeffrey Rosen article on possibility that next associate justice or chief justice of Supreme Court will be from among scholars, public-interest lawyers and judges who make up Constitution in Exile movement; says movements aim is to strike down laws on behalf of rights that do not appear explicitly in Constitution and to restore economic liberties of individual that they say have been wrongly limited by federal and state governments since New Deal; notes that targets of movement include Federal Communications Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Labor Relations Board, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve and legislation like Social Security Act, Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act; profiles several members of movement, including Richard A Epstein, Michael Greve and Chip Mellor; photos (L) - Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University, is a frequent contributor to the magazine. He is at work on a book about democracy and the courts, to be published next year. - By Jeffrey Rosen
2 victories for same-sex marriage - KRQE-TV.com
In significant victories for gay rights, the Supreme Court struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples and cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California.
CA Supreme Court agreed to hear cases against Prop 8. Will you celebrate victory over H8 with me?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081119/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage_lawsuits;_ylt=Avkdi7fKJtMWm4ygNs8bXixvzwcF
Answer: there is no hate involved - just because the CA Supreme Court agreed to hear the case doesn't mean anything will happen.
There will be problems is they overturn this AGAIN. What is going to be the next thing that we vote on that the judges will tell us "up yours."
Category: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered
Supreme Court rulings a win for gay marriage - chicagotribune.com
1 hour ago ... Supreme Court ruling sets up new wave of gay marriage battles. print ... The Supreme Court decided two cases on Wednesday. In one, the ...
How has the Dred Scott decision affected life today??
Answer: I roughly agree with the previous answer's two points, but with some modification. And I would suggest at least one more effect.
(1) Dred Scott played a role in helping to bring the Civil War, but how?
a) it galvanized the Republican Party in its opposition to the expansion of slavery into the territories (This was a core organizing principle of the Party in 1854, so the decision was basically saying that the BASIS for the party was unconstitutional!)
but MORE important
b) by ultimately splitting the Democratic Party so that they lost the Presidential contest.
The decision forced Stephen Douglas (under prodding from Lincoln in their debates) to find a way to rescue his distinctive notion of "popular sovereignty" (which included allowing the people of a territory to decide whether they wanted slavery or not). On the surface, the decision ruled this notion out too, but Douglas's new "doctrine" argued that, if a people really did NOT want slavery, their votes against
THIS position by Douglass cause a backlash from "fire-breathing" Southern Democrats to the point of trying to force the 1860 Dem convention to adopt a new form of William Yancey's "Alabama Platform", which insisted that the states support slavery... When the convention rebuffed them, they bolted and split the party, chose their own nominee and virtually GUARANTEED the victory of the Republican nominee (ended up being Lincoln, but that didn't matter). A unified Democratic Party would have won and prevented secession, but handing it to the Republicans in this way was almost certain to lead to secession.. and thence to war.
(2) I would pretty much limit the specific Constitutional responses that now affect us to the FOURTEENTH Amendment.
The decision did also affect what steps were taken AFTER the war to guarantee the rights of newly freed blacks. But I think the 13th amendment (which simply banned slavery) would have happened the same way with or without Dred Scott. As a matter of fact the real counter-Dred Scott amendment was the FOURTEENTH, though perhaps the 15th also owes a little something to it.
The fourteenth has been VERY important in recent decades as the basis Supreme Court decisions (rightly or wrongly in particular instances is debated). It was a major argument in the fight against "separate but equal" legislation. For instance, it was a major argument for the Brown vs. the Board of Education that ended school segregation.
But the amendment was then ALSO used in support of unrelated issues (and most certainly unrelated to the purpose of the amendment when passed in 1868), such as the 'right to abortion' (offered to support arguments for Roe v Wade and its precursors), and more recently for "gay right" including the claim of some to the right to 'same-sex marriage'.
The fifteenth amendment was to guarantee former slaves the right --as citizens-- to VOTE. It is less certain this owes anything to Dred Scott. The amendment was largely a way to "empower" these newly freed slaves to help them fend off renewed Southern efforts through such means as new "black codes", at limiting their rights and opportunities, . (Again, I'm not sure Dred Scott had much direct impact on this. But since that decision DID raise the issue of just who was regarded as a CITIZEN of the NATION -- Taney had said that NO black could be a "citizen" of the U.S., whatever the individual states might want to do-- perhaps it played some role in shaping this amendment.)
So, Dred Scott did, in this indirect way, eventually help to dismantle state systems of segregation-- which I think would widely be agreed on as a good and appropriate thing. But it also helped establish a national "policy" on matter such as "abortion rights" which the nation is still much divided over and many would NOT regard as a good or Constitutional thing.
BUT this may all be stretching the 'influence' of Dred Scott (and response/correction to it) much too far. Views on abortion rights, for instance, have little to do with the issues of Dred Scott, and those who support them would likely have appealed to OTHER grounds if the fourteenth amendment were not in place.
(3) Another possible affect of the Dred Scott decision (along with Plessy v Ferguson which allowed "separate but equal" ['Jim Crow'] laws), though less direct, is in providing OPPONENTS of major Supreme Court decisions with at least a political and rhetorical argument. Major example, again, is Roe v Wade. Opponents of this decision often compare it to the Dred Scott Decision, first as proof that the Supreme Court HAS made major blunders and that the abortion decisions may be the same. Also, the ARGUMENT of Dred Scott -- that he had no rights under the Constitution that a white man was bound to respect -- is seen as parallel to the denying of rights to the unborn.
Note: points 2 & 3 are not about "who is right" in these currently debated issues. But no matter what your view on these things I think we can all see how Dred Scott DID help to 'set the stage' for these debates and how they are carried out (how the courts play into them, etc).
--------------------
Perhaps one more
(4)? The decision played a significant role in gaining LINCOLN the 1860 nomination. His articulate opposition to the decision from his "House Divided Speech" of 1858 (kicking off his Senate race against Stephen Douglas) through the Lincoln-Douglas debates, to the "Cooper Union Address" of 1860, which gained him the East Coast interest and support to ultimately gain the Republican nomination.
So anything you credit Lincoln with doing for the nation --and any lasting contribution he made, ways the nation changed under him -- owes a significant "debt" to the Dred Scott decision. If you believe, for instance, that his sure-handedness, judgments and political skills were CRITICAL to the final Union success in the Civil War, there's an odd sense in which Dred Scott helped gain the final victory....
Category: History
Winning Cases, Losing Voters
AS Republicans revel in President Bushs inauguration and prepare for his agenda-setting State of the Union address next week, many Democrats would like to consider almost anything but the substance of politics as the reason for their defeat last November. If only John Kerry had been a stronger candidate. If only the message had been framed - Paul Starr Op-Ed article on Democrats long-term decline holds liberal Democrats have been inviting political oblivion by letting their political instincts atrophy and relying on courts to achieve their goals on constitutional grounds; says they overlooked that winning legal victories without compromising with opponents or winning over majority opinion could lead unreconciled losing side and unconvinced public to eventually change judges; holds liberals would be better off as one of several influences in ideologically varied party that can win at polls and should compromise to help rebuild partys majority; notes ideology that drives and energizes Republicans also makes them vulnerable (M) - Paul Starr is the co-editor of The American Prospect and the author, most recently, of The Creation of the Media. - By Paul Starr
2 Court Rulings Deal Blow To Same-Sex Marriage
Opponents of same-sex marriage won victories yesterday in Nebraska and Tennessee, with courts in both states siding with efforts to amend state constitutions to prohibit such unions. In Nebraska, a federal appeals court, the highest-level federal court to take up the issue, reinstated a ban on same-sex marriage that had been approved by voters in - Opponents of same-sex marriage win victories in Nebraska and Tennessee, with courts in both states siding with efforts to amend state constitutions to prohibit such unions (M) - By PAM BELLUCK and GRETCHEN RUETHLING; Monica Davey contributed reporting for this article.
The Evangelical Crackup
The hundred-foot white cross atop the Immanuel Baptist Church in downtown Wichita, Kan., casts a shadow over a neighborhood of payday lenders, pawnbrokers and pornographic video stores. To its parishioners, this has long been the front line of the culture war. Immanuel has stood for Southern Baptist traditionalism for more than half a century. - Arthur Lubow profile of Gustavo Dudamel, 26-year-old conductor who has been signed to five-year contract as music director of Los Angeles Philharmonic, and radical music education system in Venezuela of which he is most illustrious product; system, lifetime work of Jose Antonio Abreu, has 246 centers across Venezuela, admits children between 2 and 18, assigns them instruments, organizes them into groups and funnels best into Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra; Dudamel, who began playing as orchestra violinist in Caracas at age of 12, has directed Bolivar Youth Orchestra since 1999; Los Angeles Philharmonic plans initiative in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Los Angeles that is modeled after Venezuelan system; photos (L) - David D. Kirkpatrick is a correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. - By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
U.S. Supreme Court delivers wins for gay marriage movement ...
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark victory for gay rights on Wednesday by forcing the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal and paving the way for it in ...
Which one of Obamas economic policies has actually improved anything?
Answer: Think about what Obama and the congressional Democrats accomplished in the first year and a half:
- Secured sweeping financial reforms that elevate the rights of consumers over Wall Street bankers and give regulators powerful new tools to prevent another collapse
- Brought 100,000 troops home from war and forged a once-unthinkable consensus around the endgame for the Bush administration's $3 trillion blunder in Iraq
-Rewritten America's social contract to make health care accessible for all citizens, something that politicians of both parties have been chasing after for generations
-Warded off another Great Depression and put the country back on a halting path to recovery while giving out largest middle class tax cuts in history and historic investments in infrastructure and alternate energy. According to a study by economists from Princeton and Moody's, more than 16 million jobs would have been lost without the interventions of TARP, the Recovery Act and the Federal Reserve — double the damage actually suffered.
-Credit card reform enhancing your rights
-Slashed nearly $200 billion in corporate welfare — reinvesting that money to make college more accessible and Medicare more solvent
-Prevented the collapse of the Big Three automakers — saving more than 1 million jobs
-Brought Big Tobacco, at last, under the yoke of federal regulation
-Fought to constrain carbon pollution by executive fiat and to invest $200 billion in clean energy — an initiative bigger than John F. Kennedy's moonshot and one that's on track to double America's capacity to generate renewable energy by the end of Obama's first term.
-Brought a measure of sanity to the drug war, reducing the sentencing disparity for crack cocaine while granting states wide latitude to experiment with marijuana laws
-Improved pay parity for women and hate-crime protections for gays and lesbians and repealed DADT
-Installed two young, female justices on the Supreme Court (remember it's the right wingers on the Supreme Court that have oka'yed all this money corruption in our government)
-Achieved historic nuclear agreements; both an international one about international terrorism, and one with Russia about nuclear weapons
What's even more impressive about Obama's accomplishments, historians say, is the fractious political coalition he had to marshal to victory. At its zenith, Obama's governing coalition in the Senate comprised 57 Democrats, a socialist, a Republican turncoat — and Joe Lieberman. Obama also had to maneuver against an unrelenting head wind from the "Party of No" and its billionaire backers, harassed as well as opposed.
In-depth analysis here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/220013
Obama has also gotten the START I Treaty passed, extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes, created an advanced manufacturing fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes, implemented a women-owned business contracting program, and much, much more.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/promise-kept/
Kudos are also due the 111th Congress.
Scholars agree-111th congress possibly the most productive in history
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/161270
A very productive Congress, despite what the approval ratings say
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902516.html
Did the 111th Congress get a bad rap?
The Congress now coming to a close may just be the most productive one in 50 years
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39723961/ns/politics-capitol_hill/
PolitiFact Tracking Obama's Promises (fact, not opinion)
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/
You can sort out which YOU consider to be "economic."
##
Category: Politics
Victories for gay marriage at Supreme Court - MarketWatch
9 hours ago ... The Supreme Court handed down a pair of victories for same-sex marriage, ruling that gay couples may receive federal benefits and clearing ...
Supreme Court Bolsters Gay Marriage With Two Major Rulings ...
13 hours ago ... WASHINGTON — In a pair of major victories for the gay rights movement, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that married same-sex ...
Two great victories for gays: Supreme Court overturns obstacle to ...
This is unexpected but fantastic news: just this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 5-4, nullified a California ruling that restricted marriage to male-female couples and, at the same time, also struck down a federal ...
Reactions to gay marriage wins at Supreme Court | Religion News ...
10 hours ago ... It's hard to find a person who doesn't have a strong opinion about today's double wins for gay marriage rights at the Supreme Court. Here is ...
Supreme Court gives two big victories for gay rights – This Just In ...
Supreme Court gives two big victories for gay rights. The Supreme Court issues two key rulings affecting same-sex marriage in the U.S.; Part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was struck down; The justices also cleared ...
Could gay marriage win a triple crown victory all in the same year?
Its gaining ground in two of the worlds most powerful countries: France and England.
In America, the supreme court will rule on the issue in June.
From the way it stands now, it seems a narrow ruling that will apply only to California is the most likely scenario.
but if France and England pass it...........
maybe it will send the message that gay marriage is now "mainstream" and no longer a minority exception. and Justice Kennedy wont be afraid to make a broad ruling in June.
Answer: I hope so. Most people today support the legalization of Gay Marriage, and the laws should reflect public opinion.
Category: Politics
Supreme Court rulings major victory for same-sex marriage; Local ...
The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave proponents of same-sex marriage two major victories -- striking down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied the same benefits provided to heterosexual spouses to legally ...
Todays America has become the most Liberal in all of history, is that a good or bad thing?
http://www.smh.com.au/world/two-gay-marriage-victories-in-supreme-court-20130627-2oxy4.html
Gay marriage, government healthcare, gun control, welfare reform, abortion....
Everything is becoming very progressive and Conservatives are losing on every front, is that a good or bad thing where America is heading?
Category: Politics
Is it not ironic that liberals are demonizing Republicans over gay marriage?
The reason gay marriage is a hot topic item right now is mainly because of two major deals being decided by the Supreme Court.
The first issue is Prop 8, which started in 2008 over a bill that banned gay marriage in California, a state that in that year voted overwhelming democratic across the board including a landslide victory for Obama in that state. The very same people voted for the ban of gay marriage.
The second is DOMA, a bill signed into law by Bill Clinton.
So Republicans are being demonized over gay marriage even though the Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to vote in favor of gay marriage by overturning two things liberals did.
Dont liberals make politics fun?
Answer: It's not just gay marriage. Liberals demonize, belittle, and namecall anybody who isn't in their way of thinking over any issue. Since they have absolutely no unbias facts, figures, stats, or history to fall back on, they must try to bring the opposition down as low as they can and start finger pointing. This plays on the emotion of their ilk who just puke the same talking points as their ilk have been given. If you don't believe me, just listen to several different sources on the same subject, they will be repeating the same lines.
Category: Politics
Whats Their Real Problem With Gay Marriage? Its the Gay Part
The small but grandiose building at the corner of Eighth and G Streets NW in Washington, tucked directly behind the National Portrait Gallery, holds its own in a city packed with monumental architecture. You step into the lobby and automatically look around for a plaque, figuring that with its dark wood paneling and marble columns, this must be the - Russell Shorto, a contributing writer and the author of The Island at the Center of the World, last wrote for the magazine about religion in the workplace. - By Russell Shorto
Christian Conservatives Press Issues in Statehouses
Energized by electoral victories last month that they say reflect wide support for more traditional social values, conservative Christian advocates across the country are pushing ahead state and local initiatives on thorny issues, including same-sex marriage, public education and abortion. I think people are becoming emboldened, said Michael D. - Conservative Christian advocates, energized by electoral victories last month, are pushing state and local initiatives on thorny issues, including same-sex marriage, public eduction and abortion; local advocacy groups hope to build quickly on momentum from election when state legislatures convene in new year; some initiatives described; groups like American Civil Liberties Union caution that despite surveys of voters leaving polls showing that Pres Bush was supported by 80 percent of whose who list moral values as their top concern, conservative Christians might not have gotten mandate they say they have; photos (NM) - By NEELA BANERJEE
Order In The Court
With another Supreme Court battle looming, this time over Harriet Miers, lets acknowledge something up front: Republicans are right to complain about judicial activism. One of the most fundamental mistakes that liberals made after World War II was, time after time, to seek social progress through the courts rather than through the political - Nicholas D Kristof Op-Ed column, anticipating another Supreme Court battle over appointment of Harriet E Miers, says Republicans are right to complain about judicial activism; says while he agrees with spirit of Warren Court decisions, there were two problems with activist approach: rulings alienated ordinary Americans, and conservatives began playing same game of judicial activism to advance social agenda; says courts may be most efficient way to advance liberal agenda, but social progress should be sought through political process, not through courts; says those on right and on left should abide by this (M) - By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
The Believer
Rick Santorum, the boyish-looking 47-year-old senator from Pennsylvania, could not, in more decorous political times, have risen to a position of much power in Congress. He has been impatient and sometimes impertinent -- the political equivalent of the too-rough kid on the playground who either doesnt know the rules of the game or just doesnt - Michael Sokolove, author of The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw, is a contributing writer for the magazine. - By Michael Sokolove