"I would want a presidential candidate who understands the public good of marriage," Moore answered, "and one who is not hostile to evangelical concerns, and who is going to protect religious liberty and freedom of conscience." To illustrate such protections of liberty, Moore mentioned ensuring that Catholic adoption agencies are allowed to place children only in traditional-marriage homes.The current Supreme Court case involving Hobby Lobby underscores the next battle in the culture war: religious liberty. Since HL is an organization run by people of the Christian faith, they objected to the Obamacare mandate requiring them to offer products (specifically contraception and the "morning after" pill) in their health plans that violated their religious sensibilities. Refusal to offer such products would result in nearly $1.3 million in daily penalties towards the company, which would assuredly force Hobby Lobby out of business. At the core of the government's argument is that once a private citizen (or group of citizens) decides to incorporate, such 1st amendment protections (no laws impeding free exercise of religion) are no longer applicable. I get that corporations are non-human entities. However, they are run by people nonetheless, and these people still have inalienable rights. Unfortunately, a Colorado baker learned the hard way that it's not that cut and dried. Same with Dr. Ben Carson, who dared to sharply criticize the Affordable Care Act in the presence of President Obama. Some conservative groups also ascertained that speaking out against any progressive causes can result in undue consequences.
Missing from Moore's answer was a firm requirement that a presidential candidate be a vocal opponent of gay marriage. Indeed, at another point in his remarks, Moore noted that evangelicals are "beginning to realize that American culture is moving toward same-sex marriage."
"We have been saying, 'Look, same-sex marriage is inevitable in American culture," Moore continued. "It doesn't mean we should stop talking about it … It means we need to start preparing our churches for a new generation."
Moore's fallback position — there's no other way to describe it — is to insist that once the marriage fight is lost, the beliefs of Americans who oppose homosexual marriage on religious grounds be respected. While Moore rejected those who "suggest, 'Let's simply abandon the question of marriage altogether and simply deal with religious liberty issues,'" there's little doubt he's putting new emphasis on liberty and less on manning the barricades against gay marriage.
Medical marijuana advocates say MN Gov Dayton told them in private meeting to buy pot illegally off the street to treat their children.
— Patrick Kessler (@PatKessler) March 26, 2014
“We have hundreds of thousands of people who tried to sign up who didn’t get through,” he said. “There are some people who are not like my grandchildren who can handle everything so easily on the Internet, and these people need a little extra time. It’s not — the example they gave us is a 63-year-old woman came into the store and said, ‘I almost got it. Every time I just about got there, it would cut me off.’ We have a lot of people just like this through no fault of the Internet, but because people are not educated on how to use the Internet.”Emphasis was mine.
Representatives of the Minneapolis and St. Paul NAACP, clergy and other leaders in the African-American community are calling on the DFL-controlled House to censure a Republican lawmaker for tweeting a comment that they consider racist.Except he did.
The group says Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, didn’t apologize directly for a statement he wrote on Twitter that linked NBA basketball players with street crime.
Mel Reeves, an associate minister at Zion Baptist Church, said he wants Garofalo to make a sincere apology. He also said DFL leaders in the House should file an ethics complaint or face a backlash.Mr. Reeves is going to have to explain to us what constitutes a "sincere apology." And who is the moral arbiter that will ultimately determine whether or not an apology is deemed "sincere?"
“It’s going to get a little bit ugly because we’re not going to let it go,” Reeves said. “We’re going to have community meetings about it. It’s going to behoove them to come and say something because it’s also a teachable moment.”
The DFL governor, making his first Capitol appearance since his early February hip surgery, said it is "unacceptable" that the Legislature has not yet allowed him to put the tax cuts in law.
He said the delay was all the fault of his fellow Democrats, "which is unfortunate."
The root of the problem, as Dayton described it, is a dispute over a $90 million Senate office building and parking ramps.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, has made clear he wants the House to finish its sign off on the building plans. The House has not yet been willing to do so.
Dayton said that difference has caused the Senate to delay passage of the tax cut bill.
Last week, Bakk flatly denied that he was blocking progress on other issues for sake of the building, claiming such a thought never even occurred to him. Dayton made clear Tuesday he did not believe that.
On Tuesday, asked if he was responsible for the current conundrum given that he accepted a tax bill that included the business taxes he now wants to dump, the Senate office building and did not include the tax cuts for middle income Minnesotans he now demands, Dayton's answer was simple.
"Sure," he said. He added: "And I'm doing everything to correct it now."
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) plans to run for reelection this year, he said Monday.
Peterson is expected to face a tough race in Minnesota’s 7th District, but his decision to avoid retirement means that Democrats most likely have a better chance of defending the seat.
“I still have a lot of work to do,” the lawmaker said in a statement, which was reported by the Minneapolis Star Tribune earlier on Monday. The ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, Peterson said he wanted to stay to oversee implementation of the latest farm bill.
“While it can be frustrating to watch the dysfunction and partisan gridlock in Congress, I think there is still a place for moderate members like myself to try to build consensus and cooperation,” said Peterson, who was first elected to the House in 1990.
With 0 percent of precincts reporting, I can project Collin Peterson has been reelected in the 7th District.
— Steve Schulz (@schulznym) March 17, 2014
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay faces four felony counts after being arrested Sunday night by Carmel, Ind., police on preliminary charges of driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance, police said.
He was released from Hamilton County Jail at 1:30 p.m. ET Monday. He made no public comments as he exited the building and entered a BMW there to pick him up.
The 54-year-old Irsay was arrested Sunday after driving at a slow rate of speed, stopping in the roadway and failing to signal a turn before police stopped him, Lt. Joe Bickel of the Carmel Police Department said in a release.
"During the course of the investigation, Irsay subsequently failed several roadside field sobriety tests," Bickel said.
In an inventory of Irsay's vehicle, "multiple prescription drugs were discovered in pill bottles," police said. "These Schedule IV prescription drugs were not associated with any prescription bottles found in the vehicle."
In 2002, Irsay admitted he had an addiction to pain killers.
"After several years of orthopedic operations and procedures, accompanied by long bouts of chronic pain, I became dependent on prescription pain medications," Irsay said in a 2002 statement. "This summer I sought professional help at a nationally recognized facility located outside Indiana. I have successfully dealt with my dependence and my chronic pain issues."
I have resigned from CBS.
— Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) March 10, 2014
Republican David Jolly defeated Democrat Alex Sink on Tuesday in a Tampa-area House district where President Barack Obama's health care overhaul got its first test ahead of November's midterm elections and Democrats and Republicans spent millions of dollars auditioning national strategies for the rest of the year.On the surface, it would appear recent history is validated in that if a Democrat not named Obama is running in a toss up congressional district (FL-13 is an R+1 district), the Republican candidate emerges victorious. However, the left was all in for this election given that Sink raised nearly $1 million more than Jolly, who was considered by many as a flawed candidate. And while the spin from leftists is that a Republican should win this district given the fact a GOP Congressman represented the area for 42 years, multiple factors showed that this House seat was ripe for a Dem pickup.
With almost 100 percent of the vote counted, Jolly had 48.5 percent of the vote to Sink's 46.7 percent. Libertarian Lucas Overby had 4.8 percent. The election was to replace 42-year Republican Rep. CW Bill Young, who died in October of cancer.
The implications of the dueling messages for the midterm elections inspired both parties to call in star advocates like President Bill Clinton and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, in addition to blanketing the district with ads, calls and mailings. More than $11 million has been spent on the race, according to the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit group that tracks government information.
Jolly prevailed despite major demographic changes over Young's four-decade tenure that opened a door for a Democratic victory. This is the second special election in 2014 where Democrats have been unable to assert a demographic advantage among actual voters in a nonpresidential election year. President Obama carried the 13th District in 2008 and 2012, and Sink also won the district during her run for governor in 2010. But translating demography into votes is tricky business, as California Democrats noticed during San Diego's mayoral race earlier this year, which the Republican candidate won.Lest you think I'm over hyping this result, I point you to a piece Stuart Rothenberg of Roll Call wrote two months ago entitled "The Race Democrats Can’t Afford to Lose."
Jolly, who was a lobbyist and before that an aide to Young, overcame a significant financial disadvantage to defeat Sink, who was well-known from her previous statewide runs. Sink outspent Jolly about 4-to-1 on the airwaves, according to NBC News, but Republican outside groups including the National Republican Congressional Committee, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Action Network, and American Crossroads helped close the financial gap.
It’s rare in politics that anything other than a presidential contest is viewed as a “must win” — but the special election in Florida’s 13th District falls into that category for Democrats.
A loss in the competitive March 11 contest would almost certainly be regarded by dispassionate observers as a sign that President Barack Obama could constitute an albatross around the neck of his party’s nominees in November. And that could make it more difficult for Democratic candidates, campaign committees and interest groups to raise money and energize the grass roots.
Let's be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime
— Rep. Pat Garofalo (@PatGarofalo) March 9, 2014
Asked about his tweet, Garofalo said he was “talking about NBA’s high arrest rate and that they are the only major pro league that testing positive for marijuana is not a substance abuse violation.”Well if indeed Garofalo is being forthright about his intent, there is evidence to substantiate the NBA’s high arrest rate. In a study conducted back in 2010, the arrest rate of NBA players was 5.1%, which was nearly a full percentage point higher than the national average of 4.2%. Despite that, people are still going to question why Garofalo was even drawing attention to such a thing. Since 80% of NBA players are African-American, many folks will not let go of the racial component, a fact that should not have been lost on Garofalo. Now am I saying he’s a racist? Absolutely not. But I feel as though Garofalo used incredibly poor judgment, especially since the PC police are constantly looking to pounce on any rhetoric they perceive to be inappropriate or offensive.
“No intent beyond that,” he said.
St. Paul- Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) gave the following statement in response to his comments Sunday evening.------------------------------------
“In the last 24 hours, I’ve had the opportunity to re-learn one of life’s lessons: whenever any of us are offering opinions, it is best to refer to people as individuals as opposed to groups. Last night, I publicly commented on the NBA and I sincerely apologize to those who I unfairly categorized. The NBA has many examples of players and owners who are role models for our communities and for our country. Those individuals did not deserve that criticism and I apologize. In addition, it’s been brought to my attention that I was mistaken and the NBA policy on drug enforcement is stronger than I previously believed. Again, I offer my sincere apologies for my comments,” stated Rep. Garofalo.
Representative Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie), who serves as the Deputy Minority Leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives, was denied the endorsement of the Republican Party of Minnesota in House District 48B.
In 2013, Loon was one of four Republicans in the Minnesota House of Representatives who voted for legislation which legalized same-sex marriage. Sheila Kihne, a Republican activist & author from Eden Prairie challenged Loon for the endorsement. Kihne has been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
After numerous ballots, the convention decided not to endorse a candidate. Neither Loon, nor Kihne have announced if the plan on running in the Republican primary election in HD 48B. Three of the four Republicans in the Minnesota House of Representatives that voted for same-sex marriage in ’13 decided to run for re-election in 2014. Representative Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) was the only incumbent endorsed for re-election by the Republican Party of Minnesota.
Three weeks ago Representative David FitzSimmons, who also voted with Loon for same-sex-marriage, was challenged by three candidates for endorsement by the Republican Party of Minnesota. FitzSimmons faced strong backlash at his convention for voting for same-sex marriage and announced that he would not seek re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Today the Eden Prairie News ran (a) news article on the same-sex marriage vote in the MN Legislature. I want to thank all who have contacted me regarding this important issue. It is a deeply personal issue that I do not take lightly and sought input from as many channels as possible leading up to the vote. As someone who believes strongly in limited government, I came to the conclusion that allowing my own or others’ religious beliefs to prevent the extension of civil marriage to same sex couples was not justified. To ensure protections for all under the law, I also supported efforts to strengthen religious liberty protections in the final bill. For those who disagree with my vote, I want to express my deep respect for your conviction. After a long and thoughtful process, I came to the conclusion my duty as a legislator was to honor my belief in limited government, equal protections under the law and the views of the people residing in 48B.The prior November, only 40% of voters in Loon's House District voted to define marriage as solely between one man and one woman. That means the 60% who voted against the MN Marriage Amendment either supported same-sex marriage or preferred government not have any role in defining it. Given Loon's rationale for voting "yes" on the same-sex marriage bill combined with how her district voted on the issue would indicate to me that she accurately represented her constituents' views.
Image of @Win_with_Nguyen website Google cache (March 3) vs. today. #mngop #stribpol pic.twitter.com/j4aNmM4bia
— Jeff Kolb (@jpkolb) March 6, 2014
.@Win_with_Nguyen just said he is the "biggest advocate of photo ID out there."
— Jeff Kolb (@jpkolb) March 8, 2014The Obama administration will allow some health plans that fall short of Obamacare coverage requirements to be offered for two more years, extending the coverage past the November elections and through President Barack Obama’s second term.
The decision, announced Wednesday by federal health officials, extends an earlier decision by the White House to let people keep their existing health plans through 2014, even if those plans fell short of the Affordable Care Act requirements. Under the new policy, some people could renew plans in 2016, meaning they would be covered into 2017.
It's. The. Law. #ObamaCareInThreeWords, pic.twitter.com/yCHSmuxkKj
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 16, 2013
Another delay in Obamacare.
Really? Like @Matthops82 said, time to update: pic.twitter.com/PtM6IorH4n
— Slublog (@Slublog) March 5, 2014
[W]here Congress is unwilling to act, I will take whatever administrative steps that I can in order to do right by the American people.
And if Congress thinks that what I’ve done is inappropriate or wrong in some fashion, they’re free to make that case.
