Photo: Elizabeth Cromwell, Wikimedia Commons , CC In a press conference he held to address the results of the 2010 elections , president Barack Obama made a none-too surprising statement: That comprehensive climate and clean energy reform is kaput for at least two years. He still maintained that he would try to push smaller initiatives through Congress in a piecemeal fashion, but he admitted more significant policy was all but dead for the time being. Here’s what he said:… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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By Robert Scheer Barack Obama deserved the rebuke he received at the polls for a failed economic policy that consisted of throwing trillions at Wall Street but getting nothing in return. His amen chorus in the media is quick to blame everyone but the president for his sharp reversal of fortunes. Related Entries November 3, 2010 Californians Put Down Their Joints, Give Jerry Brown Another Shot November 3, 2010 Message for the Day After
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In a state where personal marijuana use is virtually legal , Californians decided not to go all the way and decriminalize recreational marijuana consumption. Defying the national trend, however, Golden Staters just said no to Republican rule. Jerry Brown will reprise his role as governor, defeating former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Whitman spent more than $140 million of her own money on her campaign, which, when compared with Brown’s $35 million effort, diminished her claims of fiscal responsibility and business savvy. Still, in these difficult times, we Californians thank Ms. Whitman for her money. Our economy really needed it. Another former CEO, Carly Fiorina, gave Sen. Barbara Boxer a tough fight, but it was one seat in Congress the Democrats managed to hold onto. Californians continue to demonstrate a fondness for redistricting, voting in large numbers to limit elected officials’ involvement in the process. Voters, however, made it easier for their legislators to pass a budget, a gridlocked fiasco that had been a national embarrassment. Also worth noting, Californians shot down a polluter-backed proposition that would have delayed implementation of the state’s forward thinking clean air rules.
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The GOP had a huge night in the House of Representatives, but the Democrats showed some fight in the Senate, which they held. The tea party set off some fireworks, but they had their share of duds, notably Sharron Angle in Nevada, Joe Miller of Alaska and, of course, Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, who never polled well , yet received more media coverage this cycle than any politician not named Barack Obama. The Democrats lost some clout in the Senate, dropping Barack Obama’s former seat , among others. Still, tough races in Oregon, Nevada and California broke the Democrats’ way and as of this posting Colorado was still too close to call. Sen. Russ Feingold, who has been one of the strongest opponents of the kind of economic recklessness that created the crisis that most voters identified as their top worry, was kicked out of office by the voters of Wisconsin. It might have had something to do with the millions spent by independent groups to support his opponent. Another race that has us down: Three of the seven Iowa supreme court justices who voted unanimously to end that state’s ban on gay marriage were up for a vote of retention, and voters removed all three from the bench.
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The US military’s ban on openly gay troops will remain in place while the Obama administration challenges a court ruling overturning the policy, a US appeals court has ruled. Monday’s decision means that the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” law will remain in place for the duration of a landmark legal battle that saw the policy briefly dropped before being re-instated. In September, a US district judge ruled that the law infringed on constitutional rights of gay men and women serving the US military, prompting the Obama administration to appeal. Barack Obama insists that he supports ending the “dont ask, dont tell” rule, but argues that Congress, rather than the courts should make the…
Continue reading …A Week Late, NBC Nightly News Reports Obama’s ‘Punish Our Enemies’ Crack
November 2, 2010 No Comment
After a week of silence, NBC Nightly News finally mentioned that President Obama, in an interview with Univision Radio last Monday, October 25, encouraged Hispanic voters to not sit out the election, but say “we’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us.” But correspondent Savannah Guthrie failed to see that as a divisive and unpresidential statement that had been burning up conservative talk radio for the past week, but merely as a “potential attack” that Obama was trying to “head off” by now “saying he should have used a different word.” read more
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By Chris Hedges The American left is a phantom. It is conjured up by the right wing to tag Barack Obama as a socialist and used by the liberal class to justify its complacency and lethargy. Related Entries October 31, 2010 No Final Victories October 31, 2010 Christine O’Donnell Favors Separation of Speech and Thought
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