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Even though 3Chics Politico is written and curated by three women: Ametia, Rikyrah, and SouthernGirl2, I must nominate this as one of the most engaging blogs I've found. Devoted to politics and culture, these three shine a light on contemporary life with humor and spirit.
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https://twitter.com/Interior/status/357251841811165184/photo/1
Defining citizenship down
By Greg Sargent, Published: July 16 at 4:51 pm
GOP Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina tells local reporters in his state that he thinks a path to citizenship will end up in the final immigration bill:
Rep. Mark Sanford believes Congress ultimately will pass an immigration reform bill that contains a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers already in the U.S.
Although the U.S. House likely won’t take up the entire bill that passed the U.S. Senate, Sanford said the House probably will pass “micro bills that are palatable to the body,” dealing with individual provisions such as high-tech workers and agricultural workers.
But once House and Senate members get together to meld the competing bills into one, Sanford said the pathway to citizenship contained in the Senate version likely will remain, regardless of opposition from conservative congressmen.
“Once it leaves House, I think it will be the Senate side that prevails,” he said Monday.
In other words, if Republicans pass some piecemeal bills that don’t include citizenship, a path will be inserted into the final product in conference negotiations. As I noted here yesterday, reporting from National Review’s Jonathan Strong, who is well connected among House Republicans, indicates that this is actually an outcome many Republicans fear. As a result, many may be reluctant to support even piecemeal provisions they themselves want on enforcement and security, because passing nothing would enable Republicans to avoid having to enter into negotiations later.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/16/defining-citizenship-down/
’12 Years a Slave’: Trailer for Oscar contender starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard hits web
by Adrienne Green | July 16, 2013 at 10:09 AM
12 YEARS A SLAVE is based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender) as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) forever alters his life. All content copyright Fox Searchlight.
http://youtu.be/rMpDUYzLgzY
Gillibrand bill on military sexual assaults gets GOP backers
By Steve Benen
Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:15 PM EDT.
As the scourge of sexual assaults within the military garnered more attention, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation intended to change the way the system works, pushing for a new policy that would place sex assault cases in the hands of prosecutors, not military commanders, who would decide which cases to pursue.
The effort, not surprisingly, has faced resistance, including opposition from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.), but Gillibrand hasn’t given up. Indeed, this week, she’s picking up some unexpected allies — Politico reports that Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ambitious and high profile Republicans, have signed on to Gillibrand’s bill as co-sponsors.
And while that’s interesting, I was struck by the response from the right. Bill Kristol, for example, blasted the GOP senators for joining “the anti-military caucus.”
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/16/19505923-gillibrand-bill-on-military-sexual-assaults-gets-gop-backers?lite
Nervous GOP staffer: ‘Climate change is real’
By Steve Benen
Tue Jul 16, 2013 11:40 AM EDT
Real Clear Science published an interesting item the other day under a headline that read, “How the GOP Could Win the Climate Debate,” written by someone named “Eric Bradenson.”
Given the prevailing winds, anytime a Republican is willing to break with climate deniers and acknowledge global warming, it’s a refreshing change of pace. But there’s something unique about this piece in particular.
As Joe Romm noted, “Eric Bradenson” isn’t the writer’s real name; it’s a pseudonym. In fact, the author needed to use a nom de plume, he said, “to protect his boss and himself.”
Got that? In 2013, with the threats posed by the climate crisis intensifying, a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill is only willing to acknowledge reality if he can do so pseudonymously.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/16/19504184-nervous-gop-staffer-climate-change-is-real?lite
‘All Talk, No Action’
By Steve Benen
Tue Jul 16, 2013 11:12 AM EDT.
Without a hint of humor or shame, the Republican National Committee issued a press release this morning accusing President Obama of being “All Talk, No Action” when it comes to the “Hispanic Community.” No, seriously, that’s what the RNC said.
Someone at the RNC’s communications office probably should have thought this one through a little more, since, when it comes to issues important to Latino voters, it’s the lack of “action” from congressional Republicans that’s proving to be so problematic.
Indeed, when it comes to comprehensive immigration reform, which is facing long odds in the face of fierce opposition from the House GOP, the question is whether these Republican lawmakers are prepared to do anything on the issue. National Review’s Jonathan Strong reports they may not (via Greg Sargent).
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/16/19503911-all-talk-no-action?lite
too bad…
so sad..
you voted for these mofos
……………………………….
North Carolina sours on far-right agenda
By Steve Benen
Tue Jul 16, 2013 9:30 AM EDT.
\
Rachel recently noted on the show that North Carolina right now “is like conservatives gone wild.” There’s overwhelming evidence to back that up, and it increasingly looks like North Carolinians are unimpressed.
Public Policy Polling, which is based in North Carolina, released new survey results this morning showing the state’s residents increasingly unimpressed as Republican state policymakers continue to push the state to the right. Gov. Pat McCrory (R), just a half-year into his first term, has seen his approval rating drop and is now underwater (his disapproval numbers are higher than his approval numbers).
Helping drive the public disappointment is the GOP agenda targeting reproductive rights in the state — the motorcycle-turned-abortion bill is still working its way through the legislative process — and the proposal, which McCrory has vowed to sign despite promising the opposite last year, enjoys the support of just 34% of North Carolinians. A whopping 80% of the state believe it’s inappropriate for lawmakers to combine abortion legislation with bills about motorcycle safety or Sharia Law.
What’s more, the poll found that a plurality of the state believes the General Assembly is causing North Carolina “national embarrassment”; the public is more sympathetic towards the Moral Monday protestors than the lawmakers inside the legislature, and just six months after the first Republican takeover of state government since Reconstruction, most voters in the state now intend to vote Democratic in the next election cycle.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/16/19502770-north-carolina-sours-on-far-right-agenda?lite
Health Insurance Within Reach
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Ever since Marci Lieber, a part-time social worker in Brooklyn, learned she was pregnant, she and her husband have been scrambling to find health insurance. But insurers consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition, and won’t sell anyone a new policy that covers it.
That changes on Jan. 1, 2014, when insurers will no longer be permitted to deny coverage of pre-existing conditions — and all Americans will be required to have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Ms. Lieber, 37, hopes to purchase a policy through New York State’s new health exchange as early as this October.
Just in time: the baby is due Jan. 25.
“I hadn’t paid super close attention to the A.C.A. I didn’t realize it would apply to my life,” Ms. Lieber said. She learned she could purchase a policy through the new exchange from a counselor at Community Health Advocates, a consumer assistance program that helps New Yorkers find health coverage.
Ms. Lieber isn’t alone. Many Americans still don’t realize the A.C.A. is coming into effect, including 6 out of 10 low-income workers who especially stand to benefit, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Many mistakenly believe the law has been overturned and few have any idea how they are to go about purchasing health insurance from the online exchanges being set up in each state — or that the federal government intends to help many of them pay for it.
But many efforts are being made to simplify the process of buying insurance and to make the exchanges as user-friendly as possible.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/health-insurance-within-reach/?smid=tw-share
McDonalds Tells Workers To Budget By Getting A Second Job And Turning Off Their Heat
McDonalds has partnered with Visa to launch a website to help its low-wage workers making an average $8.25 an hour to budget.[….] The site includes a sample”‘budget journal” for McDonalds’ employees that offers a laughably inaccurate view of what it’s like to budget on a minimum wage job. Not only does the budget leave a spot open for “second job,” it also gives wholly unreasonable estimates for employees’ costs: $20 a month for health care, $0 for heating, and $600 a month for rent. It does not include any budgeted money for food or clothing.[….]
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/07/15/2300321/mcdonalds-buget-low-wage/
Texas judge is found dead from gunshot wound in courthouse
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, July 16 (UPI) — A Texas judge was found dead in his chambers Monday evening killed by a shot to the head, investigators said.
State District Judge Tom Greenwell’s body was discovered at about 7 p.m., 2 hours after the Corpus Christi courthouse closed, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported.
Greenwell was the first Republican to be elected a judge in Nueces County. He won his first election in 2001 and was re-elected in 2006 and 2010, running unopposed in that race. He lost an election for the appeals court in 2012.
The Nueces County Sheriff’s Office released little information about the investigation Monday night. Sheriff Jim Kaelin confirmed Greenwell had been shot.
Most visitors to the courthouse are required to pass through metal detectors. Judges who have concealed carry permits are allowed to bring their guns to work.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/07/16/Judge-found-dead-in-Texas-courthouse/UPI-29591373952960/#ixzz2ZDmuNMfQ
Good Morning 3Chics,
Ametia, I saw your picture of the Black baby as a target on another site. I had to come give you dap for that. Also, the gathering downtown Minneapolis for Trayvon and Terrance Franklin was informative. Met lots of potential allies for justice here. Finally, “Sweet Dreams” is the joint. Timeless. Have a good day all.
Hello TyrenM, my fellow Mini-applite! Good to see you in these parts. Rik dropped that pic on 3 Chics. And yes, the KKK are showing their true colors. They can’t contain it.
So glad you got to attend teh rally. Folks aren’t having it, and it looked like good vibes all the way around. “Seet Dreams” is coming soon.
Thanks for gracing the place. :-)
This is nothing but theatrics and more of the GOP thinking they are in control of the black President.
Senators have reached a tentative deal on averting the constitutional showdown over confirming President Obama’s agency nominations. “We may have a way forward on this, I feel fairly confident,” Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday morning. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) signaled that enough Republicans would support breaking a filibuster on the first test vote for Obama’s pick to lead the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau. “I think everyone will be happy,” Reid said. The deal will not be finalized until later Tuesday afternoon.
Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-poised-to-take-up-key-rule-changes/2013/07/16/167045da-ee1d-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html?hpid=z1
Black boys denied the right to be young
By Eugene Robinson, Published: July 15
Justice failed Trayvon Martin the night he was killed. We should be appalled and outraged, but perhaps not surprised, that it failed him again Saturday night, with a verdict setting his killer free.
Our society considers young black men to be dangerous, interchangeable, expendable, guilty until proven innocent. This is the conversation about race that we desperately need to have — but probably, as in the past, will try our best to avoid.
George Zimmerman’s acquittal was set in motion on Feb. 26, 2012, before Martin’s body was cold. When Sanford, Fla., police arrived on the scene, they encountered a grown man who acknowledged killing an unarmed 17-year-old boy. They did not arrest the man or test him for drug or alcohol use. They conducted a less-than-energetic search for forensic evidence. They hardly bothered to look for witnesses.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-black-boys-denied-the-right-to-be-young/2013/07/15/d3f603d8-ed69-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
Salon Columnist Likens Trayvon Martin to a Terrorist, Obama to a Vigilante #leftracism
Monday, July 15, 2013 | Posted by Spandan C at 3:15 PM
Some racism is overt and right wing, like Iowa Congressman Steve King’s. Some racism, just as pernicious, just as damaging, comes from a dark, covert special place of hatred the media’s professional white Left, like David Sirota’s. In his just published self-righteous diatribe likening the killer of Trayvon Martin to President Obama and the innocent child who was murdered to a terrorist in Salon, Sirota has unleashed his deep, disgusting brand of racism.
Remember, in the same year that saw Zimmerman kill Martin, Zimmerman’s president, Barack Obama, extra-judicially executed Anwar al-Awlaki and then his 16-year-old son, without charging either of the two U.S. citizens with a single crime. The two were simply presumed guilty, without any evidence being officially marshaled against them.
Zimmerman’s president? If that’s a joke, it’s the sickest joke I have ever heard. In the same sense that President Obama is Zimmerman’s president, he is Trayvon Martin’s president, my president, and for that matter, as much as Sirota would like to hide it, Sirota’s president. But that’s not what it’s about. This is about associating a black president with a violent vigilante.
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2013/07/david-sirotas-racist-rant-compares.html
LOL These bleeding heart white libs are crawling out their skin with the disdain and hatred for the BLACK Prez. We see your TRUE COLORS, SHINING THROUGH.
For the Hispanic media, it’s all about John Boehner
By Greg Sargent, Published: July 15 at 5:41 pm
“Like it or not, the Hispanic media perceives that approving or rejecting immigration reform is in the hands of John Boehner. When you listen to local radio stations and even national media, most of us are concentrated on John Boehner. We don’t even have a problem pronouncing his name.”
That’s from Jorge Ramos, the widely influential anchor for Univision who has been described as the “Walter Cronkite of Hispanic media,” in an interview with me today. Ramos left little doubt that Boehner and fellow House Republicans will get absolutely crucified by the Hispanic media if Republicans fail to support comprehensive reform.
The views of Ramos and others in the Hispanic media are mostly overlooked inside the Beltway. But Obama is set to take his case to that media directly: The White House just announced he will do a round of interviews with Hispanic media tomorrow.
By the way, there’s no dismissing Ramos’s criticism of Boehner as partisanship. He was a relentless critic of Obama during his first term for breaking what was widely known in Latino media as “the promise” — the vow to pursue immigration reform.
Indeed, Republicans are plainly looking to minimize the damage they will sustain among Latinos by debating a “piecemeal” approach designed to make them look as if they see the need to act on reform. But right now, Ramos says, the bulk of the coverage in Hispanic media strongly suggests it will be hard for Republicans to avoid most or all the blame if it fails.
“In the end, you just have to follow Hispanic media,” Ramos says. “The question is, who is responsible for failure? So far, the answer is Republicans.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/15/for-the-hispanic-media-its-all-about-john-boehner/
Top Senate liberals: We support changing rules no matter who controls Senate
By Greg Sargent, Published: July 15 at 2:49 pm
Now that former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer is not running for Senate, Nate Silver and others are predicting the GOP’s odds of taking back the Senate have improved markedly. Does that weaken the case for doing away with the filibuster on executive nominations, if necessary, on the theory that Dems will regret the move once Republicans are in control?
Not at all. This is about making the Senate functional — whoever is in charge. Indeed, that is the very premise driving those who would reform the Senate — such as leading Senate progressives Jeff Merkley and Tom Udall.
“This is about going to a simple majority on executive nominations,” Merkely, a leading proponent of Senate reform, told me today. “I support that whether I’m in the majority or in the minority.”
There’s been a fair amount of chortling on the right today about the confluence of two things: first, the mounting signs that Republicans could take back the Senate; and second, that Harry Reid really may make good on his threat to change the rules. But for would-be Senate reformers, much of this is beside the point. Reform is about rendering the Senate more democratic, which means that the question of who the voters put in charge of the Senate is irrelevant to the question of whether to pursue reform.
“It’s very important that we not have a situation where a minority of the Senate can essentially impair the functioning of the other two branches of government,” Merkley says. “That’s not advise and consent. It’s obstruct and destroy. Those who care about good government — about making government work better — should want to make these sorts of changes.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/15/top-senate-liberals-we-support-changing-rules-no-matter-who-controls-senate/
Cuccinelli struggles to steer clear of Virginia scandal
By Steve Benen
Tue Jul 16, 2013 8:38 AM EDT
Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial hopeful, state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, hosted a town-hall meeting last night with a friendly crowd eager to help their candidate. But it wasn’t long before someone raised the specter of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) possible indictment.
Cuccinelli conceded that the governor’s scandal is affecting this year’s statewide race, but added, “It is personal to the governor.”
This is, of course, the line Virginia Republicans are heavily invested in. Unable to think of a defense for their ally, GOP officials are stuck with a straightforward defense: this is a McDonnell scandal, not a GOP one.
But for Cuccinelli, putting distance between himself and the controversy isn’t as easy as it sounds. As the New York Times reports this morning, Cuccinelli has his own ties to the executive who showered McDonnell and his family with extravagant gifts.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/16/19502205-cuccinelli-struggles-to-steer-clear-of-virginia-scandal?lite
Poll highlights Democratic advantage on immigration
By Steve Benen
Mon Jul 15, 2013 4:26 PM EDT.
Gallup reports today on results the typical person probably could have guessed without looking: when it comes to Americans’ views on immigration, the public agrees with Democrats by a wide margin over Republicans. But the closer one looks, the more interesting the results become.
Broken down by race and ethnicity, African Americans (70% to 14%) and Hispanics (60% to 26%) heavily favor Democrats over the GOP, while among non-Hispanic whites, the parties are effectively tied, with the GOP enjoying a slight edge (42% to 41%). Then consider the same breakdown with age groups factored in
Note that in every group, younger Americans side with Democrats, and this includes non-Hispanic whites under the age of 50. There’s only one group of folks that sides with Republicans: older white people.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/15/19489059-poll-highlights-democratic-advantage-on-immigration?lite
Lisa Madigan nixes run for governor to avoid conflict with powerful dad
BY NATASHA KORECKI Political Reporter Twitter @natashakorecki July 15, 2013 5:08PM
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan answered perhaps the most anticipated question in Illinois politics on Monday, ducking out of the race for governor, saying the state would not be “well served” if she were elected and her father remained the powerful Speaker of the Illinois House.
Instead, Lisa Madigan, who would have made history if she were elected as the state’s first female governor, will run for a fourth term as attorney general. It is an unexpected career choice for the popular politician who even without an official announcement has $5 million in her campaign fund — nearly twice as much as any other gubernatorial contender in either party.
http://www.suntimes.com/21348247-761/lisa-madigan-nixes-run-for-governor-to-avoid-conflict-with-powerful-dad.html
Getting another ‘gang’ together
By Steve Benen
Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:47 PM EDT.
Senators will meet tonight in the Old Senate Chamber, and while no formal business will take place, members will use the gathering to see if they can still work something out on executive-branch filibusters. If not, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) insists he has the votes in place to execute the nuclear option.
(Note Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell objected to tonight’s meeting, saying Reid was trying to sabotage the get-together by scheduling it for a Monday night, when senators don’t usually have to work.)
Since there’s only one obvious way out of this showdown — Republicans can agree to allow the Senate to vote up or down on executive-branch nominees — and the GOP minority refuses to consider it, the nuclear option appears increasingly likely. There is, however, a “gang” emerging.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/15/19488745-getting-another-gang-together?lite
The Dog That Didn’t Bark
by BooMan
Mon Jul 15th, 2013 at 02:42:00 PM EST
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who was born in Kenya Calgary, is visiting New Hampshire to do a fundraiser for the state’s Republican Party. He is also scheduled to visit Iowa and Florida, and has already been to South Carolina. In other words, this lunatic is planning on running for president. Do you hear anyone on the right asking whether or not someone born in Kenya Calgary can be a natural born citizen?
Unlike Honolulu, the city of Calgary is not in the United States of America. Unlike the Panama Canal, at the time of John McCain’s birth, Calgary is not administered by the U.S. Government or occupied by U.S. Armed Forces. The only argument Senator Cruz can make for being a natural born citizen is that his mom was born in Delaware. That’s sufficient, but it was exactly the same situation Obama would have been in if it had been true that he was born in Kenya. If Obama needed to show his birth certificate to prove his eligibility to be president, then Ted Cruz is ineligible. The Tea Party and Donald Trump should be saying that Ted Cruz cannot be president because he isn’t a natural born citizen. But they aren’t saying it.
Why is that?
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2013/7/15/14420/4388
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Good Morning, Rikyrah & EVeryone! :-)