Progressive News

Reuters

Polling the Nevada caucuses is notoriously difficult, but this week, the survey results tended to be pretty accurate. With most of the precincts reporting, Mitt Romney, as expected, cruised to an easy, double-digit win in the Silver State, beating Newt Gingrich by 25 points, 47.6% to 22.7%.

Gingrich tried to assign an asterisk to the results, reminding reporters that Nevada is a "very heavily Mormon state," but exit polls showed Romney would have won by 17 points even excluding LDS voters.

Speaking of Gingrich, his campaign announced earlier in the day that the former Speaker would host a press conference after the caucus -- rather than delivering a speech -- which led to speculation that he might end his campaign. "All of you can relax," Gingrich told reporters. "I'm not going to withdraw. I'm actually pretty happy where we are." He added that he still fully expects to take the race all the way to the Republican convention in August.

Ron Paul, meanwhile, put quite a bit of effort into competing in Nevada, and suggested yesterday he could come in second. Though his 18% showing yesterday was quite good given Paul's relative standing in the party, the Texas congressman nevertheless finished four point behind Gingrich, and 29 points behind Romney.

What happens now? The Gingrich campaign will have a few opportunities to get back on track in February, but in general, he doesn't have a whole lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Feb. 7: Minnesota caucuses: A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed Gingrich with a big lead over Romney, suggesting it's the next contest that can help the former Speaker keep pace with the frontrunner.

Feb. 7: Colorado caucuses: Romney easily won this state four years ago, and is generally expected to do so again.

Feb. 7: Missouri nonbinding primary: As Nate Silver explained recently, Missouri "will hold a primary on Feb. 7, but it has no direct or indirect effect on delegate allocation, which will instead be determined in its March caucuses." Romney shouldn't have too much trouble -- Gingrich didn't qualify for the ballot.

Feb. 11: Maine caucuses: Maine holds a week-long process, and while Ron Paul has been making an effort in the state, Romney's regional advantage is expected to give him the edge.

Feb. 28: Arizona primary: At least some polling suggests the state will be competitive, but at this point, it's hard to predict.

Feb. 28: Michigan primary: Arguably the most interesting contest in February, Michigan should be an easy one for Romney -- he's from the state and his father was governor -- but there's ample evidence that he struggles with the kind of working-class voters who will dominate the primary.

As for upcoming debates, which Gingrich would love to use to put himself back in contention, there are no debates scheduled again until Feb. 22.

The result is a landscape that appears to favor the frontrunner.

Campaigning in Colorado, Rick Santorum remained upbeat and largely dismissive of any impact his last place finished in Nevada would have on his GOP candidacy.

Newt Gingrich puts to rest rumors that he might be dropping out after a loss in the Nevada caucuses and accuses his chief rival of dishonesty.

In winning the Nevada Republican caucuses, Mitt Romney added another victory in a campaign built on organization and momentum.

Mitt Romney on Saturday hits President Barack Obama on unemployment improvement and attacks the 2009 stimulus on a factory floor that accepted a contract including stimulus funds.

Indiana's top elections official loses his job after jurors convict him of multiple voter fraud-related charges.

New York City's activist mayor is spending millions of his own money touting an issue most politicians avoid like the plague.

 

Economic News Release - Employment Situation Summary

U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent in January

Romney vs. Romney vs. Reality

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney - Face to Face with Jon Ralston

Santorum Unlikely To Make Indiana Ballot

Rick Santorum Fails To Qualify For Indiana Ballot

Walker takes broad swipe at public employee unions

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signs tax cut bill into law

Exemptions for police, fire fighters in Walker budget bill sparks questions of political payback

In Scott Walker recall, Wisconsin Dems tout 1 million signatures

Ohio Repeals Union Law as U.S. Voters Reject Leaders' Policies

Mitch Daniels signs Indiana right-to-work law

State Republicans launch right-to-work amendment drive

Ohio group's 'right-to-work' measure clears hurdle

Snyder remains mum on right-to-work after Indiana makes it the law

Does 'Right-to-WoRk' CReate Jobs? (pdf)

How Scott Walker and ALEC Plotted the Attack on Arizona's Unions

Arizona targets public worker unions

Komen backs off decision on funding cuts

Komen backs down, apologizes

Jobless rate at 3-year low as payrolls surge

Obama seeks $6B to hire thousands of vets for public service jobs

Marcy Kaptur: "Don't leave your home."

New York Sues 3 Big Banks Over Mortgage Database

New Housing Task Force Will Zero In on Wall St.

Jobs Report, First Impressions

More cities consider parades for Iraq War vets

If the Giants or Pats get a parade, shouldn't Iraq vets?

If the Giants or Pats Get a Parade, Shouldn't Iraq Vets?

Re: Iraq War Veterans celebration, Speaker Christine C. Quinn said:

Auctioneer: Stop All The Sales Right Now!

Organizing for Occupation

Tonight's guests include:

Jon Ralston, columnist for the Las Vegas Sun and host of “Face to Face with Jon Ralston”

Jared Bernstein, former member of President Obama's economic team and former economic adviser to Vice President Biden, currently a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and MSNBC contributor

While watching tonight's video preview, take a listen to tonight's soundtrack. (Just be sure to let the ad below finish playing before starting the song).

Executive producer Bill Wolff shares a preview of tonight's show:

 

 

Today's edition of quick hits:

Associated Press

* It begins: "Democratic New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed suit against Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo for deceptive and fraudulent use of a private database used to register mortgages."

* Obama must be the least-effective socialist in human history: "A surge in hiring in the world's largest economy last month drove the Nasdaq to an 11-year high on Friday."

* In the wake of the Komen for the Cure controversy, Planned Parenthood they've raised over $3 million in three days. That's a stunning figure.

* Saber rattling in Tehran: "Iran's supreme leader lashed out at the United States in a defiant speech on Friday, vowing to retaliate against oil sanctions and threats of war over Iran's nuclear program."

* On to the House: "The Senate passed a sweeping new ethics bill on Thursday that would ban insider trading by members of Congress and require prompt disclosure of stock transactions by lawmakers and by thousands of officials in the executive branch of government." The final vote was 96 to 3.

* Obama's message to Congress today: "Do not slow down the recovery ... don't muck it up!"

* For some reason, Fox News didn't consider the new job numbers important. It must have slipped their minds.

* On a related note, the encouraging jobs report, at least for a little while, left Republican leaders speechless.

* At one event in Nevada today, Mitt Romney argued the economy is recovering under Obama, and that Obama made the recession worse. He may want to give this some additional thought.

* That's a lot of money: "At a private three-day retreat in California last weekend, conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch and about 250 to 300 other individuals pledged approximately $100 million to defeat President Obama in the 2012 elections."

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

Only one part of the White House's American Jobs Act actually passed Congress: a measure intended to boost employment among U.S. military veterans. With new evidence that vets' jobless rate is improving, President Obama is launching an effort to keep the progress going.

In an effort to cut the unemployment rate among veterans, President Barack Obama is calling for a new conservation program that would put veterans to work rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands.

The president also will seek more grant money for programs that allow local communities to hire more police officers and firefighters.

Obama's announcement comes as new job numbers for January showed promising signs for improving veteran unemployment. According to the report released Friday, unemployment among veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fell more than six percent, from 15.2 percent to 9.1 percent, over the last year. The overall rate for veterans fell from 9.9 percent to 7.5 percent over the same period, which now places them below the national rate of 8.3 percent.

At an event in Virginia today, Obama argued, "Let's get more cops on the beat, let's get more rangers in the parks, let's get more firefighters on call, and in the process, we're going to put more veterans back to work.... They've already risked their lives defending America. They should have the opportunity to rebuild America."

It's smart policy -- the nation has (a) pressing needs that require trained, trusted professionals, and (b) veterans ready to serve here at home. There's no reason not to put these men and women back to work doing jobs that need to be done.

It also happens to be smart politics -- Republicans generally find it easy to reflexively reject any and all Democratic ideas related to improving the economy, especially when it comes to infrastructure. But the GOP will likely find it a little more difficult, especially in an election year, to balk at Obama's plan to help get veterans back to work.

Politico had more today on the White House's proposal for a "Veterans Jobs Corps," which intends to create jobs for as many as 20,000 veterans.

Newt Gingrich had no comment about January's jobs figures at an event late Friday morning in Nevada because, the former House speaker explained, he hadn't seen them yet.

Mitt Romney likes to say on the campaign trail that President Obama's policies made the recession worse, but most statistics don't bear that out.

I'm afraid Michael Crichton knows something we don't.

Excavated giant ant colony will BLOW YOUR MIND. Who else is now afraid that ants might take over the world? (Full documentary here.)

Neuroscientists can HEAR what word you're thinking of.

Pythons lurking in the Everglades. Snakes gone wild indeed.

Male spiders will literally give up their junk to procreate.

Boy in China born with NIGHT VISON.

If any/all of that scared the bleep out of you, listening to these whale songs will make it all better.

What do coral reefs, crochet, and hyperbolic geometry have in common? A LOT.

5th grader invents new molecule in class and gets co-author credit. What were you doing when you were 10?

Ever wanted to go to SpaceCamp? Now you can, from the comfort of your cubicle.

SuperEarth discovered only 22 light years away and in the habitable zone of its star. Any bets on when Newt proposes a mission there?

Twinkle, twinkle, little star. WTF?

Go forth and geek.

Almost exactly six years ago, inspired by "The Daily Show," I started a weekly feature called "This Week in God," covering news related to religion, politics, and government. Today, the feature moves to Friday afternoons.

Tea Party Jesus

The God Machine has plenty to offer this week (one might say the cup runneth over). First up, while the National Prayer Breakfast is supposed to be non-partisan, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) wasn't bashful about his decision to walk out of the event yesterday in protest of President Obama. A spokesperson for the Republican lawmaker said Gingrey "enjoyed listening to the keynote speaker and found the breakfast to be inspiring until President Obama began politicking."

For the record, the president wasn't politicking, so much as reflecting on the ways in which his faith influences his priorities in office.

Also from the God Machine:

* Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is running far to the right on immigration policy, but his approach is clearly at odds with the position taken by the former governor's church.

* In Rhode Island, a 16-year-old atheist named Jessica Ahlquist is facing intense community pressure -- and even personal threats -- after moving to remove a prayer on the wall of her high school auditorium.

* In Alabama, a Republican state House member, Shadrack McGill, argued this week that keeping salaries low for public school teachers is a "Biblical principle." He did not appear to be kidding.

* And 2012 has apparently been designated the "Year of the Bible" in the state of Pennsylvania.

Several weeks ago, I launched a Friday afternoon feature, highlighting the most offensive Mitt Romney falsehoods of the week. I was off last week, but let's get it started again.

Associated Press

1. Romney claimed President Obama "went before the United Nations" and "said nothing about thousands of rockets being rained in on Israel from the Gaza Strip."

True or false? The claim isn't even close to being right.

2. Romney said Democrats "passed Dodd-Frank," which "has made it almost impossible for community banks."

True or false? He's has said this before, and it's still completely untrue.

3. Romney continues to insist, "Our Navy is now smaller than any time since 1917."

True or false? It's one of his favorite talking points, but it's wildly misleading.

4. Romney boasted, "I did not inherit what my wife and I have, nor did she. What I was able to build, I built the old-fashioned way, by earning it, by working hard."

True or false? In reality, he inherited quite a bit from his wealthy, powerful parents.

5. Attacking Newt Gingrich, Romney said of House Republicans, "They also took a vote, and 88 percent of Republicans voted to reprimand the speaker, and he did resign in disgrace after that."

True or false? That's not really what happened.

6. Romney said, "We have $15 trillion of debt. We're headed to a Greece- type collapse, and he adds another trillion [dollars] on top for Obamacare and for his stimulus plan that didn't create private-sector jobs."

True or false? Our debt problem has no resemblance to Greece's; the Affordable Care Act reduces the debt; and the stimulus added millions of private-sector jobs.

7. Describing his state-based health-care law, Romney said, "At the time we crafted it, I was asked time and again, 'Is this something that you would have the federal government do?' I said absolutely not. I do not support a federal mandate."

True or false? Reality shows the exact opposite is true.

8. Going after Obama, Romney said, "[W]e shouldn't forget that for two years, this President had a Congress that could do everything he wanted."

True or false? Republicans love this, but it's plainly false.

9. Again commenting on Obama's record, Romney argued, "If you want to get the economy going, lower corporate tax rates. He's raised them."

True or false? It's one of the more transparent lies Romney has told.

10. Asked about his investments in Freddie Mac, Romney told Fox News, "My investments, of course, are managed not by me. For the last 10 years they've been guided and managed by a trustee, they're in a blind trust. And the trustee invested in mutual funds and so forth and apparently one of the funds had Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac bonds."

True or false? He's lying again.

11. Romney argued, "I didn't get involved in politics early in my life," adding he didn't "politically involved" until after he ran the 2002 Olympics.

True or false? Romney ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994. He might remember spending $7 million of his own money on the race.

12. Asked to explain his 1992 vote in a Democratic primary, Romney said, "I've never voted for a Democrat when there was a Republican on the ballot."

True or false? That's not only untrue, it's a story Romney has changed literally five times.

13. After winning the Florida primary, Romney argued, "On one of the most personal matters of our lives, our health care, President Obama would turn decision making over to government bureaucrats."

True or false? Even for Romney, this is kind of dishonesty is just brazen.

14. After receiving Donald Trump's endorsement yesterday, Romney, commenting on President Obama and the economy, said, "He's frequently telling us that he did not cause the recession, and that's true. But he made it worse."

True or false? Not only is the economy much stronger than it was, even Mitt Romney himself has repeatedly said the economy has improved since Obama took office.

Jon Chait noted last week that Romney appears to be "an audacious liar," adding, "Even by the standards of politicians, Romney seems unusually prone to dishonesty."

Given recent events, I'm hard pressed to disagree.

A weeklong firestorm over the Susan G. Komen foundation's decision to cut off -- and, on Friday, restore -- a grant to Planned Parenthood marked one of the high points in political battle targeting the finances of the nationwide network of reproductive health clinics.

@pupski/Flickr

@synergy3k sends a story from Virginia, where Republicans now control both chambers of the Legislature and abortion is at the top of the agenda. Yesterday, one woman's public testimony seems to have turned back a bill that would have taken away abortion rights. Tara Schleifer told a Virginia Senate committee about the agony of deciding to end a pregnancy once tests found severe and ultimately fatal deformities.

"Each family has the right to follow their own conscience in making this most profoundly personal family decision," Schleifer said. "There is no black and white, right and wrong decision. All of it is awful."

The committee was locked seven to seven on the bill. An eighth vote belonged to Republican Senator Harry Blevins of Chesapeake. Just the day before, he backed a bill that requires women to undergo a medically unnecessary ultrasound before they can have an abortion (the bill that prompted an amendment requiring cardiac and rectal prostate exams before getting Viagra).

And then Blevins heard Schleifer describe her experience. He decided not to cast a vote at all. His abstention left the vote tied, which meant the bill did not pass. He explained:

"I don't feel like I have the ability to make a decision as difficult as the one that young woman made."

And with that, very big government got just a little smaller. I still think one of the hardest things about defending reproductive rights is that it forces people to take public stands on the most private of issues. How brave of anyone to do it, and how powerful even when anonymous.

(Image: @pupski/Flickr)

Right after Election Day, a lame-duck Congress will face a horrific fiscal train wreck: sharp tax increases, combined with automatic spending cuts.