Seldom Balanced – Usually Fair
From Yellow Dog at Blue in the Bluegrass:
Not a single anti-choice or sex-panic or guns in kindergarten bill got so much as a vote in the Kentucky General Assembly this year. I don’t understand. All the repug freakazoid anit-sex women-hating states are doing it!
From The Intersection of Madness and Reality:
Ice Cube recently sat with John Heilemann of Bloomberg TV where he discussed a range of topics. They discussed the induction of his former pioneering rap group N.W.A. into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame, and the parallel between black culture back in the late 80s and early 90s to today.
As Ice Cube explained to Heilman, as far as the politics of the streets as it relates to neighborhood policing and police brutality, not much has changed. To him, one good thing of note is the fact that there is now a nationwide consciousness on the issue, due in large part to the activism of protesters and activists in Black Lives Matter.
From humanist and an atheist Bruce Gerencser living The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser:
I recently wrote a post about Evangelical outrage over Montel Williams suggesting that the heart of Christianity is good works. Countless Evangelicals schooled Williams about salvation, reminding him that good works play no part in salvation. According to these Evangelicals, salvation is by grace — God bestowing his unmerited favor upon sinners. Are these Evangelicals right? It depends on which Bible verses you read.
From Associated Press:
STOCKHOLM (AP) — A black woman who stood up to 300 neo-Nazis in Sweden hopes her gesture will draw attention to the fight against racism in the Scandinavian country.
Tess Asplund tried to block the path of the Nordic Resistance Movement as the right-wing extremist group marched in the town of Borlange on May 1.
An image of Asplund facing the neo-Nazis up close with a clenched fist has been shared thousands of times on social media in Sweden and internationally.
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
With the Republican nomination locked up, Donald Trump’s search for a running mate who can help unite the party has begun in earnest. And one prominent ex-Georgian’s name is among the handful swirling as a potential candidate.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich emerged as one of Trump’s most forceful advocates long before he became the presumptive GOP nominee, defending the billionaire as a fellow political revolutionary willing to upend the status quo while other elder statesmen flocked to other candidates.
And as Trump locked up the GOP nomination this week, Gingrich has repeatedly said he’d be honored to be considered for the veep spot.
Paul LePage and the Emerging Face of Conservatism
Maine’s naloxone controversy is a portend. The governor’s veto is completely consistent with the emerging Republican ethic.
The Party of Abraham Lincoln sleeps in the Republican past.
The Party of Paul LePage is the vital Republican future.
Transcript
From Jonathan Bernstein at Bloomberg:
Ted Cruz’s decision to pick Carly Fiorina as his running mate kicked off the veepstakes season earlier than expected. But three months before the conventions, all the remaining candidates with a chance at their party’s nomination should be working on their vice-presidential selections.
Why? After all, running mates in the general election have a limited impact.
From Capt. Fogg at Human Voices:
Are these the best or worst of times? Probably the answer is yes, but I have to argue that they are the craziest of times. Is it a symptom of this national insanity that any organization with the word Liberty or Freedom or Patriot in the title is mostly about extremist politics? Of course I have an example: it’s the Liberty Counsel * which of course has nothing to do with Liberty and advocates for special powers and legal exemptions for evangelical Christians.
When Democrats, liberals, progressives, or leftists in general fight among themselves, the end result is almost always ugly: a Republican win or narrowed Democratic majorities. That is a fact and a most inconvenient truth we cannot ignore as we approach this November’s all-important presidential election.
As I write this, the formerly united Democratic Party has developed two warring factions. On one hand, there are those (including myself) supporting a very progressive self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist” and former Independent named Bernie Sanders. On the other is longtime Democrat (previous Goldwater Republican) and former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s ties to Wall Street bankers, more moderate stances on most issues, and her close relationships with many insider/establishment-type Democrats are looked upon with distrust by some of us lefties, while Sanders is viewed by some as being “too liberal” and bordering on radical.
Because of various pot-shots each candidate’s supporters have taken at the other’s after numerous presidential debates, a full scale near-civil war seems brewing within the Democratic fold.