PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Plagued by infighting and deep ideological divisions, state Republican parties from Alaska to Maine are mired in dysfunction. Several state Republican leaders have been forced out or resigned in recent months, and many state GOP organizations face financial problems and skeptical national leaders. Democrats are not immune to such problems, but the conflicts on the Republican side highlight the tug of war over the GOP's future as national leaders work to improve the party's brand. At the same time, the Republican dysfunction raises questions about the GOP's ability to coordinate political activities in battleground states ahead of next year's midterm congressional elections. "There's been a lot of division and disharmony in the Republican Party," newly elected Maine GOP Chairman Rick Bennett told The Associated Press.
Democrats are not immune to such problems, but the conflicts on the Republican side highlight the tug of war over the GOP's future as national leaders work to improve the party's brand. At the same time, the Republican dysfunction raises questions about the GOP's ability to coordinate political activities in battleground states ahead of next year's midterm congressional elections.
"There's been a lot of division and disharmony in the Republican Party," newly elected Maine GOP Chairman Rick Bennett told The Associated Press.
Goldman Sachs bought up a number of warehouses near Detroit three years ago and started paying traders more to store aluminum in their warehouses. Goldman then charges the beer and soda companies (and other users of the metal) rent as the metal stays in the warehouses. A surplus of aluminum in the warehouses means the metal stays longer and Goldman can charge more rent. The beer companies then pass on the increased premium to consumers, making end prices rise. Even if companies bypass the warehouses, the market price for aluminum has already been increased by Goldman's manipulation of the market.
FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative issue group financed by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, known for funding conservative causes, are planning separate media and grassroots campaigns aimed at adults in their 20s and 30s - the very people Obama needs to have sign up for healthcare coverage in new online insurance exchanges if his reforms are to succeed. "We're trying to make it socially acceptable to skip the exchange," said Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy at FreedomWorks, which boasts 6 million supporters. The group is designing a symbolic "Obamacare card" that college students can burn during campus protests.
"We're trying to make it socially acceptable to skip the exchange," said Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy at FreedomWorks, which boasts 6 million supporters. The group is designing a symbolic "Obamacare card" that college students can burn during campus protests.
Political analysts say the Republican onslaught could prove short-lived. Beginning on October 1, Obama's health reform will help millions of uninsured people buy subsidized health insurance for the first time. Should enough people sign up by the time enrollment ends in March, the law's value as an election issue may run dry. "The fear is that the law will start to work and people will like it. They'll like having insurance, a safety net if you lose your job. Then Republicans are stuck with it," Ornstein said.
"The fear is that the law will start to work and people will like it. They'll like having insurance, a safety net if you lose your job. Then Republicans are stuck with it," Ornstein said.
The researchers manipulated the food chains of grassland ecosystem to see how the levels of carbon would change over time. Dr. Schmitz and his team created several controlled ecosystems: some that contained only native grasses and herbs, others that had plants and an herbivore grasshopper, and some others that had plants and herbivores along with a carnivore spider species -- all three tiers of the food chain. In addition, a form of traceable carbon dioxide was injected into sample cages covered with Plexiglas, which allowed the team to track the carbon levels by periodically taking leaf, root, and dead animal samples. The study found that the presence of spiders drove up the rate of carbon uptake by the plants by about 1.4 times more than when just grasshoppers were present and by 1.2 more times than when no animals were present.
The study found that the presence of spiders drove up the rate of carbon uptake by the plants by about 1.4 times more than when just grasshoppers were present and by 1.2 more times than when no animals were present.
Our nation badly needs a Chairman with a solid record as a bank regulator. Governor Yellen, as the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, identified the impending threats that both the housing bubble and the shadow banking sector posed to our entire economy. This prescience speaks to her independence, intellectual rigor and willingness to challenge conventional wisdom regarding deregulation — essential traits for a successful Fed Chairman.
“I didn’t want to be right,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says about her prediction that striking a key prong of the Voting Rights Act will lead to a wave of minority voter suppression, “but sadly I am.”
Hope Santa has some scuba gear, because right now, the North Pole is kind of a lake. But don't worry, climate deniers. Nothing to see here. Move along.