Just as states with progressive lawmakers and activists have themselves initiated innovative programs over a wide range of issues, state-based progressive blogs have helped provide us with a point of view, inside information and often an edgy voice that we just don't get from the traditional media. This week in progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching.
Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents.
At Left in Alabama, country cat writes—Second "Welcome To The Party" Ad Highlights GOP Comments On Women:
This Brite Blue Dot ad campaign is one of the brightest spots in Alabama Democratic politics right now. The ads are produced by a grassroots group of volunteers who became concerned that too many Democratic state candidates (and even the state party itself) were willing to let the GOP set the terms of the debate & define Democrats negatively.
So they decided it was time to raise some money & take Don Draper's advice: "if you don't like what people are saying about you, change the conversation." Several months ago, we highlighted some of the organizing accomplishments progressive groups in Georgia and suggested that it was time to "rebuild the Alabama Democratic Party, Georgia-style."
Well folks, the Brite Blue Dots first ad was a great beginning. And this is even more hard-hitting & effective. It's not Alabama-centric, but it certainly reminds women voters which party is on their side.
At
Uppity Wisconsin,
Man MKE writes—
Wisconsin's increasing reliance on context-free politics and spending cuts -- enjoy your mostly imaginary tax break, though:
Scott Walker is out there yet again, with a new ad plying the airwaves. And today comes Politifact Wisconsin to judge whether the ad is truthful.
Walker's ad claims that his income tax cuts and property tax relief, signed into law by the Republican-dominated legislature, will result in savings of $322 for an "average family." That's for the 2014 tax-filing year.
Politifact asked Walker aides to back up the figure and was largely satiisfied with the response (you can read the whole column by clicking on the link below). Politifact gave Walker a "mostly true" rather than a "true" based on certain missing information.
The Walker claim, Politifact said, is based on an "average family" defined as four people with a median household income of $81,000. How many families do you know making that much every year? Is that an "average" Wisconsin family? Yes, according to Politifact: "U.S. Census figures show that a family of four in Wisconsin has a median income of that amount, or slightly higher. A family of four is a common measuring stick. About one in five family households in Wisconsin is that size." Ah, well, maybe 20 percent of us are going to get that $322 tax break, then.
Please check out the remaining excerpts below the orange gerrymander.
At Hillbilly Report of Kentucky, Berry Craig writes—Mitch McConnell's Top Priority: Mitch McConnell!
I don’t know if two big photos hanging on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office wall reflect cynicism or no sense of the ironic.
Maybe it’s both.
Anyway, a staffer for Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Democrat who wants McConnell’s job, emailed a press release the other day that caught my attention more for what it showed than what it said.
The communique came with photos, one of them showing the senate majority leader wannabe grinning and standing in front of his desk. Black and white images of Sen. John Sherman Cooper and Vice President Alben Barkley peer over his shoulders.
Cooper, from Somerset, was a liberal Republican who voted for landmark federal civil rights laws in the 1960s. He supported Medicare and was generally friendly toward unions.
A World War II veteran, Cooper became an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.
Barkley, whose hometown was Paducah, was senate majority leader under President Franklin D. Roosevelt before he was elected President Harry Truman’s vice president in 1948. He was a pro-union, New Deal-Fair Deal Democrat who didn’t duck the liberal label.
At
Progress Illinois,
Ellyn Fortino writes—
New Report Calls Attention To Educational Barriers Impacting African-American Girls:
A new national report is sounding the alarm on school-achievement obstacles that harm African-American girls.
Young African-American females are "faring worse than the national average for girls on almost every measure of academic achievement" due to "pervasive, systemic barriers in education rooted in racial and gender bias and stereotypes," according to the report by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
"The futures of African-American girls are on the line," stressed NWLC's Co-President Marcia Greenberger. "It’s shameful that too many girls are falling between the cracks of an educational system that ignores their real needs. A strong education is essential for people in our country to compete in our economy and earn wages that can support themselves and their families. It's critical to turn this crisis around and put these girls on a path to success."
According to the "Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls: A Call to Action for Educational Equity" report, both African-American girls and boys run into a number of roadblocks to educational achievement, including under-resourced schools that lack "credentialed teachers, rigorous course offerings and extracurricular activities." Educational barriers, however, have a "distinct impact on African-American girls due to the intersection of gender and race stereotypes."
At
Blue Virginia,
lowkell writes—
Is Jim Webb Really "Antiwar?":
This morning's Washington Post had a curious article, entitled "Jim Webb, former senator from Va., takes on his party's hawks. And maybe Clinton." I say "curious" because it made the point-blank, matter-of-fact (as if it's glaringly obvious) statement that Jim Webb is "antiwar," even an "aggressive, antiwar populist." But is there any actual, ya know, evidence that Webb is "antiwar" in a general sense, as opposed to being against specific wars fought at specific times in specific ways, while also being FOR other wars fought at other times in other ways?
The Post article, written by former National Review reporter Robert Costa, doesn't get into that—it simply states it as a matter of fact, point blank, that Jim Webb is "antiwar." But is he? Let's look at a few data points from his record. But first let me just make absolutely clear what my point is here: the following is NOT meant as criticism of Jim Webb, but of the Washington Post article (and the media more broadly) for wildly oversimplifying this complex, strategically thoughtful and highly knowledgeable (certainly on foreign policy and national security matters) man's views, and by shoehorning the whole thing into an inane, wildly oversimplified, political narrative about the supposed "hawk" Hillary Clinton being challenged by the supposed "antiwar" Jim Webb. It's just lame on all levels. With that, here are some of Webb's actual views on this subject.
Vietnam: In March 2007, Jim Webb gave a speech at the National Press Club in which he asserted:
I may be one of the few people in the Congress who still strongly supports the Vietnam War. I believe that the logic for the Vietnam War was sustainable, and I believe that the American people, in spite of the way we look back at Vietnam, also agreed that the political logic for Vietnam was sustainable, even though the way that we fought the war was not sustainable.
That's right, Webb strongly supported the Vietnam War then, and he strongly supports it in hindsight. And why didn't we fight that war in a "sustainable" way, one that might have led to victory? In Webb's view, part of the problem was the "anti-war left."
At
West Virginia Blue,
heath_harrison writes—
Happy 100th Birthday, Ken Hechler!:
West Virginia Blue would like to wish a happy birthday to former U.S. Representative and West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler, who turns 100 today.
From the battlefields of Word War II, to the front lines of the civil rights movement, to the fight against mountaintop removal, the man in the red Jeep has always been a passionate champion for the people through more than seven decades of public service.
He's worked as a college professor, military correspondent, aide to presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, historian and has been a best-selling author.
Today, he adds "centenarian" to his long list of accomplishments.
With so many rightwing conservacrats dominating the West Virginia Democratic Party, Hechler has provided a consistent and much-needed voice for liberalism and social justice in this state.
He's always been ahead of the curve and his commitment has shown he's not afraid to take a risky stand politically, and stand for what's right. [...]
He's as sharp as ever, has more motivation and passion than those a fraction of his age and has remained active in his mission since leaving office, working as a prolific writer and social activist. He's currently in the middle of a tour of West Virginia schools, where he's still bringing his message of civic and social responsibility to students.
At
Calitics,
consumercal writes—
Brown Signs Ban against Spying on Consumers Using Rent-to-own Computers:
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill sponsored by the Consumer Federation of California to protect consumer privacy by restricting the use of spyware on rented computers.
Thanks to Assembly Bill 2667 (Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica), consumers who rent a computer or similar electronic device in California will not fall victim to the use of invasive privacy technologies by the merchant or manufacturer who sold the item. The Assembly and state Senate each approved the bill without opposition.
"Now that our legislation is signed, rent-to-own companies will no longer be able to use spyware to collect passwords and credit card and medical records, and to activate webcams on rented devices," said Richard Holober, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California. "Consumers in California will now be protected against this unwarranted information gathering that makes consumers more vulnerable to identity theft and other fraud." [...]
"When consumers contract with rent-to-own retailers for a laptop or other electronic device, they are often unaware that these devices can contain invasive software," Assembly Member Bloom said when his bill went to the governor. "This bill protects consumers from having their personal information, including photographs, financial information and medical records, taken without their knowledge or consent."
At
Colorado Pols,
Jason Salzman writes—
For use in the Gardner rabbit hole, here’s more details on what fed personhood bill would do:
Fox 31 Denver's Eli Stokols repeatedly tried to convince senatorial candidate Cory Gardner last week that there is such a thing as a federal personhood bill, and Gardner is a co-sponsor of it.
In so doing, Stokols cited Factcheck.org, which reported not only that the bill exists but that the Gardner campaign said Gardner signed it in an effort to ban abortion. Stokols also cited co-sponsors of the bill, who say it's personhood legislation.
This didn't dent Gardner, who continued, parrot-like, to say "There is no personhood bill."
Reporters going down this rabbit hole with Gardner in the future might like to know more details on what the Life at Conception Act would do, in addition to banning common forms of birth control, like Plan B and IUDs, if passed.
So I asked Lynn Paltrow, an accomplished attorney and executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, what she thought the Life at Conception Act would do. She confirmed that the bill is, in fact, a "personhood" bill.
“If it passed, it would be a federal law that makes the 14th Amendment applicable to the unborn,” Paltrow said.
“It arguably would create obligations on the federal government to protect equally the unborn by doing such things as outlawing abortion, even for rape and incest, outlawing in vitro fertilization, outlawing participation of pregnant women in drug trials that might be helpful to them but could create risks for the unborn,” said Paltrow, an attorney. “The only thing it does not permit is arresting women if there’s a death of an unborn child. But there is no prohibition against prosecuting doctors for murder—and there’s no prohibition against prosecuting pregnant women for other crimes.”
At
Nevada Progressive,
atdnext writes—
Change the Trajectory:
$91 million. That's no number to laugh at. Actually, that's how much the US Forest Service has spent so far in fighting the King Fire.
Recent rain in Northern California has helped firefighters contain the massive wildfire in recent days. Yet while damper weather has helped firefighters lately, drier and warmer weather is just around the corner. And that means the region will once again be at risk for more wildfires.
And that's not all. Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River have been drying up throughout the summer.
While Lake Tahoe hasn't reached a record low just yet, it's too close for comfort.
However down south, Lake Mead has fallen to a record low water level. This means Southern Nevada is perilously close to a new round of water cuts. And this may not even be the end of it. In fact, this may only be the start of a prolonged "megadrought" for the entire Southwest region.
Any guesses as to what's making this painful drought into a perilous "megadrought"? If you guessed climate change, you're likely correct. A recent Stanford University study funded by the National Science Foundation just confirmed what we've been fearing.
At
Texas Kaos,
Libby Shaw writes—
Oh Come On Texas. Surely we can do better than THIS?:
Really, voters? Really? Are we going to continue to re-elect crooks, liars, cowards and snake oil dealers to our top state offices? Are we really going to turn a blind eye to Rick Perry's unlawful bullying and his reckless irresponsible management of state funds to the point he can run as a viable Republican Presidential candidate in the 2016 primary?
Are we sick of this mad nonsense yet?
It is like this. Our Governor has been indicted for a crime. For the abuse of power. Rick Perry said he did nothing wrong (does anyone remember Tom Delay?) but a grand jury disagrees. Rick Perry called his indictment a political witch hunt. Except the prosecutor is a G.W. Bush Republican appointee. Not all jurors were Democrats. Some of them don't even vote.
Bribery is bribery, Gov. And you, dude, are not above the law. Prosecutor says Perry makes mockery of justice system.
"I don't think there's any reason why Mr. Perry should be treated any differently from any other citizen who's required to be in court," special prosecutor Michael McCrum said of a request by Perry's lawyers that he be allowed to skip a pretrial hearing.
"He's asking for special favors, and as far as I'm concerned, he's not entitled to it," McCrum, a San Antonio lawyer, said in an interview.
At
The Seminole Democrat of Florida,
Seminole Democrat writes—
Florida State's GOP Experiment Another Sign of Coming Florida Brain Drain:
Just a few years ago, after the Tea Party took control in Tallahassee, the Koch brothers worked out an agreement with that city's ubiquitous university, (Florida State), to have unprecedented influence over their professors and curriculum.
As a sidenote, the Koch brothers offered 10 to 20 times as much money for a similar arrangement with ivy-league colleges, like Yale, but were turned down for obvious reasons.
Just last week, Florida State (FSU), in a selection process that was nothing short of a sham, picked Koch-promoted, creationist, global-warming denier, and ALEC's "Legislator of the Year" JOHN THRASHER to be the new president of FSU:
The FSU community has been staunchly opposing Thrasher's candidacy for president because he is, by almost all standards normally applied to university presidents, a terrible candidate for the job.
Whereas university presidents are almost always required to have a Ph.D., Thrasher lacks real academic credentials. As a legislator, Thrasher has opposed institutions that are essential to higher education like faculty unions and tenure, was caught violating ethics laws twice in the Florida House of Representatives, has voted several times to cut Florida’s higher-education budget, and he himself sponsored a failed bill that would have made exactly this kind of legislature-to-university transition illegal for him to make. Thrasher also is currently serving as chair for the reelection campaign of Florida Gov. Rick Scott - who appointed FSU Board of Trustees Chair Allan Bense (and others), who in turn has handpicked much of the search committee's members.
Congratulations, FSU. I guess you've given up any hope of ever becoming a top tier, prestigious university.
At
Better Georgia,
Bryan Long writes—
Here's what you don't know about Nathan Deal's loan to a sex shop owner:
There’s more to the story about Nathan Deal’s $600,000 personal loan to a California sex shop owner than he’s admitted.
Gov. Deal sold his bankrupt outdoors shop to Steve Diamond, a man who has a track record of buying pawn shops and fighting local communities to turn them into porn shops.
But there’s a key part of this story that Nathan Deal has never owned up to.
Deal collects a $4,500 check every month from a guy who admits he may one day turn the governor’s failed business into an adult bookstore or adult entertainment venue.
While Nathan Deal and his campaign team say the property that he is personally financing and profiting from will never go risqué—“It’ll be a pawnshop, and that’s all” — the owner of Diamond Jewelry & Loan has always sung a different song.