MO GOP Puts Child Abuse in Constitution

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Thursday March 13, 2014 · 7:25 AM PDT

2014/03/13 · 07:25

With all of the stunts the modern GOP has pulled, you would think that nothing would shock me any more. But in the haste to throw up so many hideous laws, I think one stands out that has not gotten enough attention. In Missouri, the Republicans are working to put the right to abuse your own child into the state constitution. This is all being done because legislators want to make sure that parents can spank their kids. Why this should be a constitutional right might be worrisome enough, but the type of abuse that could be allowed could be much worse.

The bill's authors try to state that they are not sanctioning child abuse by putting in a provision that the state can "safeguard the welfare of a child whose life, health, or safety is in jeopardy," but is that enough? Probably not.

This sounds like a crackpot bill, but it has a serious chance of getting passed. It already passed the Missouri house by a 2/3 vote! I think we need to get the word out about what the GOP is doing, or a lot of kids will be hurt. This really seems to go way past even the rest of their agenda.

You can read the text here:
http://legiscan.com/...
and a summary of it passing here:
http://www.kansascity.com/...

How to get more comprehensive health care without a filibuster

WisconsinValues

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Monday December 28, 2009 · 9:48 PM PST

2009/12/28 · 21:48

It seems like the main feeling towards health care reform these days is that the current bill is an advance, and we all hope that this advance eventually leads to better reform down the road. I am optimistic, but I wonder if there isn't a relatively easy way to advance this significantly, while ensuring Democrats a good election outcome in 2010.

Much of what was lost in the HCR bill was lost because of Sen. Reid's desire to avoid a filibuster. The argument went that alternatives that require only 50 votes (reconciliation) were most appropriate for budget issues rather than a health care overhaul. However, now that it is clear that HCR is coming to us in pieces, why can't the liberal members of congress use this to their advantage?

WisconsinValues

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Monday July 20, 2009 · 11:28 PM PDT

2009/07/20 · 23:28

There is encouraging news on health care today - Obama is finally campaigning for health care reform with the intensity that he should have done long ago. However, polls showing that the public is not as excited about health care reform, and the Republican's confidence in their ability to kill it, are signs that the President has made some misteps in the past. I hope he fixes them, but I fear that the White House has not learned its lesson.

The stakes are high - a good comprehensive health care bill is needed in its own right. Perhaps more importantly, Obama's presidency will be judged largely on getting a real health care reform bill passed. If Dems only pass a weak bill with no real reform - or worse, fail to pass a bill at all - Obama's presidency will be deeply harmed. Obama has promised reform, and failure to make meaningful progress with a strong majority in the House and 60 senators will make Obama look weak. That will slow down not only health care, but the rest of his agenda, which is why Repubs are do desperate to block progress.

WisconsinValues

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Wednesday September 17, 2008 · 11:33 PM PDT

2008/09/17 · 23:33

With the disastrous results of deregulation and Republican corruption becoming clear, Obama has rebounded in the polls. However, the Obama campaign still is not choosing to put this election out of reach of McCain.

How do you do this? You mention that as one of the Keating 5, McCain is one of the 5 least-qualified people in the entire country to lead a reform of the finance sector.

That would tank McCain. I know that some of the readers on DailyKos don't remember the scandal, but for those of us who do, it was a big deal. And young voters are already voting Obama. It is the older voters who need swaying anyway.

There is no downside - why not hammer home the connection with Keating and put this election away?!

WisconsinValues

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Monday September 08, 2008 · 10:25 PM PDT

2008/09/08 · 22:25

The last week has been frustrating to us all. Obama and Biden have slipped substantially in the polls. Even worse, the lies told by the McCain-Palin campaign are often trumpeted through the press rather than properly refuted by it. It is not just that the press ignores its job of being the official fact-checker. It seems that most of the press (or at least the major networks) position their articles to actively support McCain. And the worst part - the Republicans have been very successful in convincing Americans that the press has a liberal bias.

So how do the Democrats fight back against the Republican-owned media? Details after the fold.

WisconsinValues

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Monday March 31, 2008 · 9:38 AM PDT

2008/03/31 · 09:38

Hillary Clinton has an uphill battle to gain enough delegates to win the nomination. Unfortunately, her efforts to win are coming at a cost of alienating many Democratic voters. While she can say that her rough tactics on Obama test him for the fall, the fact that she and Obama attack each other ultimately will hurt more than they these same attacks would hurt if they came from McCain. This is because if the attacks came from McCain the Dems could make a counter-attack back to McCain. Instead, he can claim to be above the fray since issues are being raised by fellow Democrats.

So how can Hillary show voters that she is the better candidate without hurting the Dems chances in the fall? By making effective attacks on McCain now.

WisconsinValues

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Wednesday August 22, 2007 · 9:39 AM PDT

2007/08/22 · 09:39

With all of the terrible news going on - the war, the suspension of basic rights, the advance of global warming - it is easy to ignore other important issues. However, it is a mistake to ignore these other issues.

One issue that the Democrats should advance is consumer advocacy. Elliot Spitzer demonstrated that protecting consumers can be both the right thing and politically advantageous. However, the rest of the Democratic party has forgotten their obligation to protect American citizens. This is especially important for lower and middle income Americans, who do not have the resources to fight the injustices.

I suggest that the Democrats start easy, and build up to the larger injustices. One large hole in our laws is the lack of any protection against large phone bills when a customer's phone is stolen. If your credit card is stolen, the law limits your liability to $50. If you phone is stolen, you can be responsible for all of the expensive international calls made during the time it takes you to find your phone. Why not limit this liability?

WisconsinValues

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Sunday April 08, 2007 · 8:04 AM PDT

2007/04/08 · 08:04

Coming into the 2008 election, campaign strategy comes back into focus. And once again, the Democrats choose to continue to handicap themselves for no good reason.

The Wall Street Journal recently reprinted an article from Rolling Stone highlighting the structure of advertising contracts in the Democratic and Republican parties. While Republican ad agencies work on fixed cost contracts, Democratic agencies work on a commission basis, where their compensation increases with the number of ads run. This has led to increased total media costs for Dems compared to their Republican counterparts, as well as a greater emphasis on expensive non-targeted TV advertising in the Democratic party. We all-too-painfully are aware that this has not led to electoral success.

RSS

MO GOP Puts Child Abuse in Constitution

How to get more comprehensive health care without a filibuster

Obama's strategy puts real health care reform at risk

Why aren't we focusing on Keating?

Beating the Republican-Owned Media

Hillary's best option to win - and regain dem's love

Why not a little consumer advocacy

Democrats and their consultants