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 and inside information we don't get from the traditional media. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite you think I should know about. Inclusion of a diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement or endorsement of its contents. |
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Burnt Orange Report of Texas,
Ben Sherman writes
Wendy Davis Announces She's Running For Governor:
Texans from Nacogdoches to El Paso, from Amarillo to the Rio Grande Valley, came to support Senator Davis. Many said they had never been involved in Texas politics before but want change in Texas - now. They spoke frequently of the bright Texas they believe in but do not see around them now, and said they support Davis because they know she's a fighter for Texans.
Fixing Texas starts with education, Davis told the gathered.
She said that Texas needs "a leader who understands that making education a priority creates good jobs and keeps Texas on top" so that "success and opportunity is within reach of every single Texan and no one in this great state is ever forced to dream smaller instead of bigger."
Davis spoke of her 2011 filibuster against $5 billion in spending cuts to "already underfunded public schools" proposed by "failed state leaders". This "bought enough time for educators and parents to come to the Capitol in a special session during summer break and make their voices heard" which led to the restoration of $3 billion this last session.
Only when Texas cares about Texans' success, Davis said, can our state live up to its promise.
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The Orange Juice Blog,
Inge writes
How Many Climate Skeptics Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb?:
The answer:
First off, the light bulb is not burned out, and even if it was,
it is not MY fault so why should I change it?
Besides, it is far too expensive for me to change a light bulb.
Why are light Nazis always trying to get me to change my bulb?
Also, we are not taking into account all of the wonderful benefits of living in the dark!
Oh, and you don’t see the Chinese changing THEIR light bulbs do you? Well do you?
I have come to the conclusion that the majority of our world governments are run by sociopaths, defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s as, “a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.” At the same time another segment of our representatives are delusional… meaning “a disorder characterized by the presence of recurrent, insight to see that anything is wrong with the way they are thinking or functioning.”
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Delaware Liberal,
Progressive Populist goes about
Explaining the DC Crisis in Black and White Language:
Tom Hayden has a brilliant analysis of the stakes in the upcoming elections for Democrats and Progressives. He says:
“…The logic of voter turnout data all but guarantees right-wing Republican congressional victories in 2014 and a sealing of the divide of America into two countries for the foreseeable future. White House operatives privately acknowledge that GOP gerrymandering plus low turnout make 2014 a war to keep the Senate Democratic and show gains while losing the House. There are eight battleground Senate seats where Mitt Romney won the popular vote in 2012 and incumbent Democrats are either retiring or vulnerable to defeat.”
Please drop below the fold to read more progressive state blogs.
At Colorado Pols, Colorado Pols writes Mike Kopp Pushes GOP Gubernatorial Primary Field Rightward:
It isn't breaking news, but lost in the busy cycle this week was the story that former Colorado Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp has filed to run for Governor–further crowding a GOP primary field already including Secretary of State Scott Gessler, former Rep. Tom Tancredo, and state Sen. Greg Brophy. [...]
Notwithstanding the focus Kopp would logically have on energy issues, it's not going to be easy differentiating himself from the pack in this already-crowded field. For the purposes of winning a Republican primary, we expect Kopp to run hard to the right–no small feat running against contenders like Tancredo and Brophy.
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Blogging While Blue of Georgia,
bloggingwhileblue writes
Oh the Places You’ll Go!!! In Honor of Senator Cruz:
Sadly not all places understand lessons unlearned repeat generation after generation. Facing the lessons of the past is essential to building a community sustainable for the future. For instance, if Georgia and Atlanta don’t face the lessons of unsuccessful attempts to create great schools then chances are we won’t have great schools for most school-aged children. Or if we don’t understand Ivan Allen’s courage to stand up for civil rights legislation or Robert Woodruff’s courage to celebrate the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. rather than succumb to supporting the prevailing business opinion of the day, then we will fall further behind in developing as an emerging global city of excellence. If we allow missteps in ethics to be a sidebar conversation and honesty to be compromised in our public and private sector leadership we will not gain or maintain the public trust needed to tackle tough 21st century issues. Everyone suffers when we sweep evidence of wrongdoing, lying, cheating and dishonesty under the rug because weak ethical standards, low aspirations and acceptance of less than the best in word and deed undermine the fabric of our communities. People lose faith, lose hope and lose trust in their leadership. The places we want to go require more than getting along because it is easier or because it is too unpleasant to disclose our weaknesses or to embarrass someone.
The Committee for Better Atlanta ranks candidates and as a footnote mentions candidates’ ethics isn’t considered. Really? Nothing else matters in my book. Ethical behavior and honesty are the first requirements to a healthy democracy.
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43rd State Blues,
TUBOB goes for the jugular in
Flush Twice:
Here we are, a collective dynamo of a freedom and compassion loving nation, thrumming not with throaty, synced up horsepower and quick shifting velocity but with a horrifying noise, like cats in flames leaping off collapsing nuclear plant cooling towers.
A small sect of extremists have held a jagged chunk of dirty broken glass to our throats and hissed
NEGOTIATE
No, that's not what they are hissing
it's
Don't talk uppity to us, boy. We don't do shit for your kind. We'll shut this town down for talkin' to us like that.
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Progress Illinois, a member of the
PI staff writes
Duckworth Blasts Piecemeal Approach To Funding Government, Says Plan 'Exploits' Veterans:
U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL,8) blasted the House's attempt to fund only parts of the government on the chamber floor Thursday, saying it "exploited" veterans.
"The bill we are debating isn’t a serious or respectful attempt to support our nation’s heroes. It will not help Veterans. In fact, it does just the opposite," Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, said of the attempt to fund only five federal agencies and services while keeping the rest of the government closed.
The GOP-led House has been attempting to pass continuing resolutions to reopen the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, National Guard and Reserves, National Parks Services and D.C. operations.
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MN Progressive Project,
The Big E writes
Romney clone McFadden can’t be bothered with forums:
Mitt Romney clone and 2014 Republican Governor candidate Mike McFadden can’t be bothered. He’s an important and wealthy man. It’s simply too much to expect him to appear before the unwashed masses at a forum. Think about it, man. He might catch one of those plagues that infect poor people.
So far McFadden’s campaign hasn’t gone very well. First, his roll-out got scooped. Secondly, he embarrassed himself trying to not take any positions. Third, he’s not been impressing the unwashed RWNJ activists.
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Blue Mass Group,
progressmass writes
Republican Charlie Baker Refuses to Place Blame for Shutdown with Speaker John Boehner and Tea Party Republicans:
Republican Charlie Baker, the GOP nominee for Governor of Massachusetts in 2010 and a candidate for Governor in 2014, released a statement on the shutdown of the federal government. Here it is in full (hat tip: Joan Vennochi):
The shutdown of the federal government is an enormous failure of leadership in Washington, and occurs at a terrible time as our economy is struggling to get back on its feet and job creation is stagnant. It’s disappointing that our leaders in both parties were unwilling to seek common ground and find a bipartisan path forward that didn’t include a shutdown. Partisan brinksmanship carries with it consequences and is going to hurt real people. It’s not the type of leadership and experience I will bring to Beacon Hill.
Baker lazily places the blame non-specifically on “our leaders in both parties,” creating a demonstrably false equivalency. By Baker’s own stated standard, the blame for the shutdown rests singularly with the one person who has the power to bring the shutdown to an end: Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, who is operating under the political influence of the furthest right-wing Tea Party elements of his House Republican caucus. [...]
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Eclectablog,
Amy Lynn Smith writes
TEDxDetroit puts positive stories about Detroit in the spotlight:
No theme was formally announced, but if there was one for TEDxDetroit 2013, it was finding success in failure. You can say Detroit’s down and out, you can say Detroit’s best days are behind us, but you’d be wrong. Detroit is down but not out. Detroit’s best days are ahead of us. And nearly every presenter during the conference shared insight into overcoming failure—or fear—to discover something even better.
Ishita Gupta, creator of Fear.Less magazine, talked about telling people’s stories about fear to conquer her own, never imagining it would turn into a successful publication.
You want to have a big life. Pay attention to moments of defeat. Alchemize them into opportunity and innovation. – Ishita Gupta
Indirectly, Jacques Panis did exactly that by creating Shinola in response to the dearth of manufacturing jobs in a city rich with craftspeople and skilled manufacturers. His company’s watches, bikes and other products are now highly sought-after — and he’s bringing new manufacturing jobs to Detroit.
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Blue Jersey,
deciminyan writes
Senator Linda Greenstein on Fracking:
When I was a kid, the energy industry propaganda machine spouted out the so-called benefits of nuclear power. People were talking about energy being so cheap that its usage would not have to be metered. We all know now that that was a big lie. We're saddled with the expense of nuclear waste storage and environmental remediation. Soon, as half-century old plants are decommissioned, we'll be paying for those huge expenses, also. Not only is nuclear energy not cheap, but it's not economical.
Now, the energy industry has a new promise of cheap energy—hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as "fracking." Energy companies pump millions of gallons of water laced with toxic chemicals into the ground to force oil up to be collected. Incredibly, these energy companies are not required to disclose the toxic mix that eventually ends up in our rivers and water supply.
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My Left Nutmeg of Connecticut,
ctblogger fumes
Time for Bridgeport State Rep. Ayala to step down:
Bridgeport Police Department incident report, 09.24.13:
On 09/24/13 at approximately 1840 hours R/O [reporting officer] was dispatched to 160 Rose Street on report of an assault. R/O spoke with Alessandra Reyes whom reported on Monday 09/23/13 she was assaulted by three females. [...] Reyes reported at approximately 2330 hours she was at the bar with Pedro when Christina Ayala, her sister Anis Ayala, and an unidentified black female attacked her from behind. Reyes reported all three female parties grabbed her hair and began punching her on top of the head and in the face. [...] Reyes reported her friend Pedro is Christina Ayala's ex-boyfriend and she believes that is the reason why the assault took place.
Enough is enough!
From leaving the scene in a hit-and-run accident, allegations that she didn't live in the district she would represent in the General Assembly, being arrested on domestic violence charges, and this latest act of stupidity, it's clear that it's time for Bridgeport's State Rep Christina Ayala to step down.
The people in the 128th district deserve better than this irresponsible juvenile representing them at the State Capitol. If Ayala is mentally incapable of doing the right thing, then it falls upon the leadership at the State House of Representives to persuade Bridgeport's latest embarassment to step down.