Gettysburg Regress

Political Cartoon is by Christopher Weyant in The Hill.

Egyptian Democracy Was Just An Illusion

There is sad news coming out of Egypt. It seems that the Egyptian military, led by General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (pictured above), has pulled off a military coup -- kicking out the duly-elected President (Mohammed Morsi) and suspending the Constitution. Even sadder is the fact that many Egyptians, including leaders of the opposition parties and those who had been demonstrating against Morsi, are celebrating his removal by the military as though it was a good thing.

It isn't, because it means that a democracy never really existed in Egypt. When a government exists only because the country's military allows it to exist, that is not a democracy. It is a form of military autocratic rule (however benign it might be). It is not unusual for a leader in a democracy to be unpopular, because sometimes they must take actions that many people don't like (but that the leader believes is necessary).

There are ways to deal with the unpopularity of a leader in a democracy. You can oppose his/her actions in the legislative body, or you can oppose those actions in a court of law. You can even seek to impeach that leader if his/her actions are egregious enough. And finally, you can vote the leader out of office in the next scheduled election. But the one thing that cannot happen in a democracy is the removal of a leader by the military, because that action kills the democracy. After all, if the military can remove a leader you don't like, then they also can remove a leader you do like -- which is why all Egyptians should be mourning today, not celebrating.

Obviously, the Egyptian "democracy" was nothing more than an illusion.

Most Important Document ?

Political Cartoon is by Mike Thompson in the Detroit Free Press.

Tour's Stage 5 Is Another Day For Sprinters

Stage 5 of the 100th Tour de France turned out to be another day for the sprinters, as the peloton finished in a group. There were some medium grade climbs in the stage (category 3 and 4), but none of the really difficult climbs (category 2, 1, or unrated) that would break up the peloton and show us who the real contenders are this year. As a result, there are still 50 riders less than a minute off the lead, and at least 37 riders less than 30 seconds out of the overall lead (a time difference that could easily disappear in the higher mountains). Here are the top finishers for stage 5, and the overall standings after that stage:

STAGE 5 TOP FINISHERS
1. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) Sky Procycling
3. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale

YELLOW JERSEY (Best Overall Time)
1. Simon Gerrans (Australia) Orica Greenedge
2. Daryl Impey (South Africa) Orica Greenedge..........0' 00"
3. Michael Albasini (Switzerland) Orica Greenedge..........0' 00"
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........0' 01"
5. Sylvain Chavanel (France) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........0' 01"
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) Sky Procycling..........0' 03"
7. Christopher Froome (Great Britain) Sky Procycling..........0' 03"
8. Richie Porte (Australia) Sky procycling..........0' 03"

GREEN JERSEY (Best Sprinter)
1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........111 pts
2. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........76 pts
3. Alexander Kristoff (Norway) Katusha..........76 pts
4. Andre Greipel (Germany) Lotto-Belisol..........65 pts
5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) Sky Procycling..........58 pts
6. Marcel Kittel (Germany) Argos-Shimano..........57 pts

POLKA DOT JERSEY (Best Climber)
1. Pierre Rolland (France) Europcar..........10 pts
2. Simon Clarke (Australia) Orica Greenedge..........5 pts
3. Blel Kadri (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........5 pts
4. Thomas De Gendt (Belgium) Vacansoleil-DCM..........4 pts
5. Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spain) Euskaltel-Euskadi..........3 pts

WHITE JERSEY (Best Young Rider)
1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Andrew Talansky (United States) Garmin-Sharp..........0' 16"
3. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Columbia) Movistar..........0' 19"
4. Tejay Van Garderen (United States) BMC Racing..........0' 25"
5. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........0' 33"

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Orica Greenedge (Australia)
2. Sky Procycling (Great Britain)..........0' 03"
3. Saxo-Tinkoff (Denmark)..........0' 09"
4. Garmin-Sharp (United States)..........0' 17"
5. Movistar (Spain)..........0' 20"
6. Lampre-Merida (Italy)..........0' 25"
7. BMC Racing (United States)..........0' 26"

No Moral Right

The Futile Effort To Ban Same-Sex Marriages With A Constitutional Amendment

Last week the Supreme Court delivered a serious blow to the opponents of legalizing same-sex marriage, when they struck down the portions of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that prevented the federal government from granting the same rights and privileges to same-sex married couples as they grant to opposite-sex marriages. DOMA was the last line of defense the right-wing had to stop federal acceptance of same-sex marriage, and now the Supreme Court has declared it to be unconstitutional.

But that hasn't stopped those opposed to equal rights. They have been fighting a losing battle for a while now, and they have no intention of stopping that fight. At least 29 House Republicans, led by Kansas Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp (pictured at left), have introduced a constitutional amendment in the House of Representatives -- an amendment called the "Marriage Protection Amendment", which would ban same-sex marriages anywhere in the United States. The amendment reads as follows:

Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.

Of course, a snowball has a better chance of surviving the summer in the Mojave Desert than this amendment does of passing enough hurdles to actually become a part of our Constitution. The bill would need to be approved by a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and then it would have to be approved by three-fourths of the 50 states -- and it doesn't stand a chance of meeting any of those requirements.

The right-wing fundamentalists have already lost this war to deny equal rights to all Americans, whether they want to admit it or not. This is nothing more than a dying whimper.

Ignoring A Burning Fuse

Political Cartoon is by Mike Luckovich in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Could Wendy Davis Beat Rick Perry ?

(State Senator Wendy Davis addresses a crowd of supporters in Austin on July 1st.)

With her filibuster to kill the Republican anti-choice bill in the first legislative special session, she became a household name among Texas Democrats. She energized them, and immediately vaulted herself into contention for statewide office. Many Democrats, including state party chairman Hinajosa, have begun to call for her to run for governor. She hasn't yet said that she would do that, but she is the first candidate for Democrats in many years that has them excited, and willing to work their butts off.

The question, of course, is -- does Wendy Davis have a chance to actually beat Governor Perry, or is the idea of her candidacy for governor just a pipe dream, destined to fail (as Democratic statewide candidates have been doing for the last 20 years). The folks at Public Policy Polling decided to find out, and they took a survey of 500 Texas voters between June 28th and July 1st. The poll has a margin of error of 4.4 points. At first glance, the survey doesn't look real good for Senator Davis. Here are the numbers right now for a race against Perry:

Rick Perry...............53%
Wendy Davis..........39%
Unsure..........8%

That's a 14 point gap -- not good! But the race is not being held today, and there are some other questions in the survey that show Davis could possibly narrow that gap significantly. Take for instance, the favorability ratings of the candidates. The people of Texas know who Rick Perry is, and a majority of them don't like him very much. His approval rating is upside-down, with 45% approving of him and 50 disapproving (and 5% unsure). On the other hand, Wendy Davis has a 39% approval rating and only 29% disapproval rating, while 32% of respondents said they didn't know her well enough to say either way.

Since it is still quite a while until the next gubernatorial election, there is plenty of time for Davis to reach out to that 32%, and win them over. Why do I think she could win them over? For one thing, she is on the side of the public in the issues currently being discussed. Here are some interesting numbers:

DO YOU SUPPORT WENDY DAVIS' USE OF THE FILIBUSTER?
Support...............45%
Oppose...............40%
Unsure...............15%

DO YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE PERRY'S CALL FOR A SECOND SPECIAL SESSION?
Support...............43%
Oppose...............44%
Unsure...............13%

DO YOU SUPPORT OR OPPOSE SB 5 (THE BILL DAVID FILIBUSTERED)?
Support...............20%
Oppose...............28%
Unsure...............52%

SHOULD RICK PERRY RUN FOR ANOTHER TERM AS GOVERNOR?
Yes...............30%
No...............60%
Unsure...............10%

The fact is the public is very split over the current special selection, and many of them don't really understand what the issues being debated in it are about (because many of them haven't been paying attention to it). But another recent poll by the Texas Tribune has shown that a significant majority of Texans don't want more anti-choice laws -- but would like to see Roe v. Wade left just as it is.

Add to that the fact that Rick Perry is not a real popular governor, and most (even Republicans) don't want to see him run again. Then you have the energizing of the state's Democrats. They are more energized and willing to work than they have been since the governorship of Ann Richards. And then you have one final factor -- the continued growth of minority voters in Texas (especially Hispanics), and the fact that Democrats are currently making a concerted effort to register many more Hispanic voters (and that effort is for the first time in quite a while, a well-funded effort).

None of this means that Wendy Davis would have an easy time in unseating Rick Perry. It would be very difficult, and she very well could lose. But it wouldn't be by any 14 points, and there is a small chance that she could actually win -- a better chance than any Democrat has had in more than 20 years. She would need the help of an army of energized Democrats, and enough funding to run a credible campaign. She has the first, and I believe she could get the second.

I have to admit, for the first time in many years, I'm excited about the prospect of having a good candidate with a chance to win -- in spite of these early poll numbers.

Immigration Reform

Political Cartoon is by Clay Bennett in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Demographic Breakdown Of Obama Support

The public approval of President Obama, and the job he is doing, has slipped a bit from right after the 2012 election -- but it is still light years better than the approval numbers of Congress (which is in the very low double-digits). The latest Gallup Poll shows the president is still viewed more positively than negatively (with 47% approving and 45% disapproving). But more interesting is the demographic breakdown, showing where the president's support is strongest and where it's weakest. Here are those numbers:

THOSE APPROVING OF JOB PRESIDENT OBAMA IS DOING

General public...............47%

Men...............43%
Female...............51%

Married...............41%
Unmarried...............54%

High school or less...............47%
Some college...............40%
College graduate...............53%
Postgraduate...............60%

18 to 29...............55%
30 to 49...............52%
50 to 64...............42%
65 & over...............36%

Whites...............35%
Non-White...............73%
Blacks...............85%
Hispanics...............68%

Liberals...............77%
Moderates...............52%
Conservatives...............22%

Under $2000...............54%
$2000 to $4999...............43%
$5000 to $7499...............47%
$7500 & over...............48%

East...............50%
West...............50%
South...............44%
Midwest...............46%

Attend church weekly...............37%
Attend semi-weekly/monthly...............51%
Attend seldom/never...............53%

Democrats...............82%
Republicans...............12%

It comes as no surprise that the president is supported strongly by Democrats, and not at all by Republicans. That was to be expected. Beyond that, the president gets his strongest support from minorities, women, those making less than $2000 (month), college graduates & postgraduates, those under 50 years-old, liberals, moderates, unmarried people, and those attending church less frequently or not at all. That was pretty much the coalition that got him elected in 2012 -- and it shows that he still has the support of that coalition.

The president's weakest support is among the less educated, those over 50 years-old, men, Whites, conservatives, those making over $2000, married people, and those attending church weekly. The president's support is also strongest in the East and West, and weakest in the South and Midwest.

Basically, those who voted for him still like him, and those who voted against him still don't like him.

This Gallup Poll was done between June 24th and 30th of a nationwide random sample of 2,048 adults -- and has a margin of error of 3 points.

Remember The Firefighters

Political Cartoon is by Gary Varvel in the Indianapolis Star.

Aussies Win Team Time Trial In Tour Stage 4

Stage 4 of the 100th Tour de France involved one of my favorite Tour events -- the team time trial. Each team runs the course by itself, and all team members get the time of their fifth rider to cross the finish line. This year the team time trial was run on a fairly short and flat course (only 25 kilometers). This time trial was won by the Australian team (Orica Greenedge).

Tomorrow will mark a return to individual racing -- and will be a 228.5 kilometer ride wide some medium-difficult climbs (three category 4 climbs and one category 3 climb). There should be points earned for both climbers and sprinters. Here are the stage 4 results and current standings:

STAGE 4 TOP FINISHERS
1. Orica Greenedge (Australia)
2. Omega Pharma-Quick Step (Belgium)
3. Sky Procycling (Great Britain)

YELLOW JERSEY (Best Overall Time)
1. Simon Gerrans (Australia) Orica Greenedge
2. Daryl Impey (South Africa) Orica Greenedge..........0' 00"
3. Michael Albasini (Switzerland) Orica Greenedge..........0' 00"
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........0' 01"
5. Sylvain Chavanel (France) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........0' 01"
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) Sky Procycling..........0' 03"
7. Christopher Froome (Great Britain) Sky Procycling..........0' 03"
8. Richie Porte (Australia) Sky Procycling..........0' 03"

GREEN JERSEY (Best Sprinter)
1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........74 pts
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany) Argos-Shimano..........57 pts
3. Alexander Kristoff (Norway) Katusha..........48 pts
4. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step..........41 pts
5. Lars Boom (Netherlands) Belkin Pro Cycling..........40 pts

POLKA DOT JERSEY (Best Climber)
1. Pierre Rolland (France) Europcar..........10 pts
2. Simon Clarke (Australia) Orica Greenedge..........5 pts
3. Blel Kadri (France) AG2R La Mondiale..........5 pts
4. Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spain)..........3 pts

WHITE JERSEY (Best Young Rider)
1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
2. Andrew Talansky (United States) Garmin-Sharp..........0' 16"
3. Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Columbia) Movistar..........0' 19"
4. Tejay Van Garderen (United States) BMC Racing..........0' 25"
5. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) Cannondale..........0' 33"

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Orica Greenedge (Australia)
2. Sky Procycling (Great Britain)..........0' 03"
3. Saxo-Tinkoff (Denmark)..........0' 09"
4. Garmin-Sharp (United States)..........0' 17"
5. Movistar (Spain)..........0' 20"

Ann

A Sea Of Orange In Texas

A couple of weeks ago, the Democratic Party in Texas was a dispirited bunch. Although engaging in a new voter registration effort, many doubted how much good that would do in the near future. After all, it has been more than 20 years since a Democrat held a statewide elected office in Texas, and both houses of the state legislature are dominated by Republicans.

But last week that changed. When Senator Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) took the senate floor ina special session to filibuster an odious GOP bill that would close down 37 of the 42 clinics in Texas that perform abortions, thousands were inspired as they watched a live feed of the filibuster (and saw Davis speak for over 10 hours). The Republicans were able to stop the filibuster by abusing senate rules, but other Democratic senators took up the fight and delayed a vote for nearly two hours, using parliamentary procedures. Then the crowd in the senate gallery, inspired by Davis and the other senate Democrats, took over and killed the bill by shouting & disrupting until time had run out (a very effective act of civil disobedience).

The result was that many thousands of Democrats were re-energized across the state. They experienced a hope for, and belief in, change that they hadn't had for years. Now, it would probably have been smart for Texas Republicans to accept this defeat and go home -- in the hope the energy of Democrats would die down before the next election. But right-wing teabaggers are more hard-headed they smart -- so Governor Perry decided to keep the issue alive by scheduling a new special session (which started on July 1st).

And Texas women and Democrats responded. They organized a demonstration for the opening day of the special session -- and thousands showed up in Austin wearing orange (the color chosen to display outrage over what the GOP is trying to do to Texas women), turning the capitol grounds into a sea of orange (see pictures above).

The Republicans are going to try and ram that odious bill through the legislature again -- and they might well succeed in doing that (since they have the numbers, and have already shown a willingness to abuse the legislative rules). But doing that will just make sure that the issue stays alive until the next election, and that Texas Democrats (and women) remain angry and energized.

There is already talk of Senator Davis running for governor in the next election, and that would be guaranteed to turn out Democrats (and many Independents) in larger numbers than in many years. I think Wendy Davis might actually have a chance to be elected, but even if she falls short, she could turn out enough voters to flip several Republican seats in the legislature and change the balance of political power in the state -- and that would be a very good thing (especially with demographics favoring the Democrats in the future, as minorities become the majority population in the state).

Even perennial candidate for governor (and political gadfly) Kinky Friedman seems ready to jump on board the "Wendy" bandwagon. He said:

People texted me last week about Wendy Davis, saying this is the most excited they’ve felt about politics in a long time. . .She’s the Joan of Arc of the Texas Democrats. . .For Democrats to win again, they need to show some courage and get back independent voters. She’s doing that.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/06/29/4972503/to-kinky-friedman-a-wendy-for.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/06/29/4972503/to-kinky-friedman-a-wendy-for.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/06/29/4972503/to-kinky-friedman-a-wendy-for.html#storylink=cpy

For the first time in over 20 years, the political winds of change are blowing in the state of Texas -- and it feels good. Democrats are energized, and once again ready to fight for control of the state -- and ready to end the right-wing insanity that has gripped the state for far too long.