50 State Blog Roundup - 3/14/08
Submitted by Betsy Muse on Fri, 03/14/2008 - 2:19pm
After an unexpected absence last week, I'm back and so is the 50 State Blog Roundup.
How's the tension at your favorite national blog community? Take a break from all the nastiness and drop by your favorite state blog for a change. Look in on our statewide and local races.....just stay away from the presidential primary threads. They bring a whole new meaning to March madness!
Here are a few posts from last week and the roundup for March 14, 2008:
Illinois 
Barack Obama's ad endorsing Bill Foster for Denny Hastert's abandoned seat in the 14th District caps an exciting week of new endorsements and good news in the polls
Wisconsin 
mal contends argues that as a superdelegate, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin should reject Hillary's burn-down-the-house strategy and throw her support to Obama
Indiana 
7th District special election news includes coverage of the latest debate
Iowa 
Senator Tom Harkin introduces The Complete Streets Act of 2008 to promote street design that benefits all users, not just motorists
Michigan 
Michigan Liberal starts off Women's History month with profiles of Michigan's 22 female Democratic state lawmakers
Minnesota 
An endorsement in Minnesota's Third district race, currently 9th most likely to flip to the Dems according to the Washington Post's The Fix...
Texas 
Burnt Orange Report makes an attempt at humor in the presidential contest and asks people to "OMG, Plz stop w/ teh stupid!!1".
Georgia 
Rand Knight, candidate for U.S. Senate goes to a worthwhile conference, can't take a joke and is overly sensitive. Read the comments to learn why.
California 
The Sacramento Bee published a database of all state employees, with their names and salary info, online. Privacy is last year's concept.
Ohio 
Ohio GOP Committeemen are getting into the spirit of throwing around the 'ole "Hussein" Reference to Obama. Glad to see the Republicants are really backing off that one. Not.
Iowa desmoinesdem is pleased to report that a bill requiring all counties to use voting machines with paper ballots is moving forward in the Iowa legislature.
Nebraska 
Three months after a tragic shooting at an Omaha mall that left eight dead, the NRA has flexed its might in the Nebraska Legislature, perverting a stong bill that would have addressed the problem of gun violence to actually make handguns more accessible.
Virginia 
Virginia Republicans get mainly "F"s when it comes to the middle class. Virginia Democrats get "straight A"s. Virginia Republicans get mainly "F"s when it comes to the middle class. Virginia Democrats get "straight A"s.Virginia Republicans get mainly "F"s when it comes to the middle class. Virginia Democrats get "straight A"s.
South Dakota 
Check out the interview with George McGovern on Democracy Now! Check out the interview with George McGovern on Democracy Now!Check out the interview with George McGovern on Democracy Now!
West Virginia 
As the ENDA act banning employment discrimination against gays made it further than ever before in the W.Va. legislature, some delegates covered themselves in appalling shame with excuses for not passing it. You won't believe what they had to say.
New York 
Daily Gotham rips the Spitzer administration (for incompetence) and the Bush Justice Department (for partisan malice that the media are completely ignoring) and New York republicans (for hypocrisy).
Ohio 
Visit Ohio Daily Blog for frequent roundups of news and notes on Ohio's contested congressional and local races, such as this one on the congressionals.
Oregon 
Think blatant and embarrassingly ignorant prejudice against gays is dying off? Unfortunately, not on the Republican side of Oregon's State Senate. Now with bonus slurs on African-American colleagues!
Alabama 
Alabama's Bush Dog Bud Cramer decides not to run for re-election this year, just 3 weeks before the filing deadline.
Illinois After winning the special election last Saturday, Rep. Bill Foster makes his first comments and first vote Tuesday
Wisconsin Obama picks up another superdelegate in Wisconsin's 7th District
New Mexico 
There's an investigation into a GOP vote-buying scandal in New Mexico.
North Carolina 
Mecklenburg Co. schools in North Carolina adopted an anti-bullying policy that includes bullying based on an individual's real or perceived race, color, sex, religion, creed, political belief, age, national origin, linguistic or language differences, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socioeconomic status, height, weight, physical characteristics, marital status, parental status, or physical, mental, or sensory disability. ...
New Hampshire 
Why elections matter.....at Blue Hampshire.
- Betsy Muse's blog
- 361 reads
Ok, maybe I'll rethink Charlotte-Mecklenburg
I'm a Raleigh gal, proud to say so, and have participated enthusiastically in the occasional calls for Charlotte to secede and be adopted by SC., but this sort of issue does catch a person's attention.
I listened to the floor debate on this bill in the house (Dan Besse updated us on the outcome recently) and was sooooooo more than usually put off by the comments offered in opposition to the inclusion of "sexual orientation" in the description of "issues" for which "bullying" is to be decried that I can't help wanting to CLAIM Charlotte-Mecklenburg now.
It isn't easy living in Jesse Helms' country, but the POINT, dagnabbit, of living here is to be a voice for progress. I see they're making some headway over in that southwestern portion and I want to say THANK YOU.
(the only "smart" objections to this legal language are those which point out that there's no such thing as a good excuse for bullying)
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
-Edmund Burke
Foster
I think it's hilarious that the day after Foster got elected in Illinois at least half the mentions of him on tv were "another superdelegate for Barack Obama!" I don't think there has ever been a political numbers game this popular. "Normal" people really are into it.