PERRspectives: The National Debt? Republicans Built That

PERRspectives: The National Debt? Republicans Built That
"President Bush added $5.1 trillion in red ink to the national ledger. But while the debt has grown by over $5 trillion during Obama's first term, less than $1 trillion can be attributed to new programs he put in place. The rest is the result of the tax revenue loss from the deep recession which began in December 2007 and the continuation of policies inherited from George W. Bush."

Texas Will End Funding For Planned Parenthood Clinics Tomorrow

Texas Will End Funding For Planned Parenthood Clinics Tomorrow: For most of 2012, Texas officials have been working hard to strip funding from the Planned Parenthood clinics in their state. Those officials advanced their anti-choice agenda on Monday, when a visiting judge ruled that Texas may deny funding from Planned Parenthood affiliates in the new year simply because the organization advocates for abortion rights. [...]/p

Michigan Governor Signs Extreme Anti-Abortion Bill Into Law

Michigan Governor Signs Extreme Anti-Abortion Bill Into Law: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has approved a controversial package of abortion restrictions that will limit abortion access for women who live in rural areas, require doctors to prove that mentally competent women haven’t been “coerced” into their decision to have the procedure, and enact unnecessary, complicated rules for abortion clinics and providers. The governor [...]/p

Citing Citizens United, Federal Appeals Court Blocks Access To Birth Control

Citing Citizens United, Federal Appeals Court Blocks Access To Birth Control: On Friday, a divided panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in an order joined by two conservative Republican appointees, temporarily immunized a company from the Obama Administration’s rules guaranteeing that employer-provided health plans cover birth control. Judge Ilana Rovner, a George H.W. Bush appointee, dissented. The order is brief, [...]/p

The War Against Teachers | Alternet

The War Against Teachers | Alternet
"Right-wing fundamentalists and corporate ideologues are not just waging a war against the rights of unions, workers, students, women, the disabled, low-income groups and poor minorities, but also against those public spheres that provide a vocabulary for connecting values, desires, identities, social relations and institutions to the discourse of social responsibility, ethics, and democracy, if not thinking itself.  Neoliberalism, or unbridled free-market fundamentalism, employs modes of governance, discipline and regulation that are totalizing in their insistence that all aspects of social life be determined, shaped and weighted through market-driven measures. [2] Neoliberalism is not merely an economic doctrine that prioritizes buying and selling, makes the supermarket and mall the temples of public life and defines the obligations of citizenship in strictly consumerist terms. It is also a mode of pedagogy and set of social arrangements that uses education to win consent, produce consumer-based notions of agency and militarize reason in the service of war, profits, power and violence while simultaneously instrumentalizing all forms of knowledge."

5 Ways GOP Tried to Subvert Democracy in 2012 -- And They'll Try Again | Alternet

5 Ways GOP Tried to Subvert Democracy in 2012 -- And They'll Try Again | Alternet
"Creating barriers to voting, demonizing communities of color, attacking voting rights laws and their defenders, unleashing billionaires who financed candidates like an extreme sport, and hiding corporate donors behind opaque front groups—these were the chapters in the Republican Party’s electoral playbook in the 2012 election cycle."

What Could Have Been: The Most Important Bills Blocked by Republicans in 2012 | Alternet

What Could Have Been: The Most Important Bills Blocked by Republicans in 2012 | Alternet
"The bills we could have passed if it wasn't for GOP obstructionism -- from a minimum wage increase to the Buffett Rule."

Hobby Lobby To Deny Contraception To Employees, Ignoring Court Order

Hobby Lobby To Deny Contraception To Employees, Ignoring Court Order: Craft store chain Hobby Lobby announced on Friday that it will ignore the ruling of U.S. courts and refuse to provide copay-free birth control access to its employees. It will do so despite whatever costs it may incur, even if they are higher than the cost of birth control itself. Upon learning that Obamacare required [...]/p

Stephanie, the Mooks and John Fugelsang put the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre under fire

Iowa Court: Bosses Can Fire 'Irresistible' Workers - ABC News

Iowa Court: Bosses Can Fire 'Irresistible' Workers - ABC News
"A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday."

Jennifer Granholm’s progressive wish list for 2013

Connecticut School Officials Blast NRA’s Reaction To Newtown

Connecticut School Officials Blast NRA’s Reaction To Newtown: Teachers, school superintends, mayors and police chiefs in Connecticut are rejecting the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) response to the shooting in Newtown, describing the gun lobby’s proposal to equip schools with armed guards and more guns as too simplistic, shameful, and opportunistic. One Connecticut school superintendent dismissed the NRA’s suggestion as “an ill-conceived reaction from [...]/p

Conservative Columnist Doubles Down On Women Are To Blame For Newtown Argument

Conservative Columnist Doubles Down On Women Are To Blame For Newtown Argument: According to anti-feminist Charlotte Allen, a male janitor or “even some of the huskier 12-year-old boys” would have made all the difference in the Newtown massacre, simply because they are male. National Review published Allen’s controversial piece on Wednesday, where she attributed the massacre to Sandy Hook’s female staff and its “feminized setting.” On Friday, [...]/p

NRO's Charlotte Allen: Sandy Hook Tragedy Could Have Been Averted If Men Taught There

NRO's Charlotte Allen: Sandy Hook Tragedy Could Have Been Averted If Men Taught There
"There are stupid right wing things, and then there are really stupid right wing things. An example of stupid would be Charlotte Allen jonesing for Sarah Palin to be the Great Savior of the Republican Party. Yes, that was stupid.

But here's a really stupid thing, something she actually let loose from her keyboard so the Internet could suffer her stupidity right alongside her:"

It’s a Mad, Mad Michigan

It’s a Mad, Mad Michigan
"It is a lot to take in. But, look: Michigan is worth your attention. And it’s worth the fight."

NRA Slammed for Push for Guns in Every School | Common Dreams

NRA Slammed for Push for Guns in Every School | Common Dreams
"The reaction from Newtown, Connecticut to gun control advocates to commentators is clear: putting more guns in schools is not the answer."

The 10 Craziest Quotes From The NRA Press Conference

The 10 Craziest Quotes From The NRA Press Conference: After remaining completely silent in the week following the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, the National Rifle Association (NRA) held a press conference in Washington D.C. on Friday to call for more guns in schools and blame the media for glorifying violence, while demonizing gun owners. Below are the 10 craziest statements from NRA Executive Vice [...]/p

America Provides Far Less Support To Single Parents Than Other Wealthy Countries

America Provides Far Less Support To Single Parents Than Other Wealthy Countries: Out of 17 developed countries, single parents in the US are have the fewest resources and the greatest economic hardship, a new report from Legal Momentum shows. In other countries, parents raising a child alone are offered help from the state and have relative economic stability. But the assessment in the US is different. Not [...]/p

Doctors Warn They Will ‘Suffer Irreparable Harm’ From Georgia’s Restrictive Abortion Ban

Doctors Warn They Will ‘Suffer Irreparable Harm’ From Georgia’s Restrictive Abortion Ban: Three doctors in Georgia are seeking to block their state’s restrictive abortion ban, which outlaws the procedure after 20 weeks of gestation except in very narrow cases of medical emergency. Representing the doctors in an Atlanta court on Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union alleged that — in addition to preventing women from choosing when [...]/p

A Rundown of the Insane Rationales Right-Wingers Are Offering for Why Sandy Hook Happened | Alternet

A Rundown of the Insane Rationales Right-Wingers Are Offering for Why Sandy Hook Happened | Alternet
"Those on the right who would blame the tragedy on anything but guns see women as the problem -- not the heroes"

Michigan Lawmaker Didn’t Read The Anti-Abortion Bill He Voted For, But He’s Confident It’s Not About Women

Michigan Lawmaker Didn’t Read The Anti-Abortion Bill He Voted For, But He’s Confident It’s Not About Women: Michigan lawmakers moved quickly to push an omnibus abortion bill through their lame duck session last week. Despite the massive undertaking that House Bill 5711 represents — the measure combines several of the worst attacks on women’s reproductive freedom into one 45-page piece of legislation — some GOP legislators may not have even bothered to [...]/p

Virginia Republican Legislator Actually Wants To Require Concealed Weapons In Schools

Virginia Republican Legislator Actually Wants To Require Concealed Weapons In Schools: A day after Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) said he would be open to arming school faculty, a state legislator is taking the idea a step further. Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R) has submitted a bill that would not only permit faculty to bring concealed guns into schools, but would require schools have armed staff. [...]/p

Top Conservative Publication Attributes Newtown To Feminism: Shooting Occurred Because Women Ran The School

Top Conservative Publication Attributes Newtown To Feminism: Shooting Occurred Because Women Ran The School: If there were less women and more “male aggression” in Sandy Hook Elementary School, the massacre there never would have taken place, according to a contribution to a leading conservative magazine. National Review, whose inhouse editorial suggested Newtown was the price of the Second Amendment, published a piece on Wednesday from anti-feminist Charlotte Allen suggesting [...]/p

Right-Wing Teacher-Arming Hysteria Grows | Alternet

Right-Wing Teacher-Arming Hysteria Grows | Alternet
"The latest high-profile Republican to say he is open to possibly allowing firearms on school grounds is Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who said in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. school shootings that he thinks “that’s a reasonable discussion that ought to be had"."

Bobby Jindal's Ridiculous Birth Control Plot | Alternet

Bobby Jindal's Ridiculous Birth Control Plot | Alternet
"Ah, yes. Because it's Democrats who run around like headless chickens, screaming and wailing about "religious liberty" and how making birth control affordable and accessible to women is just like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor day . It's Democrats who've said that only sluts use or want birth control. It's Democrats who've said that even married couples should not use birth control because the whole point of marriage is to pop out babies in the name of Jesus.

Oh, no, wait. That's actually the Republican Party."

Why You Can Kiss Public Education (and the Middle Class) Goodbye | Alternet

Why You Can Kiss Public Education (and the Middle Class) Goodbye | Alternet
"All around us, our public institutions are disintegrating, and the most important public institution of all – our public education system – will likely be the next to go."

Dear GOP: Ignore the will of the people and you will fail

How an Astounding New Right-Wing Lie About the Economy Is Born | Alternet

How an Astounding New Right-Wing Lie About the Economy Is Born | Alternet
"There's a new economic myth that's now being amplified by the conservative media. It demonizes vital public services and suggests that the poor are doing just fine thanks to the largesse of the country's “makers.” Conservatives are being told that the United States is now spending vast fortunes combatting poverty – more than we dedicate to national defense, Social Security and Medicare.

This new spin is notable not for its mendacity – although it is completely divorced from reality – but because its origins are easily traced, allowing us to see how these kinds of distortions come to be."

President Obama's statement on Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting

Day Before Connecticut Shooting Massacre, Michigan Legislature Passed Bill Allowing Guns In Classrooms

Day Before Connecticut Shooting Massacre, Michigan Legislature Passed Bill Allowing Guns In Classrooms: Yesterday, one day before the tragedy in Connecticut where at least 27 people were killed at an elementary school, the Republican-controlled Michigan legislature passed a bill that would allow people to bring guns into schools. Amidst a lameduck session that has spawned a host of right-wing legislation, including a so-called “right-to-work” law and an extreme [...]/p

How Obamacare Will Help Low-Income Mothers Battle Depression

How Obamacare Will Help Low-Income Mothers Battle Depression: At an Urban Institute panel on depression and low-income Americans on Thursday, Marla McDaniel of the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population pointed out that low-income American mothers are “more likely to have severe depression.” Fortunately, Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion will help offer those low-income mothers the crucial preventative and mental health services they need [...]/p

Anti-Choice Activists Infiltrate Ohio’s Non-Partisan Medical Board

Anti-Choice Activists Infiltrate Ohio’s Non-Partisan Medical Board: The Republican-dominated Ohio Legislature has tried and failed to advance some of the most extreme anti-choice and anti-woman legislation in the country, including a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and the “heartbeat bill” that would have banned abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Having had little success in the state house, radical [...]/p

Prosecutors Ignore 2/3s Of All Sex Abuse Against Native Americans — Eric Cantor Is Keeping It That Way

Prosecutors Ignore 2/3s Of All Sex Abuse Against Native Americans — Eric Cantor Is Keeping It That Way: As Irin Carmon explains in a must read piece at Salon, Native American reservations are virtually law-free zones for women victimized by non-Indian rapists. Eighty percent of Native American rape survivors were attacked by non-Indians, and these crimes are currently beyond the reach of tribal authorities. Meanwhile, federal officials have the theoretical power to prosecute [...]/p

PERRspectives: Texas Cuts to Family Planning Triple State Expenses

PERRspectives: Texas Cuts to Family Planning Triple State Expenses
"When a federal judge ruled in August that Texas can withhold millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics, GovernorRick Perry proclaimed it a "win for Texas women." As it turns out, Perry's crusade against Planned Parenthood isn't a win for either the women of Texas or the budget of the Lone Star State. Just as experts predicted, each dollar saved in family planning spending will result in almost four dollars in new costs to care for thousands of new mothers and children the budget axe will produce.
As Rick Perry might say, "Oops"."

Calls for Veto as "Anti-Women Super Bill" Heads to Michigan Governor's Desk | Common Dreams

Calls for Veto as "Anti-Women Super Bill" Heads to Michigan Governor's Desk | Common Dreams
"Women's health advocates and pro-choice supporters are livid in Michigan and across the country after the state Senate in Lansing passed HB 5711, an omnibus piece of legislation that its critics are calling an "anti-choice Super Bill," on Wednesday."

Michigan Advances One Of The Nation’s Most Extreme Abortion Bans

Michigan Advances One Of The Nation’s Most Extreme Abortion Bans: The Michigan State Senate passed HB 5711, an omnibus anti-abortion bill that sparked widespread protests over the summer when it was first considered in the House, by a 27-10 vote on Wednesday afternoon. The legislation has been stalled since it passed Michigan’s House in June. The measure represents one of the nation’s most far-reaching abortion [...]/p

Memo to Michigan: Did You Not Hear the Voters on Women's Health? | Common Dreams

Memo to Michigan: Did You Not Hear the Voters on Women's Health? | Common Dreams
"An alarming set of bills is about to move to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's desk as soon as today. Pushed through by lame-duck legislators who are about to leave office, these bills would make Michigan one of the most regressive states in the nation on women's health."

Rick Perry: Outlawing All Access To Abortion Is ‘My Goal’

Rick Perry: Outlawing All Access To Abortion Is ‘My Goal’: At a press conference on Tuesday organized by the anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) reaffirmed that his ultimate legislative objective is to restrict all women’s access to abortion services. Members of Texas Right to Life are currently pushing their state’s legislators to pass a “fetal pain” bill that would ban [...]/p

Violence Against Women Act Must Protect Native American Women

Violence Against Women Act Must Protect Native American Women
"Congressional Republicans headed by Eric Cantor are stalling on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The Senate has already passed a bill that increases protection for Native, LGBT and undocumented immigrant women."

Why Medicaid Cuts Would Hurt Health Care Jobs For Women

Why Medicaid Cuts Would Hurt Health Care Jobs For Women: The U.S. economy is steadily recovering from the recession, with the unemployment rate falling to 7.7 percent last month — the lowest rate since December 2008. And the increasing number of health care jobs continues to outpace job growth in other economic sectors. Through November, the economy has gained about 290,000 health care jobs this [...]/p

Low-Wage Jobs Don’t Just Harm Workers — They Harm Their Children

Low-Wage Jobs Don’t Just Harm Workers — They Harm Their Children: The recent report by the Pew Research Center that births per every 1000 American women kicked off a flurry of concern amongst conservatives that American culture is beginning to undervalue the future. However, that concern ignores the rather dismal job the country’s economy is doing to care for the children Americans are already having, and [...]/p

Cliffs Notes: On the Edge and Over a Barrel | Common Dreams

Cliffs Notes: On the Edge and Over a Barrel | Common Dreams
"Even worse, in all likelihood the fiscal cliff is merely a pretext for further eroding the already-tenuous social safety net in America; it’s a veritable Trojan horse for a good old-fashioned dose of austerity-oriented shock therapy intended to remind us all to keep our place lest we get busted down a notch further on the socioeconomic ladder. It’s a potentially ruinous precipice, we’re told, so you’d better pay close attention if you want your trickle of water to continue coming down the cliff face…

Or at least pay close enough attention so that you won’t ask too many hard questions about the genuine cliffs you should be worried about. You know, minor stuff like the erosion of free will and the continued existence of the species. Here’s but a small sample of the non-trivial cliffs dead ahead:"

Republican Leadership Split on Whether to Protect Native American Women

Republican Leadership Split on Whether to Protect Native American Women: With only three weeks left for Congress to pass the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), one man is standing in its way: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA). The House passed a version of [...]/p

How The People Who Brought You Curves Are Actually Working Against Women’s Health

How The People Who Brought You Curves Are Actually Working Against Women’s Health: And this past election isn’t the only time that Curves and the Heavins have worked against women’s reproductive rights. Gary Heavin pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars for controversial “pregnancy crisis centers” that try to talk women out of abortions and have been accused to providing false information. They also made large donations to abstinence-only education programs — programs which often misinformand make teens more likely to engage in risky behavior and become pregnant.

Michigan Lawmakers Are Trying To Sneak Through Extreme Abortion Restrictions In Lame Duck Session

Michigan Lawmakers Are Trying To Sneak Through Extreme Abortion Restrictions In Lame Duck Session: Women’s health advocates confirm that Michigan lawmakers are likely to revive on Thursday an omnibus anti-abortion bill that sparked widespread protests after it passed the House over the summer, in addition to a host of other restrictive abortion legislation they hope to force through the current lame duck session. As Michigan’s current attempt to pass [...]/p

POLL: Key Voters Rejected Romney Because Of His Far-Right Stance On Women’s Health Issues

POLL: Key Voters Rejected Romney Because Of His Far-Right Stance On Women’s Health Issues: Early exit polling from last month’s presidential election suggested that majorities of voters in key states support legal access to abortion services, and a new poll released today confirms that women’s health issues were a decisive factor in helping voters decide between President Obama and Mitt Romney. Post-election polling conducted by Hart Research Associates and [...]/p

Moms Urge Congress Not to Throw Families Over the Fiscal Cliff | Alternet

Moms Urge Congress Not to Throw Families Over the Fiscal Cliff | Alternet
"Today, as members of Congress negotiate a budget to address the so-called fiscal cliff, families are taking a stand. Women, mothers, and their families are descending on Capitol Hill to deliver teddy bears, petition signatures and personal stories to lawmakers to send the message that moms and kids can’t “bear” more than their fair share.

Wealthy CEOs have joined together in the much-maligned "Campaign to Fix the Debt." to argue for lower taxes on the rich and cuts to the social safety net, but they are being met by a counter-force of ordinary women trying to work and raise families."

Despite Growing Number Of Female Doctors And Lawyers, Women’s Pay Still Lags Behind

Despite Growing Number Of Female Doctors And Lawyers, Women’s Pay Still Lags Behind: Women now make up about one third of the doctors and lawyers in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reports. But for those female employees who expect equal representation in the near future, a discouraging statistic belies the good news: Lady lawyers and doctors still get paid less than their male counterparts for doing [...]/p

Will Kentucky Embrace Ashley Judd’s Progressive Senate Run?

Will Kentucky Embrace Ashley Judd’s Progressive Senate Run?: Rumors that film star Ashley Judd is considering a run for Senate in her native Kentucky are solidifying. Politico reported Tuesday that Judd has spoken to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and a Democratic pollster about a possible challenge to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Judd, an unabashed progressive activist, attended the Democratic National Convention this year [...]/p

Watch: Teacher Infiltrates ALEC Education Meeting, Confronts Members | Alternet

Watch: Teacher Infiltrates ALEC Education Meeting, Confronts Members | Alternet
"Education activist Sabrina Joy Stevens, a former teacher in the Denver school system, tells right-wing, would-be policymakers how their agenda is destructive to education."

Fox News Promotes The 'War On Men' Meme

Fox News Promotes The 'War On Men' Meme
"Just as I predicted a few days ago, the author who claims there’s a war on men is getting lots of sympathetic airtime on Fox News. This morning, Suzanne Venker – never identified as the niece of anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly - visited Fox & Friends where she offered up her totally unqualified and unscientific opinion that the reason marriage rates are down is because “women aren’t women anymore,” as host Alisyn Camerota summarized."

Meet Gubernatorial Candidate Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s Todd Akin

Meet Gubernatorial Candidate Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s Todd Akin: Virginia’s Republican Party appears poised to nominate state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to be its candidate for governor in 2013 — embracing a man whose extreme political views bear striking resemblance to those of unsuccessful 2012 Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO). With his fervent anti-science, anti-choice, and anti-LGBT, anti-federal government activism, Akin’s extreme positions [...]/p

5 States Where GOP Extremists Are Pushing Repugnant Anti-Women Laws | Alternet

5 States Where GOP Extremists Are Pushing Repugnant Anti-Women Laws | Alternet
"The 2012 election was meant to be a referendum on, among other things, the tide of Republican extremism that swept reproductive rights to the edge of existence in many states between 2010 and 2012. Although the Tea Party was allegedly given votes in the midterms to address financial issues, abortion restriction and defunding Planned Parenthood immediately rose to the top of the new Republican priority list.

That was all supposed to end with this election--but did it? This absurd period of legislative history that became dubbed the “war on women” (though it affected people of all genders) culminated in this year's notorious spate of comments from Tea Party-approved candidates about rape -- legitimate, god-willed or otherwise -- and resulted in the biggest anti-misogynist backlash at the ballot box we’ve seen in a long time."

Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy’s Popularity

Donald Trump Partnership Ruins Macy’s Popularity: The old adage that “all press is good press” might not ring true with department store chain Macy’s. Their recent partnership with conservative billionaire oddball Donald Trump is causing a sudden drop in the brand’s popularity, particularly among women. According to a YouGov Brandindex survey, immediately after the Macy’s-Trump partnership, women steadily became far less [...]/p

Meet Corey Stewart, Virginia’s Mitt Romney

Meet Corey Stewart, Virginia’s Mitt Romney: Stewart, like Romney, has been a strong advocate of the idea tax cuts magically leadto balanced budgets. Like Romney, he advocates deregulating business, wants to pursue anti-LGBT and anti-women social policies, and believes Arizona’s anti-immigrant laws are the ideal model.

Republicans Pick Committee Leaders From One Demographic

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic Could Be Forced To Close In January

Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic Could Be Forced To Close In January: Jackson Women’s Health Organization — the only abortion clinic in the entire state of Mississippi — has been fighting to remain open after Republican legislators, aiming to force the clinic to close, passed a restrictive regulation requiring its doctors to secure hospital admitting privileges. A Bush-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked the measure in July to [...]/p

DONATE: Help Sandra Fluke Combat The War On Women

DONATE: Help Sandra Fluke Combat The War On Women: This is the first in a series of fundraising messages about our work. DONATE HERE to help fund our one-of-a-kind, progressive reporting. Sandra Fluke knows all about the GOP’s War on Women. And she knows that ThinkProgress has been right there on the front lines, covering everything from Rush Limbaugh’s [...]/p

GOP on post- election course correction

Rachel Maddow reports on what Republican leaders are saying they learned from the GOP's major 2012 losses, and what Republican lawmakers are actually doing that completely contradicts the rhetoric from the beltway.

Romney's 47 Percent Chickens Come Home to Roost

Romney's 47 Percent Chickens Come Home to Roost
"As the final 2012 vote tallies come in from all over the country, it's clear that Barack Obama didn't just squeak by, but will win by over three percentage points, leaving Mitt Romney with 47 percent of the popular vote."

Sorry, John McCain, But Anti-Choicers Are Judged on Actions, Not Words | Common Dreams

Sorry, John McCain, But Anti-Choicers Are Judged on Actions, Not Words | Common Dreams
"But they should at least stop pretending that they just came up with the idea to attack abortion rights while declining to talk about it in public. They’ve been trying that strategy for years, and no one is buying what they’re selling."

PERRspectives: Why McCain Wants GOP to Leave Abortion Alone

PERRspectives: Why McCain Wants GOP to Leave Abortion Alone
"As it turned out, McCain's Republican Party had other ideas. In 2008 and again in 2012, the Republican National Convention ignored its nominee and adopted a platform endorsing a "human life amendment" which would prohibit all abortions in all cases.

It's no wonder John McCain doesn't want to talk about it."

John McCain is not very bright

John McCain is not very bright
"Neither is Lindsey Graham. The rest of the Republicans who persist with smear campaigns against U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and other women, especially women of color, aren't too smart either. To the 97 members of the House, who wrote a letter to President Obama attacking Rice, I say, you are even stupider."

ThankProgress: 10 Things Progressives Can Be Thankful For

ThankProgress: 10 Things Progressives Can Be Thankful For: Following a long presidential campaign full of policy battles and disagreements, progressives have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. Here are 10 things we can all celebrate: We are thankful for the millions of Americans serving our country at home and abroad. This includes 1.4 million Armed Services members, 80,000 AmeriCorps members, [...]/p

U.S. Sees Biggest Abortion Decrease In A Decade

U.S. Sees Biggest Abortion Decrease In A Decade: New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that abortions fell 5 percent in 2009, “in the biggest one-year decrease in at least a decade.” Researchers are attributing the reduction to the recession and increased use of more effective methods of birth control. Mississippi “had the lowest abortion rate, at 4 per [...]/p

Five Obamacare Provisions To Be Thankful For

Five Obamacare Provisions To Be Thankful For: After clearing significant hurdles over the past year — including repeated repeal votes in Congress, a Supreme Court challenge, and a presidential election — the future of President Obama’s landmark health reform law is finally secure. Now that it’s here to stay, Americans can expect to reap significant benefits as the Affordable Care Act continues [...]/p

Eve Ensler Rising: One of America's Most Amazing Activists Is About to Pull Off Her Biggest Event Yet | Alternet

Eve Ensler Rising: One of America's Most Amazing Activists Is About to Pull Off Her Biggest Event Yet | Alternet
"On February 14, 2013, Ensler says One Billion women will rise. I believe her."

Can We Help the Would-Be Secessionists Pack?

Can We Help the Would-Be Secessionists Pack?
"The Tea Party folks -- to no one's great surprise -- are not taking their electoral defeat at the hands of a black man lying down. They're threatening to pack up their soccer ball and take it home."

HHS releases draft rules on key elements of Obamacare, including pre-existing conditions

HHS releases draft rules on key elements of Obamacare, including pre-existing conditions
"This is the stuff health insurance reform was all about, the core regulations that will make health insurance affordable and accessible. They're also the parts of reform that will be most popular and important to the public. This is the stuff Republicans absolutely did not want to see implemented, and the stuff that will make "Obamacare" be as much an appreciated part of the nation's health care system as Medicare."

After Cutting Tax Credit For Children, Michigan Republicans Consider One For Fetuses

After Cutting Tax Credit For Children, Michigan Republicans Consider One For Fetuses: State legislators in Michigan held a hearing on Tuesday to consider House Bills 5684 and 5685, which would allow taxpayers to receive tax relief for unborn fetuses past 12 weeks’ gestation. The proposed legislation is an odd push for Michigan Republicans, partly because the state slashed tax credits for children last year — meaning that [...]/p

The War On Women Is a Class War | Alternet

The War On Women Is a Class War | Alternet
"Last week the voters delivered their verdict on what has come to be known as "the Republican War on Women": They're against it."

Study: Women in Manufacturing Face Five-fold Breast Cancer Risk | Common Dreams

Study: Women in Manufacturing Face Five-fold Breast Cancer Risk | Common Dreams
"Women who work in automotive plastics and food-can manufacturing industries show nearly a five-fold increase in the incidence of breast cancer, according to results of a "groundbreaking," peer-reviewed study published Monday in the journal Environmental Health."

Ohio Is The Latest Battlefield in the War on Contraception | Common Dreams

Ohio Is The Latest Battlefield in the War on Contraception | Common Dreams
"The latest battled in the war on contraception is being fought in Ohio, where the House Health and Aging Committee approved a bill to be sent to the floor that would de-fund Planned Parenthood, as well as other family planning groups that provide affordable contraception and reproductive health care to the women of Ohio. So far, these attempts to de-fund family planning have failed in the courts, though Texas has won a victory in the Fifth Circuit and could very well be successful in dramatically reducing (and perhaps eventually eliminating) funding to clinics that help low-income women afford contraception."

Ohio’s War On Women: State Lawmakers Stall Comprehensive Sex Ed Bill To Focus On Anti-Choice Legislation

Ohio’s War On Women: State Lawmakers Stall Comprehensive Sex Ed Bill To Focus On Anti-Choice Legislation: Despite the fact that voters across the country rejected radical anti-choice legislation in this month’s election, Ohio lawmakers have been busy reviving the War on Women during their lame duck session. Ohio’s Health And Aging Committee voted to strip funding from Planned Parenthood last week, Republican lawmakers introduced a misleading “sex-selective” abortion ban at the [...]/p

Shockingly Less Than: Choosing a Dying Fetus Over A Living Woman | Common Dreams

Shockingly Less Than: Choosing a Dying Fetus Over A Living Woman | Common Dreams
"A woman left to suffer and die, her life sacrificed to that of a fetus that would not live, in the name of an ideology that deems a non-viable fetus more important than a living, breathing, 31-year-old woman - this is a horror. She deserved to live. So do the nearly 22 million women worldwide who undergo unsafe abortions each year; so did the 47,000 women who each year die from them. Many protests, with the same message.Never again."

How Obamacare Will Allow Women To Be Less Dependent On Their Spouses’ Health Coverage

How Obamacare Will Allow Women To Be Less Dependent On Their Spouses’ Health Coverage: President Obama’s landmark health care reform includes multiple provisions with significant positive implications for women, including putting an end to discriminatory gender-based insurance costs and ensuring affordable access to contraceptive services and maternity care. But Obamacare could also have another unexpected effect on women’s lives: helping ensure they don’t have to rely on a spouse [...]/p

The Sore Losers Club Welcomes New Members Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan | Alternet

The Sore Losers Club Welcomes New Members Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan | Alternet
"Romney was roundly defeated last week, and the man who defeated him has now publicly saluted him  twice. This is the time for Romney to show grace, humility and maybe some humor too. Instead, he’s coming across like a sore loser, one who’d rather make excuses than give his opponent any real credit."

Woman Dies After Being Denied Abortion: When Religious Rules Trump Science | Alternet

Woman Dies After Being Denied Abortion: When Religious Rules Trump Science | Alternet
"Ireland's anti-choice policies lead to a woman's death, and to domestic and international outcry."

Ohio House Committee Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood

Ohio House Committee Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood: After a lengthy and heated hearing, an Ohio bill meant to defund Planned Parenthood cleared a House committee on Wednesday by an 11-9 vote along party lines. House Bill 298, ostensibly about re-prioritizing federal family planning money, seeks to strip $1.7 million from Planned Parenthood clinics in the state. According to Planned Parenthood Ohio CEO [...]/p

PERRspectives: Irish Abortion Tragedy Already Happening Here

PERRspectives: Irish Abortion Tragedy Already Happening Here
"Which means it's only a matter of time until the next Savita Halappanavar pays the ultimate price. Right here. In the United States of America."

More accurate than Nate Silver

More accurate than Nate Silver
"According to the Atlantic's Rebecca Greenfield, there were only three pundits, out of 74 she tracked, who called the 2012 Electoral College correctly—Nate Silver, Drew Lizner, and me."

How The Tragic Death Of A Woman Denied An Abortion In Ireland Could Become The Norm In America

How The Tragic Death Of A Woman Denied An Abortion In Ireland Could Become The Norm In America: Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian woman living in Ireland, went to the hospital when she first began to miscarry — but thanks to Ireland’s stringent abortion ban, medical professionals denied her repeated requests to quickly terminate the pregnancy because they could still detect a fetal heartbeat. The Irish hospital required her to extend her miscarriage [...]/p

STUDY: Denying Women Abortion Access Increases Their Risk Of Falling Into Poverty

STUDY: Denying Women Abortion Access Increases Their Risk Of Falling Into Poverty: Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco launched a Global Turnaway Study to explore the potential social and economic implications of denying women access to legal abortion. After documenting the experiences of the women who seek to terminate a pregnancy but are turned away from abortion services, the UCSF researchers found that those women [...]/p

VIEWPOINT: The Emerging Pro-Choice Majority

VIEWPOINT: The Emerging Pro-Choice Majority: Abortion rights, we’re told, are our Great Divider. America is cleaved in two. Fifty unremitting percent on either side. There is no United States of America, only pro and anti choice America. But what if that’s not true? Or, more precisely, what if that won’t be true for much longer? The 2012 election has been [...]/p

Brief Rundown of Just How Big a Victory Tuesday Was for Democrats

Brief Rundown of Just How Big a Victory Tuesday Was for Democrats
"After being told for six months how close the race was, turns out, No. No it wasn't. How big of a win was it? In the end, it wasn't even close. President Obama won BOTH the Electoral College AND the Popular Vote... and not just by a little, but by A LOT... 126 Electoral votes and nearly 3 Million in the Popular Vote"

Republican Party is going to have to leave their proverbial bubble to remain viable

The Republican Party is going to have to leave their proverbial bubble to remain viable. Facts matter. Terrific breakdown of election night.The national results were predicted by fact-based models while the right wing media failed as usual.

Warren: Onto the National Stage

Warren: Onto the National Stage
"With a commanding eight-point victory, the newly minted senator from Massachusetts becomes the leader of the Democratic Party's progressive wing."

Progressive Democrat Tammy Baldwin Wins U.S. Senate Seat in Wisconsin

Progressive Democrat Tammy Baldwin Wins U.S. Senate Seat in Wisconsin
"Wisconsin has upheld its reputation as a truly purple state by electing Democrat Tammy Baldwin to the U.S. Senate, by a solid margin of 51 to 46, and reelecting President Barack Obama to a second term, just months after handing the Tea Party and out-of-state special interests a victory by voting to keep far-right GovernorScott Walker in office. Baldwin's victory, along with Elizabeth Warren's win in Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown's win in Ohio, helps ensure Democrats keep control of the U.S. Senate."

Ari Fleischer: Republican Party Will Never Embrace LGBT and Women's Rights

Ari Fleischer: Republican Party Will Never Embrace LGBT and Women's Rights
"After a stinging election night defeat, President George W. Bush's former White House secretary still says that the Republican Party will never support LGBT rights and reproductive rights for women."

Lady voters legitimately shut down that whole 'some rape isn't really rape' thing

Lady voters legitimately shut down that whole 'some rape isn't really rape' thing
"Hey, ladies, remember that time Republicans figured turning out the rapist vote might be a winning strategy? Of course you do because it was, like, yesterday."

Six Congressional Races Where GOP Extremism Lost

Six Congressional Races Where GOP Extremism Lost: The 2012 House and Senate races were to a significant degree about the GOP’s shift to the far right of the American historical norm — assaults on the fundamentals of the social safety net unseen since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, unprecedented attempts to restrict women’s reproductive freedom, and near-theological devotion to lowering tax [...]/p

Florida Voters Defeat A Republican-Backed Amendment To Restrict Abortion Rights

Florida Voters Defeat A Republican-Backed Amendment To Restrict Abortion Rights: After they could not pass stringent abortion restrictions in the state legislature, Florida Republicans added an amendment to the ballot that represented an unprecedented push to limit abortion access. The measure would have curtailed insurance coverage and privacy protections for women: Flustered by their inability to pass stronger abortion restrictions, lawmakers put Amendment 6 on [...]/p

5 GOPers Booted for Their Idiotic Rape Comments | Alternet

5 GOPers Booted for Their Idiotic Rape Comments | Alternet
"The 2012 campaign season  came to be defined  by Republican candidates making out of touch, often medically inaccurate comments about sexual assault, women’s reproductive systems, and abortion rights."

For Obama, a Bigger Win Than for Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Bush or Bush | Common Dreams

For Obama, a Bigger Win Than for Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Bush or Bush | Common Dreams
"By the time Romney conceded at 1 a.m., Obama had a 250,000 popular-vote lead, and it grew to roughly two million by dawn.
He was on track to win a majority of states and more than 300 Electoral Votes – at least 303 and, with the right result in Florida, 332."

OBAMA'S BIG NIGHT - The Atlantic

OBAMA'S BIG NIGHT - The Atlantic
"In the end, it wasn't particularly close. Assuming his late leads hold in Florida and Ohio, Obama will have lost just two states from his 2008 sweep, Indiana and North Carolina. Every other swing state -- from Ohio, Iowa and New Hampshire to Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Nevada -- fell for Obama. The Democratic-leaning states Romney tried to put on the board, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, never came close."

Closing arguments in Massachusetts Senate race

Closing arguments in Massachusetts Senate race
"Here's a nice closing video for Election Day from the Warren campaign, from her rally yesterday at Ramalho’s West End Gym in Lowell, where boxer Micky Ward trained for his last three fights." Don't forget to VOTE today!!!!!!

Need to tell somebody where to vote? Run into a hassle at the polls? Here is some help

Need to tell somebody where to vote? Run into a hassle at the polls? Here is some help
• California: 1-855-OFA-VOTE
• Florida: 1-855-VOTE-214
• Iowa: 1-855-VOTE-174
• Michigan: 1-877-271-1672
• Minnesota: 1-877-257-0643
• Nevada: 1-855-868-3175
• New Hampshire: 1-866-2-VOTE-22
• New Mexico: 1-877-271-5058
• North Carolina: 1-855-VOTE-171
• Ohio: 1-855-VOTE-199
• Oregon: 877-257-6154
• Pennsylvania: 1-855-834-VOTE
• Virginia: 1-855-VOTE-213
• Washington: 1-877-271-3509
• Wisconsin: 1-855-VOTE-177
• Other states* can call 1-800-311-VOTE (1-800-311-8683) and visitvote.barackobama.com
Now get out there and vote! Be patient, wait in line but get that vote in. The higher the turnout the harder it will be to steal.

Need to tell somebody where to vote? Run into a hassle at the polls? Here is some help

Need to tell somebody where to vote? Run into a hassle at the polls? Here is some help
"Here are some links and phone numbers to help with troubleshooting the voting that have been tested and found to work." Now get out there and vote!!!!!

Arizona Defends Its Restrictive Abortion Ban Because Fetal Birth Defects Are “The Woman’s Problem”

Arizona Defends Its Restrictive Abortion Ban Because Fetal Birth Defects Are “The Woman’s Problem”: A federal appeals court panel on Monday considered Arizona’s stringent abortion ban, which has the distinction of being the most restrictive in the nation because it criminalizes almost all abortions after just 20 weeks. Arizona already bans abortion after viability — which is generally considered to occur around week 23 or 24 of pregnancy — [...]/p

Voting an 'Act of Defiance Against Malicious Political Forces'

Voting an 'Act of Defiance Against Malicious Political Forces'
"voting is more than just the core responsibility of citizenship; it is an act of defiance against malicious political forces determined to reduce access to democracy. Millions of ballots on Tuesday — along with those already turned in — will be cast despite the best efforts of Republican officials around the country to prevent them from playing a role in the 2012 election."

Supporters of Mitt Romney Are Pushing Ultra-Conservative Christian Agendas in Africa That Criminalize Gays and Threaten Women's Health | Alternet

Supporters of Mitt Romney Are Pushing Ultra-Conservative Christian Agendas in Africa That Criminalize Gays and Threaten Women's Health | Alternet
"Jay and Jordan Sekulow are only the most recent Christian Right figures who manage to maintain credible reputations in the United States while taking actions overseas that would not be acceptable at home."

How Republicans Are Trying to Steal the Election | Alternet

How Republicans Are Trying to Steal the Election | Alternet
"Voting barriers erected by the GOP more than tested the patience of thousands of people in Ohio and Florida on the last weekend of early voting, leaving voters waiting for hours outdoors in long lines and then stranded in hallways before casting a vote." Get out and VOTE!!!!! Don't let them steal this election. Higher turnout makes it harder to steal.

School District Claims Student ‘Was Herself Responsible’ For Being Raped

School District Claims Student ‘Was Herself Responsible’ For Being Raped: Two teachers at Moraga middle school in northern California sexually abused Kristen Cunnane in the 1990s. One, former P.E. teacher Julie Correa, received an eight year sentence for committing multiple sex crimes against Cunnane. The other, former science teacher Daneil Witters, committed suicide after several students came forward with allegations against him in 1996. Now [...]/p

Nate Silver: Obama Has 86.3 Percent Chance of Winning Election | Alternet

Nate Silver: Obama Has 86.3 Percent Chance of Winning Election | Alternet
"Silver explained why his forecast shows Obama winning ina recent column . “Friday’s polling should make it easy to discern why Mr. Obama has the Electoral College advantage. There were 22 polls of swing states published Friday,” Silver writes. “Of these, Mr. Obama led in 19 polls, and two showed a tie. Mitt Romney led in just one of the surveys, a Mason-Dixon poll of Florida"." Now get out there and VOTE!!!!! The higher the turnout the harder it is to steal. Remember republicans have not won a presidential election (except by cheating Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004) since 1988. (Silver's final 2008 presidential election forecast accurately predicted the winner of 49 of the 50 states as well as the District of Columbia (missing only the prediction for Indiana). He also correctly predicted the winners of every U.S. Senate race.)