“Proposition 8 does not ‘dishonor’ gays and lesbians.” So says the brief filed with the Supreme Court by the advocates of Prop. 8, because same-sex couples are not “similarly situated” with opposite sex couples. Glad they cleared that up. And while I’m frankly feeling even more dishonored having read the brief (and the brief in…
Members of the House of Representatives have offices in three buildings, each of which is named after a former speaker: Sam Rayburn, Nicholas Longworth and Joseph Gurney Cannon. When a fourth building is needed, I have little doubt it will be the “Nancy Pelosi House Office Building.” Not just because she was the first woman…
In a 2012 interview with CBS, President Obama said that the biggest mistake of his first term was that he didn’t translate his policies into a story that would give the American people a sense of unity and purpose. He was right. The tragedy at Sandy Hook has handed him the perfect narrative for his…
Politician of the Year: The first Democrat elected mayor in 20 years. The first Democrat elected to the County Board of Supervisors in almost as long. A challenger who knocks off an incumbent Congressman. In most years, any of the three could have walked away with this award. 2012 was not most years. It was…
When Washington politicians give something a catchy name, it usually means one of two things: they want to confuse you, or they want to distract you. The now ubiquitous “Fiscal Cliff” does some of both. Cliffs are extant geographic features, left by God or erosion, beyond which is a fall to near certain death. Neither…
While the 2012 election was surprisingly kind to Democrats, they still control only 53 seats with two independents who will caucus with them. That means that they will need five Republican votes to get things done, on a good day. Below are 10 Republican senators that might help break a filibuster, and the issues on…
WASHINGTON – Nearly a month after nationwide elections delivered historic victories for marriage equality across the country, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), released a polling report showing a new, pro-marriage equality voting bloc drove ballot measure victories in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. “This year, our adversaries tried to use marriage equality to whip up…
In the June primary, challenger Ray Ellis bested incumbent District 1 City Councilmember Sherri Lightner 45.6 percent to 41.5 percent. As the top two candidates, both made the recent general election, where Lightner not only added significantly to her total (54.9 percent), but drove down Ellis’ (45.1 percent). How did Lightner change the minds of…
Young people between the ages of 13 and 24 represent more than a quarter of new HIV infections each year (26 percent) and most of these youth living with HIV (60 percent) are unaware they are infected, according to a Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most-affected young…
Picture yourself in a room full of people you don’t know. It’s too awkward to stand there alone, so you survey the scene, looking for a group to join. The progression is always the same. Anyone I know? Nope. Anyone who’s like me? Nope. Anyone who looks like they might like people like me? The…
