National Elections

A truly brilliant plan (if true)

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The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent offers a truly brilliant plan to the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court. It would be fitting justice for the insurrectionist Tea-Publlicans ‘blockading”(an act of war) the U.S. Constitution, the President, and the U.S. Supreme Court in a fit of Obama Derangement Syndrome and  a belief that they possess a divine right to control the U.S. Supreme Court. How Obama (Democrats) could get last laugh in Supreme Court fight:

GarlandNow that President Obama has rolled out a Supreme Court nominee who is being widely described as a “centrist” who has “drawn praise from both parties,” some analysts are predicting that it may be harder for GOP Senators to continue to refuse to consider him. But if anything, most signs this morning are that Republicans are only digging in harder behind their stance that only the next president should pick Antonin Scalia’s replacement.

But there is a scenario worth entertaining here in which Obama has the last laugh — and the GOP posture ends up leaving Republicans with only downsides, and zero upsides.

That scenario goes like this: If Republicans don’t give Garland any hearing, and a Democrat (most likely Hillary Clinton) wins the presidential election, Republicans could then move to consider him in the lame duck session, to prevent Clinton from picking a more liberal nominee. But at that point, Obama could withdraw his nominee, to allow his successor to pick the next justice, instead.

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Border Patrol sued for mistreatment of unaccompanied minor children

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RefugeeChildrenIt was about a year ago that the media was fixated on unaccompanied minor children from Central America, many of them escaping the violence of narco-state drug cartels and gangs,  making the dangerous trek across Mexico to the U.S., often victimized again by the “coyotes” who took them to the U.S. border.

These unfortunate children were victimized again once they got to the U.S. You have been reading for almost a year now about the unsafe conditions of the facilities in which these minor children were detained and warehoused by the U.S. Border Patrol and ICE. These unsafe conditions have now resulted in a lawsuit in Arizona. Lawsuit: Border Patrol mistreats detained immigrants:

Immigrant-rights groups are asking a federal judge to force the Border Patrol to end the “inhumane and punitive conditions” they say many detainees face at Arizona facilities.

The legal papers filed in U.S. District Court name three individuals — a man living in Tucson and two unidentified women — who attorneys say were denied food, adequate clothing and sleep.

Mary Kenney, an attorney with the American Immigration Council, said Wednesday that what the trio experienced is not unique.

A majority of the more than 72,000 people detained in the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector in a six-month period in 2013 — a “representative sample” the lawyers sought through public records requests — endured the same conditions, Kenney said. And while the agency’s own guidelines say holding cells should be used for no more than 12 hours, about 80 percent were held for at least twice that long, a third held for 48 hours and almost 8,000 locked up for three days or more, all in horrible conditions.

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Delegate Selection Process for the 2016 Democratic National Convention

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The Arizona Democratic Party today announced the Delegate Selection Process for the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Delegate Selection Process for the 2016 Democratic National Convention Arizona Democratic Party Begins 30 Day Public Comment Period Phoenix, AZ — In preparation for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Arizona Democratic Party Chair Alexis Tameron today released … Read more

AZ House approves taxpayer bailout for City of Glendale (and possible slush fund for the 2016 RNC Convention)

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The Sierra Vista Herald has been perplexed by House Majority Leader David Gowan (R-Sierra Vista) being the sponsor of a bill to use taxpayer dollars to bailout the spendthrift City of Glendale for hosting Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015.

In January the Herald outlined the bill, Our View: Making noise at the Capitol:

House Majority Leader David Gowan proposed a bill to help communities pay for costs incurred when hosting large national events. The case at hand is the 2015 Super Bowl which will be held in Glendale.

Gowan’s bill would set aside up to $4 million to help that city next year pay for additional security and public works costs that come with playing host to the largest spectacle in sports. The money could also be tapped for other events — the Republican National Convention, the college basketball Final Four — to help cities defray additional costs.

Gowan’s argument is that the sheer size of the event benefits the entire state, generating additional tourism revenue and sales taxes, somewhat offsetting some of the added cost incurred by the individual city.

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PDA sponsors ‘People’s Inauguration’ in DC on Jan 19: Watch live streaming

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Pc iii logo-1by Pamela Powers Hannley

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is hosting Progressive Central: The People's Inauguration on January 19 in Washington DC. 

Progressive pundits and politicians from around the country– including our own Congressman Raul Grijalva– will be there. If you're like me and will be in Tucson tomorrow, check out the live streaming of Progressive Central on the PDA home page, beginning at 8 a.m. (Eastern Time).  Bisbee's own Loneprotestor will be in DC– so look for video from her on this blog. I attended Progressive Central in Charlotte while attending the Democratic National Convention, and it was inspiring. More details from after the jump.