President Barack Obama publicly backed marriage equality in May 2012, reaffirmed his position in his second inaugural address and had his administration file pro-gay marriage briefs in both the Prop 8 and Defense of Marriage Act Supreme Court cases. In the months since, politicians from both parties have come out in support of gay marriage, and many advocates view the president’s reversal on equal marriage as a tipping point for other lawmakers, even among Republicans.But not Gregory Angelo, the executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. He credits Mitt Romney’s tone-deaf position on these issues and his crushing defeat in the 2012 election for slowly (seriously slowly) bringing the GOP around to marriage equality, as he told the Advocate:Continue Reading… … Read More
Poll: Sanford trails Colbert-Busch by nine points
A new poll from the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling finds that Mark Sanford is now trailing his Democratic opponent Elizabeth Colbert-Busch by nine points, by a margin of 50-41 percent.From the poll:Colbert Busch’s lead is on the rise for several reasons. She has a 51/35 advantage with independents. She’s winning over 19% of Republicans, while losing just 7% of Democrats. And it also seems that after last week’s revelations about Sanford that a lot of GOP voters are planning to just stay at home- while the district supported Mitt Romney by 18 points last fall, those planning to turn out for the special election voted for him by only a 5 point spread.Last week’s revelations involve the reportedly multiple complaints filed by Jenny Sanford, Mark Sanford’s ex-wife, accusing him of trespassing and violating the terms of their divorce.Continue Reading… … Read More
Kid Rock: I’m “embarrassed to be a Republican”
Musician Kid Rock may have rallied support for Mitt Romney in the 2012 campaign run, but lately he is at odds with Republicans. He recently told Rolling Stone that “Athletes and musicians make astronomical amounts of money.”"People get paid $100 million to throw a baseball! Shouldn’t we all take less and pass some of that money onto others? Think about firefighters, teachers and policemen. We should celebrate people that are intellectually smart and trying to make this world a better place.”Continue Reading… … Read More
Maddow: Senate GOP joins North Korea and Iran in opposition to UN arms treaty
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Thursday night criticized Republicans in the Senate for believing in a conspiracy theory about the United Nation’s Arms Trade Treaty. “It seems like Republicans and conservatives and people who voted for Mitt Romney are more susceptible than the rest of…
Mad Men creator dismisses Tagg Romney: Republicans should be thrilled
Speaking to CNN on Thursday, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner dismissed concerns that his show unfairly attacked late Michigan governor George Romney. A character on the popular AMC series, who was working for New York City’s mayor John Lindsay, referred to Romney as a “clown.” The…
13 percent of Americans believe Obama is the anti-Christ
After surveying 1,247 registered American voters about their beliefs regarding 20 of the most famous conspiracy theories, Public Policy Polling found that a surprisingly high number of Americans believe in the existence of Bigfoot, “lizard people” and “ mind-controlling technology – while some just seem uninformed about the current affairs.51 percent of Americans believe in global warming, while 37 percent said the whole idea is a hoax. This margin was particularly high among Republicans, of which 58 percent said climate change is a made-up phenomenon.The responses also show Americans’ lack of faith in their government: nine percent of voters said they believe the feds add fluoride to US drinking water for ‘sinister’ reasons, 13 percent believe Obama is the embodiment of the anti-Christ, 14 percent said the CIA was responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic during the 1980s, and four percent believe “lizard people” control the US and are trying to take over the country.Those who believe in ‘lizard people’ are convinced that evil reptilians are hiding among humans, living in the shadows and trying to take over the US. Some even believe that President Obama is secretly a ‘lizard person’. According to the conspiracy theory, these reptiles lived peacefully alongside humans until the end of the 12thcentury BC, after which they engaged in a war against the humans that tried to destroy them. They have allegedly been seeking revenge ever since.Americans have equally little faith in world leaders: 28 percent of voters said they believe in a secretive power elite with a globalist agenda trying to take over the world and create a ‘New World Order’. Those who voted for Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election were more likely to hold this belief.Survey results also show that 21 percent of Americans believe the US government covered up the mysterious Roswell UFO incident, in which a spacecraft allegedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The UFO supposedly contained the bodies of aliens, but the US Armed Forces claims the debris was nothing more than debris from an experimental surveillance balloon.Some also believe that Osama bin Laden is still alive, with six percent of Americans claiming the al-Qaeda terrorist leader’s death was a hoax. Twenty-eight percent of voters say that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks.In surveying its subjects, the pollsters asked about each of the respondents’ political affiliations and voting history to determine how their answers differed. Romney-voters were less likely to believe in global warming and Republicans were more likely to believe that Obama is the anti-Christ. Meanwhile, Democrats were more likely to believe (72 percent) that former President George Bush intentionally lied about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. But when it comes to theories as far-fetched as the existence of human-like animals, political leanings had little influence.“Even crazy conspiracy theories are subject to partisan polarization, especially when there are political overtones involved,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But most Americans reject the wackier ideas out there about fake moon landings and shape-shifting lizards.” … Read More
