This & that.....

Bernie Sanders

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Bernie Sanders

Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):

No to Social Security Cuts: National labor leaders are warning President Barack Obama against including damaging cuts to Social Security and Medicare in any bipartisan budget agreement. "I and others have got to do everything that we can to make sure that we do not see cuts in Social Security,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told Salon.

Sanders Named to Budget Panel: Sen. Sanders was named to a conference committee designated to hash out differences between House and Senate-passed budgets. Sanders told Vermont Public Radio that one of his goals on the committee is to protect programs that are priorities for working families. “There are some good people on the conference committee,” syndicated radio host Nicole Sandler said on WWRL-AM in New York, N.Y. She mentioned Sen. Sanders.

Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102213

 

 

Daily Kos

A Texas-sized defection.

Hat tip Daily Kos user Steveningen

 

 

I love this story being reported by Think Progress. It seems that Bexar, Texas County Criminal Court Judge Carlo Key has had enough of the fire-breathing homophobia and racism of the Republican party. In a video posted to YouTube today, Key renounces his Republican affiliation and goes into quite the rant over why he has decided he will run for re-election as a Democrat.

 

 

I can no longer be a member of the Republican Party. For too long, the Republican Party has been at war with itself. Rational Republican beliefs have given way to ideological character assassinations. Pragmatism and principal have been overtaken by pettiness and bigotry. Make no mistake: I have not left the Republican Party. It left me. I cannot tolerate a political party that demeans Texans based on their sexual orientation, the color of their skin or their economic status. I will not be a member of a Party in which hate speech elevates candidates for higher office rather than disqualifying them. I cannot place my name on the ballot for a political party that is proud to destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of federal workers over the vain attempt to repeal a law that would provide health care to millions of people throughout our country.

He goes on to cite the nasty diatribe that City Councilwomen Elisa Chan embarked on at a closed-door meeting last May during the city of San Antonio's debate over whether to introduce sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s nondiscrimination policies.

You know, to be quite honest, I know this is not politically correct. I never bought in that you are born, that you are born gay. I can’t imagine it.I don’t think homosexual people should do adoption. … You’re going to confuse those kids. They should be banned.
If you wanted to choose that lifestyle, we don’t want to discriminate you, but you shouldn’t affect the young people. How terrible. … They’re going to be confused. You see two men go into a bedroom. You see two women kissing. Is that not confusing? It’s confusing.
So disgusting.

The proposal to change the non-discrimination language passed in San Antonio, but not before seeing Texas-sized bigotry at its ugliest.Given the ramped up crazy rhetoric from the Tea Party as well as the Social Conservatives, I think we will begin to see a lot more Republicans like Judge Key pack up and leave them while expressing this sentiment:

I have not left the Republican Party. It left me.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/21/1249456/-Republican-Texas-Judge-has-had-enough-of-Republican-homophobia-switches-parties?detail=facebook