gay equality

Thursday there were 3 roll calls in the Senate on ending employment discrimination against gays and lesbians. Short version: it passed and now faces a hostile reception from House Republican leadership. The slightly longer version:The first bill up was an amendment by Pennsylvania conservative Pat Toomey allowing employers to use "religion" as an excuse to discriminate.

This hypocritical old queen isn't changing his mind on ENDAThis evening, the Senate will once again take up ENDA, the bill that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. I say "once again," because the Senate tried to pass this once before-- September 10, 1996.

Maine Blue Dog Mike Michaud was never like the other Blue Dogs. He was always the one Blue Dog that didn't seem to belong in the hate-filled, bigoted pack of mostly Confederate reactionaries.

Dana Rohrabacher's congressional district, CA-48, stretches along the Pacific Ocean from Seal Beach, where L.A. County and Long Beach end and Orange County begins, down through Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel right to the edge of San Juan Capistrano. It's easternmost points are just beyond Fountain Valley and Aliso Viejo. It's one of southern California's redder districts with a PVI of R+7. Obama scored 46% against McCain and 43% against Romney. The district is wealthy (medium household income is $76,077, compared to $57,287 for the whole state) and white (69%).

I'm generally repulsed by religion but I'm a huge fan of Jesus Christ and his message and I've got a very good feeling about this new Catholic Pope Francis I and have since the day he was chosen to replace the Nazi Pope someone seems to have made resign. I asked Ken, who's the resident expert on all things Popish, is he wanted to do a post about the latest Francis pronouncement but he punted it back to me.

I'm generally repulsed by religion but I'm a huge fan of Jesus Christ and his message and I've got a very good feeling about this new Catholic Pope Francis I and have since the day he was chosen to replace the Nazi Pope someone seems to have made resign. I asked Ken, who's the resident expert on all things Popish, is he wanted to do a post about the latest Francis pronouncement but he punted it back to me.

Digby, Jacquie and Amato met with Barbara Buono at Netroots Nation last week-- so now we can all vouch for what an incredible governor she would make. All she has to do is get around a gigantic roadblock, media darling (they're masochists) Chris Christie. But, as far as Blue America is concerned, it's now official: we endorse Barbara Buono for governor of the Garden State!Early Monday morning I found an e-mail from someone named Tessa Bitterman. I never heard of her and almost deleted it. But something made me open it and read it.

When California's most rabidly homophobic state Senator, Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) was arrested for drunken driving and discovered with a young male prostitute in his car, I was impressed with how quickly he came to terms with how disastrous his life in the closet had been.