Today's News

Took quite a while to take care of the drive way and oy, was it a major pain! I hope no one minded missing the political updates but when Mother Nature makes snow storms...you have to dig your way out!

Graham wrangles with holiday treats on final `workday'.

Graham - who recently published a new book - also said he plans to begin teaching at the Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Graham is a Harvard Law School graduate.[...]

What about Mel Martinez, the Republican elected in November to replace Graham, who was pilloried by some Democrats as right-wing and regressive?

"He's a good person," Graham said. "I think the image that people got of Mel Martinez during the campaign is not the real Mel Martinez. I think he is more pragmatic.

Of his propensity to methodically record each days's events in detail - an ingrained, diary-writing habit that some surmise may have cost him selection as a vice presidential contender - the prolific note taker was unapologetic.

He showed off his tiny blue pad.

"This is a lot easier to carry around than a Palm Pilot," Graham said, "and it doesn't crash."

And how, dare say, would Graham fashion his political epitaph?

"I hope they'll say this is a man who served us faithfully, with a high standard of ethics and integrity."

Bob Graham will definitely be missed from the Senate but I wish him all the best when he teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and in his future endeavors.

Feinstein: Abolish Electoral College. This is major news. I thought this would have been mentioned right after the 2000 campaign but after the 2004 campaign? This does not seem quite right.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is lending her moderate voice to the fight to abolish the Electoral College, calling it an "anachronism" unsuited to the 21st century and promising to introduce legislation to provide for a popular election of the President and Vice President.

"We need to have a serious, comprehensive debate on reforming the Electoral College," Feinstein said. "My goal is simply to allow the popular will of the American people to be expressed every four years when we elect our President."

According to the Center for Voting and Democracy:
Since its inception as Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, there have been more than 700 attempts to abolish or amend the Electoral College system. It was modified by the 12th and 23rd Amendments.
In 1950, an amendment to make the electoral vote proportional to the popular vote passed in the Senate, but died in the House of Representatives.
In 1969, a proposal to shift to a direct popular election with a 40 percent threshold or a runoff passed the House, but failed in the Senate due to a filibuster.
In 1979, a proposal to abolish the college failed in the Senate.

Quotes on former Gov. John G. Rowland's plea. Some of the reactions from Democratic Leaders in Connecticut:
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal: "John Rowland has made mistakes, and he will pay for them. This day is historic in the most sad and shameful sense."
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman: "This is a sad conclusion to a career in which Governor Rowland did many good things for the people of Connecticut. I am personally saddened, because I have always considered him a good friend."
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd: "I can only hope that this action can begin to put this painful matter behind us, so that our state can enter the new year with renewed hope and optimism."

Democratic Leadership Rethinking Abortion. It is about time to clearly define this issue once and for all. Greg writes "The real story here is regarding Tim Roemer's run for the DNC and the reaction it gets due to Roemer's position on abortion. I'll be quite frank here ... I don't give a rat's behind where the DNC chair stands on the issue, but I do care about their ability to discuss it as well as a whole host of other issues lumped in with "value issues." For too long, the party leadership has been tone deaf and 2004 was, in part, the price paid for that. Roemer at least possesses that ability, so credit to him for such. Similarly, his work on the 9/11 Commission plants his other foot firmly in territory the party also needs to be more conversant in."

The party's stance on abortion rights should not be what the DNC solely stands for. There is more to politics than just abortion rights.

After long defining itself as an undisputed defender of abortion rights, the Democratic Party is suddenly locked in an internal struggle over whether to redefine its position to appeal to a broader array of voters.[...]

"We must be able to campaign in 50 states, not just the blue states or 20 states," said Roemer, referring to the most Democratic-leaning states.[...]

Votes will be cast by 447 members of the Democratic National Committee, many of whom are among the party's most liberal members. These members are thought to be friendly to Dean and less receptive to Roemer. But the former Indiana congressman is getting attention amid reports that Pelosi and Reid urged him to run.

Roemer has also highlighted his service on the independent panel investigating the government's response to the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that credential builds his appeal to security-minded voters. He noted that he was an elected official from Indiana, a "red state" where Democrats want to make gains.

A Pelosi spokesman said the House Democratic leader liked Roemer because of his national security credentials. But a senior Democratic congressional aide said Pelosi also thought that Roemer's stance on abortion could be an additional benefit.

"She is pro-choice and very staunchly pro-choice," the aide said of Pelosi. But at the same time, the aide said, "she supports showing that this is a big-tent party."

In the presidential election, Kerry, a Catholic, said he personally opposed abortion but did not believe in imposing that belief on others. He said he would not appoint antiabortion judges to the bench.

But after his election loss, the Massachusetts senator concluded that the party needed to rethink its stance. Addressing supporters at a meeting held by the AFL-CIO, Kerry said he discovered during trips through Pennsylvania that many union members were also abortion opponents and that the party needed to rethink how it could appeal to those voters, Kerry spokesman David Wade said.

I'll side with Senator Kerry on that. I personally am against abortion with the exceptions of rape, incest, and when the mother or child's life is in danger. I would support a partial-birth abortion ban with those exceptions. However, I cannot offer my support to any couples that get drunk and find themselves having intercourse. Maybe we should support a sex contract? We need to redefine what it means to be a Democrat and I truly suggest reading this interview with then-Governor Evan Bayh during the 1996 DNC Convention.

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