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What Races Will The LGBT Community Be Watching Very Closely Today?

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Buzzfeed’s Chris Geidner posted an excellent and detailed piece, “14 Races LGBT People Will Be Watching Closely On Tuesday,” and we’re sharing some excerpts here, along with some thoughts and background. Head over to Buzzfeed for Geidner’s take, and, of course, photos!

This election is a game-changer for America’s LGBT community, one which will decide if the civil rights that have finally been acknowledged by our elected representatives and our president will continue to be enabled, one that will show America that people from the LGBT community are capable and welcome in all houses of Congress, one that will show LGBTQ children and teens that we’re all people, and that we all deserve the same rights, if these races are decided in our favor.

Overall, in addition to the presidential race, there is one Senate race, one state supreme court justice race, seven House races, and four marriage ballots that are of extra special concern for LGBT people.

NATIONAL

1. PRESIDENT: We’re cautiously optimistic that President Obama will win re-election, assuming there’s no funny business going on with voting machines.

2. U.S. Senate — Wisconsin: Baldwin v. Thompson: Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is set to become the first openly-gay U.S. Senator. She’s running against a Wisconsin former governor and heavyweight Republican, Tommy Thompson, who benefitted greatly from his time serving in George W. Bush’s administration.

3. U.S. House of Representatives — Colorado: Polis v. Lundberg: Openly-gay U.S. Congressman Jared Polis is favored to win re-election.

4. U.S. House of Representatives — Rhode Island: Cicilline v. Doherty: Openly-gay U.S. Congressman David Cicilline faces a tough re-election race against Republican Brendan Doherty.

5. U.S. House of Representatives — New York: Hayworth v. Maloney: Openly-gay candidate Sean Patrick Maloney is attempting to unseat GOP Congresswoman Nan Hayworth, whose district lies north of NYC. The ads, which we’ve seen here in NYC, are brutal.

6. U.S. House of Representatives — Arizona: Parker v. Sinema: “Democratic House candidate, Kyrsten Sinema, a state senator, is facing off against Republican Vernon Parker in Arizona,” Geidner writes. “A Sinema win would make her the first out bi member of Congress — and the only out LGBT woman in the House in the 113th Congress.”

7. U.S. House of Representatives — Massachusetts: Tierney v. Tisei: If Richard Tisei wins he will be the first Republican elected to Congress as an openly-gay man. He’s been endorsed by several LGBT groups, including the Victory Fund, despite the fact that his stance on LGBT issues is to the right of his non-LGBT Democratic opponent.

8. U.S. House of Representatives — Wisconsin: Lee v. Pocan: Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin gave up her seat to run for the Senate (above) and Mark Pocan, who is also gay, is favored to win.

9. U.S. House of Representatives — California: Takano v. Tavaglione: Openly-gay Democrat Mark Takano is favored to win election to the U.S House against Republican challenger John Tavaglione. Chris Geidner notes a win for Takano “would make him the first out LGBT person of color in Congress.”

STATE MARRIAGE REFERENDA

10. Washington: Christine Gregoire, Governor of the state of Washington, signed into law a same-sex marriage bill that was quickly thrown onto today’s election ballot by anti-gay religious right forces. While polling is favorable for a win, it could be very close.

11. MARYLAND: Also very close, Maryland‘s same-sex marriage bill, (similar story,) in March was signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley after a contentious debate in the legislature. If the word “cockmonster” means anything to you, you know the Maryland debate has never ended.

12. MAINE: Maine was one of the first states to pass a same-sex marriage law in 2009, only to have voters rescind it at the voting booth later that year, a heartbreaking, crushing defeat. Now, voters seem poised to pass a same-sex marriage equality bill, and the religious right and NOM are pouring money into the state attempting to defeat it — with lies, mistruths, and misdirection, of course.

13. MINNESOTA: Home of Michele Bachmann, Minnesota is the only state this year attempting to further exclude same-sex couples from marrying. The Republicans have managed to place on the ballot an amendment that would add a ban on same-sex marriage into the Minnesota constitution. Does the name Kally Yanta ring a bell? Geidener notes, “Close, though PPP shows it 52-48 for us.”

14. IOWA: Iowa was one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage because their Suupreme Court — in a unanimous decision — ruled their ban on marriage equality violated their constitution. So, of course, NOM and radical right wing Republican “pro-family” haters like Bob Vander Plaatz got to work — on removing supreme court jstices from office, the first time that’s ever happened sucessfully. They were successful in removing three, now they’re back for another. Despicable.

Supreme Court judge David Wiggins is likely to lose his job for correctly interpreting Iowa’s constitution.

Of course, we’re all hoping to see Congressman Allen West, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Congressman Steve King, and Congressman Louie Gohmert get defeated tonight, but we’re not holding our breath.

Vote!

 

Image: Obama For America

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News

Trump Campaign Furious Walz Using Trump’s Own ‘Reckless, Dangerous Rhetoric’ Against Him

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13 hours ago

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October 14, 2024

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The Trump campaign lashed out at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Monday after the Democratic vice presidential nominee quoted the Republican presidential candidate who repeatedly over the weekend has been saying he would like to use the U.S. military against American citizens.

As NCRM reported, the Republican presidential nominee said he thinks the U.S. Armed Forces should be used against Americans who oppose him, called his critics “the enemy from within,” and declared they are more dangerous than America’s greatest foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea.

“I always say we have the outside enemy, so you can say China, you can say Russia, you can say, Kim Jung-Un,” Trump told supporters at an Aurora, Colorado rally on Friday. But, he added: “It’s the enemy from within, all the scum that we have to deal with that hate our country. That’s a bigger enemy than China and Russia,” he said as the audience cheered.

READ MORE: MAGA Furious After Kamala Harris Agrees to Fox News Interview

Then, on Sunday, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo of his desire to use armed forces against Americans on Election Day.

“I think the bigger problem are the people from within, we have some very bad people, we have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the — and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary by the military.”

Trump War Room, the official social media account of the Trump campaign, posted video of Walz on Monday speaking with supporters.

“Donald Trump over the weekend was talking about using the U.S. Army against people who disagree with him,” Walz had said. “Just so you’re clear about that, that’s you. That’s what he’s talking about. This is not some mythical thing out there. He called it the ‘enemy within.'”

The Trump War Room social media account wrote: “Tim Walz peddles a disgusting lie that President Trump will use the U.S. Army against his political opponents: ‘That’s you, that’s what he’s talking about.’ This is reckless, dangerous rhetoric,” the campaign stated. “Tim should be ASHAMED of himself.”

READ MORE: ‘Is He OK?’: Trump’s Dark of Night Rage Posting Backfires

See the videos below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Fascist to the Core’: Trump’s Top General Slams Ex-President as ‘Most Dangerous Person’

 

 

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News

MAGA Furious After Kamala Harris Agrees to Fox News Interview

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14 hours ago

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October 14, 2024

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The right wing freakout is in full force after Fox News announced Vice President Kamala Harris will sit down for an interview with then network’s chief political anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania.

It will be the Democratic presidential nominee’s first official Fox News interview, after entering the race in July, less than three months ago.

“While Trump became the first major presidential nominee to back out of the traditional pre-election ’60 Minutes’ interview, Kamala Harris has agreed to sit down with Fox News for an interview this week,” noted Zeteo News’ Justin Baragona.

“Harris has upped her media appearances recently, having sat down with Stephen Colbert, 60 Minutes‘ Bill Whitaker and Howard Stern, among other personalities,” Deadline reports. “But she’s also been urged by some supporters to make an appearance on Fox News, populated by voices on the right, even though Baier is on the network’s news side. With an average of 2.3 million viewers, Special Report has ranked among the most watched cable news programs.”

READ MORE: ‘Is He OK?’: Trump’s Dark of Night Rage Posting Backfires

Trump recently did pull out of a previously agreed-to interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” and has refused to do any more debates with Harris after losing the first one on ABC News. Before that debate Trump had suggested a condition of him participating in the ABC debate would be Harris had to agree to two others, which she did. Next week she will appear in a CNN town hall, which originally was to be a debate until Trump pulled out.

“As of today, it has been **one month** since Trump’s been interviewed by a mainstream media outlet,” noted Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams, “as he has backed out of 60 Minutes and refuses to debate again.”

“Meanwhile Harris is willing to even go on Fox,” he added.

During the 2024 campaign Trump has done virtually no interviews with mainstream media outlets, avoiding The New York Times, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and MSNBC. He did sit down with NBC News’s “Meet the Press” for Kristen Welker’s first interview as the show’s new moderator last year in September.

READ MORE: ‘Fascist to the Core’: Trump’s Top General Slams Ex-President as ‘Most Dangerous Person’

The Nation’s John Nichols commented that Trump is “running scared.”

Trump supporters “swarmed all over Fox’s Bret Baier today like he was a Capitol Police Officer on J6 after he posted on Twitter that he will be interviewing Kamala Harris this Wednesday,” MeidasTouch News reports. “Baier received 2,200 comments on his tweet announcing the interview in just the first hour after he posted it.”

“Most of the MAGA comments to Baier follow a consistent theme – that they lost all faith in Baier after his tough interview embarrassed Trump last year, and that they expect him to go into this interview with guns blazing to win back their favor. They also mentioned some of the previous Harris interview conspiracies – that her earrings were airpods where she was getting the answers, that she was given the questions ahead of time, that Baier and Fox called the 2020 election too early for Biden, etc.,” MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski reported.

Journalist Mike Rothschild, who has written books on right wing conspiracy theories, observed: “This is smart from the VP. She has nothing to lose by appearing on the news arm of Fox News (as opposed to the screeching infotainment arm) and if she breaks through to a fraction of their viewership, it’s worth it. It’s almost like the Harris campaign knows what it’s doing.”

The news Harris will appear on Fox News comes on the heels of one of that outlet’s former top hosts, Geraldo Rivera, denouncing Donald Trump and endorsing the Vice President’s run for President.

READ MORE: Elon Musk’s X Engaged in a ‘Pattern of Election Interference’ to Help Trump: Reports

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OPINION

‘Is He OK?’: Trump’s Dark of Night Rage Posting Backfires

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17 hours ago

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October 14, 2024

By

After a weekend of speeches dehumanizing immigrants and threatening to use the U.S. military on Americans who oppose him, Donald Trump in a 1 AM dead of night post lashed out at his Democratic presidential opponent in what some are saying was projection.

“I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at 1:12 AM. “Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her. Even 60 Minutes and CBS, in order to protect Lyin’ Kamala, illegally and unscrupulously replaced an answer she had given, which was totally ‘bonkers,’ with another answer that had nothing to do with the question asked. Also, she is slow and lethargic in answering even the easiest of questions. We just went through almost four years of that, we shouldn’t have to do it again!”

Late Monday morning Trump posted the same message on the social media site X. He also recently called Vice President Harris “retarded,” according to The New York Times.

“So, let me get this straight,” noted Zeteo News media columnist Justin Baragona. “The 78-year-old GOP presidential nominee, who has been showing serious signs of age-related decline, refuses to release his medical records — but he is now demanding his much younger opponent take a cognitive test?”

READ MORE: ‘Fascist to the Core’: Trump’s Top General Slams Ex-President as ‘Most Dangerous Person’

SiriusXM host Michelangelo Signorile observed, “Trump is furious that Harris is saying Trump’s ‘staff’ won’t let him do 60 Minutes or release his medical records.”

“Claiming Harris is ‘slow and lethargic’ is a heavy lift even for this pathological liar and his MAGA mob.”

The Harris campaign mocked Trump in response.

“Trump posts at 1:12am that VP Harris must take a cognitive test,” wrote campaign spokesperson Ian Sams. “As he refuses to release his medical records, sit with 60 Minutes, or debate her again— instead retreating solely to rambling rallies where he’s increasingly making no sense.”

“Is he okay?”

READ MORE: Elon Musk’s X Engaged in a ‘Pattern of Election Interference’ to Help Trump: Reports

Republican Voters Against Trump, a project of the Republican Accountability PAC declared, “It’s always projection with Trump.”

Before Trump’s post on Saturday, MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin told viewers: “For Trump and his party, the strategy in this final stretch to the election is about one thing and one thing only: projection.”

“Everything Trump and his party accuse Democrats of doing ultimately ends up being a cynical projection of themselves, from defending democracy to free speech, reproductive rights, and free and fair elections.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump Campaign an ‘Influence Operation’ Says Former State Dept. Official — Experts Agree

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