AR Republican Governor Refuses to Sign Anti-Gay Bill...For Now
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson refuses to sign the anti-gay billfor now http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/01/religious-freedom_n_6985090.html On the Bonus Show: Stolen Uber...
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AR Republican Governor Refuses to Sign Anti-Gay Bill...For Now - Video
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Yoga Pants Too Sexy For Republican 2 clip3 - Video
When Missouri's state auditor and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Schweich shot himself in his home in February, his death shattered those close to him.
And by coming at a time he had accused the state party chairman of spreading anti-Semitic whispers about him, Schweich's suicide has also sent tremors of division through the highest levels of the state's political class. It set off a wide-ranging debate over whether his suicide resulted from mental health issues kept private and whether it was fed by the state's vitriolic politics.
The fractured state Republican Party was cleaved anew this week by a similar gunshot suicide by one of Schweich's top aides. Spence Jackson, a respected and experienced Republican spokesman, left a note saying he couldn't face being jobless again.
"Within the Republican Party, you have a lot of finger-pointing going on," says Bill Kenney, the 60-year-old Missouri public service commissioner and a former Republican state Senate floor leader, adding that Schweich's death and that of his deputy presented a scenario he'd never seen before in politics.
"This is just bizarre," Kenney said. "Most people are in shock."
The exact precipitant for the two deaths may never be determined, but, particularly in Schweich's case, the extenuating circumstances appeared to have been known by many.
Schweich didn't have the support of the most conservative factions that form the state party's base. But he did have the backing of Missouri's more moderate, patrician Republicans, including former U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth.
Schweich's main opponent in the GOP race for governor was former state House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, the beneficiary of at least $900,000 in donations from conservative St. Louis billionaire Rex Sinquefield. (Such donations are legal in Missouri, which has no limit on contributions or lobbyist gifts.) Although he had a comparatively healthy campaign account, Schweich was so riled by Sinquefield's donations that he used his gubernatorial announcement to attack the billionaire.
Then came a campaign ad linked to a Hanaway strategist that ridiculed Schweich's physical appearance.
"Is he a weak candidate for governor?" the ad asked of the slender and balding candidate. "Absolutely, just look at him. He could easily be confused for the deputy chief of Mayberry" the ever-risible Barney Fife.
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Two suicides leave Missouri Republican Party in disarray
President Obama speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP
Related: Obama fights to contain Republican rebellion over Iran nuclear deal
President Barack Obama on Saturday again called the nuclear accord reached with Iran this week a good deal, as he continued to face fierce opposition on the issue from Republicans.
In what the president called a historic understanding, Iran agreed on Thursday to a framework deal that would dramatically constrain its nuclear program in return for the gradual lifting of economic sanctions.
This framework is the result of tough, principled diplomacy, Obama said in his weekly address to the nation. Its a good deal a deal that meets our core objectives, including strict limitations on Irans program and cutting off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.
Under the broad deal, which was negotiated with other world powers, Iran is allowed to keep its nuclear facilities, which it insists are for peaceful uses and which will be subject to enhanced inspections. The deal is not yet final.
Opposition in Washington has been brewing since the start of the talks nearly 18 months ago. But with a final deal in sight, Republicans and some Democrats are demanding a say in the decision to relieve sanctions.
Obama has repeated that the deal will be called off if Iran balks at any stage, saying the deal is not based on trust but rather unprecedented verification.
On Saturday, former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, a possible presidential candidate in 2016, added his voice to Republican opposition to the deal saying he doubted anything from Iran was verifiable, and criticizing Secretary of State John Kerry and the Obama administration over the way the negotiations played out.
Were expecting something good from bad people, he said on CNN.
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Obama: Iran deal blocks 'every pathway' to development of nuclear weapon
LONDON As Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz announced on March 23 that he is running for president, his Virginia audience cheered. He dropped applause line after applause line on some 10,000 students at Liberty University, which bills itself as the largest Christian university in the world.
Cruz riffed, unimaginatively, on an imagine theme, asking the young audience to imagine a president who would repeal Obamacare and perform other feats. There was applause throughout. But one line prompted the students to erupt into a roaring, 30-second, standing ovation: Instead of a president who boycotts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, imagine a president who stands unapologetically with the nation of Israel.
It brought down the house.
There can be little doubt. Evangelical Christian voters, a key component of the Republican Party base, are wild about Israel. They are also furious about what they see as President Barack Obamas rough treatment of the current custodian of the Holy Land, Netanyahu. This fervent evangelical support for Israel could help a GOP candidate seize the Republican Partys presidential nomination and then capture the White House.
Among conservative Republicans, according to a July 2014 Pew Research poll, 77 percent back Israel, while only 4 percent favor the Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Among all Republicans and voters who lean Republican, 78 percent of white evangelical Protestants sympathize with Israel, compared again to just 4 percent who side with the Palestinians.
Evangelicals have a passion for Israel. Forty-six percent of white evangelicals believe that Washington is not supportive enough of Israel, according to an October 2013 Pew Research poll. Only 31 percent of Americas Jews feel the same way. The animating force behind Christian passion for Israel can be found in the Bible. Eighty-two percent of white evangelicals believe Israel was given to the Jews by God. Among Jews, only 40 percent find a divine hand behind a Jewish Israel. Many evangelicals believe biblical prophecy that Israels existence is necessary to set the stage for the return of Jesus Christ.
Evangelicals might also view Israel as a reliable steward of the Holy Land. Israel has maintained many Christian sites and keeps the areas accessible to visitors. Should Islamic extremists such as the Islamic State group, which is busy destroying historical artifacts ever seize control of a Palestinian state, results for sacred Christian sites could be catastrophic.
But support on the American right for Israel may also have to do with an attitude toward Islam informed by national security concerns. Pew found in a June 2014 survey that 72 percent of those describing themselves as steadfast conservatives believe the Islamic religion is more likely than others to encourage violence, compared to just 13 percent of liberals.
Traditionally, backing for Israel has been viewed as a lure for Jewish votes. That will still be true during the 2016 presidential cycle, particularly in the general election. This has long bolstered the Democratic Party, however. With Republican candidates advocating strong support for Israel, they could cause many Jewish voters to defect to the GOP, and undermine the Democratic nominee.
Jewish voters in Florida, which Obama won in 2012, counted for 5 percent of the states vote. Given the extreme tightness of the presidential contests there, a shift of Jewish voters to the Republican camp could turn the state from blue to red.
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GOPs road to power runs through Israel