Lisa Kudrow Has Absolutely No Idea Theres a Republican War on Women
Real Time with Bill Maher - Overtime - November 7, 2014 People following politics over the last two years have probably heard the war on women phrase Democrats use to discredit Republican...
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Lisa Kudrow Has Absolutely No Idea Theres a Republican War on Women - Video
Celebration quickly gave way to uncertainty on Wednesday for supporters of a voter-approved initiative to legalize marijuana in the District, with the reality sinking in that when the measure reaches Capitol Hill for review, the party least likely to support it will be in charge.
One conservative House Republican from neighboring Maryland immediately vowed to use all of his power to upend Initiative 71, which would allow D.C. residents and visitors to have up to 2 ounces of marijuana for personal use and would allow home cultivation of up to three plants.
But advocates for the initiative took refuge in the Election Day comments of Sen. Rand Paul (R), who suggested outside a Kentucky polling precinct that he considers the matter one for D.C. voters, who ended up backing it by an overwhelming margin of more than 2 to 1: I havent really taken a stand on [Initiative 71], but Im against the federal government telling them they cant, Paul told reporters.
And on Wednesday, another potential pitfall emerged when Muriel E. Bowser suggested in her first press conference as D.C. mayor-elect that she would not want Initiative 71 to proceed to congressional review without accompanying legislation to establish a system for selling and taxing the plant like in Colorado and Washington state.
The conflicting signs hinted at how uncertain implementation of the citys marijuana initiative remains, given the Districts layer of federal oversight. The situation in the District stands in stark contrast to the two states where sales are now legal, and in Oregon and Alaska, where initiatives that passed Tuesday spell out how sales will begin, perhaps as soon as early 2016.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said she respects the clear intent of District voters in their support of Initiative 71. However, we need to recognize that the initiative cannot be immediately implemented, she said in a prepared statement.
I think everyone realizes that the Council will need to enact legislation to provide clarity to the public and law enforcement officers, Lanier said. If the initiative is held up in Congress, attorneys for the District will need to provide additional guidance.
In a national teleconference with reporters on Wednesday, advocates for marijuana legalization sought to play down concerns that Congress would spend the energy to overturn the Districts measure, especially right after Republicans gain control of Congress.
In recent years, nearly 50 House Republicans also have sided with Democrats to give states more protections to carry on medical marijuana programs.
Advocates acknowledged that the D.C. measure could hasten the arrival of a national debate over marijuana legalization before a critical mass of states have tilted in favor. The drug has gained greater acceptance nationwide, and the country was closely divided at 49 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed earlier this year, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
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Legalization limbo in D.C.: Republican congress will have ...
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Maybe 2016 has something to do with it?
By Katie Glueck
11/11/14 7:42 PM EST
Republican governors with 2016 aspirations have a blunt message for their colleagues in the new GOP Congress: Weve done our jobs. Now dont screw up yours.
Their subtler message? Enjoy Capitol Hill, because the White House is going to one of us.
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The rhetorical push voiced recently by several likely presidential candidates, including governors from Louisiana, Wisconsin and Texas comes as the political world looks toward 2016 following the GOPs capture of both houses of Congress for the first time since 2006.
It helps the governors cast themselves as experienced adults compared with their squabbling congressional counterparts, several of whom also are eyeing the presidency. And it also exposes yet another faultline within the GOP, where tea party factions are still at odds with establishment figures, as the White House field comes into focus.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker fired the most direct volley on Sunday, when he wrote that newly empowered GOP legislators should put up or shut up and urged incoming leaders to make bold policy moves. That same day on Meet the Press, Walker said that overall, I believe governors make much better presidents than members of Congress.
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Republican governors are already running against the Republican Congress
The wave of Republican electoral victories, and switch in Senate control, raises the obvious question: what changes are in store for Obamacare?
Conventional wisdom is that President Obama would veto legislation that made any fundamental changes to his signature bill. But even the Acts enthusiasts concede, that there are parts of Obamacare that are disliked, gratuitous, or simply unfeasible.
The question is whether theres enough common ground to make meaningful excisions to the original law, and secure White House support.
There may be more changes in store than Washingtons conventional wisdom now portends. Some easy and obvious revisions are already getting attention. But there are also some bigger changes that could get popular support.
Some conservatives will argue that Congress shouldnt do anything to blunt Obamacares painful excesses, lest they weaken the case for full repeal. That sort of thinking may leave market based reforms harder to achieve in the long run.
Thats because the marketplace is rapidly changing to accommodate Obamacare, in ways that could make market based schemes harder to eventually implement. Just look at all of the consolidation underway in the market for providers much of it the acquisitions of doctors by hospitals, stoked by provisions in Obamacare.
Without changes now, by 2016 there may not be enough local competition left in the healthcare market on which to eventually erect a solid, market-based alternative to the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives have to start injecting more competition and choice into the market right away, and push back against the erection of healthcare oligopolies that are being favored by the top down Obamacare scheme.
Some selective excisions to the current scheme could achieve these ends.
First on the easy changes:
One popular idea is full repealthe disliked device tax. This excisionhad bi-partisan support long before the mid-term elections.
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Republican Wave Put Obamacare In Surgery, And These Parts Could Be Amputated
The Republican "K Text" FAIL
When you are so fiscally conservative that you can #39;t budget a different argument for each opponent, your stinginess is hurting your cause. 🙂
By: AgentOfDoubt
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The Republican "K Text" FAIL - Video