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Tomorrow, Washington's Senate is set to vote on legalizing gay marriage in the state, but it sounds like the vote will come late in the day, with the Seattle Times reporting that debate is slated to begin "in the late afternoon or early evening."
The Senate has the votes to pass the bill (the number required to pass have in fact endorsed it). The House supposedly does, too, and Gov. Gregoire backs it.
I've been hard on Gregoire over the years, but here I say "well done." Hey, even...

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I'm late in posting on this, but last week, former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman had an op-ed in the Union Leader advocating for Republicans in the Granite State to stick up for gay marriage. Excerpt:
Stripping away the right of adults in New Hampshire to marry the person they love is antithetical to freedom. If we really believe (and we should) that every citizen is endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness, shouldn’t this include the right to marriage? If we believe...

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This is interesting, re: Obama's proposals outlined during the State of the Union on housing-- Brookings:
Since the president says the plan is for “responsible homeowners,” this presumably means that those who are delinquent on their mortgage payments are not eligible. (There are currently about 4.1 million delinquent loans, with approximately 1.8 million of these delinquent for 90 or more days.) This program is also not for borrowers who are current on their payments but have...

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The Hispanic vote: Everyone in presidential politics wants and needs a good chunk of it to win (including in big states like Florida). President Obama will need somewhat more of it to win than whichever Republican we wind up nominating.
So, opponents of Obama will undoubtedly cheer this news this morning, from Politico*:
The conservative Hispanic Leadership Network, which is co-sponsoring tonight's presidential debate on CNN, had Republican-leaning Resurgent Republic survey 500...

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The last 24 hours have seen just about every political pundit around the country weigh in with their thoughts about what will happen in Florida now that Newt Gingrich has decisively won South Carolina. Many of them are missing or glossing over some important facts, in my view, as they focus a bit too exclusively on things like momentum, debates, and existing polling (without broader context). This is a quickie post outlining what I think is being overlooked or treated with insufficient...

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From the Seattle Times yesterday:
Sen. Cheryl Pflug is joining other lawmakers willing to vote to give same-sex couples the full rights and benefits of marriage.
[...]
Pflug of Maple Valley is the second Republican senator in recent days to say she will support gay-marriage legislation. She has voted for domestic-partnership benefits twice and believes strongly in fairness for all.
"I have been a longtime supporter of human equality," said Pflug. "I do not feel...

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With three months remaining in 2011, and the presidential race firming up, I've spent a lot of time recently thnking about the respective candidates, their pros and cons, and who I would feel most comfortable supporting. The reality is, I think we're going to be looking at a Perry-Romney showdown, when push comes to shove. And in that context, it's pretty clear at this point to me that I'm in the Perry camp.
I've had some people ask me why that is recently. I originally became known in...

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Lots of news to catch up on:
A new Survey USA/KING5 poll shows McKenna ahead of Inslee, 44 to 38. What's really interesting about the survey? This: "McKenna’s early lead can be attributed in part to his strength in the Puget Sound area. In King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, he’s even with Inslee at 41% each, which is significant for a Republican candidate." It's early, but details like that suggest this race is not going to be cakewalk for Inslee, something that McKenna...

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What's happening in WA:
The P-I's Joel Connelly calls President Obama's private visit to the Seattle area a "public insult." Gov. Gregoire says“We cannot take … a pacman approach to the budget" (a.k.a., no tinkering around the edges or minor cuts; programs need to go). WA Rs are like "uh, no" in response to Dem requests that they keep an open mind on taxes. Although Obama's events around town are private, some local interest groups are still hoping to focus...

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Here's a catch-up version of what's happening in WA politics:
President Obama will do no public events when he visits Seattle. Ho-hum. A special legislative session will convene in WA on November 28 to deal with the budget deficit. Democrats want Republicans to be open to allowing voters to approve tax hikes. Karl Rove is set to headline the WSRP's annual fall dinner.

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