The South.
- Kartik Krishnayer at The Florida Squeeze writes about the battle unfurling in the Democratic gubernatorial primary between supporters of former State Sen. Nan Rich (D-Broward County) and former Gov. Charlie Crist. It is a traditional “truce” article, calling for a recognition of differences between the two candidates while remembering that the goal is to defeat incumbent Gov. Rick Scott in the fall. I dunno, it is hard to understand why a progressive would support someone who was proud to be called Chain Gang Charlie during their tenure as Attorney General, and I fear that Crist will try to play on the Republicans’ turf during the final stretch of the campaign. As I have blogged before, that is not wise. Nan Rich will change the conversation, particularly around the growth of quality jobs.
- Thomas Mills at PoliticsNC writes about the positives and negatives of U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan’s (D-NC) latest ad, and how she missed an opportunity to tell the people of North Carolina that “Washington needs more Senators like her”. I could not disagree more; focusing on “both political extremes” when only one side wants to end the social safety net as we know it, end a woman’s right to choose, and keep the working class making substandard wages for their labor is misguided at best. Hagan would impress me more if she took a populist and progressive message to the people of North Carolina and pledged to be a true fighter for the working class. Moderate politics is going the way of those dead armadillos straddling the yellow lines in the middle of the road, and I could not be happier about that. James Protzman at BlueNC offers a great alternative.
- The Texas Tribune has a summary of the court case surrounding HB2, the TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) law that was signed into law last year. This case is extraordinarily important for women across the South, and it is one that we will be paying attention to at The South Lawn.
- Katie Singh at Burnt Orange Report details the race for State Comptroller, and discusses the implications of the Republican candidate’s flat tax scheme. She states what is plain as day: consumption taxes are extraordinarily regressive, and using them to fund state and local government in lieu of other taxes would place a heavy burden on Texas’s most vulnerable.
- Josh Eidelson reports for Bloomberg BusinessWeek on Tennessee Republicans’ and national conservatives’ efforts to remove three judges from the state Supreme Court. They were unsuccessful, and the judges’ own thoughts about their survival should be a hint to other candidates across the South that hiding in their opponents’ clothing will only succeed in making them invisible to the electorate.
Labor.
- Check out this MSNBC story on U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison’s (DFL-MN) bid to make union organizing a civil right. Regardless of whether the bill has a chance of passing, it starts a conversation about the rights of working people to engage in collective bargaining in America. If you want to read the text that inspired this bill, read Moshe Marvit and Richard Kahlenberg’s book Why Organizing Should Be a Civil Right.
America.
- Reuters has a story up with a fairly unsurprising conclusion: jobs growth at America’s largest corporations has lagged behind their profits and revenues. Capitalism is kicking our ass, and we need to figure out a way to fight back rather than accommodate its wishes.
The World.
- Lady Warsi, who recently stepped down from Prime Minister David Cameron’s government over the Coalition’s stance on Gaza, talks to The Guardian about the Tories’ inability to attract voters of color to the party. Methinks that will be an even more difficult road to hoe as the Tories seek to emulate the rightist United Kingdom Independence Party, even to the point of running former UKIP members for Parliament under the Conservative banner.
- The Christian Science Monitor reports on the sentiment of Israeli settlers who were removed from the Gaza Strip by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. One such settler, who says that the Israeli government has been too timid in its approach to Gaza, made a chilling quote: “There’s no reason that [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] doesn’t give them the order to do whatever they want, however they want, and then they wouldn’t even have to make an effort. In a few months there would be no Gaza.” Peace-loving nation, indeed.
- As the United States begins a bombing campaign to oust ISIS militants in the north of the country, The Christian Science Monitor reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has sent troops into the streets of Baghdad and denounced the calls from the West to form a unity government. If the United Nations had a “you break it, you buy it” policy, the United States and the United Kingdom would be paying into Iraq until the end of time. UPDATE: It appears that al-Maliki has been forced out as Iraqi Prime Minister, according to The Guardian.
The Funny.
- Here is a story from The Telegraph about an orange tabby taking the bus. Because after reading the previous links, you will probably need it.
The South Lawn 