VIDEO: President Obama talks health care in Portland, Maine

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Prez O kicked ass today. Great lines, great energy.

LIVE VIDEO FEED: President Obama discusses health care in Portland, Maine

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here you go.

Snowefall

By GottaLaff

Snowe is falling:

Public Policy Polling suggests Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) "could have a pretty hard time getting nominated for another term in the Senate as a Republican."

"There are now more folks in her party who disapprove than approve of Snowe's job performance. 46% of GOP voters think she's doing a bad job to 40% who give her good marks."

Against a generic conservative primary challenger, Snowe would lose 59% to 31%.

Maybe the new Tea Party could open up offices in Maine and enter one of their fine, rational members into the race.

Conservatives fail to prevent government takeover of marriage in Maine

By GottaLaff

One of my Twitter pals, Greg Skilling, writes for The Examiner. He got my attention with his latest piece. Here's a taste:

In a disappointing defeat for advocates of freedom, choice and limited government everywhere, voters in Maine overturned a state law allowing Mainers to choose who they marry. Who's to blame for the failure of civil rights advocates to curb the state's intrusion into Maine's homes and bedrooms? The short answer is the group Stand for Marriage Maine. The long answer is that proponents of same-sex marriage failed to garner the support of their fellow freedom-loving, limited-government cohorts in the National Rifle Association (NRA) and 912 Project.

If we allow the government to tell us which sex we are allowed to marry can state-arranged marriages be far off?

It gets even better, so please go read the rest here.

The people who are so concerned that Big Bad Obama is going to storm their homes and yank their guns away don't object to government marching into our bedrooms. That is perfectly acceptable.

Hyp. O. Crites.

By the way, do they not realize that the courts are there to balance mob rule? That's called a "branch of government". Say it with me.

Voting marriage equality down does not make it right or just. "The people" supporting segregation was wrong, and so was this.

Let's start reminding them in loud voices: It is unconstitutional to allow a majority to take away the rights of a minority.

Good news for marriage equality: Turnout high in Maine

By GottaLaff

Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease:

Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap told Ben Smith "that turnout there is far exceeding his projections -- news that would be good news for backers of same-sex marriage."

Said Dunlap: "We're seeing heavy and very steady turnout... I think we could be over 50%. We originally projected 35%."

We've been campaigning hard on Twitter to get the vote out. Let's hope we made a difference.

Poll-itics: Olympia Snowe's Constituents Back Obama Plan

By GottaLaff

I guess voters don't really count. What really counts are those gigantic, juicy donations from those Big You-Know-Whos:

A new Democracy Corps poll in Maine finds that Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) "enjoys broad support in her home state, but she faces significant political problems if she opposes President Obama's health insurance reform."

Specifically, a Snowe vote against a reform bill "results in Mainers evenly divided on whether she should be re-elected, while support for Obama's plan produces 53% who want to re-elect Snowe compared to 38% who want someone new as U.S. Senator."

In addition, Mainers "overwhelmingly support a government sponsored non-profit health insurance option, 63% to 27%.

2.0.1.0.

Michael Steele mad at Maine, Collins, Snowe re: Gay marriage

By GottaLaff

Via Pam:

Michael Steele is mad at Maine and marriage equality. [...] He's apparently decided the GOP tent is small again. No rights for the homos. (The Plum Line):

After the RNC said he wouldn't be issuing a statement on Maine's decision to legalize gay marriage today, RNC Chairman Michael Steele is in fact condemning the decision, a position that puts him at odds with Maine's moderate Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of whom said today the decision should be left to the states.

The RNC emails over this statement from Steele:

"Our party platform articulates our opposition to gay marriage and civil unions, positions shared by many Americans. I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman and strongly disagree with Maine's decision to legalize gay marriage."

Earlier today, Collins said on MSNBC that the decision is best "decided at the state level." And Snowe's office put out a statement citing her support for the Defense of Marriage Act, which leaves it to individual states to "make their own determinations on this very personal issue."

Michael, Michael, Michael. Folding up that so-called Rushpublic big tent just isn't working for you. That you haven't quite figured that out yet is even sadder than your constantly flapping tongue's appetite for Boss Limbaugh's boots.

Maine Gov. Baldacci signs marriage equality bill

Another state for equality!!! Via Pam & John.

AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.

“I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully,” Governor Baldacci said. “I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste.”

“I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue,” Governor Baldacci said. “This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question.”

“In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions,” Governor Baldacci said. “I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage.”

“Article I in the Maine Constitution states that ‘no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person’s civil rights or be discriminated against.’”

“This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State,” Governor Baldacci said.

White Supremacist, Angry Over Obama, Killed With Dirty Bomb Components In House

It's almost too much of a joke how the rightards are all aflame over how alleged terrorists might* be held in maximum security prisons in their states, but this crap is summarily ignored. h/t Steve D.

BELFAST, Maine — James G. Cummings, who police say was shot to death by his wife two months ago, allegedly had a cache of radioactive materials in his home suitable for building a “dirty bomb.”

According to an FBI field intelligence report from the Washington Regional Threat and Analysis Center posted online by WikiLeaks, an organization that posts leaked documents, an investigation into the case revealed that radioactive materials were removed from Cummings’ home after his shooting death on Dec. 9.

(snip)

An application for membership in the National Socialist Movement filled out by Cummings also was found in the residence, according to the report. Cummings’ wife, Amber B. Cummings, 31, told investigators that her husband spoke of “dirty bombs,” according to the report, and mixed chemicals in her kitchen sink. She allegedly told police that Cummings subjected her to years of mental, physical and sexual abuse. She also said that Cummings was “very upset” when Barack Obama was elected president.

*Jose Padilla anyone?

Maine Republican party leader asks Collins to resign for challenging robocalls

By GottaLaff

It's simple: If you disapprove of Gramm-pa McCain's smear campaign, then you should resign:

Earlier today, the Maine Democratic Party called on U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor) to call on Republican Presidential candidate John McCain to halt robocalls that tie Democratic candidate Barack Obama to 60’s radical activist Bill Ayers. Collins agreed.

“They don’t serve John McCain well,” Collins said in a follow-up interview. “This kind of campaign call does not reflect the kind of leader that he is.”

She said she disapproves of the negativity being used in both presidential campaigns.

In response, the party countered. Spokeswoman Rebecca Pollard issued a statement saying that if Collins is truly concerned about the calls, then she should resign from her position as co-chair of McCain’s campaign in the state.

What a mess.

H/t: Palin's No Hillary

RNC out of Wisconsin, Maine; focuses on red states

By GottaLaff

Wave bye-bye!

The Republican National Committee is halting presidential ads in Wisconsin and Maine, turning its attention primarily to usually Republican states where GOP nominee John McCain shows signs of faltering. [...]

The shift in advertising resources suggests that the RNC has decided to focus on defending reliably Republican-voting states against Obama's onslaught of advertising. Flush with money, Obama is outspending the joint efforts of the Republican Party and the McCain campaign by more than 2-1. [...]

A poll in Wisconsin by Quinnipiac University of New York for The Wall Street Journal and the Web site of The Washington Post, taken after last week's presidential debate, had Obama at 54 percent and McCain at 37 percent.

"Like most campaigns, we don't talk strategy and tactics," said McCain Wisconsin spokeswoman Sarah Lenti. "That said we are extremely excited by our chances in Wisconsin and will continue to run ads, period. We are up and running."

More like down and crawling.

Gramm-pa McCain's fate hangs on three states

By GottaLaff

It's down to this:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) now must win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Minnesota in order to get enough electoral votes to win the presidency, his campaign says. [...]

McCain's political director, Mike DuHaime, told reporters on a conference call three hours before debate time that the campaign plans "an aggressive" front in Maine, a solidly Democratic state that gets virtually no attention in presidential races.

The sudden attention to Maine, which is getting some of the staff McCain is moving out of Michigan, reflects what a squeaker McCain expects.

Maine is not a winner-take-all state — the only other one that splits its electoral vote is Nebraska). And McCain aides, perhaps optimistically, are suggesting he can win one electoral vote by picking up one of the Pine Tree State’s two congressional districts. [...]

McCain has very limited ways to win, with no room for error. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) still has many routes to the White House and so can afford to campaign on a much broader playing field. [...]

McCain figures that winning one of those three big remaining swing states, plus those he considers safe, would put him 10 shy of the 270 electoral votes he needs to win.

Scrounging for electoral votes now would make me very uncomfortable if I were Gramm-pa. Which I'm not. Which I'm more than a little thankful for.

H/t: TheKingFiphtin