Possible Trump Running Mate: Same-Sex Marriage "Not A Big Issue Our Country Is Dealing With"

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn

Well, that didn't take long.

It's been just a day since the rumor of registered Democrat, retired Lt. General Michael Flynn being vetted as Donald Trump's running mate.

But ABC News' "This Week" quickly booked an interview with the former Army vet. Oh, and he has a book to sell, too!

During the interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz he let the world know that he believes in a woman's right to choose (a pro-choice Republican vice-president - that will be popular).

Flynn dodged a question about same-sex marriage by saying, “What people do in their private lives, these are not big issues that our country is dealing with that will cause our country to collapse. I’m more concerned that our country could collapse because we are not dealing with education issues, immigration issues.”

Flynn is decidedly "not ready for prime-time" as he gave conflicting answers to some of Raddatz's questions.

When asked about his reaction to the shootings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, he said he couldn't speak to the issue because he didn't have all the details.

But, when it came to the issue of Hillary Clinton not being charged with a crime over her emails - he hasn't seen all the evidence in that investigation either - he said she was clearly guilty and should be charged.

So, he can speak to some issues without all the details but not others?

When asked about Hillary Clinton's response to the shootings this week, he denounced her reaction as "totally irresponsible" saying she "blamed white people" - she didn't.

But when asked about Trump's comments about the Black Lives Matter being "trouble, a disgrace with hate," Flynn replied that he couldn't speak for Trump.

So, he can speak about Hillary's comments but not Donald's?

Watch the full interview below.

March 15th Presidential Primary Results

Latest Poll Shows Hillary Clinton Leads Bernie Sanders In OH, IL, FL & NC

 

The latest from NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls show former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading in Florida, Illinois and Ohio ahead of Tuesday's Democratic primaries.

The only surprise here for me is I thought Ohio would be the closer race, but it's looking like Illinois may be Bernie Sanders' better hope for a win on Tuesday.

Of course, after last Tuesday's surprise win by Bernie in Michigan, I'm not completely trusting any poll.

I should note there wasn't an NBC News poll done for North Carolina which is also holding that state's primary on Tuesday. However, Hillary Clinton leads in NC by an average of 20 points according to Real Clear Politics poll averages.

FiveThirtyEight Looks At The Terrain Going Forward For Clinton, Sanders

The polling/stats geniuses of FiveThirtyEight took a look at what the polls show in terms of upcoming primary challenges in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination.

As the competition moves into more diverse terrain, Sen. Bernie Sanders looks like he will need to up his game in terms of diversity.

From FiveThirtyEight:

Polling has indicated that Sanders trails among nonwhite voters by nearly 40 percentage points nationally. Although no reliable recent polling is available in Nevada, Clinton leads by 30 percentage points in both of our South Carolina forecasts. In the latest Marist College poll, she’s buoyed by a 74 percent to 17 percent lead among black voters. Sanders must cut into that margin if he wants to have any chance in South Carolina or anywhere in the South.

You could already see how Sanders might have problems in Nevada and South Carolina even as he was crushing Clinton in New Hampshire. Despite winning the state by more than 20 percentage points, the best Sanders could manage among registered Democrats was a tie. His large margin came from registered independents who voted in the Democratic primary. You must be a registered Democrat to vote in the Nevada caucuses, though you can register as one the day of the election. In 2008, 81 percent of Nevada caucus-goers self-identified as Democrats. Just 58 percent of New Hampshire voters on Tuesday thought of themselves as Democrats.

Sen. Bernie Sanders To Announce Run For 2016 Democratic Nomination For President

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will launch a campaign Thursday becoming the first challenger to Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination for president.

A member of the U.S. Senate since 2007, Sanders will be a liberal challenge to Clinton, who he sees as being too soft on Wall Street. He describes himself as a "democratic socialist."

Sanders has been an outspoken critic of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal the Obama administration is negotiating with 11 Pacific countries. Sanders is also a critic of the controversial Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which struck down corporate campaign contribution limits. Sanders has tried to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision.

While Clinton is heavily favored over Sanders, the Vermont senator's entry in the race will provide a platform for Democrats to criticize Clinton from the left. Sanders' presence could also highlight a divide between progressive and moderate Democrats.

Before assuming office in the Senate in 2007, Sanders represented Vermont in the U.S. House for 16 years. He is the longest serving independent member of Congress.

According to HuffPost Pollster, which aggregates publicly available polling data, Sanders trails Clinton by 55.1 percentage points. He also trails Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Vice President Joe Biden.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid Will Not Seek Re-Election In 2016

My life’s work has been to make Nevada and our nation better. Thank you for giving me that wonderful opportunity. https://t.co/dwy2rDWYhO
— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) March 27, 2015

Sen. Reid has endorsed NY Sen. Chuck Schumer to replace him as Minority Leader in the Senate.

Political leaders respond to SCOTUS Hobby Lobby ruling

Via Politico

Charlie Crist running for Governor of Florida again - as a Democrat

Charlie Crist has served as governor of Florida before, but as a Republican. His party change is due to the extreme right shift of the GOP.

Rumors have flown around for years that Crist is actually gay, but has stayed in the closet due to his Republican ties.

If he is gay, we'll see if he has the wherewithal to come out.

US Senate votes to extend tax cuts for all but top 2 percent

It was just a little over two weeks ago when President Obama said this:

Obama: "Pass a bill extending the tax cuts for the middle class, I will sign it tomorrow."

Senate Democrats voted pretty much down party lines Wednesday to extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone but individuals making $200,000 or more and couples making more than $250,000. As the LA Times reports:

LA Times: “Democrats believe Wednesday’s action will shift the debate in a Congress ... giving momentum to Obama’s proposal – and drawing a contrast with Mitt Romney ...”

Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb and Connecticut Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman joined their Republican colleagues in the 51-48 vote which came after a vote to extend tax cuts for everyone was rejected 45-54. On the Senate floor Majority Leader Harry Reid said giving tax breaks to the wealthy would be wasteful.

Reid: “Republicans should not force middle-class families off their fiscal cliff to protect more wasteful giveaways to millionaires and billionaires.”

Interestingly, Vice President Joe Biden presided over today’s vote but due to Senate rules was not allowed to engage the debate. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell drew laughs from his GOP colleagues when he noted that Biden supported extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone back in 2010.

McConnell: “So be grateful, I say to my friend, the vice president — this is a debate that I don’t think you would want to lead.”

The bill is now on its way to the Republican-controlled House where it is expected to be voted down sometime next week. Public Radio International’s Todd Zwillich calls Wednesday’s vote symbolic and says it is really all about the November presidential elections.

Zwillich: “This is what the election is about. It really is about Democrats’ and Republicans’ competing visions for how to re-order income distribution after the election.”

When the Bush tax cuts first expired in 2010, President Obama had also called for ending them for the wealthiest Americans. In the end, GOP opposition resulted in a two-year extension for everyone.

Via Newsy

Joe Biden's fiery speech in Ohio: "They Don't Get Us"

Now THIS is the kind of passion that works in a campaign. Go Joe!

(Via JoeMyGod)

Pennsylvania to get first openly gay state legislator

Brian Sims has won a decisive Democratic primary in his Philadelphia district and will become Pennsylvania’s first openly gay state representative.

Sims defeated a longtime incumbent to capture the Democratic nomination in the heavily Democratic District 182, and will face no Republican opponent this November.

Sims, a former member of the Victory Campaign Board, is a distinguished policy attorney and civil rights advocate from Center City Philadelphia. The former Staff Counsel for Policy and Planning at the Philadelphia Bar Association, he recently stepped down as the President of the Board of Directors of Equality Pennsylvania.
(source)

Highway bill passes in the US Senate with bipartisan support

A two-year, $109 billion measure providing federal funding for the nation’s roads, rails bridges and airports for the next two years passed the Senate on a 74 to 22 vote Wednesday with broad bipartisan support.

The Senate bill’s supporters — Democrats, Republicans, labor unions and business groups — say the bill will help create or sustain almost 3 million jobs, mostly in the construction industry.

Of the 22 Senators who voted against the job creating bill, all were Republican.

Despite Senate passage, the fate of federal transportation funding is unclear in the House. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)hasn’t ruled out a vote on the Senate bill, but his aides said this week he is still negotiating details with GOP lawmakers.

Los Angeles Mayor: Democratic platform should include marriage equality

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, expressed his support for a marriage equality plank in the party platform in an interview with Politico.

Said Villaraigosa: “I do, I think it’s basic to who we are. I believe in family values and I believe that we all ought to be able to have a family and marry if you want to. I don’t think the government should be in that business of denying people the fundamental right to marry.”

At least 18 senators have expressed support for adding marriage equality to the platform.  Freedom to Marry launched a campaign to that end last month.
(source)

Sen. Ben Nelson (D) to retire

Two-term Sen. Ben Nelson (NE) has announced his retirement, spurring renewed fears that the Democrats will lose their Senate majority in 2012.

Nelson has consistently been one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, and during the very brief period in 2009 in which the caucus held 60 seats, his was usually the toughest vote to secure. Still, no one should think that he is interchangeable with the mainstream Republican who will likely replace him; Nelson, after all, did eventually vote for the Affordable Care Act, the stimulus bill and numerous other Democratic priorities. The Democrats’ hopes of holding the seat come down, at this point, to the vague possibility that former Nebraska senator and governor Bob Kerrey will attempt a comeback.

In 2012 Democrats will have 23 seats up for reelection. The GOP has only ten.
(via JMG)

"Republicans: On the Side of Wall Street - Not Consumers"

Kathy Hochul wins NY-26 congressional election

Democrat Kathy Hochul has been declared the winner of the special election for the congressional seat in NY-26.

The election seemed to have been flipped on the basis of Hochul's opposition to changing or "voucher"-izing Medicare.

The rural-suburban district between Buffalo and Rochester is one of the state's most conservative. But Corwin saw her early lead dissolve after coming out in favor of a Republican budget plan that would cut billions from Medicare, the government health plan for seniors.

With 83 percent of precincts reporting, Hochul had 48 percent of the vote, compared with 42 percent for Corwin.

The seat became vacant in February when Republican Rep. Chris Lee resigned after shirtless photos he sent to a woman surfaced online.

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