October 2006

The war in Iraq, and U.S. foreign policy generally, are the number one issues with voters in the upcoming election. Peace organizations around the country are engaging in a number of electoral and voter education strategies to help keep the electorate's focus there. Read more

The Department of Justice plays a limited, but important, role with respect to elections. The Justice Department's Criminal and Civil Rights Divisions enforce specific federal laws that help to ensure that all qualified voters have an opportunity to cast their ballots and have them counted. More specifically, the Department is responsible for enforcing federal laws that help prevent and punish fraud and other assaults on the integrity of the election process for federal elections; for ensuring compliance with the Voting Rights Act, including preventing discrimination and voter intimidation; and for protecting the voting rights of servicemembers and overseas citizens, as well as voters with disabilities. Read more

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today advised houses of worship to be extremely wary of supposedly "non-partisan" Religious Right voter guides, many of which are being issued this week just before the mid-term elections. Read more

With the partisan balance of power at stake in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Latinos are poised to determine the outcome of key races on November 7, according to an analysis conducted by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund. The NALEO Educational Fund also projects that 5.6 million Latinos will make their voices heard in the election, the highest Latino turnout for any Congressional election not held in conjunction with a Presidential contest. Read more

"Given that President Bush's flawed policies have allowed North Korea's nuclear weapons' capabilities to grow dramatically, it is easy to understand why the administration is trying to trumpet today's announcement as a big victory. It may ultimately be a positive step forward, but it is clearly not sufficient to produce the goal we all want to achieve - a halt to North Korea's nuclear weapons' activities. Time is not on our side when it comes to North Korea's nuclear weapons' capabilities. It is essential for the president to immediately change course and heed bipartisan calls to appoint a special envoy empowered to jump start the six-party talks and engage in direct bilateral discussions with North Korea." Read more

This Veterans Day weekend, from Nov. 9-11, dozens of America's most celebrated veterans will come to Washington, D.C., for the American Veterans Center's Ninth Annual Conference. The event, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, will include three full days of speakers devoted to each era from World War II through today; wreath laying ceremonies at the World War II, Korea and Vietnam War memorials; and evening receptions. Read more

Harvard University's Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, will release a new national poll examining the political views of 18-24 year olds Wednesday, Nov. 1 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The event will take place in the university's Jack Morton Auditorium at 11 a.m., and will feature Jeanne Shaheen, former governor of New Hampshire and director of Harvard's Institute of Politics, and Christopher Arterton, dean of GW's Graduate School of Political Management. Read more

Elections are just around the corner and AARP has a simple message for Hispanic voters: Get the Facts. Use the Power. Vote. Today, AARP hosted an election issues forum in the Bronx with the goal of getting Hispanic voters the facts on issues important to older New Yorkers before they vote. AARP also marked the day by releasing several voter guides in Spanish. Read more

Dear Chairman Dean: Vote fraud is another example of, in your words, "other efforts to deny voters the right to cast their vote and have it counted." Unfortunately, the list of fraudulent election activity connected to Democrat affiliated groups such as ACORN is long and growing longer. Read more

On Nov. 2, the Iran Policy Committee (IPC) is holding a press conference to roll out its book, "What Makes Tehran Tick: Islamist Ideology and Hegemonic Interests." With the approaching 27th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and United States midterm elections, it is more critical than ever that candidates and policy makers understand the nature of the Tehran regime and its threat to U.S. security interests in Iraq, the Persian Gulf and Israel. Read more

"It has become the political equivalent of a Halloween zombie ... by all rights it should be dead but Social Security privatization just keeps coming back. President Bush and his allies in Congress vow to keep Social Security private accounts alive, even though the majority of Americans have soundly rejected the idea. Even the specter of angry seniors and their families chasing this monster all the way to Election Day apparently isn't enough to kill this policy beast." Read more

While abortion remains a divisive political issue, polls show that most Americans support legal abortion. Many also want to see the abortion rate reduced through preventing the need for abortion, not prohibiting it entirely. Pro-choice groups have long led the efforts at prevention through contraception. A new Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) public education campaign makes those prevention efforts a centerpiece of pro-choice advocacy. Read more

The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on International Policy has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to consider measures that would help improve the deteriorating situation for Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq. Read more

More than a quarter million dollars worth of ads targeting three members of Congress plagued by influence and "pay to play" scandals began airing in recent days. Sponsored by Campaign Money Watch, a campaign reform watchdog group, the ads single out Representatives Richard Pombo of California, Barbara Cubin of Wyoming, and Senator Conrad Burns of Montana for what Campaign Money Watch's director David Donnelly calls the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil approach to corruption scandals." The group called on Congress to adopt Clean Elections-style public financing of elections with spending limits. Read more

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today sent a letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman calling on the Republican leader to confirm that "the RNC will refrain from engaging in, assisting in or participating in any" program that could potentially disenfranchise voters in these midterm elections. The letter specifically calls on Mehlman to comply with both the letter and spirit of a "consent decree," which was entered into as a result of a lawsuit the DNC filed against the RNC over Republican so-called "ballot security" initiatives that targeted predominantly African American and Hispanic voters to keep them from exercising their fundamental right to vote. Read more

Amidst new reports that the armed forces are increasing their surveillance of online usage by military personnel, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) today cautioned service members to be especially careful when using the internet or posting information online. Read more

Today, the British government released a report by former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern, which takes the first comprehensive look at the potential impacts of global warming on the world economy against the cost of cutting emissions. The report finds that taking preventative measures now to address increasing emissions of greenhouse gases will cost dramatically less than waiting. Read more

Harvard University's Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, will release a new national poll examining the political views of 18-24 year olds Wednesday, Nov. 1 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The event will take place in the university's Jack Morton Auditorium at 11 a.m., and will feature Jeanne Shaheen, former governor of New Hampshire and director of Harvard's Institute of Politics, and Christopher Arterton, dean of GW's Graduate School of Political Management. Read more

Citing the new UN doctrine that each state has "a responsibility to protect" its own citizens from the most severe human rights abuses, a report issued today points to egregious violations of rights by North Korea and calls for immediate action by the UN Security Council under a parallel track to the UN's actions over North Korea's nuclear test. UN sanctions levied earlier this month may inadvertently worsen the abysmal human rights situation. Read more

Sean Hannity: Your prediction is one week from this Wednesday you will still be the Speaker of the House of Representatives?

Hastert: Republicans will win and I will run for Speaker.

SH: Are you confident you are going to win that?

Hastert: One election at a time. Read more

The following was released today by the U.S. Army's Iraq Project and Contracting Office: Story and Photo by Norris Jones, Gulf Region Central District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Despite getting knocked down by back-to-back bomb blasts, he still reported for duty that morning. When he arrived, his fellow workers got him to the hospital to have his facial cuts, black eye, and contusions treated. Engineer Abdul-Kareem says he was in a taxi on the way to a project site in downtown Baghdad two months ago when an improvised explosive device was detonated killing a bystander and wounding several others. He was exiting the cab to provide first aid when a vehicle drove into the crowd and triggered a second explosion killing at least a dozen more people. Read more

"Americans concerned by the obvious failure of President Bush's Iraq policy, the rapidly increasing numbers of U.S. casualties, and the escalating levels of sectarian violence deserve more from Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld than to be told to 'relax'.

"Secretary Rumsfeld committed our troops to war without sufficient equipment or a plan for victory; he is in no position to give advice to Americans appalled by the consequences of his mismanagement. Our troops and every American deserve more. It is long past time for a new direction in Iraq." Read more

AARP has been taking the pulse of the public's opinion on issues its members have indicated they want to hear about in state and national elections. Previous AARP pulse studies have showed a large number of undecided voters and have indicated that this age cohort will be among the most active voters in November. Read more

The Internet has become a crucial battleground for the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and privacy, Amnesty International said today in a statement ahead of next week's U.N.-sponsored Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Athens. An Amnesty International delegation will ensure that human rights remain central to the conference proceedings. Read more

Gay activist Mike Rogers will hold a press conference call today, Friday, Oct. 27, at noon Eastern time (9 a.m. Pacific) to challenge a major anti-gay figure in the Republican Party on his own sexuality and ask evangelical leader James Dobson to say why Dobson continues to support him given Dobson's anti-homosexual crusade. Read more

"Afghanistan has become a narco-state funding the Taliban, Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda yet we're passing the buck to Afghanistan, the British, and NATO," said Robert Weiner, former spokesman for the White House National Drug Policy Office. "We need a 'Plan Afghanistan'. Afghanistan has just cultivated record opium crops and now supplies 92 percent of the world's heroin producing opium according to the U.N. this month. Inaction against Afghanistan drugs is defeating our own purpose of stopping the funding source of the terrorism against us." Read more

ADL leaders from across the country will gather to hear from policymakers, journalists, government officials and experts on anti-Semitism, extremism, church-state separation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the Anti-Defamation League's 2006 National Commission Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Read more

As much of the nation is focused on the divisive battle for control of Congress, another battle for control of the nation's statehouses flies under the radar screen. Fully 83 percent of the nation's state legislative seats are up for grabs while voters in 36 states will choose their governors on Nov. 7. The stakes are high. Nearly three dozen legislative chambers could see a party control change. Read more

"Yesterday's decision propels the state of New Jersey into the same legal chaos experienced by various other states across the country, including Hawaii, Vermont and Massachusetts. It follows the pattern of homosexual activists who witness their radical agenda defeated at the ballot box yet advanced by activist judges. The irony is that in their victory they admit defeat." Read more

"In his news conference yesterday, President Bush assured the American people that we are winning the war in Iraq. The President should share the benchmarks that he uses to define 'winning.' Surely they do not include the rapidly increasing U.S. casualty figures, suggestions that even more U.S. troops will be needed in Iraq, or the rejection by the Iraqi government of timelines to accomplish critical goals such as dealing with the militias.

"The President's admission that he is not satisfied with the war will only serve as more empty words unless he finally acknowledges that his policies have failed and adopts a new direction." Read more

A delegation of 127 US pastors, imams and religious leaders will hold a peace rally and prayer at ImJinGak at the DMZ between North and South Korea tomorrow, Friday October 27, calling on the two Koreas, the USA, China, Russia, Japan and the UN to work together to create an "Axis of Peace" that will bring lasting change to the region. Read more

While people from Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan-the world's three largest Muslim countries-increasingly oppose US-led efforts to fight terrorism, most are favorable to the United States for past aid and want deeper American assistance in the future. In fact, American assistance results in a substantial favorable change in opinion toward the United States. Read more

Ours is a nation of immigrants. We're also a nation of law. Unfortunately, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders for decades and, therefore, illegal immigration has been on the rise. We have a responsibility to address these challenges. We have a responsibility to enforce our laws. We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take this responsibility seriously. Read more

Updated election forecasting models initially completed by political scientists up to six months ago still predict significant Democratic gains in the 2006 midterm elections, including a likely 21 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and two seats in the U.S. Senate. Read more

"Today's decision by New Jersey's Supreme Court is good news for the citizens of New Jersey," said the Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, the UCC's national minister for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender concerns. "The decision has honored the freedom of religion, refusing to allow one narrow view of marriage to be the law of the land, while preserving the right of religious institutions to continue to perform their own religious marriage ceremonies according to their traditions." Read more

"This ruling once again highlights the need for voters to enact state marriage-protection amendments to keep marriage out of the hands of activist courts. We only hope that the residents of the eight states who will vote on such amendments Nov. 7 recognize that their state may be only one court ruling away from being forced to accept gay marriage - just as we've seen in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Nothing less than the future of the American family hangs in the balance if we allow one-man, one- woman marriage to be redefined out of existence. And, make no mistake, that is precisely the outcome the New Jersey Supreme Court is aiming for with this decision." Read more

"Our borders constitute the first line of defense in protecting the American people from terrorists. Last July I met with border security agents and other federal and local officials during my visit to the border, and I promised them we would address this national security crisis. The Republican Congress has responded to the American people's demand for a secure border by increasing the physical barriers and infrastructure along the border and by providing state of the art monitoring technology. I look forward to the President signing the Secure Fence Act tomorrow." Read more

"The American Lung Association applauds the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) for clearly and unanimously recommending that the United States adopt much stronger air quality standards for ozone smog. The CASAC concluded the standard 'needs to be substantially reduced' and that there is 'no scientific justification' for retaining the current standard." Read more

As Democrats try to win back one or both houses of Congress this November, they are increasingly employing the language of faith and morality to frame the issues, hearkening back to the 2004 GOP campaign and its appeal to "values voters." Read more

"The Bush Administration's Iraq policy, like Iraq itself, is in complete disarray. One day, the administration calls for a timetable, the next day Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki objects to it. One day, our senior military leaders indicate more troops may be needed, the next day the president discounts that option. One day, it's stay the course, the next day it's change the course. It is increasingly clear that the president does not know what to do to stop the escalating violence in Iraq and that his so-called 'National Strategy for Victory in Iraq' has failed." Read more

The public rating of Congress has dropped to a near record level. Signs of a possible electoral tsunami abound. In their new book, The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Oxford University Press), Thomas E. Mann of the Brookings Institution and Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, present evidence that the public's disapproval is rooted in a highly dysfunctional Congress. Read more

This year's intensely competitive election for control of the House of Representatives and Senate will be the most expensive midterm election ever, the Center for Responsive Politics predicts. Candidates, national political parties and outside issue advocacy groups will spend roughly $2.6 billion by the end of 2006 to influence the 472 federal contests around the United States and pad the war chests of incumbents not running this year. Read more

"We need a change of course in Iraq, not just a change in rhetoric and more spin from the Bush administration," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "Two weeks from election day, the Bush White House is simply trying to change their tune on their failed 'stay the course' Iraq policy rather then recognizing the need to change the policy itself. Democrats are offering a new direction in Iraq that includes a phased redeployment of our troops." Read more

"Since I had requested prompt action by the committee, I took the opportunity to thank them for moving expeditiously to look into this matter. I answered every question they asked fully and to the best of my ability.

"I encouraged them to continue to move forward to get to the bottom of this, including finding out who was aware and when they were aware of the sexually explicit instant messages that were created three years ago." Read more

Today is the deadline for the United States Government to file a major legal brief in a historic Supreme Court case about global warming (Massachusetts, et al. v. EPA, et al., No. 05-1120). We expect the Bush administration, based on its prior briefs, will argue that global warming pollution may not be addressed under the nation's clean air laws, taking a position opposite 18 states, leading climate scientists, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, several former EPA administrators, including Carol Browner, William Reilly, Douglas Costle, Russell Train, the National Council of Churches of Christ, Entergy and Calpine Corporation, and numerous health and conservation organizations. Read more

There's a big -- there's a significant issue in this campaign; make no mistake about it, if the Democrats take control of the Congress they'll raise taxes by letting the tax cuts expire. And we intend to keep taxes low. Read more

More than 5 million Americans are directly denied the right to vote, and millions more are misinformed about their eligibility to vote, due to a confusing and archaic national patchwork of "felony disfranchisement" laws, according to a new briefing paper by Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy and research center. Read more

"General Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, confirmed this morning that staying the course - no matter what slogan this Administration chooses to attach to it - means it will be another 12 to 18 months before the Iraqis will be able to provide security for their country. With the war in Iraq now more than three and a half years old, Iraq engulfed in chaos, and U.S. casualties continuing to mount, this is simply unacceptable." Read more

"The War on Terror is a global war. The victims of this war, in America, England, Spain and Indonesia, recognize terrorism's global impact. The sources are similarly widespread. It would be a great relief if we could fight our enemy's global network in the relatively small area of Afghanistan. If all those who would harm us were centered there, we could focus on Afghanistan, and protecting the country from threats would be easy. But terrorists aren't confined by Afghanistan's porous borders. A failure to recognize this could be disastrous to American security. Read more

"The current battle being waged to protect America's freedom and the freedom of millions around the world is called the Global War on Terror. It is not fought in just one country. It is not even fought in one hemisphere. It is fought on a global scale. That is why Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi's comments are irresponsible. Is the Democrat Minority Leader really turning a blind eye towards the countless number of terrorists that we are fighting in the streets and battlefields of Iraq and also in numerous countries around the world? Does she forget the nearly 3,000 victims of September 11th? The 201 victims of the Madrid train bombings? And the 52 victims of the London bomb attacks? These were all innocent victims of the Global War on Terror. And what about the countless others who have been saved because of our efforts?" Read more

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