Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

A lot has happened as we complete the third week of the DREAM Now Series.  The DREAM Act picked up two new co-sponsors in the U.S. House: Mike Thompson (D-CA-1) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1).  Two extremely important and influential organizations have also come out strongly in support of passing the DREAM Act as a downpayment on comprehensive immigration reform: the Center for American Progress and the AFL-CIO.  Finally, a major victory was won in Arizona where the deportation of Marlen Moreno was deferred.  Please express support for the above in anyway possible.  It has all helped build a lot of momentum for passing the DREAM Act, this year. 

Just was we have been busy moving the DREAM Act forward, though, nativists have been busy undermining it.

To the GOP, the rich are deserving. These worthy Americans should get extended tax breaks. Republicans see the unemployed as leeches. These lazy Americans should not get an extension of unemployment compensation. To the GOP, the unemployed – along with the un-rich – deserve only disrespect. And Republicans have been heaping it on.

the GOP has got their groove back, and it’s groovier than ever. They’re offering the same policies and direction only worse for the economy, the climate and the country. They’re heading the for same ditch, only deeper. They offer the same leaders, only they’re even more irresponsible and making even more insane statements.

The Left finally makes an effort to debunk the historic “successes” of the Supply Side Economic theory.

by Annie Shields, Media Consortium blogger

It looks as if election-year strategies are trumping any actual problem-solving by Republican lawmakers. In the midst of one of the worst unemployment crises in U.S. history, Senate Republicans killed a jobs bill last Thursday by a 56-40 vote.

Republican senatorial candidate Rand Paul simply said with Republicans believe – that this country should focus on promoting corporations and those corporations should have privileges but not responsibilities. The Republican policy, apparently, is “Mine Baby Mine” and “Drill Baby Drill;” taxpayers will forgive “accidental” worker deaths and pay to clean “accidental” spills.

To set up a wave election you need a compelling national reason to fire the party in control of the Congress. Republicans have been looking for anything to make this happen. They believed that the Health Insurance Reform bill would be the ticket, however, as time has gone by and popular things like the end to pre-existing conditions for kids and the end of rescissions have started this issue has faded with the independent voters. They might still find something; after all there have been scandals like Rep. Eric Massa of New York and ethics problems like Rep. Charlie Rangel also of New York.

The thing is none of these have lead to a meme that suggests that the Democrats should be fired. A big part of this is that the Republicans candidates are making a habit of self-immolation.

"Originally posted at Squarestate.net"

It can happen at anytime in a campaign. Things are going along great, you are ahead in the polls then someone looks up, sniffs the air and asks “Do you smell smoke?” Then before you know it; Whoosh! Your candidate has said or done something that makes their candidacy burst into 70 foot tall flames. Self-immolation is an occupational hazard of running for office, but it seems the there is a rash of it in the Republican Party this cycle.

Bob Schieffer is sitting on a scoop he needs to share with the world, unless his rules for ‘off-the-record’ are the same as the late Tim Russert: everything is always off-the-record unless the newsmaker specifically grants ‘permission to use.’

A civilian federal court judge would likely throw out the case of Omar Khadr.

Congressional Dems plan response to Citizens United V. FEC ruling