Month: April 2012

Obama Likely the Last Democrat Candidate to Oppose Gay Marriage

Buck Banks

Sure, it would be a major development if [Obama] and his party were to officially endorse gay marriage this year. But look ahead to 2016, when the Democratic nomination will be open. It’s striking how many of the prospective candidates — Andrew Cuomo, Martin O’Malley, Deval Patrick, Sherrod Brown, Dan Malloy, Elizabeth Warren — are on-board with marriage equality. Their position is rapidly becoming the position that all aspiring national Democrats will be expected to take, and it’s virtually inconceivable that the ’16 platform won’t reflect this.

— Steve Kornacki, writing in Salon, noting this will likely be the last election where both presidential candidates oppose gay marriage.

New Pew Quiz Tests Your Political IQ

Buck Banks

Dunce_flag
The Pew Research Center has a new short quiz that tests your political savvy.

Test your knowledge of the major political parties by taking our short 13-question quiz. Then see how you did in comparison with 1,000 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a national survey conducted Mar. 29-Apr. 1, 2012 by the Pew Research Center.

I aced it, even though there are a couple of trick questions, and landed in the top 8 percent of quiz takers. About 33 percent missed one to three questions (tricks!) but a surprising 4 percent didn’t even get one out of 13 questions right.

Wait, why am I surprised? This is, after all, an idiocracy, right?

Take the quiz and tell us how you did in a comment — if you dare …

GOP Cursed By Ideological Purity

Buck Banks

The GOP’s main problem is not the contraceptive issue; it is the perception that it has become too ideological on many issues. Women and independent voters have seen a party enthusiastically confirming its most damaging stereotypes. The composite Republican candidate — reflecting the party’s ideological mean — has been harsh on immigration, confrontational on social issues, simplistic in condemning government and silent on the struggles of the poor. How many women would find this profile appealing on eHarmony? … This is the hidden curse of the Republican congressional triumph of 2010. Republican activists came to believe that purity is all that is necessary for victory. But a presidential candidate, it turns out, requires a broader ideological attraction than your average tea party House freshman.

— Michael Gerson, writing in the op-ed section of the Washington Post.

Herman Cain Thinks Only Men Understand Political Policy

Buck Banks

Yes, President Obama is very likable to most people, if you just look at him and his family. But if you look at his policies, which is what most people disagree with, it’s a different story. And I think many men are much more familiar with the failed policies than a lot of other people, as well as the general public.

— Herman Cain, in a Fox News interview, attributing the gender gap to the fact that men are more familiar with policy, while “others” only know about the president’s family.