Another Dem

Newly-elected Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine has announced that he will caucus with the Democrats.

Since he replaces moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, that’s a pick-up for the Dems.

Heckuva job driving away your moderates, GOP.

Murkowski Gets It, But Too Late

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Republican from Alaska, now says she is sorry that she voted for the Blunt-Rubio Amendment, which would have allowed an employer to deny health insurance coverage, such as for contraception, for any religious or moral reason.

The only Republican to vote against the amendment was Sen. Olympia Snowe, who is retiring.

I had hoped to see Murkowski and Susan Collins of Maine join Snowe.

Blunt Amendment Defeated

The Blunt Amendment, which would allow an employer to deny health coverage for anything based on religious or moral objections, was defeated in the Senate, 51 to 48.

Thank you to Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine for voting against it.

Thumbs down to Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for voting for it, as did Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

You’re going to be sorry, Scott Brown.

President Obama’s compromise on contraception took care of the Catholic Church’s objections.  It actually made things much easier for the Church than existing law in many states, which the Church lives with.

This issue now has nothing to do with freedom of religion and everything to do with politics.  Knock yourself out, GOP, it’s ultimately a loser for you.

Quote of the Day

“We’re working in a parallel universe.”

Retiring Senator Olympia Snowe, moderate Republican of Maine, on the relationship, or lack thereof, between Democrats and the GOP.

Another One Bites the Dust

There aren’t many moderate Republicans left in the Senate.  Now another one, Olympia Snowe of Maine, is retiring.  I can’t say I blame her.  Pushing back against the crazy is an exhausting and losing battle right now.

Contraception Fight Divides GOP

President Obama seems to have united Dems behind him with his changes to the rule on providing free contraception under Obamacare.

Now it is the GOP that is splitting.  GOP leaders in the House and Senate are pushing legislation to abolish the rule altogether, so that contraception would not be covered.  But Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both R-Maine, are expressing satisfaction with Obama’s new policy, which has women deal directly with insurance companies when a religious-affiliated employer has First Amendment objections to providing contraceptive coverage.

The more extreme the GOP position, the more they will alienate women voters in 2012.

Marco Rubio, R-FL, who is leading the anti-contraception fight in the Senate and is being pushed for Veep, laughingly says that all of his four children were unplanned.  I don’t know if his wife thinks this is funny, but a lot of women, including many Catholic women, don’t.  He and Speaker Boehner, who is leading the fight in the House, are hopelessly out of touch on this issue, as usual.