{"id":10859,"date":"2013-08-14T01:50:12","date_gmt":"2013-08-14T08:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=10859"},"modified":"2013-08-14T01:50:12","modified_gmt":"2013-08-14T08:50:12","slug":"open-thread8142013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/14\/open-thread8142013\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–8\/14\/2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

Writing for tomorrow, day 61, I\u2019m motoring to get ready to leave for my prison volunteer work.  Pardon my brevity.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 4:08 (average 5:03).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>Mrs. Clinton, in remarks delivered at the American Bar Association conference here, condemned the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act<\/a>, which has paved the way for states to pass laws that would require voters to present government-issued photo identification at the polls\u2026 <\/p>\n

She urged them to fight voter identification laws in their communities, but she also pleaded with the members of a \u201cgridlocked Congress\u201d to quickly enact legislation that would make it easier to vote. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur government cannot fully represent the people unless it has been fairly elected by them,\u201d Mrs. Clinton said. <\/p>\n

Although she has largely avoided politics since leaving the State Department in February \u2014 devoting her time to delivering paid speeches to trade groups and finishing a memoir about her time as the country\u2019s top diplomat \u2014 she said Monday that voting rights would be the first of several major issues, including transparency in government and the global impact of the United States\u2019 foreign policy, that she plans to address in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n

I fully agree with her. However, in fairness, I must say she has a vested interest here. Her election may well depend on a fair vote, and this does look like the beginning of her Campaign 2016.<\/font><\/p>\n

From MSNBC<\/a>: <\/font>Rachel Maddow about that Republican fringe<\/p>\n

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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news<\/a>, world news<\/a>, and news about the economy<\/a><\/p>\n

Oregon Republicans lead the way too, but in their case, it’s the wrong way. That hateful Art Robinson blew millions of billionaire bucks trying to unseat Peter DeFazio (D-OR), one of Congress’ most progressive voices. The thing to note about the Republican fringe is that they are the same as the Republican mainstream.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Right Wing Watch<\/a>: <\/font>Rick Santorum says the term \u201cmiddle class\u201d is \u201cMarxism talk\u201d since America doesn\u2019t have any classes.<\/font><\/p>\n