Ben Shapiro explains why democrats worship big gov
Democrats are the worst America has to offer...
By: jasonr40jr25
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Ben Shapiro explains why democrats worship big gov - Video
Julian Huppert Election Liberal Democrats MP Digital debate
We caught up with Julian Huppert at Tech UK event recently to ask him for his take on the Digital sector. Tweet us your take @innotechlive @JulianHuppert And make sure you buy tickets for...
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Julian Huppert Election Liberal Democrats MP Digital debate - Video
High Profile Democrats Skipping Obama Visit to Kentucky
High Profile Democrats Skipping Obama Visit to Kentucky (April 2, 2015)
By: Washington Free Beacon
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High Profile Democrats Skipping Obama Visit to Kentucky - Video
Jonathan Martin in the New York Times:
The uproar set off by legislation in Indiana and Arkansas that sponsors billed as religious freedom measures not only signaled a revival of the culture wars, but also threw into stark relief the expectations and tensions in the coalitions that now make up the two major political parties.
The contrasting reactions to the proposals Democrats united in opposition, Republicans torn by dissent illustrates how the parties have effectively traded places.
Democrats, for decades a heterogeneous and often fractious amalgam of voters, have become overwhelmingly liberal on cultural issues like gay rights and abortion. Their belief reflects a party now dominated by a socially progressive coalition of millennials, minorities and wealthy, educated whites, many of them secular.
This is not quite right, if you look at the public opinion data.
Yes, Republicans are more divided than Democrats on basic support of same-sex marriage. Heres a graph from a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll:
But Democrats are actually slightly more divided than Republicans on the religious freedom measures. In this Pew survey, Republicans split 68 percent to 28 percent in favor of allowing businesses to refuse services for same-sex couples, while Democrats split 64 percent to 33 percent in favor of requiring business to provide services to all customers.
The other problem is this mixing of same-sex marriage and abortion under the broader label culture wars. (At one point, Martin throws in race under this label, making things even more complicated, but I wont get into that here.) Why shouldnt these issues be linked together?
For one, the politics of same-sex marriage and abortion are completely different. There is growing support for same-sex marriage, driven by generational differences. There is no growing support for abortion (or see here), and very modest differences across generations.
Second, it is not at all clear that Republicans are more divided on abortion than are Democrats. Republicans are more unified behind the label pro-life than Democrats are behind the label pro-choice. Democrats are slightly more unified on the question of whether abortion should be legal or illegal in all or most cases. Republicans are more unified on the question of whether abortion should be legal through 2o weeks vs. 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Read the rest here:
Monkey Cage: Democrats are divided on culture war issues, too
RICHMOND After a year of partisan warfare that brought Virginia to the brink of a state government shutdown, Gov. Terry McAuliffe has started showing Republicans so much love that he has some Democrats worried.
The same governor who blasted Republicans last year for demagoguery, lies, fear and cowardice has lately heaped praise on them, celebrating their willingness to find common ground in certain areas even as they blocked some of his top priorities.
That dramatic shift in tone is one that legislators and political strategists chalk up to McAuliffes growth as a governor, his humbling defeat on Medicaid expansion or his desire to shake his lightning-rod image to help his good friend Hillary Rodham Clinton win the swing state.
But it has some Democrats concerned as they head into General Assembly elections with the goal of convincing voters that Republicans are standing in McAuliffes way.
Weve got ... to be able to say, These Republicans are impossible to deal with, said Del. Marcus B. Simon (D-Fairfax). I understand the need to put that [positive] message out. But by emphasizing the areas we agree on, it makes it much more difficult to draw contrasts on some of the areas that we think are very important to Northern Virginia voters.
Others say those concerns are misplaced given how early it is in the election year. The former Democratic National Committee chairman has plenty of time to pivot from tossing out compliments to throwing bombs.
Thats a typical Virginia two-step: You want everybody to think things are great, and then in the election, you have to make them think itll only be great if they vote for your side, said Tucker Martin, a former spokesman for the previous governor, Robert F. McDonnell (R).
State Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico), chairman of the Senate Democratic caucus, said there is no conflict between acknowledging bipartisan achievements in some areas while gearing up to highlight sharp differences in others.
I think the commonwealth can celebrate that we have a governor that has been able to find common ground with the people across the aisle, he said. Obviously, there are places where we differ with Republicans, whether its gay rights or gun safety or Medicaid expansion, and well have ample time to drive those points home.
McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said the governor has good reason to cheer Republicans: He says theyve moved in his direction.
The rest is here:
McAuliffe suddenly seems chummy with Virginias GOP lawmakers