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The Art of (Culture) War
Four years ago, I wanted John Kerry to pick John McCain as his running mate. He was an impressive politician to me then, willing to buck a then-über powerful Republican …
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Women's Groups Decry Appeal on Morning-After Pill
The Obama administration's decision to appeal a court order lifting age limits on purchasers of the morning-after pill set off a storm of criticism from reproductive rights groups, who denounced …
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Health Care
Senate GOP Releases 'Obamacare' Overhaul, but Not All Aboard
Senate Republicans released their long-awaited bill Thursday to dismantle much of Barack Obama's health care law, proposing to cut Medicaid and erase tax boosts that helped Obama finance his expansion …
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Embrace Immigrants, Pope Francis Urges Congress
Standing before a rapt Congress, Pope Francis issued a ringing call to action on behalf of immigrants Thursday, urging lawmakers to embrace "the stranger in our midst" as he became …
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Civil Rights
Mississippians Call for Hyde-Smith to Resign at Protests Following Videos
“A lot of the students who aren’t from Mississippi, from out north or out west, they’re like, ‘Really? Your public officials would say something like that?’ So they’re energized. People …
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In Survival Mode
I would daresay during the past two weeks, most of the population of Mississippi has been stressed out. In graduate school I once had a professor who made it her …
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Cover
Personhood: A Pandora's Box
Atlee Breland picked her three young children up from preschool and drove home to Brandon. A self-employed computer programmer, Breland is able to adjust her day around her children. Her …
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City & County
What Mississippi Voters Want
We asked Mississippi voters which issues they want candidates to talk about. From potholes, to poverty, to higher teacher pay and help with college, here’s what they told us.
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[JFP Classic] Mississippi: A Sad State for Women?
Sure, it may feel that way for at least one weekend in March in Jackson. But after the parade, "chicks rule" is still not exactly the state of affairs in …
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Now It’s Serious
Things just got serious. We have less than a week until the election, and I hope everyone understands how close this race is.
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Jamie Franks: ‘I'm Being Attacked'
Jamie Franks today sent out an e-mail to supporters, responding to the state (and national?) Republican Party's "liberal"-baiting campaign—"Too Liberal for Mississippi"—against him. Here is Franks' verbatim statement:
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Hear Them Roar ...
Women's issues—and women's votes—were front and center in the Nov. 6 vote.
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Business
Loving All Over Hobby Lobby
In September 2012, the American Family Association sent an action alert to its followers, urging them to support Hobby Lobby in its quest to deny insurance coverage of some contraception …
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Help Children, Don’t Attack Them
The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, where thousands of Central American children are being detained, is grave.
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How to Lower Teen Pregnancy
Women in Mississippi live in a state with some of the most oppressive laws in regards to reproductive health in the nation.
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Has 'Us vs. Them' Politics Taken Its Toll on Conservatism?
By Todd StaufferCall it "us vs. them politics"—like National Memo does in this piece—or what I call the "virtue of selfishness" that has been pushed for the last 30 years by conservative think tanks and pundits, but it boils down to this—social conservatives in this country like to blame the "other" for societal ills.
From the American Family Council calling an open-door campaign in the wake of anti-gay legislation "bullying" of Christians, to the persistent bellyaching here in the JFP comments about crime and social safety net programs, you see this "us vs. them" argument over and over again.
But here's what's interesting... the "us" may be getting smaller and smaller all the time.
For the first time since Gallup started asking the question in 1999, there's a tie between people who identify as "socially liberal" and those who identify as "socially conservative." The number is pinned at 31 percent each. Up until now, conservatives had led in that poll.
Likewise, on specific "moral" issues, again as measured by Gallup, the country has showed large left-ward shifts since 2001 on questions such as gay and lesbian acceptance, sex and childrearing out of wedlock, divorce, and stem cell research; smaller shift show on issues such as abortion rights, doctor-assisted suicide and against the death penalty.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/183413/americans-continue-shift-left-key-moral-issues.aspx
Going into an election year in Mississippi, we probably won't feel that shift; most likely the we'll hear more about conservative wedge issues such as immigration, marriage equality and irrational rallying cries against expanding Medicaid and education.
But on a national stage going into the 2016 elections, this tilting landscape could spell trouble for the GOP, especially as it seems largely intent on trotting out the same candidates and many of the same tropes that have failed them in previous presidential election cycles. From the Salon piece:
Gen-X dreamboats Marco Rubio and Scott Walker, on the other hand, are offering young people a bleak vision of endless war, antiquated social values and economic hardship and they know it. It matters little if that dark picture of the future is offered by a youthful fellow with an ethnic name. It’s embarrassing for the Republicans that they don’t understand that.
If the country continues on its path to the left on social issues, it does seem that the clever politician who can marry a fiscally moderate position (strong economy plus strong safety net plus modern education and workforce) with a leftward social platform will likely continue to win outside of the gerrymandered districts of Congress.
From there, it's a question of rallying voters to the cause of fixing broken Congressional districts and campaign finance, so the voice of the people truly be heard at all levels of government.
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At Capitol, Jackson a Winner and Loser
You know that old expression about the calm before the storm? Such has been the mood at the state Capitol for the past couple weeks. The relatively tranquil period follows …
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DOJ Not Pursuing Bribery Charges Against Stevens
An attorney handling the appeal of Paul Minor noted a sharp contrast between how the U.S. Department of Justice prosecuted Minor and how it is chasing Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. …
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In God He Trusts: The JFP Interview With Jim Wallis
Jim Wallis isn't your typical evangelical. Imagine Jimmy Carter, but scratch the accent. Thirty years ago, he founded Sojourners magazine, which covers issues on faith, politics and culture. In his …
