Will Allegations of Inappropriate Conduct Derail the Cain Juggernaut?

Will allegations of inappropriate conduct against two former female National Restaurant Association staffers derail Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s improbable campaign?

Politico reported late on Sunday, Oct. 30, that the women accepted five figure settlements from the lobbying group in the 1990s after they complained that Cain, who was then the head of the trade association, had demonstrated inappropriate behavior towards them. Sources whom Politico did not identify said the reported incidents included sexually suggestive conversations that took place at conferences, at association events and in the organization’s offices and inappropriate physical gestures that made the women uncomfortable.

Cain topped a new poll of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers that the Des Moines Register released on Saturday, Oct. 29. These reported allegations come on the heels of the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO’s controversial comments on immigration and the release of an unconventional campaign video that features his campaign manager smoking a cigarette.

“Fearing the message of Herman Cain who is shaking up the political landscape in Washington, Inside the Beltway media have begun to launch unsubstantiated personal attacks on Cain,” the Cain campaign told Politico in a statement. “Sadly, we’ve seen this movie played out before – a prominent conservative targeted by liberals simply because they disagree with his politics.”

Presidential campaigns are certainly not for the faint of heart, but will these reported allegations prove the straw that broke the Cain juggernaut’s back?

Stay tuned.

Perry Backs Efforts to Repeal N.H. Marriage Equality Law

Speaking at Cornerstone Action's annual banquet in Manchester, N.H., on Friday, Oct. 28, Texas Gov. Rick Perry applauded lawmakers who back the repeal of New Hampshire's marriage equality law.

"As conservatives we believe in the sanctity of life. We believe in the sanctity of traditional marriage," said Perry, as reported by the Concord Monitor. "I applaud those legislators in New Hampshire who are working to defend marriage as an institution between one man and one woman, realizing that children need to be raised in a loving home by a mother and a father."

Perry made the remarks three days after the House Judiciary Committee recommended repealing the state's marriage equality law. A recent University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll found the majority of New Hampshire voters oppose any effort to repeal the statute, but legislators are poised to debate the issue early next year--the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary is likely to take place on Jan. 10.

Only four percent of Republican primary voters would vote for Perry, according to a UNH Survey Center/WMUR poll conducted earlier this month.

Gillibrand Introduces Bill to Ban Discrimination Against Prospective LGBT Adoptive and Foster Parents

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Friday, Oct. 28, introduced a bill that would prevent any agency that receives federal funding from disqualifying prospective adoptive or foster parents solely on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

“New York is a leader on ensuring that any family can adopt children and sets a great example for the rest of the country,” said Gillibrand in a statement that announced the introduction of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. She pointed out that New York increased its pool of prospective foster parents by 128,000 when the state eliminated all LGBT-specific barriers.

"This legislation would open thousands of new foster and adoptive homes to children ensuring they are raised in loving families,” added Gillibrand.

Utah, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina and Michigan currently bar same-sex couples from adopting children, while six others prohibit gay and lesbian parents from adopting their partner's children. Gillibrand points out that more than two dozen other states do not specifically address treatment of prospective LGBT foster and adoptive parents.

“We must support all qualified adults who are interested in providing a nurturing, adoptive home—regardless of their marital status or sexual orientation," said Linda Spears, vice president of policy and public affairs for the Child Welfare League of America. "Having a real life, caring parent is incredibly important for ensuring a child’s success. Sen. Gillibrand’s bill represents progress for these children whose goal is to simply be loved.”

Vincent Gray and Amy Winehouse Yuck It Up at High Heel Race

It was quite a scene at the 25th annual High Heel Race in Dupont Circle on Tuesday, Oct. 25, when D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray yucked it up with the late Amy Winehouse.

Gray literally stopped in his tracks when he spotted the troubled British chanteuse—who was actually Queen Bambi—amid the throngs of people who had descended upon on 17th Street. Gray posed for pictures with Winehouse, who suddenly died in August from alcohol poisoning, as onlookers reveled in the spontaneous spectacle.

This chance encounter undoubtedly provided a welcome reprieve from the series of damaging revelations and headlines that continue to threaten to derail the Gray administration.

Gay Servicemembers Challenge DOMA in Federal Court

A group of gay and lesbian servicemembers filed a lawsuit challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act in federal court in Boston on Thursday, Oct. 27.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Chadbourne and Parke held a press conference with the six active duty servicemembers and two veterans at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The plaintiffs argue that DOMA forces the military to deny their spouses access to bases, burial rights at national cemeteries and other benefits that heterosexual servicemembers' spouses automatically receive.

"The case we are bringing today is about one thing, plain and simple: It’s about justice for gay and lesbian servicemembers and their families," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "These couples are in long-term, committed and legally recognized marriages and the military shouldn’t be forced to turn their back on them because the federal government refuses to recognize their families."

The repeal of the Pentagon's ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers became official on Sept. 20.

The Obama administration announced earlier this year that it would no longer defend DOMA in federal court, but House Republicans continue to back the Clinton-era law. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin debate on a DOMA repeal bill on Nov. 3.

A Campaign Fleece for All

It is undoubtedly campaign season when presidential candidates begin to offer fleece to anyone who supports their White House aspirations.

"As the sun begins to set earlier and the air has that wonderful autumn crisp in it, our campaign would like to offer you an exclusive way to show your support," wrote Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in a fundraising appeal that her campaign sent to supporters earlier today in which she blasts President Barack Obama over the country's sluggish economy. "We have designed a 'Bachmann for President' fleece jacket to offer you as special gift if you make a donation of $75 or more to my campaign today. This is an exclusive fleece you can wear throughout the fall to show you stand for constitutional conservative values and support our campaign for president."

Not to be outdone by the Tea Party firebrand, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign is offering "an official Romney 2012 fleece pullover" to anyone who donates $60 or more to the campaign.

"Support Mitt in style while you're out at campaign rallies, phone banks, or watching the debates," wrote Zac Moffatt, digital director of the Romney campaign, in a pitch to supporters earlier on Wednesday, Oct. 26. "Remember that all purchases from the store are also donations to the campaign. So not only can you wear your support on your sleeve, but you'll also help provide the much-needed resources to defeat Obama and his failed policies in 2012."

With snow expected to fall across most of New Hampshire on Thursday, Oct. 27, these pullovers and jackets could quite possibly prove more than a seasonal gimmick to pad campaign coffers. The first-in-the-nation presidential primary is less than three months away for anyone who's counting!

N.H. Legislative Panel Recommends Repeal of Marriage Equality Law

The New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee voted 11-6 on Tuesday, Oct. 25, to recommend repealing the state's marriage equality law.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in the Granite State since Jan. 2010. State Rep. David Bates (R-Windham)'s bill would ban same-sex marriages in New Hampshire, but the measure would allow unmarried adults to enter into a civil union. A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll conducted between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2 found that 62 percent of voters oppose efforts to repeal the state's marriage equality law. Eighty-one percent of respondents said nuptials for gays and lesbians in New Hampshire have not impacted their life.

"It is astounding that Republican legislators would repeal New Hampshire's marriage equality law when not only do 60 percent of New Hampshire voters oppose the repeal, likely Republican presidential primary voters oppose repeal as well," New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Boy in Bushwick after the committee's vote. "The out of state radical agenda of Speaker Bill O'Brien has already made this legislature the most unpopular in New Hampshire history, playing games with thousands of families in New Hampshire is certainly not a popular path to take."

Maryland AG: Marriage Equality Bill Will Pass in 2012

Speaking at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 25, Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler predicted a marriage equality bill will pass in the state Legislature next year.



Gansler spoke at CAP after the think tank and other LGBT and progressive organizations released a report on the impact of social and legal inequalities on children with LGBT parents.

Obama Announces Total Troop Withdrawl from Iraq

President Barack Obama announced on Friday, Oct. 21, that the last American combat troops in Iraq will leave the country by the end of the year.

"I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year," said Obama in the White House briefing room, as reported by the Associated Press. "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over."

Obama in Aug. 2010 officially declared an end to U.S. combat in Iraq. More than 4,400 American servicemembers have lost their lives in the country since the war began in March 2003.

"I applaud President Obama for a promise kept," said California Sen. Barbara Boxer. "Today is a day to honor our troops and our military families who have sacrificed so much over the last nine years to give the Iraqi people a chance at a better future. It is now up to the Iraqis to secure their country and provide opportunity for all their people."

Obama's Approval Rating Slips to Historic Low

A new Gallup poll shows that President Barack Obama's approval rating has fallen to 41 percent.

This figure is the average approval rating from Gallup Daily tracking polls from July 20 through Oct. 19--Congress agreed to raise the country's debt ceiling in early August, while Standard and Poor's downgraded the United States' credit rating a few days later. Persistent high unemployment rates and ongoing wrangling over the economy and Obama's new jobs bill further polarized an already angry electorate going into the 2012 election cycle.

The only president since Dwight D. Eisenhower to have had a lower job approval rating at this point in his presidency was Jimmy Carter. His job approval rating averaged only 31.4 percent between July 20 and Oct. 19, 1979.

Gillibrand Stumps for Giffords’ Reelection Campaign

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand describes Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as a “fighter who gets things done” in a fundraising pitch she sent on behalf of her close friend’s re-election campaign on Thursday, Oct. 20.

“Watching Gabby triumph over adversity has given me the strength and courage to keep up the fight in Washington,” said Gillibrand, referring to Giffords’ remarkable recovery after Jared Lee Loughner allegedly shot her in the head outside a Tucson supermarket in January. The massacre left six people dead and Giffords and 13 others wounded.

“We need Gabby in Congress, not only because she's a fighter who gets things done, but because she is a unique leader who can help bridge the divide that has fractured our nation for far too long,” added Gillibrand.

Republican Presidential Candidate Threatens to Boycott Florida Orange Juice Over Primary Date

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger is threatening to boycott Florida orange juice if the state does not reschedule its GOP primary.

"Voters need time during the coming months to fully vet all eleven serious Republican Presidential candidates," said Karger in a letter he sent to Gov. Rick Scott, House Speaker Dean Cannon and Secretary of State Kurt Browning on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Florida officials threw the Republican presidential nomination process into disarray earlier this month when they announced that they would hold the state's primary on Jan. 31. Nevada Republicans announced that they will hold their caucuses on Jan. 14, while New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said last week that he could not rule out a December primary.

"Florida would potentially rob American voters of two months of campaigning which only helps the frontrunner," said Karger, who described Florida's move as "ill-conceived" and "un-American." "As one of these candidates for president, I cannot sit idly by while the state of Florida threatens the entire selection process.

Gays and lesbians were among those who boycotted Florida orange juice after Anita Bryant successfully led an effort to repeal then-Dade County's anti-discrimination ordinance in 1977. "I was involved in the Anita Bryant inspired Florida Orange Juice Boycott in 1978, and am keenly aware of the economic pressure that boycotts wield," said Karger.

Karger said he will officially launch the boycott if Florida officials do not reschedule the primary by Nov. 1.

Poll: 64 Percent of Americans Blame Washington for Bad Economy

Following last night's Republican kerfuffle in the desert, a new poll finds Americans are more than twice as likely to blame Washington for the country's economic problems than Wall Street.

Sixty-four percent of Americans who responded to the Gallup/USA Today poll on Oct. 15-16 said they blame the federal government for the country's sluggish economy. Only 30 percent of respondents said financial institutions on Wall Street are to blame.

Does the Occupy Movement Have Clearly Defined Goals?

Does the Occupy movement have clearly defined goals?

I continuously asked myself this question as I walked around the Occupy Boston encampment on the Greenway outside South Station on Monday, Oct. 17. The anger and frustration towards Wall Street, corporate America, the federal government, the police and even the media was certainly palpable. Occupy Boston organizers have even begun to organize General Assemblies and caucuses that clearly indicate they have no intentions of leaving Dewey Square. As impressive as these efforts are, the question remains whether they are enough to effectively captivate an angry electorate ahead of the 2012 elections?

Sixty-three percent of respondents to a Gallup poll conducted over the past weekend said they did not know enough about the Occupy movement to say whether they approved or disapproved of its goals. Another 55 percent said they did not know enough about the Occupy movement to say whether they approved or disapproved of the way the protests are being conducted. The poll further indicates that only 56 percent of Americans are following the Occupy movement closely.

Occupiers certainly have justifiable grievances against corporate greed and the political system that continues to disenfranchise the vast majority of Americans. The democratic traditions upon which this country was built continues to allow the Occupy protestors to air them, but it remains to be seen whether the movement will achieve more than providing a colorful snapshot du jour of an increasingly frustrated, angry and polarized country.

Postcards from Occupy Boston

A week after Boston police arrested more than 140 Occupy Boston protesters, dozens of tents remain in the Greenway near Dewey Square adjacent to South Station.

Boston is among the dozens of cities around the world in which protesters remain encamped as part of the Occupy movement. Others include New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and London.

Poll: Most N.H. Voters Oppose Efforts to Repeal Marriage Equality Law

A new poll indicates the vast majority of New Hampshire voters support the state's marriage equality law.

Sixty-two percent of respondents who participated in a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll conducted between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2 said they oppose efforts to repeal the law. Forty-four percent of New Hampshire voters are more likely to vote against a candidate who supports repealing the statute, while 47 percent of respondents said marriage equality has had no impact on New Hampshire. Eighty-one percent of respondents said nuptials for gays and lesbians in the Granite State have not impacted their life.

State lawmakers are poised to debate the issue in January, which could potentially coincide with the presidential primary. Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in New Hampshire since Jan. 2010.

A poll in February also found the majority of New Hampshire voters support marriage equality.

New Hampshire Officials Considering December Primary

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said on Wednesday, Oct. 12, that the Granite State could hold its primary as early as Dec. 6 if Nevada Republicans do not agree to hold their caucuses on or after Jan. 17.

New Hampshire law requires that the state to hold its primary at least seven days before other state. Nevada Republicans announced last Wednesday that they will hold their caucuses on Jan. 14. This move prompted Iowa Republicans to announce that they could potentially hold their caucuses before the end of the year.

"The dates of Tuesday, December 13th, and Tuesday, December 6th are realistic options, and we have logistics in place to make either date happen if needed," said Gardner in his strongly worded statement. "Candidates have been campaigning here, and elsewhere, for months, and it is about time we begin the next stage of the presidential nominating process."

Frank Kameny Passes Away

Longtime LGBT activist Frank Kameny passed away in his Washington, D.C., home late on Tuesday, Oct. 11. He was 86.

Metroweekly reported that Kameny, who founded the Mattachine Society of Washington in 1961 after he was fired from his job at the Army Map Service four years earlier, passed away in his sleep.

“Frank Kameny led an extraordinary life marked by heroic activism that set a path for the modern LGBT civil rights movement," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "From his early days fighting institutionalized discrimination in the federal workforce, Dr. Kameny taught us all that 'Gay is Good.' As we say goodbye to this trailblazer on National Coming Out Day, we remember the remarkable power we all have to change the world by living our lives like Frank--openly, honestly and authentically.”

Gay Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank mourned Kameny in a statement he released earlier on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

“The death of Frank Kameny is a very sad day for those who believe that all people in this country should be treated fairly. No one in our history had a longer record of commitment to and leadership of the fight for civil rights for all. When he was himself the victim of discrimination decades ago, unlike almost every other victim of the homophobia that then pervaded the country, Frank Kameny fought back. His courageous, creative assault on bigotry is one of the rocks on which the movement for LGBT rights is founded, and the successes we have had in recent times owe a great deal to him," he said. “All of us who are continuing the fight will remain indebted to him, inspired by him, and regretful that we will no longer have the benefit of his advice, his encouragement, and perhaps most importantly, his impatience.”

Congressional Job Approval Once Again Drops to Historical Low

This headline should not surprise anybody.

A new Gallup poll indicates Congressional job approval has dropped to a historically low 13 percent. Only 14 percent of Republicans and Democrats approve this Congress, while Congressional job approval among independents was 13 percent. Only eight percent of respondents 55 and older said they back Congress.

Gallup recorded the same dismal statistics in August and again in Dec. 2010.

Chris Christie Endorses Mitt Romney

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie officially endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president at a press conference in Hanover, N.H., earlier on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Christie, who announced last week that he would not seek the presidency in 2012, endorsed Romney hours before Dartmouth College will host the latest Republican presidential debate.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty endorsed Romney last month after he ended his campaign following a disappointing showing in the Iowa Straw Poll in August.