Sen. Dick Luger Ousted in Indiana

I predicted--and many pundits agree--that the anti-gay marriage amendment in North Carolina would be one of the last (or hopefully the last) gasps of the inaptly named "protect marriage" movement. Maybe a tad optimistic, but I think not far off. Now, I can only hope that the same can be said for the tea bagger tea party movement. Since they're sort of a bogus, "re-branded" extremist group, it's hard to call it much of a movement. What really happened was, the freaks that the GOP used to pander to--but never really let be in charge--kinda took over. It was a perfect storm of anti-black Obama sentiment, and the establishment Republicans were overrun. [Story continues below]



But I've been kind of hoping they already shot their wad. When they took 2010 by storm, and loaded up Congress and state houses across the country, it was a helluva thing. But they--being the loons they are--overreached spectacularly. Instead of the promised jobs, jobs, jobs we got: extreme anti-abortion legislation! Extreme anti-gay initiatives! Outlandish anti-union smashing! We got state legislators running roughshod over their opposition. All kinds of radical policy making that made a bunch of freshman Congresspeople and Governors very unpopular. Were it not for a recession and a deeply divided "us-vs.-them" political reality, this would have been one of the most spectacular flameouts in political history.

But the teapublicans have managed to hang around longer than they otherwise would have (but hey, they sure didn't get the presidential candidate they wanted, did they?). And on Tuesday night, they claimed at least one more scalp.

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Sen. Richard Lugar defeated in Indiana's GOP primary

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana lost his re-election bid in the state's Republican primary Tuesday, ending the 36-year career of a GOP elder statesman and handing the Tea Party movement its biggest upset victory so far in the 2012 elections. . . 

Read more at: USA Today

Wisconsin Gov. Walker's Aides Caught, Illegal Campaigning

Image from source, JSOnline

Soon to probably be recalled Governor Walker has all sorts of problems these days. He's sort of the walking definition of "political overreach." And now, the people who got him where he is are in trouble too. It's so terribly (chuckle) sad.

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Two ex-Walker aides charged with illegal campaigning

Two staffers who worked directly for Gov. Scott Walker while he was county executive were charged Thursday with illegally doing extensive political work while being paid by taxpayers to do county jobs.

One of the two, Darlene Wink, cut a deal with prosecutors under which she has agreed to provide information in a related investigation about the destruction of digital evidence and to aid in further prosecutions. This is the first indication that the multifaceted John Doe investigation may be pursuing charges of evidence tampering. . .

Read more at: JSOnline