Take a look at the following at see how many of these you agree with.
From ABC:
Support for gay marriage, legalizing illegal immigrants and decriminalizing marijuana all are at new highs. Three-quarters of Americans favor federal regulation of greenhouse gases. Two-thirds support establishing relations with Cuba.
But hold tight.
If some views that may be perceived as liberal [...]

Well, at least it’s not “no.”
Here’s the commercial…

Catch the image of the Pentagon burning on 9/11/2001?
Note the meeting with the Congressional Hispanic caucus and Obama’s handshake were really close together?
Well, so did everybody, and they’re speaking out.
Here’s what Republican leaders say:
House Minority Leader John Boehner defended the video today, saying it was perfectly fair game.
“What [...]

That’s the speculation from NPR, but it’s definitely not as big a shakeup as if a conservative justice would have announced. Because even though Souter was appointed by the elder Bush, he has been long considered one of the more liberal Justices.
Here’s more…
So far as anyone knows, he is in good health. But he has [...]

You would think this year’s Mortgage Bankers Association annual meeting would be a rather solemn affair — given the criticism the industry has endured in recent months. But while filming at the meeting I found the bankers in a celebratory mood. The reason? A massive lobbying campaign against bankruptcy reform legislation known as “cram-down” was [...]

“You can’t just say no. You can’t just obstruct or obfuscate. Instead of just kind of grousing and complaining, it would do us all a whole lot of good if we actually started engaging directly in finding compromises and common ground and shared solutions.”
- Republican Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman in an interview with ABC News
Huntsman [...]

The first 100 days ends with this.

I’m too tried to really offer much commentary right now. Just wanted to share it.
In other words, have at it. :-)

As nations around the world confirm more and more cases of swine flu, the World Health Organization has decided to raise the phase of alert to 5, which is one level short of an all-out pandemic.
The WHO said the phase 5 alert means there is sustained human to human spread in at least two countries. [...]

The first confirmed death in the US.
Fron CNN:
A child in Texas has become the first fatality from swine flu in the United States, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
“I can confirm the very sad news out of Texas that a child has died of the H1N1 virus,” the [...]

Yes, it’s the obligatory 100 days post.
Here’s how that shakes out by party ID…

By political ideology…

By income…

And by age…

Check out more charts over at Gallup.

One moderate Republican apparently wasn’t enough.
From CNN:
Conservative host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday he isn’t sorry to see Arlen Specter leave the GOP — and that many Republicans wish the Pennsylvania senator would take a few others with him when he goes.
“A lot of people say, ‘Well, Specter, take [Sen. John] McCain with you. And his [...]

That’s 3 quarters in a row, and that hasn’t happened in nearly 40 years.
Also, the severity of the contraction during the last 2 quarters hasn’t happened for nearly 60 years.
More details about why…

Real nonresidential fixed investment decreased 37.9% in the first quarter.

Nonresidential structures decreased 44.2%.

Equipment and software decreased 33.8%.

Real residential fixed investment decreased 38%.

The only [...]

“It is true that being a Republican moderate sometimes feels like being a cast member of Survivor — you are presented with multiple challenges, and you often get the distinct feeling that you’re no longer welcome in the tribe. But it is truly a dangerous signal that a Republican senator of nearly three decades no [...]

I’m telling you, it’s going to happen one way or another, and now it seems to be tipping away from civil unions and towards full marriage rights.
In fact, a new NYTimes/CBS poll reveals that…

In March, 35% thought same sex couples should have no legal recognition. That numbers has dropped 7% since then.

69% of liberals support [...]

I guess this little baddie has been around a while…

For more on the recent outbreak, check out our Swine Flu Roundup.

There’s been a lot of talk about this little virus the past couple days, so I figured it might be helpful to connect everybody with some more stories that could help you sort the wheat from the chaff.
And away we go…

Officials in Mexico are scrambling to find the source of the infection, and it points [...]

Republicans can call Arlen Specter an opportunist all they like and maybe they’re right. But the fact remains, the senator’s party jump is the direct result of the Republican’s increasing intolerance of moderates within their party.
I understand that Specter is not a model Republican and that a primary challenge is often the price a politician [...]

Just for future reference, what you’re seeing above is considered a “pour.” You’ll need that information to weave your way through the mine field presented here by Fox News.
Let the apologizing begin…
A U.S. official with knowledge of the interrogation program told FOX News that the much-cited figure represents the number of times water was poured [...]

This is pretty big news. Reports out of Washington indicate Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter will switch parties moving from a Republican to a Democrat. The announcement is expected today or tomorrow.
Republicans in Pennsylvania have been planning to mount a primary challenge against Specter because the senator is viewed by party operatives as too liberal. Well, [...]

“The Federal Reserve has been hobbled by at least two major shortcomings that were primarily responsible for the current and several previous credit crises. Its failure to spot the importance of changing financial markets and its commitment to laisser faire economics were big mistakes and justify a fundamental overhaul of the Fed.”
- Henry Kaufman in [...]

They were polled and that’s their number. Personally, I think 9.8% is a rosy prediction. More on that later.
From USA Today:
The unemployment rate will peak at 9.8%, according to their median forecast, up a full percentage point from the prior survey in January. Twenty-one economists predict the unemployment rate will top out at 10% or [...]