Love Is All We Need.

Yesterday was a very special day at the Clark County Clerk's Office. For the first time ever, marriage licenses were being issued to all couples requesting licenses. Finally, Las Vegas was truly living up to its reputation as "The Marriage Capital of the World".



The crowd was huge at the Clark County Clerk's Office last night. The crowd wasn't as huge, however, at the Washoe County Clerk's Office. Nonetheless, the fortunate couples in Reno were greeted by flowers, cheers, and the marriage licenses they've been waiting so long for.



Finally, finally, marriage equality is now the law of the land here in Nevada. Kristy Best & Wednesday Smith were the very first same-sex couple to obtain a marriage license in Nevada, as the Carson City Clerk's Office decided not to wait any longer for the formal injunction order that Clark & Washoe were still waiting for. But once that injunction order was issued (preventing any further enforcement of Nevada's marriage ban), Theodore Small & Antioco Carillo became the first Clark County same-sex couple to obtain a marriage license. Shortly after, Karen Vibe & Karen Goody became the first Washoe County same-sex couple to obtain a marriage license.

Shortly after, State Senator Kelvin Atkinson (D-North Las Vegas) tied the knot with Sherwood Howard. Later in the evening, RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Quarterfinalist Coco Montrese (aka Martin Cooper) became the first "Diva of Las Vegas" to obtain a marriage license. And the fun didn't even stop there. All through the night, Las Vegas wedding chapels stayed open to help newly licensed couples "put a ring on it".



Yep, this really happened. And why not? This was a night some fourteen years in the making.

In 2000, Question 2 was placed on the ballot by the usual H8 filled suspects with the intent of ensuring these joyous moments would never occur. In 2002, they succeeded when Question 2 passed Round 2 on the ballot. And for the next decade, the usual H8 filled suspects had immense political juice in this state.

But when US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) made his big announcement in May 2012, something changed. While Senator Reid had already been quietly evolving on this matter, his public proclamation radically changed the political dynamics of the marriage fight in this state. And of course, the Sevcik v. Sandoval law suit forever changed the legal dynamics in this state.



Back in 2010, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) reminisced on the dark days of 2002. And she summed up quite nicely why the Question 2 marriage ban would be struck down four years later. Why stop love? Why would someone even want to try stopping loving couples from enjoying their lives together? Just take a closer look at the couples featured above. Do you want to stop them?

Love is love is love. And now, love can no longer be stopped here in Nevada. Now, love (along with $60 for the license fee) is all one needs to be married here in Nevada. And yes, this is most definitely something to celebrate.

Happy Marriage Equality Day, Nevada!

It's here! It's finally here! It's finally happening.

Washoe and Clark Counties are now good to go. Carson City was actually first to the marriage equality party, as the County Clerk there decided not to wait for Judge Mahan's order. But once that injunction order hit the Twitter wires, everyone else quickly hopped on board the Equality Express.

Here's the official Freedom Nevada statement on today's joyous news.

“Today is a day for the history books. The freedom to marry has come to Nevada, and soon across our great state, loving same-sex couples will at long last share in the respect and dignity only marriage can provide,” said [State Director Ward] Curtin.



“From this day forward, marriage equality will strengthen our families, strengthen our communities and make Nevada a better place to live and work.”



“We are forever grateful for the incredible legal team at Lambda Legal and the brave plaintiff couples who put their families front and center in this historic fight. Without their heroic efforts, today’s victory would not have been possible.”

And here's Lt. Governor candidate Lucy Flores (D) on tonight's most pleasant (not really a) surprise.

“My sincere congratulations to my good friends Kelvin and Woody,” Assemblywoman Flores said in her official statement. “This is a great day for the LGBTQ community in Nevada. Allowing people to marry who they love is fundamentally the right thing to do. Very soon all Nevadans will be able to experience the legal rights that come with full marriage.”



“It is unfortunate that my opponent does not support equal rights,” she continued – referring to Sen. Mark Hutchison, the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor.

Here's what Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) tweeted:

#MarriageEquality finally! Congratulations to the couples getting married! #Nevada is on the right side of history! #NVproud #LGBT

Oh, and according to KSNV/News 3's Reed Cowan, State Senator Kelvin Atkinson (D-North Las Vegas) is now married! Congrats to Kelvin & Woody!

Consider this an open thread. We may update later if more major news breaks. Otherwise, we'll have a clean summary of the big break tomorrow morning.

Happy Marriage Equality Day, Nevada!

Marriage Equality... Is Finally Coming to Nevada!

Boom goes the dynamite. Just like this, it's over.

We hold that the Idaho and Nevada laws at issue violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because they deny lesbians and gays who wish to marry persons of the same sex a right they afford to individuals who wish to marry persons of the opposite sex, and do not satisfy the heightened scrutiny standard we adopted in SmithKline.

Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote the majority opinion. Judges Marsha Berzon and Ronald Gould agreed, so the panel was unanimous in rendering this decision. The full Ninth Circuit opinion is now up. And like that, marriage equality is coming to Nevada! Oh, and it's coming to Idaho, too!

Actually, this is no suprise. Back in September, the Ninth Circuit judges were highly skeptical of the H8ers' whines and screams. H8ers are going to hate... But the Ninth Circuit panel wanted none of it.

Now keep in mind that this decision will not be appealed by the State of Nevada. And since the US Supreme Court just turned down seven cases appealing lower court pro-marriage rulings, it's probably a good idea for our world famous wedding chapels to prepare for the onslaught of wedding requests that's about to begin any day now.

Moments ago, Reps. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) & Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) tweeted their congratulations. We're still awaiting word from Cresent Hardy (R-"Segregation Laws"), Adam Laxalt (R-"Political Issues"), & Barbara Cegavske (R-License to Discriminate). And we have a feeling we'll see far more reactions from elected officials across the state as the news sets in.

"Rebranding" BS

Earlier this month, we noted the lower House of Congress' failure to ensure equal access to military family benefits. Yes, you read that right. The G-O-TEA led House could not even agree to that.

Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) has been working on this issue for some time. And finally, she succeeded this month at securing a committee vote for her legislation as an amendment to a related veterans' bill. It then lost by one vote.

Obviously, Rep. Titus was upset. However, she's not alone on this.



And she isn't stopping on this one issue. Yesterday, Rep. Titus joined Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) in signing a discharge petition for ENDA. And as of today, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) now has 75 signatures for his ENDA discharge petition.

The catch? All 75 of those signatures are from Democrats. And House Republican "leaders" just canceled all remaining work days until after the election. How sweet. So right after Congress returns from summer recess, the House will essentially enjoy a fall recess. We wonder where else one can find so many paid vacation days.

Unfortunately for millions of LGBTQ American workers, it's far from easy to even feel safe at work. Rep. Polis has amended the House version of ENDA to close any & all loopholes opened by the US Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision. Even though President Obama did sign an executive order forbidding federal contractors from engaging in employment discrimination, that still leaves millions of LGBTQ Americans throughout the nation who simply have the misfortune of living in a state without a state level ENDA and working for a company without any federal contracts.

Last November, the US Senate passed ENDA on a broad, bipartisan 64-32 vote of approval. Yet since then, the House has refused to take it up. Just like House Republican "leaders'" blithe dismissal of military equality legislation, they've been awfully swift in shooting down any & all attempts at bringing ENDA to the House floor.

Last November, the Republican Party's internal culture war burst onto national media headlines when Liz Cheney nearly disowned her sister in preparation for a US Senate campaign in Wyoming. Yet while Liz Cheney later abandoned her diastrous attempt at electoral politics to return to the cozy confines of the Northern Virginia DC suburbs, her sister Mary Cheney continues to plead with her party to make peace with the 21st century. Unfortunately for her and other Republican campaign consultants hoping to "revamp the party's image", the 21st Century Know Nothings continue pulling the G-O-TEA in more of a 19th century direction.



They're still struggling to accept marriage equality. They're still attacking transgender Americans with reckless abandon. They won't allow a floor vote on ENDA. And they can't even allow equal access to military spousal benefits. And we're supposed to believe "Republican rebranding" is real?

Sure, it's real... Bull$h!+.

12-13

The vote was 12-13. Just 1 more vote could have made the difference for many thousands of American military/veteran families. But alas, it lost 12-13.

In June, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) introduced legislation to ensure LGBTQ military families have the same access to military spousal benefits as all other military families. Today, it finally had a vote in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee as an amendment to another bill. And it lost 12-13.

In an interesting twist, outgoing Rep. Jon Runyan (R-New Jersey) voted for Rep. Titus' amendment. He also signed on as a cosponsor of ENDA earlier this year. He actually wasn't the only Republican cosponsor of ENDA on that committee...



Yet he was the only Republican vote for Rep. Titus' amendment that would have simply guaranteed equal access to military spousal benefits regardless of which state one lives in. So the amendment failed 12-13.

They've tried "softer lighting". They've tried "softer language". And they've made endless attempts at "rebranding". However, no amount of "Republican rebranding" can truly obscure what all but one of them did today. (And he just happened to be the one who's retiring from Congress this year.)

Next time anyone tries to goad you into thinking "Republican rebranding" is anything more than the vacuous shtick it truly is, remind that someone of this vote. Go ahead and remind that someone that even the allegedly "pro-equality" on this House committee voted down this critical amendment that simply would have given thousands of military families the peace of mind they deserve. Remind that someone that thanks to their craven refusal to drop the "TEA" for once and do something useful for a change, actual soldiers/veterans and their loved ones were given the shaft.

The vote was 12-13. The lower House of Congress had yet another opportunity to prove to Americans that they can actually be productive. But yet again, House Republican "leaders" fail to provide any sort of leadership.

Where to Start on Isis

This is something we touched upon last month. And this is something we must talk about today. Iraq is pretty much on a razor's edge right now. And now that Isis is killing journalists along with soldiers as it expands into Syria, alarm bells are ringing.

Even here in Nevada, Members of Congress are demanding some sort of strategy to take down Isis. But what should we do?



The usual "TEA" fueled suspects actually seem to be advocating exactly what Isis wants: a 21st century "crusade". And for a number of Republican politicians, neoconservative belligere nce is suddenly en vogue again. We guess all it takes is a foreign crisis for "libertarian populism" to be thrown out the window.

President Obama has already ordered air strikes against Isis in Iraq. Now, the President is considering rallying allies to expand the air campaign into Syria. This is now on top of the agenda at the NATO summit in Estonia (alongside the ongoing conflict in Ukraine).

Already, we're hearing plenty of opinions on what to do in Syria & Iraq. And that's all fine & dandy. We just need to see this debate move into Congress.

That's where it needs to be. That's where military action must be authorized before it proceeds. And no matter how much they want to avoid going on record with a floor vote, that's what must happen.

There are no easy answers here. There are plenty of good reasons to doubt the utility of yet another large scale US military intervention in the Middle East... But can we afford to do nothing? Some sort of action may be needed to curb Isis, but that action probably shouldn't involve useless bluster.

So what should we do? What we know for sure is that it needs to start with Congress stepping up to the plate.

Political Stunt

They did it. They really did it. And as expected, they did it nearly entirely along party lines.

The final vote was 225-201. 5 Republicans ended up joining 196 Democrats in voting against HR 676. Both Reps. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) & Mark Amodei (R-Carson City) voted in favor.

So what did they vote for last night? Essentially, they celebrated the "Prelude to Impeachment".



Congress is about to leave for August recess. And the lower House of Congress had a lengthy "to do list" to tackle before leaving. The House accomplished nothing on that list. Instead, House Republican "leaders" embarked on their last ditch effort to placate their party's true leaders.

Suffice to say, they're still not amused. And suffice to say, none of the House Democrats were amused by this maelstrom of nonsense. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) certainly was not.



We can understand why Rep. Titus is upset. That full "to do list" remains completely unfulfilled. Comprehensive immigration reform? Nope, and they couldn't even agree on a supplemental border bill. Unemployment insurance (UI) extension? Nope, there's still no end date for the unnecessary #RenewUI tragedy. All inclusive ENDA? Nope, instead they want to launch this law suit because President Obama dared to make up for their inaction with a limited executive order targeting some anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination! Oh, and they want to launch this law suit because the President may take some further executive action on immigration reform.

And of course, the list goes on. Among other things, they have screamed at President Obama for doing what they refused to do to combat both climate change and economic ruin. They have also fumed at President Obama for trying to fill some of the void they left when they refused to even consider raising the minimum wage and America's standard of living. Congress had the chance to do something on all this and more, but instead House Republican "leaders" decided to throw an Impeachapalooza pre-party.

And here we are. Here we are, gazing at perhaps the most epic of EPIC FAILs we've ever seen emerge from Congress. No wonder why Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) is not impressed.



Neither are most Americans outside the Beltway. Hell, even the Republicans' own "TEA" fueled base are not satisfied by this barely veiled political stunt. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Grand Marnier) may be patting himself on the back over this blatantly political stunt... And he's the only one amused by this.

Not Their Strong Suit

We know where they're going with this. We've known for some time where they're going with this. We already know their final destination is Impeachapalooza.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Newport) can cry all he wants about his beloved law suit, but we all know what's actually hiding behind it. (Here's a hint for all who are still wondering what is: impeachment.) Oh, and speaking of that law suit against President Obama for daring to do his job, the House Judiciary Committee voted strictly along party lines (7-4) to authorize it.

So why do House Republicans want to impeach sue President Obama? Apparently, he issues executive orders every once in a while. And sometimes, he'll issue executive orders on major policies, such as the one barring federal contractors from discriminating against LGBTQ workers. Occasionally, he's even refused to defend certain statutes in court when he's considered them unconstitutional (such as DOMA, and the US Supreme Court ultimately agreed with him on that). Even though numerous other Presidents have issued executive orders and exercised broad discretion when enforcing statutes, House G-O-TEA "leaders" now express "OUTRAGE!!!" over this President and his executive actions.



Why might that be? Do they truly object to executive power? (If so, where were they when George W. Bush was President?) Or do they just object to what President Obama is doing with it?



If House Republican "leaders" so strongly object to the content of the President's executive actions, they can always correct this by actually allowing floor votes on permanent legislation. They can finally allow a floor vote on an all-inclusive ENDA. They can ensure transgender Americans have the same access to health care coverage as everyone else. And they can guarantee that married LGBTQ families receive equal treatment under the law.

However, they're not doing any of that. Instead, they whine about "teh gay cootiez" as they complain about President Obama still being President Obama. And they wonder why we simply can't take this farce of a law suit seriously?

Who Are You?

Who are you? No really, stop and think about that. And think about what makes you who you are.

Who are you? What defines you? How do you see yourself? And why?

Debi Jackson had to confront this when her daughter came out to her. She was 4 at the time, and she already knew she's a girl. Debi Jackson did a Google search, realized her daughter is indeed a transgender girl, and then moved quickly to provide her daughter with the love & support she needed.



If only more people had the insight and compassion of Debi Jackson. Students like Jayce Marcus, Domaine Javier, & Christian Minard now have to fight against discrimination at the very institutions of higher learning that are supposed to provide a safe & supportive environment for them. Trudy Kitzmiller & Kristen Skinner had to threaten legal action to just to obtain proper customer service at the West Virginia DMV. And Mia Henderson was found murdered in Baltimore yesterday.



And now, LGBTQ Americans must ponder a new threat to equality. Last month, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Hobby Lobby case that caused epic confusion. And now that 5 Supreme Court Justices seem to believe that corporations have license to do a number of things under the guise of "religious freedom", several LGBTQ civil rights organizations have decided to back away from the current version of ENDA in Congress due to its religious exemptions. In addition, they're urging President Obama to refrain from including religious exemptions in his executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against LGBTQ workers.

Think about that. It's 2014. And still, millions of Americans must worry about things like whether they can live as "normal" families, whether they can hold a job, whether they can stay in school, and even whether they can manage to live another day.



Who are they? Who are these people? We are people. We are workers. We are students. We are veterans. We are DREAMers. We are parents. We are families. We are Americans, Americans with Constitutional rights.

Who are you? Are you a mere "political issue"? Or are you a real human being who deserves real respect?

Variations?

Today marks a major anniversary. Just a year ago today, the US Supreme Court issued its ruling on US v. Windsor. And ever since then, we've seen a flurry of federal court rulings throughout the nation in favor of marriage equality.

Earlier today, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) took to the House floor to celebrate the anniversary.



However, she didn't stop there. In recent weeks, Rep. Titus has also been speaking up and demanding full equality for LGBTQ veterans.



LGBTQ families still face difficulties in securing the veterans' benefits they earned. And while "Don't Ask Don't Tell" may be over for gay, lesbian, and bisexual soldiers, trans* soldiers still can't serve their nation openly. There's still plenty of unfinished business in and out of The Pentagon when it comes to LGBTQ civil rights...

So why can't Rep. Joe Heck (R-What?!) and Senator Dean Heller (R-Why?) see this? Rep. Heck still can't serve anything other than a tossed word salad. And Senator Heller? Well, he... He... He... Actually, we'll let Ralston try to explain this one.

What does @SenDeanHeller mean? He's against gay marriage, but there are "variations" in marriage between a man and a woman? Jabberwocky.

Now we'll give credit where credit is due. Last November, Senator Dean Heller did ultimately vote for ENDA. He has made some progress in accepting LGBTQ civil rights. So why is it so difficult for Senator Heller to accept what Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) now celebrates, Senator Harry Reid (D) cheers on, and most other Nevadans now strongly support?

Do he and Rep. Heck share the same "political issues" with Adam Laxalt? Are they just as confused about "segregation laws" as Cresent Hardy? Or do they actually believe "Republican rebranding" can magically make this inconvenient "political issue" go away?

This may be an inconvenient "political issue" for G-O-TEA politicians like Heller, Heck, & Hardy. But for Americans like Yaz’min Shancez and Brittany-Nicole Kidd-Stergis, this literally means life or death. For millions of American workers, this means dollars and sense. For millions of American families, this means love and honor. And for a number of American veterans and active servicemembers, this means dignity & respect.

Senator Heller and other G-O-TEA politicians might like to believe there are "different variations" of equality, but the only true type of equality is actual equality. How many "different variations" of this simple message must spread before they finally get it?

Foul

Right now, a whole lot of Americans are watching the World Cup. And why not? Team USA is performing surprisingly well in Brazil. And right now, millions of Americans are trying to figure out whatever excuse they can latch onto in order to watch the games.

So we have a whole lot of Americans rooting for the American soccer team. How much more patriotic can we get? According to G-O-TEA soccer team reject washed up troll soon-to-be-unemployed circus clown pundit extraordinaire Ann Coulter, this isn't patriotic at all. And why's that? Oh, Latin@ Americans immigrants love soccer! And of course, this column wouldn't be from Ann Coulter unless it had some extra xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, and plain old stupidity tossed in for "good measure".



Believe it or not, Ann Coulter and her fellow fire breathing G-O-TEA pundits from hell are dictating immigration policy in the lower House of Congress. Of course, this is not really a surprise to those of us who have been keeping track of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Marlboro) smoke signals. It's been evident for some time that House G-O-TEA "leaders" care more about their pyrrhic political victories than they do about accomplishing anything in their chamber. Even though it's now been a year since the US Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), they've made it clear that they'd rather waste taxpayers' time & money trying to impeach President Obama on frivolous law suits.

And speaking of those frivolous law suits, it's increasingly looking like they will be targeting DACA. Oh, yes. That's right. They're going there again. They're once again demanding the deportations of DREAMers.



Never mind that these Americans want the same opportunity to succeed that all the rest of us take for granted. Never mind that American families continue to be torn apart while the House continues to block bipartisan legislation that the Senate passed a year ago. And never mind that passing CIR would actually benefit our economy. No, House G-O-TEA "leaders" would rather continue pandering to their 21st Century Know Nothing base with dirty underwear, vendettas against Spanish language media, and attacks on the entire Latin American region (??!!) than accomplish anything worthwhile.

Oh, and of course, they're now attacking soccer... Because immigration. Yet in a bizarre way, it makes sense why they now hate soccer. They just don't their foul called out.

Impeachment Games

And it's on! We always suspected this is what they've been aiming for. But now, it's increasingly clear what their ultimate goal has been all along.

Benghazi. IRS. Bergdahl. And all the G-O-TEA's other haute faux "OBAMA SCANDALZZZ!!!111111!!!!!!1" They never really cared about any of that, especially since there's never actually been "any there there". No, they've just wanted some excuse, any excuse, to impeach President Obama.



Earlier today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Jack Daniel's) announced a law suit against President Obama. For what? And why? He doesn't know yet, but he'll get back to us when he figures it out.

Wow. Perhaps this is why even Fox "News" pundits are questioning the utility of this law suit over nothing...



Except that we know that it's not for nothing. Rather, we know the real goal of this suit. We know the real goal is a little thing called impeachment. Remember the 1990s? Go ahead and feel the deja vu.

Yet while House G-O-TEA "leaders" want "Impeachapalooza: The Sequel", the rest of the nation wants something else. Here's a hint: #4jobs. And for all those 3 million+ Americans who are still seeking jobs, they just want a chance to survive.

While House G-O-TEA "leaders" are obsessing over scoring political points with campaign tactics that used to be considered actual punishment for real high crimes and misdemeanors, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas), Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise), and a bipartisan group of other House Members are introducing the same #RenewUI.



It's been nearly 6 months since Congress let the federal extension of unemployment insurance (UI) expire. Since then, over 37,000 Nevadans and 3 million Americans have been forced into unnecessary hardship. And even though the Senate has already passed bipartisan legislation to #RenewUI, House G-O-TEA "leaders" have still refused to bring it to the floor.

Instead, they're now playing impeachment games. It's nice for them that they don't have to worry about how they'll be paying the bills. Unfortunately for all the rest of us, we don't have the luxury of all this time & money to waste on impeachment games.

Up in Flames

It's hot outside. And it's quite dry. Yep, it's awfully dry outside.

How dry? Take a look at this map. The drought continues to worsen. And as the drought worsens, so does risk of more epic wildfires burning across Nevada.



Mount Charleston, as well as the Las Vegas Valley below, were seriously threatened by the Carpenter 1 Fire nearly a year ago. Chris Giunchigliani understands this quite well, as she spends plenty of time with her neighbors & constituents in Las Vegas and at her mountain house on Mount Charleston. Chris Giunchigliani has experienced firsthand the effects of climate change, and she urged others in Southern Nevada to take this threat seriously.



From Wall Street titans to mayors across the nation and The Pentagon, Americans want strong action to take on climate change. And Nevada, the rest of the nation, and the rest of the world stand to benefit from strong climate change.



But of course, Cliven Bundy and his merry gang of "outlaw cowboys" refuse to accept this. The Bundy Gang are too busy "going Hollywood" to worry about such things as climate change.

Yet while they're cashing in on breaking the law and pandering to dangerous extremists, BLM Southern Nevada Fire Management Officer Mike Haydon has to focus on protecting our public lands from not only dangerous extremists with "Range War" fantasies, but also climate change.



Representatives from Rep. Steven Horsford's (D-North Las Vegas, and his district includes Mount Charleston) office, Rep. Dina Titus' (D-Paradise) office, and Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown's (D-Las Vegas) office also dropped by yesterday's event at Mount Charleston because they're concerned about what lies ahead for Southern Nevada... Especially if we don't take enough action to take on climate change.



This s--t is serious. It's not something to mock. It's not something to blithely dismiss. And it's certainly not something to deny just to "score political points".

Don't believe us? Remember what happened at Mount Charleston almost a year ago. It can happen again. And we likely will see more of those large wildfires at some point soon. Either we can take action to save ourselves, or we can let our future burn up in flames.

The Sound of Silence

Yesterday, we saw a major breakthrough. President Obama announced he was preparing an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against LGBTQ workers. While this is no substitute for a nationwide ENDA, it will fill some gaps.

Since President Obama's announcement, Congressional Republicans have responded with...



Actually, not completely. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) wants more "religious exemptions"... You know, so the Southern Baptists won't "feel too offended".

Oh yes, since outstanding parents, workers, and all around good Americans like Willy Wilkinson are so "offensive". How dare these American families raise kids and be such productive members of society!



And speaking of families, Freedom Nevada recently announced its advisory committee and first endorsements. Senator Harry Reid (D) and Reps. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) & Dina Titus (D-Paradise) are all on board for marriage equality here in Nevada.

Notice anyone missing? Senator Dean Heller (R)? Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson)? Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Carson City)? Where are they?

Are they stuck in Cresent Hardy's "segregation laws"? Are they trapped in Adam Laxalt's "political issues"? Or are they just too chicken to stand up to Rush Limbaugh and his army of 21st Century Know Nothings?

Oh, wait. It's probably just more "Republican rebranding". But wait, how does one "rebrand" silence? Is silence actually a legitimate policy position? Or is silence just another attempt at an "easy way out"? Whatever the case, silence is certainly not a polite way to wish us a happy PRIDE Month.

The Answer Is Simple

There's a reason why constituents asked Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) about it this past February. There's a reason why many constituents railed against Senator Dean Heller's (R) vote against it in April. And there's a reason why a number of Southern Nevada's fast food workers took part in #FastFoodGlobal last month.

Hint: The minimum wage is too damned low. It's not enough for most workers to survive. And the longer we wait to #RaiseTheWage, the more unnecessary pain we're causing ourselves.

Don't believe us? Believe the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Addressing the U.S.’s persistently high poverty rates, the report lauds the U.S.’s expansion of health care coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act, then argues for two separate policy fixes to further aid in the reduction of poverty: expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to cover more low-income people and raising the minimum wage.

“An expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit—to apply to households without children, to older workers, and to low income youth—would be [an] effective tool to raise living standards for the very poor,” the report states. “Similarly, the government should make permanent the various extensions of the EITC and the improvements in the Child Tax Credit that are due to expire in 2017.

“[G]iven its current low level (compared both to U.S. history and international standards), the minimum wage should be increased,” it goes on. “This would help raise incomes for millions of working poor and would have strong complementarities with the suggested improvements in the EITC, working in tandem to ensure a meaningful increase in after-tax earnings for the nation’s poorest households.”

Back in February, Rep. Heck suggested expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as an alternative to raising the minimum wage. However, many of his G-O-TEA colleagues don't even want to do that (cough- Mitt Romney- cough). And now, the IMF is urging us to do both to address our inequality crisis.

Wage growth has been minimal since the onset of The Great Recession, even as overall economic growth has resumed. The working poor are indeed working, and many of them happen to have families to support. Yet even as they're working, their wages haven't kept up with the cost of living. And even some Wall Street titans are starting to admit there are negative consequences to rising income inequality.

So what can we do to start filling the inequality gap? How can we ensure that hard work actually pays? And how can we stimulate more economic growth while also pulling Americans out of poverty? The answer is simple: #RaiseTheWage.

Perhaps when Congress comes back from another recess, it can actually try passing something #4jobs? That answer should be simple...

(Not the) End of the Road

Late in 2010, it looked like she was approaching the end of the road. She had lost a hard fought reelection race. Between that and narrowly losing the statewide gubernatorial election of 2006, plenty of political pundits were declaring the death of Dina Titus' political career.

Obviously, they spoke too soon. The following year, redistricting changed the game. And Dina Titus was ready for a comeback.



She did face a rather interesting race in 2012... But she ultimately won. And not only did she win, but she dominated. And she definitely made her way back to Congress.

And since returning to Congress, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) has been working quite hard on a number of critical issues. And she hasn't forgotten why she's there in the first place.

Last Saturday, Rep. Dina Titus came to the Clark County Democratic Party Convention and addressed the crowd. Some of them were her former constituents, while others are her current constituents. Regardless, she wanted to fire them all up and get them ready for the 2014 cycle.



While Rep. Titus herself doesn't have to worry about her reelection race this year, she does seem to want to return to a Congress that's actually functioning. And that means her work is not yet finished. It's far from the end of the road for her, or for her fellow Nevada Democrats.

Discharge Time?

As expected, it passed last night. The US Senate finally approved a temporary federal extension of unemployment insurance (UI). Senators Harry Reid (D) & Dean Heller (R) voted for UI extension, along with 57 other Senators.

Yet even as this UI extension bill cleared the Senate, it faces a difficult struggle ahead in the House. Why? As usual, House Republican "leaders" value political gamesmanship over sound economic policy.

But at least this time, they're finally starting to feel some push-back from their own ranks. Even Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) is finally saying something. He has recently joined six other House Republicans in sending House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) requesting a House floor vote on the bipartisan UI extension bill that just passed the Senate.

So at least some House Republicans are finally starting to speak up... But will this sternly worded letter be enough? Or will they need to prepare for further action?



Last month, House Democrats drafted a discharge petition for UI extension. Reps. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) & Dina Titus (D-Paradise) quickly signed it upon its introduction. And if Rep. Heck and those six other House Republicans who just sent that letter really want UI extension, they may need to prepare to do the same.

Why? Speaker Boehner's media spinners still claim UI extension is "not necessary". Even though their decision to let the federal UI extension lapse has sucked $5 billion out of our economy and thrown over 2.3 million Americans (including over 34,000 Nevadans) into economic ruin, one of Boehner's top lieutenants (Rep. Tom Cole [R-Oklahoma]) actually just said federal UI should "come to an end".

Try arguing this to the over 2.3 million Americans struggling to survive because federal UI has been cut off for over three months. We bet they won't. Instead, they'll probably continue trying even more lame@ss excuses to spin away what the Senate just passed. What they still fail to recognize is that people can't pay our bills and/or buy groceries with spin. These unemployed Americans have been looking for work and continue to look for work. But until they find work, they need to survive. And simply cutting them off won't help these people survive, let alone find work.

What House Republicans looking to pass the bipartisan #RenewUI legislation that's already passed the Senate need to recognize is that they need to send a clear message to their "leaders" that ignoring reality is simply not an option. And while sternly worded letters are a start, they may not be enough to finish the job. If Speaker Boehner and his lieutenants continue to drown #RenewUI in their toxic "TEA", then the only way to rescue it will be a discharge petition. Are they ready to sign?

Prove It

They can't say they weren't warned. We already talked about it yesterday. And it finally emerged today.

Of course, we're talking (again) about the discharge petition for HR 15. It finally dropped today. And even as DC pundits speculate on what will result of this, they are starting to realize that comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) remains far from "dead".



Of course, that's what House Republican "leaders" were banking on earlier this year. That's why they thought they could get away with killing their own "principles for immigration reform". And that's why they thought they could get away with hemming & hawing whenever asked about when they'll ever move on CIR.

But really, did they think they could indefinitely move the goal posts on CIR? Did they really think they could forever avoid the hot seat? This is what Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) reminded his colleagues of earlier today.



Reps. Steven Horsford and Dina Titus (D-Paradise) have already signed the discharge petition. They've made it clear they want a House floor vote on CIR. And they've proven they truly want a chance to pass CIR this year.

It remains to be seen if House Republicans will back up any of their pro-reform rhetoric with real action. Ever since they released their "principles for immigration reform", they've only managed to pass 2 anti-immigrant bills. And even as Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) and a few other House Republicans have claimed to "support reform", they've yet to prove it with their votes.



Now, they have a chance to do so. Now, they have a chance to prove their commitment to passing CIR. All they have to do is sign the discharge petition. All they have to do is give all their colleagues a chance to vote on the floor.

It's been 9 months since the Senate passed bipartisan CIR legislation. There's no reason why we've had to wait this long for the House to take action. But at least now, a vehicle exists for the House to finally pass CIR this year. If House Republicans truly want us to believe they want CIR as much as the rest of us, they can now prove it by signing the discharge petition and allowing a floor vote.

Plenty to Say

This was no ordinary town hall meeting. Three members of Congress came to North Las Vegas City Hall on Monday to listen to Nevadans who had plenty to say on the state of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) on Capitol Hill. They also discussed the real hardship their families and communities face due to sweeping ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) raids and deportations.



Bryan Rivera shared his story on Monday. He spoke about his mother, who was being physically abused by his father. When she sought a way out, her abusive spouse reported her to ICE. She was then held at Henderson Detention Center for nearly a month, even though she was the domestic abuse victim.

It took Bryan Rivera's testimony at this hearing, then pressure on ICE from Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas), to free Bryan Rivera's mother from Henderson Detention Center. She can now prepare her legal appeal to stay in the US, and Bryan can finally resume his studies at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. But as Jon Ralston pointed out yesterday, they're fortunate in that they happened to meet the right people at the right time. Sadly, most families dealing with our current immigration system are not this fortunate.

And those American families will face even more hardship if House Republicans get their way. They voted last week for two anti-immigrant bills meant to challenge President Obama's ability to use discretion when enforcing current immigration law. Basically, they want to undo DACA. And they want to deport more immigrants like Bryan Rivera's mother.

Just before the House voted on its latest & greatest anti-immigrant bills, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) had something to say about the House G-O-TEA's latest counterproductive stunt.



And by the way, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Flip-flop) voted for both of the anti-CIR bills. So what part of "can't have it both ways" doesn't he understand?

While Rep. Heck and his fellow G-O-TEA Culture Warriors always have excuses for killing their own damned "principles for immigration reform", they never seem to offer any real reform. And they wonder why no one believes them any more? Must they wonder why a discharge petition for CIR is underway?

If Rep. Heck and the handful of other House Republicans who claim to want CIR actually want to move CIR forward, they know what to do. Too many American families are facing too much unnecessary hardship due to the lower house's inaction. They've had plenty to say on immigration reform. But now, it's time to act (and not in a counterproductive way).

Unnecessary Hardship

Last week, several US Senators announced a bipartisan compromise that would finally renew the extension of federal unemployment insurance (UI) if enacted. Senator Dean Heller (R) was the lead Republican negotiating a deal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) quickly signaled his approval once the deal was announced. And the bill looked ready to pass the Senate.

Then yesterday, it died. Even before it could pass the Senate, the deal looked dead. And even though over 2 million Americans will be the ones suffering over this latest Capitol Hill SNAFU, the deal looks deader than ever.

And why's that? As usual, we can thank House Speaker John Boehner (R-FUBAR) for this. Yesterday, he pissed all over blithely dismissed the Senate's bipartisan UI extension deal by feigning concern over the very measures that Senate Republicans wanted in the bill. And of course, he offered the usual nonsensical excuses for why he won't let his lower house of Congress even vote on the upper house's UI extension bill.



So now, over 2 million Americans and all 50 states will be left to suffer. And it's all due to the lower house's G-O-TEA "leaders" refusing to let go of their agenda of nothing.

So far, over 26,000 Nevadans have suffered due to the lapse of the federal UI extension. Monty Kosta is one of those Nevadans. And he recently shared his story with Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas).



This is why Reps. Steven Horsford & Dina Titus (D-Paradise) have signed a discharge petition demanding a House floor vote on UI extension. And this is why both of Nevada's US Senators, Dean Heller and Harry Reid, have urged House Republican "leaders" to show some real leadership in allowing a #RenewUI vote in their chamber. While some G-O-TEA politicians enjoy playing political games with people's lives, these people are experiencing unnecessary hardship due to these unnecessary political games.

While most of the rest of Nevada's Congressional Delegation have spoken out on UI extension, Rep. Joe Heck (R-??!!) has remained eerily silent. Why is that? He says he cares about job creation. So why not sign a discharge petition for bipartisan legislation that can end the unnecessary hardship crippling over 26,000 Nevadans while also giving our economy a much needed boost?

We (along with over 2,000,000 unemployed Americans) await his answer.