Unity eludes Nevada tea party in GOP presidential race By Amy Gardner and David Fahrenthold, Published: February 2 LAS VEGAS — In 2010, as the tea party rose to prominence, the movement splintered in Nevada and helped nominate Republican Sharron Angle in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. Angle lost to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D) in the general election. But even after that disappointment, the state’s powerful tea party movement is no more united in this year’s GOP presidential nominating contest. Just as last time, influential conservative leaders are all over the map. Chuck Muth, a prominent operative, is working for a group that supports former House speaker Newt Gingrich. An army of local tea party activists is supporting Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.). And Angle has endorsed Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania. As a result, Mitt Romney is far ahead in the polls and not nearly as vulnerable as he would be if his opponents were less … [Read more...]

  How the GOP Is Resegregating the South Ari Berman January 31, 2012 This article was reported in partnership with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. North Carolina State Senator Eric Mansfield was born in 1964, a year before the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed the right to vote for African-Americans. He grew up in Columbus, Georgia, and moved to North Carolina when he was stationed at Fort Bragg. He became an Army doctor, opening a practice in Fayetteville after leaving the service. Mansfield says he was always “very cynical about politics” but decided to run for office in 2010 after being inspired by Barack Obama’s presidential run. He ran a grassroots campaign in the Obama mold, easily winning the election with 67 percent of the vote. He represented a compact section of northwest Fayetteville that included Fort Bragg and the most populous areas of the city. It was a socioeconomically diverse district, comprising white and black and rich … [Read more...]

  2011-10-15 The Economics of Occupy Wall Street, Part I: The Glass-Steagall Act "I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." -- attributed to Thomas Jefferson So far lacking a central spokesperson, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement has not always clearly articulated specifics of its demand for justice through economic reform; even many who support the demonstrations seem unclear as to exactly what the protesters want, and insiders have reported that the demonstrators have yet to arrive on a consensus regarding … [Read more...]