NY Times: “When the actor Matthew McConaughey dropped his rom-com act to pursue hard-hitting dramas, Hollywood called it a “McConaissance.” Now we may be on the cusp of the next one, as he mulls over a run for governor of Texas. McConaughey is the first to admit he’s not a conventional pick for Texans. “I’m…
Month: October 2021
Study Reports Democrats Need to Focus on Southeast, Southwest to Secure Future Majorities
The Atlantic: “Follow the sun. That’s the advice to Democrats from a leading party fundraising organization in an exhaustive analysis of the electoral landscape released today. The study, from the group Way to Win, provided exclusively to The Atlantic, argues that to solidify their position in Congress and the Electoral College, Democrats must increase their…
“How Taylor Swift and her master recordings play into the Virginia race for governor”
WUNC: “Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is betting that Taylor Swift fans can help prevent his state from turning red. The Democrat, who is running for the seat again on Nov. 2, has a new five-figure ad buy that connects his opponent, Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, to Swift’s bitter battle to gain control over the master…
“Rate of Lynchings Linked to Confederate Monuments”
Political Wire: “A new study finds that the number of lynching victims in a Southern county is a positive and significant predictor of Confederate memorializations in that county. “This finding provides concrete, quantitative, and historically and geographically situated evidence consistent with the position that Confederate memorializations reflect a racist history, one marred by intentions to terrorize and…
“Recovery in the Making” – A look at an Asheville, NC Opioid Recovery Program
The Bitter Southerner: “I’m not the first person to note the ironic location of Making Whole — an Asheville, North Carolina-based addiction recovery program rooted in the principles of craftsmanship and apprenticeship — to founder Jeremy French. The 8,000-square-foot studio is housed below a wine shop and shares a parking lot with one of the…
“Republicans Shout Down Lindsey Graham for Pushing Vaccine”
The Daily Beast: “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was booed by Republican activists Saturday after he suggested they should consider taking the coronavirus vaccine, making him the latest prominent Republican to face a backlash from the party’s grassroots over the vaccine. Speaking at a county Republican event in Summerville, South Carolina, Graham said he had received the…
“Texas parole board recommends posthumous pardon for George Floyd”
UPI: “The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended Monday that George Floyd receive a posthumous full pardon for the 2004 drug charge he received in Houston. The 7-0 decision comes five months after Houston public defender Allison Mathis sent in an application for clemency for Floyd, whose 2020 death during an arrest in Minneapolis set off national protests…
“Tight Race for Virginia Governor [Polling Data”
Political Wire: “A new Emerson College poll in Virginia finds Terry McAuliffe (D) barely ahead of Glenn Youngkin (R) in the race for governor, 49% to 48%.”
“Texas law sparks hundreds of U.S. protests against abortion restrictions”
Reuters: “Women marched by the thousands on Saturday on the Supreme Court, the Texas Capitol and cities across the United States to protest increasing state restrictions on abortion and advocate for maintaining a constitutional right to the procedure. The 660 demonstrations around the United States were largely sparked by a Texas law that bans abortions…
“Virginia Democrats attempt to claw back Trump’s gains with Latinos”
Politico: “Flanked by six of Virginia’s top Latino leaders, over pupusas and empanadas at a recent campaign-sponsored event, Terry McAuliffe met with a group of voters from countries like El Salvador, Peru and Venezuela to talk about his vision for his state. “We don’t want to look like Texas. We don’t want to look like…