We gon’ make it Study Show Black Voter Turnout Higher Than White In 2012 Election Via MSNBC It looks like the GOP’s plan to suppress liberal-skewed voters backfired. The 2012 presidential election may have been the first time blacks voted at a higher rate than whites, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center—despite several Republican-controlled state legislatures passing new voter identification laws. African-Americans made up 12% of the eligible electorate this year, yet they accounted for 13% of total votes cast. This is the second presidential election in a row in which black voters “over-performed” (they did so in 2008 by the same proportion). Whites’ turnout rate—votes cast as a share of eligible voters—declined in both 2012 and 2008, though whites’ share of the eligible electorate is also shrinking. Whereas other minority groups have seen increased electoral clout largely because of population growth, blacks’ growing share of the vote in recent presidential elections is due to mounting turnout rates. More hispanics and Asian-Americans voted in 2012 than ever before, but their turnout rates continue to lag behind that of the general public. That’s amazing considering the trouble that some GOP’ers went through to ensure that “we” wouldn’t show up in November. In the year leading up to the election, many GOP-led state governments attempted to pass bills aimed at requiring photo identification at the polls, restricting early voting, and curtailing voter registration efforts. Many black community leaders argued such voter suppression would disproportionately disenfranchise poor, minority, and elderly voters. While some Republicans claimed the measures were necessary to prevent voter fraud, others outwardly admitted to passing voter restrictions in hopes of hurting Democratic candidates. There will be no firm verdict until the U.S. Census Bureau publishes its post-election survey on voter turnout next spring, but Pew’s circumstantial evidence shows that attempts at voter suppression failed to keep blacks from the polls—and may have even inspired progressive voters to turn out in higher numbers. This is very promising news for the future of the Black voice in politics, but let’s not let the excitement and participation die with Barry O’s re-election. Let’s continue to vote and be involved in the process in future elections as well! Image via AP
Former POTUS Bill Clinton’s about to have his life put on the big screen… and HBO is set to give him the documentary treatment. According to The Hollywood Reporter : The premium cable network has teamed with Oscar winner Martin Scorsese, who will produce and direct the telepic with Clinton’s full cooperation. The film is set to explore the 42nd president’s perspectives on history, politics, culture and the world, both while he was in office and in the years since. Businessman, filmmaker and Democratic supporter Steve Bing will serve as a producer. “President Clinton is one of the most compelling figures of our time, whose worldview and perspective, combined with his uncommon intelligence, make him a singular voice on the world stage,” said HBO CEO Richard Plepler and programming president Michael Lombardo in a joint statement. “This documentary, under Marty’s gifted direction, creates a unique opportunity for the president to reflect on myriad issues that have consumed his attention and passion throughout both his presidency and postpresidency.” Added Scorsese: “A towering figure who remains a major voice in world issues, President Clinton continues to shape the political dialogue both here and around the world. Through intimate conversations, I hope to provide greater insight into this transcendent figure.” The political entry marks Scorsese’s fourth collaboration with HBO, following the documentaries Public Speaking (2010) and the Emmy-winning George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011) and the drama series Boardwalk Empire, for which he won a directing Emmy. Will you watch? Images via tumblr
George Will of ABC News says the opposition to gay marriage in the United States is slowly but quite literally dying; it’s primarily older residents, he told This Week . As the Supreme Court prepares to take up two landmark cases on same-sex marriage, Will said yesterday that it’s clear where public opinion is headed. George Will on Gay Marriage “There is something like an emerging consensus,” the conservative writer said, noting voters in three states recently endorsed same-sex marriage initiatives. “Quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying. It’s old people.” Democratic strategist and former Bill Clinton campaign manager James Carville agreed the 2012 election marked a “profound” shift on the controversial issue. On the table before the SCOTUS is a case challenging Proposition 8, the hot-button 2008 California ballot measure restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples. That measure passed, thus banning gay marriage in California; the state’s Supreme Court overturned the measure, however, declaring it unconstitutional. The Court will also hear a challenge to a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Currently, gay marriage is legal in just nine states and in the District of Columbia – but polls suggest support is growing, with a majority or close to it in support. A recent ABC News-Washington Post poll found 51 percent of Americans support gay marriage, while a recent Pew poll shows national support at 48 percent. That’s up from 35 percent in 2001. “To me, the consensus has already emerged,” said ABC News’ Matthew Dowd. “It’s just a question of … is the Supreme Court going to catch up and follow that wind of the pack, or get ahead of it or put a block in the path of it?” Same-sex marriage : Support Oppose View Poll »
Finally, one of these fools speaks out ; even if we already knew what they were doing down in Florida . According to The Huffington Post , Jim Greer’s putting Governor Rick Scott on blast and has nothing to hide…anymore: Jim Greer, the former head of the Florida Republican Party, recently claimed that a law shortening the early voting period in the state was deliberately designed to suppress voting among groups that tend to support Democratic candidates, the Palm Beach Post reports. “The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates,” Greer told the Post. “It’s done for one reason and one reason only…‘We’ve got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us.’” The HB 1355 law, which was passed by Florida’s Republican legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott (R) in Nov. 2011, cut the number of early voting days from 14 to eight. It was publicly sold as an effort to reduce voter fraud and to save money, but Greer says that this was simply a “marketing ploy.” Greer served as Florida’s GOP chairman from 2006 until 2010 when he was forced to resign after allegedly stealing money from the party. He was arrested and his case is pending. Scott’s predecessor, Republican-turned-Independent Charlie Crist, resisted efforts from Republicans to shorten the state’s early voting period, citing reasons that mesh with Greer’s claims. In an interview with The Huffington Post earlier this month, Crist said the new law is clearly aimed at curbing turnout among Democrats. “The only thing that makes any sense as to why this is happening and being done is voter suppression,” he said. Crist added, “People have fought and died for our right to vote, and unfortunately our legislature and this governor have decided they want to make early voting less available to Floridians rather than more available … It’s hard for me as an American to comprehend why you don’t make democracy as easy as possible to exercise for the people of our state. It’s frankly unconscionable.” Greer also acknowledged that the effort to restrict early voting would directly affect turnout among Florida’s African Americans, a demographic that consistently supports Democrats. “The sad thing about that is yes, there is prejudice and racism in the party but the real prevailing thought is that they don’t think minorities will ever vote Republican,” he told the Post. He may have just stated the obvious but we’ll take the admission anyway! Images via tumblr
James Spader doesn’t just make a great lobbyist in in Lincoln . The actor, who provides welcome moments of comic relief as William N. Bilbo — the Democratic operative whose methods of persuasion prove invaluable to the passage of the 13th Amendment — gave an answer befitting a contemporary Beltway arm-twister when I asked him to name his favorite president. Noting that President Obama had just seen Lincoln “and had wonderful things to say about it,” Spader replied: “So, of course my favorite president today is, without a doubt, Barack Obama.” During a surprisingly honest discussion about the film, Spader talked about the kind of lobbying that’s done in Washington today versus the kind his character was involved in during Lincoln’s time. He also briefly addressed another kind of lobbying: the kind that takes place every year around this time in the run-up to the Academy Awards. Check out the videos below to see why Spader, ever charming, really does make the perfect lobbyist: Lincoln is now playing in theaters, and is a major Oscar contender. Follow Movieline on Twitter . Follow Grace Randolph on Twitter .
Whether you love or hate the idea of Disney acquiring and expanding the Star Wars franchise, you can’t say the House of Mouse isn’t treating Episode VII like the prestige project is deserves to be. Vulture reports that screenwriter Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for his Little Miss Sunshine script, and was nominated for another with Toy Story 3 , is the leading candidate to write the new Star Wars script The website cites insiders who say that Arndt, who’s also the screenwriter for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire , has written a 40- to 50-page treatment, and will probably be one of the screenwriters on board when shooting begins in 2014. In addition to being a successful screenwriter who’s worked successfully with Pixar, Vulture notes that Arndt has lectured extensively on “why the original Star Wars ending is so creatively satisfying.” Turns out it’s not because there’s a big explosion at the end. Although the plot of Episode VII remains the subject of much speculation , Vulture indicates that Disney wants to bring back the three main characters from the original Star Wars : Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. Reportedly, Harrison Ford is “open” to reprising that last role , despite his apparently conflicted feelings about the character that made him a bankable actor. More ‘Star Wars 7’ News: Harrison Ford Might Return As Han Solo − And Die Happy Luke Skywalker & Princess Leia Knew Of More Star Wars Episodes; Surprised By Lucasfilm Sale ‘Leaked’ Disney ‘Star Wars Episode VII’ Posters Revealed By Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
The release of Lincoln , the new film from Steven Spielberg , is intended to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the days leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation and not the recent election; it doesn’t try to make a metaphor out of its portrayal of the 16th President or to force comparisons to our current commander-in-chief and the state of the country he’s overseeing, but it still couldn’t feel more timely. Written by Tony Kushner, the film covers the last four months in the life of Abraham Lincoln ( Daniel Day-Lewis ), as he battles to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment and bring an end to the Civil War, and up until an overly soft coda it is a magnificently warts-and-all portrait and appreciation of democracy at work in all its bickering, lively messiness. The difficulty of getting consensus on what’s clear now to be the righting of a massive ethical wrong allows for unlikely suspense and drama in what would be, had it existed back then, the domain of C-SPAN. The stakes are considerable, but Spielberg has no need to convince anyone of the awfulness of slavery. Instead, he makes a case for the democratic process, despite its flaws — as the best way for these decisions to be examined and hammered out, a place for moral purpose to meet practical concerns. A composition of browns and grays and dark rooms illuminated by dim period lighting, Lincoln opens with two scenes that establish it has little desire to gaze at its subject or era with starry eyes. A glimpse of the war shows men floundering and dying in the mud, jabbing bayonets in each others’ guts. (Spielberg has no use, these days, in prettying up battle.) In the scene following, we watch soldiers greet Lincoln, all adoring, though not all content to simply praise: While two young white soldiers gawk over how tall he is, an African American one questions why there are still no commissioned officers of color as his friend tries to shush him. Lincoln receives and jokes with them all with characteristic unhurried equanimity, a quality that sees him through subsequent larger version of this interaction, in which even those who are firmly on his side have their own requests and additional needs to be pursued. With the help of a very good, fundamentally restrained performance from Day-Lewis, Lincoln offers up its protagonist as a flesh-and-blood being while allowing us to understand why his status in the country is already, as one of his officials puts it, “semi-divine.” Wielding a folksy charm and remaining even-keeled in the most tense of situations — his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Bruce McGill) storms off in frustration at one point when he realizes the President is about to launch into another anecdote — Lincoln’s nobility shines through in his unswerving conviction for what is right and his unfussiness about how to achieve it. Certain that the amendment must go through before the war ends, or risk not getting passed at all, Lincoln has Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn) hire a slightly disreputable trio (James Spader, John Hawkes and Tim Blake Nelson) to offer up patronage jobs to the outgoing Democrats in the House of Representatives in exchange for their votes. In his own Republican party, he tries to placate the conservatives, led by Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook), who are afraid of chasing away support with “extreme” views on things like freed slaves getting the vote, while winning over the radicals, led by the prickly Thaddeus Stevens ( Tommy Lee Jones at his most wonderfully irascible ), who consider compromise to be a betrayal of their beliefs about equality. Half the working character actors in Hollywood don wretched period facial hair and show up in small but memorable roles in Lincoln — Jackie Earle Haley, Jared Harris, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Walton Goggins are just a few, while more famous faces like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sally Field show up as son Robert and wife Mary Todd Lincoln, who push and pull their patriarch over Robert’s desire to enlist. But this is Day-Lewis’ movie, and he does with the meditative inner stillness of his character a wonderful thing — he finds a type of heroism that runs counter to all of the usual showy movie signifiers of such a quality. The climactic vote in Lincoln , a rousing scene in which each congressman calls out his vote to the roar of his colleagues and the observers, takes place with the title character playing quietly with his young son in the White House, having done all he can. After months of a presidential campaign that illustrated the United States as a nation in which communication between parties and points of view has largely ceased, Lincoln feels like a work of legitimate importance, and not only because it shows that people did just as much snarky, politicized yelling back in 1865. Spielberg has made a film that shows the legislative process as work but also as an ongoing conversation, one in which individual contact and shifts in perception can add up to gradual change, that argues multiple differing points of view needn’t leave the country immobile. Democracy is such that there will always be those who are displeased with the way votes went, but this was the moment in our history in which we declared that it didn’t mean they were allowed to secede and start their own country — that we were going to be in this together, one quarreling, diverse whole united in this national identity. As divided as the present can feel, there’s something unaffectedly patriotic about this sentiment, one that lightens this very fine film from within. Read more on Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln . Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Arlen Specter, a former U.S. Senator who made headlines toward the end of his career by switching from the Republican Party to the Democratic side, passed away yesterday after a battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 82. The long-time Pennsylvania politician passed away at his home in Philadelphia, family members confirm. He was elected to the Senate in 1980 and served longer than anyone in state history. “Arlen Specter was always a fighter,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “From his days stamping out corruption as a prosecutor in Philadelphia to his three decades of service in the Senate, Arlen was fiercely independent — never putting party or ideology ahead of the people he was chosen to serve. He brought that same toughness and determination to his personal struggles, using his own story to inspire others.” Specter crossed party lines in 2009 when he voted for the President’s stimulus plan and subsequently lost in the Democratic primary to then-U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak a year later. He is survived by wife Joan, sons Shanin and Steve, and four granddaughters.
Those damn Log Cabin Republicans pissed off the wrong Gay Congressman! Democratic Representative Barney Frank blasted a group of LGBT Santorum lovers for backing Money Mitt. Rep. Barney Frank released a scathing statement Tuesday defending his recent comparison of the Log Cabin Republicans to Uncle Tom, saying the LGBT group is “on the wrong side of the election” by pushing Mitt Romney’s “Rick Santorum platform.” “I am not surprised that members of the Log Cabin Republicans are offended by my comparing them to Uncle Tom,” Frank wrote. “They are no more offended than I am by their campaigning in the name of LGBT rights to elect the candidate and party who diametrically oppose our rights against a president who has forcefully and effectively supported our rights.” The openly gay Democratic congressman made the comparison at least twice last week, according to the Advocate, including in an address to the Democratic National Convention’s LGBT Caucus. “I am again inclined to think that they’re called the Log Cabin club because their role model is Uncle Tom,” he said Thursday. In his statement Tuesday, Frank defended — and expanded on — what he admits is “very harsh criticism.” “[M]y use of “Uncle Tom” was based not simply on this awful fact that they have chosen to be actively on the wrong side of an election that will have an enormous impact on our right to equality,” he said, later adding that the group “may mislead people who do not share their view that tax cuts for the wealthy are more important than LGBT rights into thinking that they are somehow helping the latter by supporting Mitt Romney and his Rick Santorum platform.” In conclusion, he wrote, “Some have complained that in comparing the Log Cabin Republicans to Uncle Tom, I was ignoring the fact that they are nice. I accept the fact that many of them are nice — so was Uncle Tom — but in both cases, they’ve been nice to the wrong people.” LLS…if saying ‘Uncle Tom was nice’ is their best defense there’s no way in hell they can even begin to relate to real LGBT issues. Source Images via
‘Education was the gateway to opportunity for me,’ president says at Democratic National Convention. By MTV News Staff President Obama accepts the Democratic nomination at the DNC Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images
