Terry McAuliffe: 60 Days Until Hillary Decision

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says Hillary Clinton will know whether she's running for president in 2016 within the next 60 days.

That's the timeline the Clinton confidante outlined to U.S. News' Nikki Schwab Thursday night during a conversation at the Knock Out Abuse gala, an anti-domestic violence charity event held at The Ritz-Carlton in Washington.

Here's what McAuliffe said:

"She’s got to make that decision and she’s got to spend the next 60 days making that decision. Obviously I’m close friends with the Clintons, I chaired her last campaign. If you know Hillary, she’s going to make up her own mind. I tell you, I hope she runs. It’s time for a woman president of the United States of America. Put the woman issue aside for a minute – she’s tough, she is smart, she is very pro-business, she will get this economy going. She will help the middle class. So I’m hoping she runs, but you know, it’s her decision. But I’m really hoping she runs, but I’m leaving that decision to her."

Poll on Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein: Step aside

A University of Southern California/Los Angeles Times poll released over the weekend shows that most California voters surveyed think their two veteran Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, should not run for re-election.

Beyond the expected big majority of Republicans feeling that way, Democratic voters were divided almost equally on the question.

Boxer, who turns 74 on Tuesday and is up for re-election in two years, and Feinstein, 81, whose term expires in 2018, have not said whether they will try to win new six-year terms. But they have dropped a few hints.

Feinstein is preparing to reintroduce sweeping legislation to expand protection of the California desert. Last week, she told a gathering of environmentalists that it would be "the final campaign" to see the bill through.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Poll-on-Barbara-Boxer-Dianne-Feinstein-Step-5883364.php

Duckworth interested in challenging Kirk for Senate seat in 2016

WASHINGTON — Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is interested in a 2016 Senate run against Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., but for now is focused on the impending birth of her daughter, who is due any day.

A member of Duckworth’s team — who is familiar with how Duckworth is approaching the possibility of a 2016 run — confirmed that Duckworth is “interested, open and curious” about a Senate bid and is receptive to having conversations about the race.

Duckworth, 46, is taking her time, having just won a second term to represent the northwest suburban 8th Congressional District.

Ten years ago this week, Duckworth, a retired member of the Illinois National Guard, was shot down while flying a Black Hawk helicopter over Iraq. She lost both legs and shattered her right arm.

Duckworth is the only Democrat in Illinois who can cut into the enormous goodwill Kirk has stockpiled as a result of a massive stroke that kept him out of the Senate for almost a year.

Both Duckworth and Kirk use wheelchairs and canes.


http://politics.suntimes.com/article/washington/duckworth-interested-challenging-kirk-senate-seat-2016/thu-11132014-843pm

The 10 states that could decide the next Senate

The Senate map for 2016 might not be as bad for Republicans as it looks.

The GOP has a bigger cushion than expected for its new majority, probably 54 seats. More veteran senators may stick around to preserve safe seats. And some vulnerable incumbents will have committee chairmanships that could pump up their profiles.

Even though conventional wisdom suggests this may be a short-lived Republican majority, interviews with nearly two dozen operatives in Washington and 2016 battleground states reveal a more nuanced picture of the next Senate landscape. The most vulnerable Democrats this year were up in very red states; the most endangered Republicans in 2016 will, with the exception of Illinois, be defending seats in purple terrain.

Three sitting Republican senators begin the cycle as underdogs: Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson, Illinois’ Mark Kirk and Pennsylvania’s Pat Toomey. Obama carried each of these states by at least 5 points in 2012, and there are credible challengers who will likely take little coaxing to get in. The only truly endangered Democratic incumbent is soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.



http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/2016-elections-key-states-112801.html#ixzz3JCnxFyDM

Education is just plain expensive, no matter the grade level.

School supplies, check. Afterschool, check. Chess club, check. Sports, check. Clothes, check. Lunch, check.

Whenever I read about the income gap for families with school-age kids, the discussion tends to revolve around whether one can afford private schools. But no one ever talks about all the things parents have to pay for even when kids go to public schools. And as a third-grade parent, I what a difference it makes to be able to afford all the "extras" I mention above. Our educational system is set up to drain us dry, no matter what path we take.

The Moody Blues - (Evening) Time to Get Away (VIDEO)

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Southern Cross (VIDEO)

When Liberal Causes Don't Stand a Chance in Washington, Activists Go Local

The same day that brought a slew of new Republican lawmakers into both houses of Congress also saw a host of liberal measures pass in the very states that were voting for GOP candidates. Successful ballot measures legalized marijuana in Oregon and the District of Columbia, raised the minimum wage in four states, and introduced stringent background checks for gun purchases in Washington state. In Colorado, an antiabortion measure to add "unborn human beings" to the state's definition of personhood failed by a margin of more than 20 points.

There's a reason these liberal causes fared well on local ballots, even as more conservatives were voted into Washington. Left-wing activists are pouring their time and money into smaller-scale fights—statewide or more local still—as the prospect of passing federal legislation becomes less likely.

"Given the gridlocked and polarized nature of Washington, it is the states and cities that are leading the way," says Paul Sonn, legal codirector of the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for a higher minimum wage.

Sonn says his organization is spending more and more of its energy on these smaller-scale reforms. "As Washington has proven less functional and able to tackle serious public policy issues, the share of our organizational focus toward state and local campaigns has certainly increased," he says, a trend that he thinks will "absolutely" continue.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/when-liberal-causes-don-t-stand-a-chance-in-washington-activists-go-local-20141109

Johnny Got His Gun - Final Speech (VIDEO)

Motorhead - "1916" (VIDEO)