Anti-immigration rallies held by neo-Nazi groups in Arizona and Minnesota this weekend drew large counter-protests sometimes outnumbered the original protest.

Democratic outreach to Latino voters helped Barack Obama win Red States in the 2008 election and deepened a rift between that demographic and the Republican Party.

The 2004 “Viva Bush” Latino outreach campaign did not endure amid conservative voices rallying for border fence proposals and slashing health care choices for illegal immigrants.

These conservative attempts to exploit fear about illegal immigration compromised GOP support of Latinos in 2008, according to Robert List, Republican national committeeman for Nevada. List, who was governor of Nevada from 1979 to 1983, told ScoopDaily that the Republican Party needs to learn a lesson from 2008 about Latinos as a growing voter demographic.

Read more at ABC News.

A 15-year-old girl who was raped, robbed and beaten by multiple attackers outside of her high school homecoming dance was found by police after 18-year-old Margarita Vargas, undaunted by pressure to keep quiet, called 911.

The House of Representatives passed a bill to overhaul the nation’s health care system Saturday night. The vote was close, 220-215, and it only included a single Republican. To pass the bill, Democrats also had to allow a controversial amendment banning abortion funding in both public and private plans in the new marketplaces the bill would create. But as NPR’s Julie Rovner reports, passage represents a major hurdle cleared for President Obama’s top domestic priority.

Read more at NPR.org.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s landmark health care overhaul moved toward a vote in the House Saturday after anti-abortion lawmakers won a chance to knock out language that would let people who get federal subsidies buy insurance plans that include abortion coverage.

Democratic leaders were hopeful they could pass the bill, giving Obama his biggest victory since last November’s historic election, no matter how the abortion issue is decided. Obama made a rare Saturday visit to Capitol Hill in an effort to cement a majority to pass the legislation that is certain to be seen as a test of his presidency.

Read more at Yahoo News.

The United States economy shed 190,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate reached a 26-year high of 10.2 percent, up from 9.8 percent in September, the Department of Labor said Friday in its monthly economic appraisal.

While the pace of job losses has slowed significantly since the peak of the recession last winter, the unemployment rate, which measures the number of people actively seeking work, continues to climb, and economists do not foresee relief until well into next year.

“There’s no doubt that the slashing and burning of jobs has abated quite a lot,” said Allen L. Sinai, the founder of Decision Economics, a research firm. “The economy is recovering, but it is a very soft recovery.”

The biggest losses came in the construction, manufacturing and retailing sectors. Health care companies added 29,000 jobs to their payrolls, and the number of temporary workers increased by 34,000 — a significant gain that could indicate employers are beginning to expand their businesses again.

Read more at the NYTimes

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) — The 2010 Census is expected to find that 309 million people live in the United States. But one person will be missing: the average American.

“The concept of an ‘average American’ is gone, probably forever,” demographics expert Peter Francese writes in 2010 America, a new Ad Age white paper. “The average American has been replaced by a complex, multidimensional society that defies simplistic labeling.”

read more at AdAge.com

funny.

more of these: here

We just recived these photos from the protest over at Capitol Hill, check them out.

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November 05, 2009, 12:15PM

Sen. David Vitter’s bid to require the 2010 Census to ask all respondents about their citizenship was killed today when the Senate voted to invoke cloture and end debate on the Commerce spending bill without having to consider the Louisiana Republican’s amendment.

The Democratic leadership, which had been trying to block the Vitter amendment since early October, eked out a victory with the bare number of votes needed to invoke cloture, prevailing 60 to 39.

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Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year.

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Funny or maybe not, Jimmy McMillan is running for Mayor and he has a crazy funny website.

Check it out

Phoenix’s KPHO-Channel 5 broke the news yesterday:

The FBI is looking into accusations that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is using his position to settle political vendettas.

Over the past year, 5 Investigates examined more than two dozen complaints against the sheriff from business owners, government workers, mayors and law-enforcement officials.

They claim they spoke out against Arpaio, and shortly after, deputies paid them unwelcome visits.

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The third time’s the charm, and according to civil rights leader Salvador Reza of the Puente Movement, the pleasure will be ours January 16 as Rage Against the Machine/One Day as a Lion frontman Zack de la Rocha returns to the Arizona capital to lead a National Day of Action.

Will people be marching against Joe Arpaio and the 287(g) program? Nope, says Reza.

“Joe’s a has-been,” said Reza, who’s so far organized two such demonstrations this year, drawing thousands to the cause of the oppressed in Maricopa County. “We’re protesting the Obama administration and the Department of Homeland Security for empowering Arpaio.”

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Familia, the goals we accomplished in the 2008 elections are only small steps we took to achieve the ultimate vision we have for engaging all young American Latinos in civic participation. Registering to vote and voting in last year’s presidential election is simply still not enough. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW if you live in NEW JERSEY, VIRGINIA for your governor. For a full list of Mayors, scroll below. Power in our numbers!
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