Politics Daily

Bipartisan Committee Pushes To Change Voter Registration

Lindsay Machak — 2009-09-01T15:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Voting

A bipartisan group is looking to restructure the way Americans register to vote. The Committee to Modernize Voter Registration is pushing for an automated registration system, the New York Times reported.

The two chairmen of the effort, Trevor Potter and Marc Elias, said they've seen the need for a reformed system. Potter worked on John McCain's presidential campaign; Elias is a lawyer who has worked as a lead attorney for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken.

"Throughout our campaign work, we saw firsthand the inefficiency and needless expense in our paper-based registration system," Potter said in a statement.

The details of a proposal have not been decided, but no party will gain or lose from an automated system, Potter said. The committee is in its early stages, but wants to begin talking about legislation.

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Montana Supreme Court to Hear Assisted-Suicide Case

Lindsay Machak — 2009-09-01T11:01:00 00:00

The Montana Supreme Court will hear arguments tomorrow in an assisted-suicide case that could make Montana the first state to enshrine medical aid in dying as a constitutional right.

The seven-member Supreme Court will review a lower court ruling in December that physicians can hasten a terminally ill patient's death. That decision came on the same day that the plaintiff in the case, a 76-year-old truck driver suffering from leukemia, died. The truck driver had claimed that a doctor's refusal to help him die violated his rights under the Montana constitution.

Washington and Oregon allow doctors to assist the terminally ill in arranging their deaths, but neither state has declared it a constitutional right, the New York Times reported. Both states passed assisted-suicide laws through voter referendums on the issue.

Montana's constitution has a strong libertarian strain that emphasizes individual rights.

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FOIA Reveals Details of CIA's Secret Prisons

Lindsay Machak — 2009-08-31T14:39:00 00:00

Filed under: Bush Administration, Terror, National Security

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, the government last week released declassified files revealing insight to the CIA's interrogation methods under the Bush administration.

The Los Angeles Times reported on the CIA's policy of subjecting each prisoner to harsh treatment so that he would "perceive and value his personal welfare, comfort and immediate needs more than the information he is protecting."

A day in the life of a prisoner at these interrogation sites is outlined in the documents. The New York Times reported more than 100 prisoners passed through the program, including three who were subjected to waterboarding -- a tactic used to make them believe they would drown.

While the sites were designed to look like normal U.S. prisons, their operations were not. Most prisoners were stripped, shaved and photographed in the nude upon their arrival. White noise played 24 hours a day. They were shoved into walls. One man was threatened with an electric power drill being turned on and off near his body, the Washington Post reported.

However, while the documents outline the abuse of the CIA captives, they also describe the meticulous monitoring that medical and psychological doctors kept on each detainee. One source told the NYT: "Elaborate care went into figuring out the precise gradations of coercion."

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Sarah Palin to Speak at Investment Forum in Hong Kong

Lindsay Machak — 2009-08-31T09:27:00 00:00

Filed under: Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, who was criticized during the presidential campaign for her lack of experience in international affairs, will make her first trip to Asia next month.

John McCain's former running mate will speak at the CLSA Investors Forum in Hong Kong -- perhaps an irony, as critics also said Palin was not very savvy in economics either.

CLSA is the leading independent investment group in Asia, and past speakers at the forum have had very high profiles, including Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Alan Greenspan and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

A source explained the organization's thinking to the Associated Press: "Our keynote speakers are notable luminaries who often address topics that go beyond traditional finance such as geopolitics."

Palin, who resigned as governor of Alaska in late July, will speak on Sept. 23. The event will be closed to the media.

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Bill Richardson Cleared in Federal Probe

Lindsay Machak — 2009-08-27T10:23:00 00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Obama Administration

No criminal charges will be filed against New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who had been accused of steering state contracts to political supporters. The former presidential candidate, who has been under investigation since last year, has denied the allegations.

A source tells the Associated Press that high-ranking Justice Department officials will absolve Richardson: "It's over. There's nothing. It was killed in Washington."

Richardson's hopes of becoming secretary of commerce in the Obama administration were dashed when the investigation was first made public. He withdrew his name from consideration in January.

Several former Richardson associates were pulled into the possible scandal. Former chief of staff David Contarino was accused of soliciting donations when he hired CDR Financial Products to advise on state transportation bond transactions. And the records of David Harris, an aide, and Michael Stratton, a political advisor, were subpoenaed by investigators. But no charges were filed against Contarino, Harris or Stratton.

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Rep. Michele Bachmann Urges Prayer and Fasting to Defeat Health Care Reform

Lindsay Machak — 2009-08-26T11:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Religion, Abortion, Health Care, Obama Administration

During a recent telephone conference call , Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) spoke out against President Obama's health care reforms and asked her supporters to take action.

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Charles Schumer Leans Toward Democrat-Only Health Care Solution

Lindsay Machak — 2009-08-24T11:15:00 00:00

Filed under: Senate, Democrats, Republicans, Health Care, Obama Administration

Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said time is running short for the Senate to get a health-care reform bill passed and signed into law by the end of the year. Given the difficulties negotiating a bipartisan bill, Schumer said he'd rather ditch efforts to win GOP votes.

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