Costs trimmed for Branstad inauguration

Former adviser says Vander Plaats obsessed with the gay-marriage issue
URBANDALE — Jason Glass, the newly appointed director of Iowa’s Department of Education, says some people might describe him as a “reformer” in a derogatory way. MARION — Gov.-elect Terry Branstad billed his appearance at the local library Tuesday as an opportunity to hear directly from Iowans. While several in attendance were given a chance to voice their concerns, anyone hoping to hear direct answers about flood prevention in a part of the state still dealing with...

Republican budget plan could derail Iowa City-Chicago line
Indecision from the Governor-elect and a new round of Budget cut proposals from Iowa Republicans could be damning for a two-year-old plan to build a high-speed passenger rail line between Iowa City and Chicago. Last year, Iowa lawmakers approved money for rail projects in order to leverage Federal Funding. In October, a proposed line between Iowa City and Chicago earned $230 million in federal funding, but Iowa and Illinois would still have to come up with $90 million to build the high-speed rai...

Pew Center finds cell phone users more political, more conservative
New research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds not only were cell phone users more likely to have voted, but nearly half described themselves as “very conservative” or “conservative.” Out of 82 percent of the adult population who own cell phones, 71 percent say they voted in the 2010 election, compared with only 64 percent of the adults in the Pew survey. Of those political users, they were generally better educated, and tended to be younger adults. Th...

Brown sworn in as California's 39th governor
Reporting from Sacramento — Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. was sworn in as California's 39th Governor Monday — 36 years after first taking the same oath — warning of shared sacrifice and hard choices ahead to help the state out of its Financial Crisis. Striking a serious tone but with a strong undercurrent of optimism, Brown read, uncharacteristically, from prepared remarks. In a 17-minute address, the Democrat spoke of the coming Austerity and of overcoming adversity. But he also ...

Women Will Have Authentic Leaders in Upcoming Congress
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, has a new article at Politics Daily talking about how women will have real, authentic leadership in the upcoming session of Congress. While pro-abortion women like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her friends will no longer be calling the shots in the House, new pro-life women will be there and in the Senate who will stand up for the pro-life values a majority of women share. The 2010 Elections represent not just a good result for pro-li...

Politics live blog - Tuesday 4 January 2011
Parliament is not back until next week, but the Christmas/new year holiday is well and truly over and politics is getting back to normal. The government's VAT rise came into force about eight hours ago and at 8.10am George Osborne will be on the Today programme to defend it. Alan Johnson, the shadow chancellor, has already been giving interviews this morning. He said that putting up VAT was a "broken promise" and that Osborne was pursing a policy of "economic masochism". According to PoliticsHom...

Jerry Brown returns to lead a troubled California
(01-03) 11:32 PST Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- Democrat Jerry Brown was sworn in Monday as California's 39th Governor, returning to the office he left 28 years ago but inheriting a much different and more troubled state than the one he led then. The man who once was California's most famous bachelor took the oath of office after being introduced by his wife of five years, former Gap Inc. executive Anne Gust Brown, inside Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. She held a Bible that was her grandfather's...

Here's The Real, Scary Debt Lesson That Japan Has For The US (EWJ, TBT, TLT)
Email Sent! You have successfully emailed the post. This weekend we predicted that 2011 would resemble 2010 in one important way: Those folks betting on a default or hyperinflationary event in Japan would be proven wrong once again despite all the hype about the country's fiscal position. Felix's point is that if Japan with no major rifts can't do anything about its fiscal situation, then it's really hard to fathom the US, with all kinds of rifts (ideological, ethnic, etc.) getting anything don...

Judicial Retention and the Missouri Plan: Thoughts from Iowa
Thanks to Dan and crew for inviting me back, I’m thrilled to be here.  I am just about to send out a short online-type piece explaining some of my thoughts about the judicial retention Elections last month here in Iowa.  As you probably know, a coalition of social Conservatives managed to vote out the three Iowa Supreme Court justices that were up for retention last month.  This, of course, was a retaliation vote for last year’s unanimous decision upholding Same-Sex...

Jennifer Carrolls shoes steal the show in Tally inaugural festivities
After her sterling Navy career and endeavor to rise through Florida politics, Jennifer Carroll is less than 24 hours away from becoming Florida’s Lieutenant Governor — and it seems all anyone could talk about Monday was her shoes. But seriously: Did you see those emerald pumps she had on? It seems half of Tallahassee was noticing them as Carroll and Governor-elect Rick Scott made rounds Monday in the first lap of their two-day, official inauguration festivities. I...

Scott Walker takes Oath of Office, begins journey to reform State Governement
"To begin our transformation we will work with our partners in both political parties," Walker said in his Speech. "With a vast series of bold reforms that will send a clear message the Wisconsin, indeed, is open for business. We have an ambitious goal, 250,000 new jobs by 2015. I know we can do it because we did it a generation ago. In January of 1987, Governor Tommy Thompson declared in this rotunda 'Our greatest priority will be jobs, more jobs, better jobs, and most importantly, secure jobs ...

DA Office Now Empty in the City, But For How Long
By the close of business Monday, the city of San Francisco will no longer have a top cop. As soon as Kamala Harris is sworn in as Attorney General for the state of California during a 1 p.m. ceremony in Sacramento, the job and the office back in the City will be officially empty. The job of filing the position is left to outgoing mayor Gavin Newsom, who has delayed taking his own new position of Lieutenant Governor in part so that he has time to make an informed decision on the replacement. The ...

Country stars, south Florida musicians serenade military, Scott
Country stars Lee Greenwood, Aaron Tippin and John Michael Montgomery headlined Rick Scott’s inaugural week benefit salute to the Military and Veterans Monday with a two-hour show for the Governor-elect, Lieutenant Governor-elect Jennifer Carroll and hundreds of servicemen and women and Veterans in Tallahassee. No strangers to supporting the military, the trio of stars, along with rising star Rockie Lynne, belted out a steady stream of patriotic hits including Lynn...

Nine incoming House Democrats assume place in pecking order: the end
They call themselves "the Mighty Nine." This Story Nine incoming House Democrats assume place in pecking order: the end Lonely Democrats House panel won't investigate six lawmakers' use of travel stipends Incoming House GOP chairmen have a long list of issues to investigate View All Items in This Story View Only Top Items in This Story Which is half true - there are, in fact, nine of them. But "mighty" is definitely the wrong word for the nine lonely Democrats who will be...

Cuomo takes five percent pay cut
(CNN) - In a gesture designed to show he understands the plight of many New Yorkers and the state's own Budget Crisis, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday he will reduce his $179,000 Salary by 5 percent. That's about a $9,000 reduction. The newly-minted Governor also announced the salaries of the Lieutenant Governor as well as those of senior administration members will decrease by 5 percent as well. "Change starts at the top and we will lead by example," Cuomo said in a statement. "Fami...

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant Bryant announces run for Miss. governor
Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant crisscrossed the state Monday to formally announce the worst-kept secret in Mississippi politics: He is running to succeed Haley Barbour as Governor in November. "If you want to do what I want to do, then you better have DeSoto County on your side," Bryant told a cheering crowd of about 100 at the Aerospace Products International distribution center on Commerce Drive in Southaven. Photo by Stan Carroll Buy this photo » Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant announces his candidacy f...

Pay cut? Oh, please...
The powers that be on Beacon Hill were busy yesterday making political hay of their enormous sacrifice. Yes, thanks to a Constitutional Amendment passed more than a decade ago, legislative salaries - keyed to median household income - will be cut 0.5 percent this year. That amounts to about $307 a year for Rank and File members. And because the Governor’s Salary is tied to that of legislators, Gov. Deval Patrick will face a $700 Pay Cut on his $140,535 salary. Legislative lead...

Jerry Brown and Kamala Harris sworn in to California top governing spots
In a historic day for California, Jerry Brown was inaugurated as the 39th Governor of California this morning, and this afternoon Kamala Harris was sworn in as the state's Attorney General. Gavin Newsom, who is currently serving as the Mayor of San Francisco, is expected to be sworn in as Lieutenant Governor no later than January 10.  The inaugural ceremony of Governor Jerry Brown was held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday in the crowded Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.  The ceremony was attended...

Mike Huckabee: Hometown Heavyweight
HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas - Although Mike Huckabee burst onto the national scene on the strength of a diet book, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork: A 12-Step Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle, now that the former Arkansas Governor is preparing for his second run at the GOP nomination, he seems to have regained much of the girth he so famously shed. Still, grass roots Arkansans don't seem to be holding his weight against the backsliding Baptist preacher. At least tha...

On first day as governor Cuomo issues order opening Capitol to the public
ALBANY - On his first day as Governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo got down to work, meeting with senior staff and issuing an Executive Order promoting government transparency. Cuomo skipped the extravagant inauguration ceremonies of past governors, holding a private swearing in ceremony at the governor’s mansion last night and delivering brief inaugural remarks this afternoon, then greeted New Yorkers for two hours at his new home, but also got down to work.  Shortly after 8 a....

Chris Christie Should Do His Second-Most-Important Job Properly
Steve Benen flags Chris Christie’s defense of leaving the state governorless amidst the snowstorm by, among other things, saying “My first and most important responsibility, in my view, is as a husband and a father.” In a Real Talk sense, I think this is false. But be that as it may. What about Christie’s work in his second most important job? New Jersey, historically, hasn’t had the office of Lieutenant Governor. But the state authorities decided very recently th...

2010 Elections and Pro-Life Women: A Correction for Modern Feminism
On November 2, that imbalance dramatically shifted toward the pro-life side of the scale, and it is just the beginning. More than sheer numbers are involved, but the numbers alone are compelling. They underscore first and foremost that, as good as this election cycle was for fiscal Conservatives, it was every bit as triumphant for female Candidates who embrace the right to life. Consider the profile of the U.S. Congress. In the session of Congress that just ended, there were 93 women, 17 of them...

Christie Addresses the Idiots
One of the dumbest stories to come along in awhile is the lame whining about Governor Chris Christie being in Florida when the snowstorm hit the Northeast last weekend. Here he calmly explains things to the morons. He shouldn't even have to.While New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg stayed home and took a media lashing for the slow response to December's devastating snowstorm, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got some sun. And he's not sorry. At all. The Republican governor called the criticism...

Transcript of Cuomos inaugural address
For the completists among you, here’s the transcript as provided by Cuomo’s staff, with slight copyedits (all typos can be considered mine): Well thank you, and good afternoon to all of you.  First let me begin by thanking the people of the State of New York for this tremendous honor. I am humbled to be their public servant and I will honor their trust and their confidence every day.  Thank you. Let’s all thank Chief Judge Lippman for a great job; thank you very much, Chief Jud

New leader of B.C. NDP has to be a woman,according to obscure rule
VICTORIA -- The next leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party will have to be a woman, unless the party's male president or treasurer resigns, according to gender rules in the NDP constitution. The unique requirement, buried within the NDP's official rule book, adds an extra layer of complexity in the race to replace leader Carole James. The constitution states both genders must be represented in the jobs of Party Leader, president and treasurer. "If the constitution is going to be co...