VOLUME No: 58 Issue No:3
Washington, D.C. - Feb 20, 2004
Democratic Candidacy Race is Narrowed to Four
Vermont former governor Howard Dean announced Wednesday that he would ‘no longer actively pursue the presidency'. This announcement came after his 17 th straight loss in the Democratic primaries. Dean has declined to endorse his two main opponents, Sen. John Kerry (MA) and Sen. John Edwards (SC), though both have been actively seeking his endorsement. Many people expected to see Dean remain in the race until the ‘Super Tuesday' primaries to be held on March 2.
Kerry Receives Endorsement from Union Workers
Sen. Kerry has officially received endorsement from the AFL-CIO. Originally backing Rep. Richard Gephardt (MO), who dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the Iowa Caucasus, the AFL-CIO is the largest labor federation in the country.
Representing 13 of the 16 million union members in the United States , including the American Federation of Teachers as well as the United Steelworkers of America, the AFL-CIO is opposed to NAFTA, saying that many of its members have lost jobs or will loose jobs because of it.
Sen. John Edwards has chosen this topic as a central part of his campaign strategy. He won an unexpected 26 delegates in the Wisconsin primary held on Tuesday. He campaigned against the 1993 proposition enacting NAFTA, while Kerry voted for it in the Senate.
Edwards has challenged Kerry and other Democratic candidates to a debate, saying ‘It is clear from the results in Wisconsin yesterday that the voters in Wisconsin and throughout the country are looking for a debate.' The forum is scheduled for Feb 26 th in Los Angeles .
Polls Show Unofficial Standings
In poll conducted by Zogby International for The O'Leary Report and Southern Methodist University's John Tower Center , Kerry would beat Bush in the ‘blue' states (states won by Al Gore during the last election) by 46 percent to 45 percent. In the ‘red' states (states won by George W. Bush in the 2000 election), Bush easily beat Kerry 51 percent to 39 percent. 1,209 potential were polled over Feb. 12-13.
The results of a CNN-Gallup Poll show Kerry leading Pres. Bush by 55 percent to 43 percent, while Edwards leads Bush 54 percent to 44 percent. The poll consisted of 1,006 adults (898 registered and 568 likely voters), and was conducted through Feb. 16-17.
Both polls show that a significant part of the population is concerned about the economy and the status of job creation.
Illegal Immigrants Come Looking for Amnesty
The National Border Patrol Council has issued statements that the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States has increased threefold since Pres. Bush's guest-worker proposal.
Bush's plan would enable illegal immigrants already holding jobs in the United States to be given temporary work permits in renewable three-year periods. The White House has denied that the immigrants would be put on a track to citizenship, and that the workers would eventually have to go home.
If there is no available space to put illegal immigrants, the government sets a court date and releases them. 95% of the time, they do not hear from said immigrants, as long as they obey U.S. laws.
San Francisco Marries Over 3,000 Gay Couples
Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) of San Francisco has declared a California ban on gay marriages to be ‘unconstitutional', and has given approval for the city of San Francisco to proceed with issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. San Francisco has also placed a lawsuit on the State of California , saying that the gay marriage ban violates the state's Constitutional equal protection clause.
Some gay-rights activists believe that Newsom's staunch backing could actually be detrimental, garnishing more support for federal constitutional amendments to ban gay marriages. There has already been a movement within the Massachusetts legislature to amend its Constitution to make marriage laws gender-specific, in spite of the ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court that gender-specific laws violate equal rights.
Sandoval County, NM County Clerk Victoria Dunlap, has allowed the issuance of at least 15 marriage licenses to gay couples. She announced that as New Mexico has no gender-specific marriage laws, the State has no grounds to ban such marriages.
Vote!
Still not registered to vote?? The Islamic Free Market Institute (IFMI) has information on getting involved in your party and how to become a better voter. These links can be found at our website, http://www.islamicinstitute.org . Every vote counts! In addition, the Arab-American Institute (AAI) has a great link to help you register in your state: https://ssl.capwiz.com/arab/e4/nvra/?action=form&state = . Every vote counts! Let your voice be heard!
