Thanks to those very same conservatives, this entire country now resembles nothing so much as their stereotype of a loser writ large.

The Rand Corporation is notorious for its history of pro-drug-war studies. A report of theirs from earlier this year on Proposition 19 was full of dubious claims based on what even they had to admit were just guesses. Once again, with their newest report about marijuana legalization, the Rand Corporation buries the lede from their own study, one which strongly supporters the anti-cartel claims made by marijuana reformers. While not part of the press release, the study, in fact, backs up one of the main arguments of the supporters of marijuana legalization. The study determines legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana could eliminate all the profits the Mexican drug cartels currently make thanks to cannabis prohibition.

The White House lifted its deepwater drilling moratorium today, but Mary Landrieu still won’t lift her hold on Jack Lew.

Had the stress tests included a real look at the subject banks’ servicing business, these banks might not have been declared healthy.

Earlier, I noted that a federal judge had ordered an injunction against discharges of gay soldiers under the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. The government may choose to appeal the ruling and the injunction from Judge Virginia Phillips. And in a separate case regarding the Defense of Marriage Act, that’s just what DoJ is doing.

In addition to deciding the makeup of Congress, selecting several governors, and a weighing a host of local races, voters across the country will be voting on 159 statewide ballot measures, of which about 60 are more interesting than bland bond measures. Of these propositions, there are a handful that I believe could have a national or even international impact.

Today is the last day to register to vote in Oregon – are you sure you’re registered at your current address?

According to the Advocate, Judge Virginia Phillips has ordered the Department of Defense to “suspend and discontinue” all discharges or even investigations related to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Phillips had previously ruled the military’s policy unconstitutional. There is no specific timeline in the order for the start date of the injunction.

“This problem is big and it is serious… we know that the issuers themselves are trying to get this problem solved. Right now the role is to do what we can, not just this agency which is in its infancy but the federal government generally, to gather information to try to get ahead of understanding what is going on.” –Elizabeth Warren

I’ve been asking people what Obama could do now, without needing the approval of Congress, to address many of the serious problems facing the country. Here is Rep. Grayson’s response.