The justification for the Rude Goldberg design of the Affordable Care Act was that state based exchanges would bring the incredibly “magical” power of competition to concentrated insurance markets. So far that it doesn’t seem to live up to its promise. When the law goes into effect next year highly concentrated markets, like Maine, will remain highly concentrated.

Massachusetts, California, Oregon, Maine, and Nevada are most likely to be the next five states to legalize marijuana, based on careful analysis. In the near term, two basic things are required before a state is likely to legalize marijuana. The state needs to allow citizen ballot initiatives and have an electorate ready to embrace reform.

Well, it’s past midnight and the earth has not ended as we know it because same-sex couples are getting marriage licenses in Maine. Congratulations to all of the couples!

With Maine’s marriage equality law taking effect on Saturday, Dec. 29, Carroll Conley and Bob Emrich of the anti-gay Christian Civic League of Maine are pressing town clerks to shirk their duties by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

“We want you to know that as the leaders in the Christian Civic League it’s our responsibility to provoke you to consider what is that in your hand. What is that in your hand? Maybe the Lord’s calling you to consider maybe not just retiring, not just quitting but maybe to be that one or those that stand up,” Conley said.

Last week, Thomas Cox, the Maine lawyer who performed the deposition that basically exposed robo-signing, won the $100,000 Purpose Prize for his work on behalf of homeowners at risk of foreclosure. I spoke with Cox this week to get a ground-level picture of what is happening in the courts in the post-settlement landscape. Have banks cleaned up their foreclosure practices? Are homeowners still getting the shaft?

Marriage equality history was made yesterday in Maine and Maryland. For the first time ever the electorate in a state has voted to grant same-sex couples the right to get married instead of voting to take it away. A truly remarkable political and social transformation has occurred.

Tonight Maine lives up to its state motto “Dirigo,” or “I Lead” by becoming the first state in the nation to pass a marriage equality law by citizens’ initiative.

This year features an usually high number of competitive Senate races that could result in a candidate winning with less than a majority of the vote.

I’ve been surprised by Mitt Romney’s forays into foreign affairs. Thus far, he’s done little but parrot tired GOP talking points, that have been used by candidates and pundits for ages. What’s missing is Romney’s personal touch. What’s missing is a foreign policy that draws on his strengths and builds on his own experiences of the world. Imagine the foreign policy approach that the founder of Bain Capital would bring to a situation like Greece…

It really can’t be overstated what a massive political shift has taken place regarding views on marriage equality in less than a decade. There is probably no better symbol of how huge this shift has been than how the issue of same-sex marriage was dealt with on the ballot in 2004 compared to expectations for this November.