On Wednesday March 1, 2006, at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at AU, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said:

Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?

Raskin replied:

Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.

The room erupted into applause.

Right one, Raskin. Equal rights, under the law. Leave your bible outside the door!

Jamie Raskin (D) is running for the State Senate in Maryland, check out his website.

In the Maryland Senate race, new polling data shows both potential Democratic candidates ahead of Lt. Governor Michael Steele (R). The Rasmussen Reports poll has Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD) leading Steele by a “substantial” 10 points, 45% to 35%. Meanwhile, civil rights leader Kweisi Mfume also leads in potential head to head matchup by 4 points, 42% to 38%. Either way, it look like Democrats are in the driver’s seat for this important Senate race.

DoubleSpeak recently sat down with Mr. Mfume for an excellent interview and will be talking with Rep. Cardin very soon. Keep checking back for our interviews with these great candidates!

Hat tip PW.

This is an interesting story from National Public Radio. David Welna does a good job of humanizing the issues surrounding immigration and America’s need for immigrant labor. This great policy divide is certainly at the forefront in the 2006 election and even in Nebraska, a deep-red state, politicians, as well as citizens are concerned that legislation around the immigration issue could hit hard in small town U.S.A.

Dennis Kucinich, everyone’s favorite fire truck riding Presidential candidate was dissed in a major way this past weekend. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kuku’s hometown newspaper which has been supportive of his candidacies for many years, withdrew its endorsement of the incumbent in 2006 to instead support his primary opponent, Barbara Anne Ferris.

It is extremely unusual for a newspaper to withdraw its endorsement from an incumbent it has supported for years - the more so when that officeholder is a congressman with an international reputation, and the race is a primary election that he almost certainly will win.

Nonetheless, that is what The Plain Dealer does today. In the Democratic contest between five-term Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich and his challenger, nonprofit executive Barbara Anne Ferris, this page endorses Ferris as the Democrat more in tune with the community, its needs and its future.

Ouch, that’s gonna leave a mark.

While most Saturday’s in the Big Easy are spent re-hydrating from ‘huge ass beers’ and counting beads from the previous nights outing, this weekend was different.

On Saturday New Orleanians who are spread out all over America voted for their choice for the next mayor of New Orleans, a job that has taken on national significance as the city continues to rebuild from the ‘huge ass storms’ that pummeled the Gulf Coast last summer.

With 100% of the precincts reporting, it appears that there will be a run off election between the two top vote getters, Mayor Ray Nagin (D) and Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (D).

Ray Nagin, who won 38% of the 108,000 ballots cast in Saturday’s mayoral election, nevertheless is not considered the favorite in his May 20 runoff with Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who garnered 29% of the vote.

Analysts think Landrieu is more likely to land supporters of runners-up Ron Forman, who won 17% of the ballot, and Rob Couhig, who received 10%.

“Landrieu becomes the odds-on favorite to win, partly because of his ability to appeal to some African American voters and to the generally white supporters of his opponents — if they vote,” said Brian Brox, a political scientist at Tulane University.

Thirty-six percent of the city’s 298,000 registered voters cast ballots in Saturday’s election, which fielded about two dozen candidates. In many neighborhoods, voting took place against a backdrop of abandoned cars, gutted homes and garbage-strewn streets.

This election is about rebuilding, but it is also about race relations and poverty issues that were sent to the forefront after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city and displaced thousands of NOLA residents.

For political junkies, this race is going to be a fun one. I know I’ll be glued to my TV! If I need a break from the election coverage, I can always change the channel.