Rod 2.0:Beta

Minnesota Supreme Court Certifies Franken Winner in Senate Race

Some eight months after the November 2008 election, the Minnesota Supreme Court declares Democrat Al Franken the winner of the state’s fiercely contested U.S. Senate election. The unanimous decision clears the way for Franken to be seated.

Politico notes Republican challenger Norm Coleman still has the option to "seek a review from the U.S. Supreme Court or file a whole new case in U.S. District Court." Coleman apparently "accepted the loss in a press conference shortly after the decision was announced", the Huffington Post reports.

Franken becomes  the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate. With Franken and the usual support of two independents, Democrats should have enough votes to overcome Republican filibusters.

Since the Democrats have their "60 votes" now, will we get movement on hate crimes, ENDA and some other gay rights legislation? Or will still afraid that "Democrats" like Nelson, Lincoln, and Bayh will support GOP filibusters? UPDATE: Coleman Concedes: "We have a new United States Senator."

Advocate's Top 15 Gay(ish) Blogs

Rod 2.0 makes the list of The Advocate's Top 15 Gay(ish) Blogs. "Self-described former 'television producer-writer-gym-rat-wannabe-novelist' Rod McCullom is the mind behind Rod 2.0, a popular gay news blog. With an emphasis on African-American LGBT issues, McCullom writes about subjects like AIDS rates in Chicago, Maya Angelou campaigning for marriage equality, and the president’s unfulfilled promises to gay Americans. In between all the news, Rod manages to squeeze in a few cheesecake shots of stars like L.L. Cool J."

A number of our favorites also made the list, which is not ranked in any particular order. Many of you are already probably reading some of these. But if not...

• AmericaBlog.com:
• Gawker.com
• DListed.com
• HuffingtonPost.com
• OhLaLaMag.com
• Signorile.com
• TowleRoad.com
• PamsHouseBlend.com
• WorldofWonder.net
• PerezHilton.com
• Slog.TheStranger.com
• PinkIsTheNewBlog.com
• Popnography.com
• GoodAsYou.org

I'm particularly happy that Pam Spaulding was recognized. She's doing some fabulous work over at the Blend. On the other hand, it's a little surprising that Joe Jervis at Joe.My.God wasn't named.

Arlen Specter to Switch Parties and Run as a Democrat in 2010

In what has been described as a "seismic shift" and a reflection on the right-ward march of the Republican Party, moderate Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (PA) announces he will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, the Huffington Post reports.

"'I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary,' said Specter in a statement. 'Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.'"

"The move will give Democrats a filibuster-proof 60 vote majority in the Senate, presuming Minnesota's Al Franken is eventually seated. However, in his statement Specter said his opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act—widely seen as a defense against a Republican primary challenge—will not change."

Specter supported the labor bill but (unfortunately) switched to be competitive in the Republican primary. Rasmussen has former Rep. Pat Toomey beating the Senator by 21 points in the GOP primary. As far as the 60-vote number, eh. There is always a Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln or Evan Bayh ready, willing and able to vote with the Republicans.

Specter is decent on LGBT issues. The Pennsylvania senator has a 70 percent rating (PDF) from the Human Rights Campaign for the 110th Congress. Specter was one of the original Senate co-sponsors of ENDA and co-sponsors the hate crimes bill. In contrast, Bob Casey, the Democratic junior Senator from Pennsylvania, has a 100 percent rating.

Think Progress reports Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said that he, Sen. Bob Casey, and Vice President Biden had been lobbying Specter to switch.

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The Obamas Meet Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace

History in the making this evening as President Barack Obama arrives at Buckingham Palace for a private reception with Queen Elizabeth. The Huffington Post reports: "Several thousand well-wishers crowded the traffic circle in front of the gated palace on Wednesday to cheer and wave as the limousine carrying Obama and first lady Michelle Obama rolled past."

What do you give one of the richest women in the world? Reportedly the President presented Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II with an engraved iPod touch "loaded with video and photos of her 2007 trip to the United States, as well as other songs and accessories, and a rare songbook signed by Richard Rodgers, of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame."

Reportedly, the Queen became an iPod owner several years ago and is quite fond of the device. The gifts sound appropriate for a 21st century president. Practical, geeky, proud of our technology and a rare gift of Americana. Maybe we'll see the QEII in one of those black silhouetted iPod adverts, preferably wearing her crown, dancing and rocking out?

Illinois Gov. Quinn Calls for Roland Burris' Resignation

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn calls on his longtime friend Roland Burris to resign his seat in the U.S. Senate.

"The best thing for Illinois—the people he loves—is to step aside," says the new governor. "I think it was mistaken to accept the appointment under the cloud [under which] it was received. ... I think the ongoing controversy, all the different affidavits correcting this and that, underline the importance of stepping aside"

Quinn supports a bill to fill the Senate vacancy with a temporary appointee by the governor and special primary and special general election within 115 days.  The Chicago Tribune endorses Quinn's proposal.

In the last week it has been revealed Roland Burris amended previous denials that the disgraced and impeached former Gov. Rod Blagojevich solicited "donations." Burris remains silent and has not responded to the growing number of calls for his resignation. Tick tock ...

Quinn Calls on Burris to Resign [Sun Times]
Gov Calls on Burris to Resign [Huff Po]

House Passes Stimulus Bill, Again with Zero Republican Votes

House votes 246-183 to pass the President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan, again with zero Republican votes.

All but seven Democrats voted for the $787 billion plan. It now goes to the Senate where a vote is possible late tonight "to meet a deadline of passing the plan before a recess begins next week," reports the Huffington Post.

Report: Will Smith Donates $122,500 to Church of Scientology

Will Smith denies being a member of the controversial and bizarre religion cult of the Church of Scientology. But his tax records say otherwise. The Huffington Post crunches the numbers on his charitable foundation's tax returns.

He also gave a combined $122,500 to the Church of Scientology, broken into these donations: $67,500 to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxication Fund, $50,000 to the group's Celebrity Center in Hollywood and $5,000 to ABLE, another Scientology offshoot. Smith and his wife have also supported a private school called New Village Academy they opened this fall in suburban Los Angeles that uses Scientology learning concepts.

In an interview last summer with The Advocate, "wife" Jada Pinkett Smith refused to comment on Will Smith's much reported immersion into Scientology and claimed she is not familiar with the organization's anti-gay positions. This was also the interview where Jada claimed she "never played a lesbian before", so, you can take both statements at face value.

Who knows why Will Smith would donate $122,500 to the Church of Scientology if he wasn't a member. It's not like he has anything to hide.

Did You Read ... ?
"Discreet" Hollywood Madam: Will Smith Hires Male Escorts[R20]
Will Smith Has An "Open Marriage" [R20]
Jada Pinkett Smith Tells "The Advocate" She's Never "Played" a Lesbian Before" [R20]
Will Smith Recruiting for Scientology on "Hancock" [R20]
Tom Cruise Helps Convert R&B Star Usher Raymond to Scientology [R20]
News: "Dirty Laundry", Usher, Will Smith [R20]
News: Obama, Hillary, Will Smith [R20]
News: Will Demps on Gays, Homophobia [R20]

Senate Democrats Unanimously Call on Blagojevich to Resign

Sam Stein at the Huffington Post reports all 50 members of the Democratic Senate caucus have signed Majority Leader Harry Reid's (NV) letter calling on disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich "to step down from his post and refrain from appointing anyone to the vacated Illinois Senate seat." Should Blagojevich disregard these warnings, the letters says, the Senate would "be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated."

The signatories include Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton. President-elect Barack Obama has also called on Blagojevich to resign.

UPDATE Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan "will ask the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich unable to serve."

You May Have Missed ...
Obama Calls for Blago to Resign, Jackson Implicated [R20]
Blago Arrested, Accused of Trying Sell Senate Seat [R20]
Obama Will Resign Senate Seat [R20]

Openly Gay Labor Activist Mary Beth Maxwell Shortlisted as Labor Secy

When President-Elect Barack Obama said he would "change" Washington, he wasn't joking. Via Gay Politics and the Victory Fund is news that Mary Beth Maxwell, the founding executive director of American Rights at Work, is a top choice as Obama’s choice as Secretary of Labor. Maxwell would be the nation's first openly gay cabinet secretary.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news last night:

For the rainbow cabinet of the nation's first African American president, Mary Beth Maxwell is the perfect labor secretary you've probably never heard of: a gay woman, community organizer and labor leader with an adopted African American son. And this founding executive director of American Rights at Work is about to get the full-court press.

Maxwell already had the strong backing of former Rep. David Bonior, who despite repeated attempts to get his name removed from consideration continues to be on the short list of potential labor secretaries. Bonior, 63 years old, says it is time for his generation to turn over power to a new generation, and Maxwell, whose labor-backed organization pushes for expanded collective bargaining rights, is his pick.

Marc Ambinder reports Maxwell is being veted along with Govs. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Sebelius was an early and prominent Obama supporter and obviously has the inside track.

Aside from the obvious symbolism of having an openly gay cabinet secretary, Maxwell is supremely qualified and is a true progressive. (Read her posts at The Huffington Post.) After the decimation of OSHA, overtime mandates and collective bargaining by "Labor" Secretary Elaine Chao and the Bush Administration, it's about time a union or labor activist was running Labor.

Union Activist Maxwell on Short List [WSJ]
Maxwell on Short List for Obama’s Labor Secretary [GP]

1,000+ Rally at White House Urging Obama to Prioritize HIV/AIDS

More than 1,000 people rally on the White House urging the new administration to prioritize HIV/AIDS and put an end to HIV epidemic in the United States and across the world. Most of the marchers were black and HIV positive, many wearing hats and holding signs inscribed with the word "Hope" with the Barack Obama presidential campaign logo fused with the AIDS ribbon.

The rally attracted demonstrators from New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. The organizers are calling on President-Elect Obama to help people living with HIV and AIDS gain access to affordable housing, Medicare and Medicaid, and to increase funding for needle exchange and other prevention programs. HIV and access to housing and health care is a serious issue for black gay men.

In related news, the incoming administration's position on drugs and needle exchange is causing some concerns. Barack Obama supports needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users. The Huffington Post reports Jim Rastad, who is reportedly Obama's top choice for drug czar, opposes needle exchanges and argues for an escalation of the so-called War on Drugs. To be continued ...

White House Rally to Seek Guarantees for Funding [VOA]
Obama Drug Czar Pick: No Recovery from WoD [HuffPo]

More HEALTH
More HIV

Some Background ...
Black Baptist Convention FINALLY Mentions AIDS [R20]
HIV Spreading in NYC at Three Times National Rate Black/Latino Gay Men Hit Hardest [R20]
CDC: "Troubling" Rise in HIV Among Black Gay Men [R20]
GMHC's "I Love My Boo" Campaign [R20]
HIV Rates Rising Among Black NYC Gay Men [R20]
CDC Tracking "Serious" Strain of Syphilis [R20]
The HIV Morning After Pill? [R20]
Black Gay Men and "The Pill" [R20]
Jonathan Perry in "The Advocate" [R20]
Ending Black Homophobia Will Reduce HIV [R20]
Do You Disclose Your HIV Status? [R20]
Primetime Reports Black HIV Epidemic [After Elton]
"Out of Control: AIDS in Black America" [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the Down Low [R20]
HIV Rates Rise Among NYC Black Gay Men [R20]
Phill Wilson: Candidates Must Address HIV/AIDS [R20]
POZ Examines Race and the “Down Low” [R20]
"Urban Rally Against AIDS" [R20]
The ABCs of Black HIV [R20]
Suicide Tuesdays [R20]