Those of us who get excited over evidence of rightwing populist anger bubbling up in places like New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts should remember that there is still such a thing as good, old-fashioned, class-envious, rich-hating, leftwing populist anger:
Amid recession, high unemployment and tight household budgets, voters in Oregon have agreed to raise taxes on people with higher incomes, to pay for public education and social services.
[. . .]
Maybe things aren't going as well as we'd like in Fort Wayne, but we're certainly better off than Muncie:
I don't know why the mayor needs two hours to describe the state of the city when I can do so in one word: deplorable.
And thank goodness this isn't Evansville:
"The Reagan Resolution" authored by "James Bopp Jr., a conservative from Indiana" and up for a vote by the Republican National Committee, is a litmus test of 10 positions. If a candidate doesn't demonstrate agreeement with at least eight of them, that candidate will not get any financial support from the Republican Party. It's causing quite a stir as the committee gets ready for its winter meeting.
Mitch Daniels has been a business-friendly governor, so maybe he'll veto this when it gets to his desk:
Hoosiers who want to keep guns in their cars while they're at work gained more support Tuesday in the General Assembly.
The state House of Representatives voted 76-21 to approve a bill that would make it illegal for employers in Indiana to prohibit workers from keeping firearms in their locked vehicles on company property.
From texting we move to to "sexting," the electronic transmission of sexually explicit material. The General Assembly is considering making that activity by teens a "delinquent act" not because it isn't currently covered by law but because the current statutes leave authorities with only two extreme options: Do nothing, or hit the kids with a felony that would require them to register as sex offenders and follow them for the rest of their lives. The new law would express disapproval without being quite so draconian.
The momentum keeps building for bans on texting while driving. A new federal rule went into effect yesterday that bans interstate commercial truckers and bus drivers from sending text messages while they are operating moving vehicles. And an Indiana House committee is considering a bill that would make it illegal for any driver to send text messages or e-mails while driving. The story about that also points out:
In a comment on a post yesterday, Tim Zank pointed to a new Rasmussen poll showing Evan Bayh doing poorly in matchups against announced Republican candidates, and even losing by three points against Mike Pence, whom Republicans are urging to run. That's an astonishing indication of how quickly the Brown effect is moving through political circles, and many news outlets have picked up on the poll today. Political analyst Michale Barone has a lengthy column on Bayh's problem:
President Obama is like one of those alcoholics who claim they've kicked the habit because they now drink only beer:
Plucky State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, usually introduces a statewide smoking ban just to watch it die in the Senate. This year, he pulled his own bill rather than see it killed by fellow Democrats in the House:
As written, the bill would ban smoking in all public places except casinos, an exception Brown said he made to avoid becoming a target of gaming lobbyists. However, the bill was amended three times Monday, with Brown offering the first.
It might be getting even tougher for Evan Bayh than some of us thought it was getting:
Indiana's Evan Bayh is rapidly rising to the top of the GOP target list in this fall's midterms. Today, the National Republican Senatorial Committee will meet with House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence to convince him to run against Mr. Bayh.
[. . .]
