The Democratic Platform Drafting Committee has officially approved a plank involving the legalization of same-sex marriage for the first time, meaning that the issue will likely become part of the Democratic Party's official platform. There had been considerable speculation that the Democratic Party would include the plank in recent years, but its reality was considered unlikely until President Barack Obama announced his support of gay marriage, making the issue a significantly more mainstream part of his party. The platform remains a rough draft however, meaning that none of the planks are yet official. Nothing will be concrete until August, when the full committee meets to vote on amendments to the draft, and then that draft is sent to Charlotte for the convention in the first week of September. Whether or not the amendments are made official, its a significant move for the LGBT community, which has never had its cause officially supported by either of the major political parties ... Discuss

Here's a really interesting article looking at various scientific positions taken by American political parties. Unsurprisingly, both parties have taken some positions that seem to fly in the face of scientific evidence ...

From Reason.com:

In support of these claims Berezow cited polling data from a2008 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People andthe Press, which identified a number of partisan divides onscientific questions. On biological evolution, the survey reportedthat 97 percent of scientists agree that living things, includinghuman beings, evolved over time, compared to 58 percent ofDemocrats and 49 percent of Republicans.  On climate change, the Pew survey reported that 84 percent ofscientists believe that recent warming is the result of humanactivity, compared to 64 percent of Democrats and only 30 percentof Republicans. That’s a truly deep divide on a scientificissue.  The Pew survey next asked about federal funding for humanembryonic stem cell research, which Democrats favored by 71 percentcompared to only 38 percent for Republicans. But the GOP responseis likely tied to two issues: (1) the belief that embryos have thesame moral status as adult people; and (2) the general belief thatspending taxpayer dollars on research is suboptimal. These arepolicy differences rather than scientific differences ... (Read more on Reason.com)

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that will make it against the law for federal money to pay for any health plan that will provide abortions. The bill gained overwhelming support from Republicans, while only 15 Democrats voted for it. Critics say the bill restricts access to an abortion even if the mother's life is at risk ...

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The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that will make it against the law for federal money to pay for any health plan that will provide abortions. The bill gained overwhelming support from Republicans, while only 15 Democrats voted for it. Critics say the bill restricts access to an abortion even if the mother's life is at risk ...

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Last night, President Obama's new jobs bill failed to pass the Senate, getting blocked by Senate Republicans along with two Democrats. Parts of the bill, which is centered around tax incentives for hiring businesses and tax adjustments for wealthier Americans, are likely to still make it through to a future vote ...

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