We really wanted to use a different subtitle for today's column, one we are actually astonished that more news organizations didn't go with, given Rick Perry's announcement of his second run for the White House. That headline, of course, would have been: "Oops, He Did It Again!" Now, we do realize that the Britney Spears album is actually 15 years old (how time flies, eh?), but even so, with "Oops" being so central to defining Perry on the national stage, it certainly seemed like an obvious choice.

Perhaps the more shallow folks in the media were too occupied by the Caitlyn Jenner photo and the continuing fallout over the Josh Duggar revelations -- both of which sucked an astonishing amount of oxygen from the entire media this week. This even spilled over into the political news, as conservative heads exploded over the support Jenner received, while Mike Huckabee quietly scrubbed all Duggar endorsements from his campaign website.

In more serious news, a big N.S.A. surveillance program was finally reformed, after Rand Paul essentially made a fool of Mitch McConnell at the beginning of the week. I wrote about this whole fiasco earlier in the week, detailing the depths of McConnell's incompetence. Rand Paul certainly seemed to be having fun running circles around McConnell, and last week even released the funniest campaign ad we've yet seen in the 2016 cycle, a spoof of pro wrestling ads that really should have tipped McConnell off before he let the deadline on the N.S.A. program expire. So now we've got one portion of the USA PATRIOT Act reformed by the USA FREEDOM Act, proving something about silly acronyms in Congress (but we're not exactly sure what). And for anyone who is unaware, none of this would have happened without the revelations by Edward Snowden -- which even people on Capitol Hill are now (begrudgingly) admitting.

A few odds and ends are worth mentioning, in no particular order. The Washington Post has an article up with two excellent charts showing how pronounced the extremism has gotten in the Republicans in Congress (also showing how this is in no way "balanced" by Democrats getting more extreme, which just hasn't happened at anywhere near the same rate). They've also got another interesting chart showing how when you move from the richest one percent into the richest 0.1 or 0.01 percent, your tax rates actually go down.

June is, of course, the big month for Supreme Court decisions, and Evan Bernick over at the Huffington Post has a good overview of the five most important cases to be decided in the next few weeks. Well worth a read for SCOTUS wonks.

Republicans in the Senate showed once again their disdain for the troops by voting down military benefits for gay spouses who happen to live in states that don't yet recognize their marriage as being valid -- even if said marriage happened in jurisdictions where it is legal. Nothing like supporting the troops, guys!

There was a flurry of marijuana political news this week, starting with Texas becoming the latest state to legalize cannabis oil (low in THC) for treating severe medical conditions (seizures, especially). Texas becomes the 15th state to legalize the oil, in addition to the 23 states which have legalized medical marijuana itself. This adds up to 38 states, which is over three-quarters of all the United States. And yet the federal government still maintains there is no "accepted" medical use for marijuana -- a position that is becoming downright farcical in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.

Some are working to change the attitude of the federal government, including more and more members of Congress. Last year, a bill was signed into law which protected people in states with medical marijuana from federal legal interference, from both the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Justice Department as a whole. This year, the same amendment was just passed by the House on a vote of 242-186. Another amendment protecting people in states with legal medical marijuana oils passed 297-130. And a third protecting state-legal hemp farming passed 282-146. The only measure which didn't pass was one protecting the people in the four states which have legalized recreational marijuana for adults, but it didn't fail by much (the vote was 206-222). On top of all these measures, the House also strongly expressed its disapproval of the way the D.E.A. has been targeting marijuana by stripping millions of dollars from its budget and redirecting it to community outreach programs, victim aid programs, fighting police abuse, paying for body cameras for cops, increase funding for rape testing kits, and ending N.S.A.-style bulk data collection by the agency.

This, it should be pointed out, is not just a bunch of crazy hippies making noise in the streets. This is the Republican-led House of Representatives sending a very strong message that the federal government's priorities on marijuana enforcement are drastically out of whack. Raiding the D.E.A. budget is a particularly harsh signal that the time for change has come when it comes to the almost century-long "War On Weed."

Of course, these members of Congress would never have gotten to this point if it hadn't been for a whole bunch of marijuana activists using creative ways to make their case. Which brings us to the final nugget of marijuana news. The Internal Revenue Service -- in record time -- has now given tax-exempt status to Indiana's "First Church of Cannabis." The organization was created to test the boundaries of the new religious freedom law in Indiana, obviously, but the founder was stunned at how quickly the I.R.S. made up their minds. He points out that churches are free to serve alcohol to underage worshippers, so there is legal precedent for treating cannabis as a sacrament. The First Church of Cannabis will hold their first public services on the first of July, when the new Indiana state religious freedom law goes into effect. We'll be keeping an eye on the inevitable legal battle to follow, that's for sure.

Of course, we have to close on a sad note this week, as we mark the passing of Beau Biden, the son of the vice president. Beau was obviously on track to an impressive political career and at the very least would have wound up representing Delaware in the Senate in the future. But this was not to be, as his life was cut way too short by brain cancer. Our thoughts are with the Biden family as we mourn the passing of Beau Biden. Requiescat In Pace.

Before we begin, we have to hand out an Honorable Mention to Hillary Clinton, for reasons we will explain down in the talking points portion of the program.

There were two interesting pieces of news about congressional war authorization this week. Some House members are disgusted with the fact that Congress has done absolutely nothing for almost a year, while America has sent troops to the war against the Islamic State. This inaction has become the poster child for why consulting Congress about matters of war is an absolute exercise in futility. Congress refuses to act, one way or another, even given an entire year. That's nothing short of pathetic.

The first action was a non-binding one, a mere legislative suggestion that maybe, perhaps, "Congress has a constitutional duty to debate and determine whether or not to authorize the use of military force." It wouldn't mean anything other than Congress going on the record stating that they should really be living up to their constitutional duties -- it wouldn't force a vote, it wouldn't force debate, just an acknowledgement of how utterly they've dropped the ball so far.

Every Democrat behind this effort deserves at least an Honorable Mention. Even this may fail to pass, which is yet another measure of how pathetic this particular Congress is when it comes to addressing questions of war.

But this news was overshadowed by a much stronger motion from Democratic Representatives Jim McGovern and Barbara Lee (and, to be fair, Republican Walter Jones), which would actually force Congress to take a vote under the War Powers Resolution. The vote would be on whether to pull out all U.S. forces from the Islamic State fight within 30 days, as mandated by the War Powers Resolution. Although it would be a vote to entirely shut down the war, it would also launch the larger debate (that Congress has been shamefully avoiding) over the aims of the war itself.

Jones, the Republican sponsor of the measure (which would not even require the president's signature), baldly stated how badly Congress is shirking their duty when it comes to approving war: "If this House doesn't have the stomach to carry out its constitutional duty to debate and authorize this latest war, then we should bring our troops home.... Be for it or against it, but have the debate. It is our responsibility, not the president's responsibility, to initiate these [war authorizations]."

He's right. So while we do applaud Jones, we're not in the business of handing out awards to Republicans. Instead, we gladly bestow the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week on Representatives Jim McGovern and Barbara Lee for sponsoring what should really have been an unnecessary motion. Congress should have a say in American warmaking. Congress, at times, even demands a say in whether we send soldiers off to war or not. But when Congress utterly abdicates its constitutional role, it is certainly worth trying to force them to do their job. And we have to salute any effort to make them do so, especially one with teeth.

[Congratulate Representative Jim McGovern on his House contact page, and Representative Barbara Lee on her House contact page, to let them know you appreciate their efforts.]

This week, one advocacy group faced reality. Another one did not.

The "Run Warren Run" group, formed to spend over a million dollars in an effort to convince Senator Elizabeth Warren to run for president, announced it is shutting down. Because, obviously, Warren is just not going to run this time around.

This has really been obvious for months now, it bears mentioning. Warren, for whatever her personal reasons, has been unbending in her rejection of the possibility of such a run in 2016. Every time she was asked, she loudly and unequivocally said: "No, I will not run."

Finally, this week, some of her most fervent supporters took her at her own word. And most of them moved on to perhaps expend their efforts where it might do some tangible good (some of the staff have already moved over to the Bernie Sanders campaign).

But Run Warren Run wasn't the only group trying to convince Senator Warren to jump in the race. The "Ready For Warren" group isn't throwing in the towel quite yet.

This is disappointing, mostly because it will expend precious progressive resources on a lost cause. Ready For Warren is still going to continue tilting at one particular windmill when they could be fighting a real fight elsewhere.

Now, we're not saying that Elizabeth Warren isn't a force for good and a champion of Main Street over Wall Street. She surely is all of that. But she is not going to run for president this time around. The sooner the diehards realize this, the better. Warren can still be just as much of a strong voice for her values as a senator, and can still influence the Democratic Party and the Democratic nomination process.

But to deny the reality that she's not running any further is not just disappointing, it's becoming downright embarrassing. So this week's Most Disappointing Democrats Of The Week award goes to none other than the Ready For Warren organization.

[Contact Ready For Warren via their web page, to let them know what you think of their actions.]

Volume 349 (6/5/15)

Hillary Clinton made some news this week, when she gave a speech which tossed a very large gauntlet down in front of the entire Republican presidential field. She strongly spoke up for voting rights, and for making the process of voting easier and more fair. In doing so, she directly attacked some of her Republican opponents by name, for actions they had taken in their own states.

This is a brilliant issue for any Democrat to campaign upon, because it strikes most Americans as one of fairness. And fairness is, unsurprisingly, quite popular with the public.

Hillary largely avoids getting tangled up in the debate over photo IDs, which the Republicans at least have an argument on ("It takes a photo ID to open a bank account or fly on a plane, why wouldn't we require one for voting?"), and instead directly targets all the other restrictions they've been passing in the shadows of the photo ID debate. These actions are, for the most part, simply indefensible.

What argument can realistically be made against making voting easier? Early voting days, evening voting, weekend voting -- how can anyone be against these things? Then in the middle of the speech (the full transcript of the speech can be found on Clinton's campaign site), Hillary proposes an ambitious plan to make voter registration not only painless but automatic.

Democrats have been either playing defense or shying away from this issue for too long. They need to take it on directly, and offer proposals for making things better. Hillary Clinton does so, and shows real leadership for other Democrats who could also be making this argument.

This week's talking points are all excerpts from Hillary Clinton's speech. I should point out that this is the first time we're doing this in the 2016 campaign season, but it definitely won't be the last, as we review all the Democratic candidates' major speeches.

   A sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise people

Hillary Clinton starts by drawing a clear contrast between the two parties. Democrats fight for voter rights, Republicans are fighting to make voting harder.

We have a responsibility to say clearly and directly what's really going on in our country -- because what is happening is a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people from one end of our country to the other.

Because since the Supreme Court eviscerated a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, many of the states that previously faced special scrutiny because of a history of racial discrimination have proposed and passed new laws that make it harder than ever to vote.

North Carolina passed a bill that went after pretty much anything that makes voting more convenient or more accessible. Early voting. Same-day registration. The ability of county election officials to even extend voting hours to accommodate long lines.

Now what possible reason could there be to end pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds and eliminate voter outreach in high schools?

We should be doing everything we can to get our young people more engaged in democracy, not less.

   A valid student ID isn't good enough?

This is an excellent thing to point out, because it shows the ridiculous lengths Republicans will go to make it easier for their own voters and harder for Democratic voters.

We need look no further than right here in Texas. You all know this far better than I, but if you want to vote in this state, you can use a concealed weapon permit as a valid form of identification -- but a valid student ID isn't good enough?

   Does not happen by accident

Who waits in line to vote? Well, poor people and other Democratic groups, for the most part. Who doesn't? Rich folks and other Republican-leaning groups. As Clinton points out, this does not happen by accident.

It's not a surprise for you to hear that studies and everyday experiences confirm that minority voters are more likely than white voters to wait in long lines at the polls. They are also far more likely to vote in polling places with insufficient numbers of voting machines.

In South Carolina, for example, there's supposed to be one machine for every 250 voters. But in minority areas, that rule is just often overlooked. In Richland Country, nearly 90 percent of the precincts failed to meet the standard required by law in 2012. Instead of 250 voters per machine, in one precinct it was more than 430 voters per machine. Not surprisingly, people trying to cast a ballot there faced massive delays.

Now there are many fair-minded, well-intentioned election officials and state legislators all over this country. But this kind of disparity that I just mentioned does not happen by accident.

   What part of democracy are they afraid of?

Clinton is unafraid to name names here, which is an excellent thing to see in a presidential candidate. And that "what are they afraid of" line is an excellent talking point, all on its own.

This is the greatest, longest-lasting democracy in the history of the world. We should be clearing the way for more people to vote, not putting up every roadblock anyone can imagine.

Yet unfortunately today, there are people who offer themselves to be leaders whose actions have undercut this fundamental American principle.

Here in Texas, former Governor Rick Perry signed a law that a federal court said was actually written with the purpose of discriminating against minority voters. He applauded when the Voting Rights Act was gutted, and said the lost protections were "outdated and unnecessary."

But Governor Perry is hardly alone in his crusade against voting rights.

In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker cut back early voting and signed legislation that would make it harder for college students to vote.

In New Jersey, Governor Christie vetoed legislation to extend early voting.

And in Florida, when Jeb Bush was governor, state authorities conducted a deeply flawed purge of voters before the presidential election in 2000.

Thankfully in 2004 a plan to purge even more voters was headed off.

So today, Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting. What part of democracy are they afraid of?

I believe every citizen has the right to vote. And I believe we should do everything we can to make it easier for every citizen to vote.

I call on Republicans at all levels of government with all manner of ambition to stop fear-mongering about a phantom epidemic of election fraud and start explaining why they're so scared of letting citizens have their say.

Yes, this is about democracy. But it's also about dignity. About the ability to stand up and say, yes, I am a citizen. I am an American. My voice counts. And no matter where you come from or what you look like or how much money you have, that means something. In fact, it means a lot.

   Let's get this done

Clinton lays out her three-point plan to fix things.

First, Congress should move quickly to pass legislation to repair that damage and restore the full protections that American voters need and deserve.

. . .

Second, we should implement the recommendations of the bipartisan presidential commission to improve voting. That commission was chaired by President Obama's campaign lawyer and by Governor Mitt Romney campaign's lawyer. And they actually agreed. And they set forth common sense reforms, including expanding early, absentee, and mail voting. Providing online voter registration. Establishing the principle that no one should ever have to wait more than 30 minutes to cast your vote.

Third, we should set a standard across our country of at least 20 days of early in-person voting everywhere -- including opportunities for weekend and evening voting. If families coming out of church on Sunday before an election are inspired to go vote, they should be free to do just that. And we know that early in-person voting will reduce those long lines and give more citizens the chance to participate, especially those who have work or family obligations that make it difficult to get to the polls on Election Day.

It's not just convenient -- it's also more secure, more reliable, and more affordable than absentee voting. So let’s get this done.

   Universal, automatic voter registration

Then she busts out how much further she'll go, with a new idea that pretty much everyone can get behind -- make voter registration automatic. Modernize our system. Who could be against such a simple and beneficial idea?

And I believe we should go even further to strengthen voting rights in America. So today I am calling for universal, automatic voter registration. Every citizen, every state in the Union. Everyone, every young man or young woman should be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18 -- unless they actively choose to opt out. But I believe this would have a profound impact on our elections and our democracy. Between a quarter and a third of all eligible Americans remain unregistered and therefore unable to vote.

And we should modernize our entire approach to registration. The current system is a relic from an earlier age. It relies on a blizzard of paper records and it's full of errors.

We can do better. We can make sure that registration rolls are secure, up to date, and complete. When you move, your registration should move with you. If you are an eligible vote and want to be registered, you should be a registered voter -- period.

   Nearly a century ago

Hillary is likely going to bring this up again in the campaign. A century ago, she not only would not have been able to run for president, she would not have even been able to vote. We've certainly come a long way in the past century, so why would we ever want to reverse course and make voting harder?

As Barbara Jordan famously reminded us, when the Constitution was first written, it left most of us here out. But generations of Americans fought and marched and organized and prayed to expand the circle of freedom and opportunity. They never gave up and never backed down.

And nearly a century ago on this very day, after years of struggle, Congress finally passed the 19th Amendment to give women the right to vote in the United States.

So that is, that is the story of progress, courageous men and women, expanding rights, not restricting them. And today we refuse, we refuse to allow our country or this generation of leaders to slow or reverse America's long march toward a more perfect union.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to fight just as hard as those who came before us did. To march just as far. To organize just as well. To speak out just as loudly. And to vote, every chance we get for the kind of future we want.

-- Chris Weigant

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