By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Independent voices from the TWT Communities

With marriages to be available for Minnesota's gay couples starting Aug. 1, Duluth residents Gary Anderson and Gary Boelhower are getting ready to do something that seemed impossible when they started dating three years ago: plan a wedding.

President Obama appealed for "comity" Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, exhorting the country's leaders to rise above partisan politics and come together to solve problems. By afternoon, he was rallying fellow Democrats, challenging Republicans to a public duel over raising taxes to solve the nation's budget woes, and promising to lead the charge to restore Nancy Pelosi to her former post as speaker of the House.

Warning of serious repercussions for the economy and the military if Congress fails to halt the next round of $85 billion in budget cuts next month, President Obama on Tuesday called for replacing the automatic spending "sequesters" with a vague mix of smaller cuts and more tax increases.

Big Democratic donors, local liberal activists and a left-leaning super PAC in Kentucky are throwing their support behind the tea party against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

How can senators and congressmen in Washington go home and tell their kids and grandkids they have a bright future ahead of them? This is a serious, bipartisan question.

After more than three years, the Democrat-controlled Senate may bring forth a formal budget under the direction of its newly appointed Budget Committee Chairman, Sen. Patty Murray

As the White House gears up to take its gun control plans on a public relations tour, at least one senator is out selling a different message: Don't worry. The Second Amendment will stay intact.

Got inauguration depression? It'll only last another 24 hours or so. In the meantime, here's advice on passing the time from Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union.

Republican senators Sunday indicated that little support exists on Capitol Hill — even among some Democrats — for the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips called for in President Obama's gun control initiative.

The chairman of the House Budget Committee on Thursday said the House GOP is considering a short-term extension of the nation's debt limit to buy Democrats and Republicans some additional time to hash out a long-term deficit-reduction deal, and to force a national conversation over the size and scope of the federal budget.

Democrats have long agitated for felons to enjoy full voting rights. It's no surprise why. When felons are allowed to vote, it is easier for Democrats to win elections.

Nearly four years after his affair with an Argentine woman was exposed, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford plans to announce his return to politics and run for his old congressional seat.
Gov. Bob McDonnell's fellow Republicans dealt him a quick and decisive setback on a high-profile issue Monday, rejecting his plea for legislation to make it easier for some felons to regain their voting rights.

Democrats are bubbling over with ideas for raking in additional federal revenue even as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared Sunday that "the tax issue is behind us."

Regardless of the resolution to the "fiscal cliff," President Obama's relations with Congress appear likely to worsen.