Phoenix Woman here, and while I really don’t have any news on the Franken-Coleman thing — nor will I, or anyone else really, until June 1 when the Minnesota Supreme Court hears the oral arguments in the appeal case — I believe I do have some insight into the oft-asked question “How can Minnesotans, who used to be known for their sane and level-headed liberalism, elect dorky Republicans like Norm Coleman, Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann to public office?”

While a number of institutional LGBT rights organizations (that have made significant progress at the state level) today cautioned against federal action, John Dean, appearing on Wednesday’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, makes the case that regardless of state decisions and citizens’ votes, marriage equality has become a national, federal civil rights issue, just as was Loving v. Virginia in 1967, in which the US Supreme Court ruled against interracial marriage bans.

Both sons of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have let fly on Governor Charlie Crist lately. Are these rogue operations, or does the former President’s brother also favor former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio for the 2010 GOP nomination for United States Senate?

This ad, entitled “Fidelity,” goes live on television in California over the next 72 hours, but you can sign up right now to restore marriage equality.

The California Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 8, and also ruled that the same-sex marriages performed during the Rainbow Window in 2008 are legal and valid.

Tuesday is the Day of Decision for the California Supremes. The High Court will announce its marriage equality decisions at 10am Pacific Time. Will Proposition 8 be upheld or overturned? Will the Rainbow Window marriages stand, or will they be invalidated?

If the hedge fund managers want no exposure to unions, maybe public pension funds should stop any risky exposure to unregulated hedge funds? Especially since those hedge funds derive so many of their profits from not paying their fair share of taxes, and are lobbing heavily in opposition to President Obama’s plans to be “fiscally responsible” and plug offshore tax haven loopholes.

Congressional Republican have a five percent approval rating among women.  You’d have to look up to see Dick Cheney from there.  Math wizardry isn’t required to figure out that if the Republican Party has a 78% disapproval rating among women, up from 64% at the beginning of the year, they are not on a good trajectory for winning national elections in the future.

Women don’t even have to like Nancy Pelosi to recoil from the people lobbing this kind of stuff at a 69 year-old grandmother.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend; it will end with a bang on Tuesday at 10 am when the California Supreme Court rules on three cases that challenge Proposition 8′s constitutionality.

Puppethead reminded me that yesterday was Al Franken’s birthday. Sorry I missed it, Al! I figure I’ll try to make it up to Al by talking about how he seems to have grown as a candidate and a person in the two years he’s been on the campaign trail.