Wow, Hillary touches a nerve:

“In a single term, the Supreme Court could demolish pillars of the progressive movement,” Clinton said Monday afternoon at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. [source]

Psst, look up 'Mugwumps'.

They had a system in place that was working. And then suddenly it wasn't. What happened to the agencies and most importantly, the people working in those agencies that something like Flint could happen? This is a Watergate-level scandal (no pun intended).

Depends on your definition of 'spam'.

Jonathan Chait:

"But the whole premise of democracy is that rules need to be applied in every case without regard to the merit of the underlying cause to which it is attached. If you defend the morality of a tactic against Trump, then you should be prepared to defend its morality against any candidate. Now imagine that right-wing protesters had set out to disrupt Barack Obama’s speeches in 2008. If you’re not okay with that scenario, you should not be okay with protesters doing it to Trump."

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

This isn't whining

"...[S]tandoff between Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan." [source]

"It's a Chicago tale that brings together Barack Obama, Mike Madigan and Ken Dunkin." [source]

What crap journalism. The sad thing is we're seeing this over and over in the media. They're going for the personalities over issues -- and values.

This conflict has nothing to do with Madigan. This is a conflict between a billionaire governor whose agenda is offensive to any Democrat -- any progressive -- on planet earth. And Dunkin's supporting it. Not to acknowledge this primary context is the equivalent of journalistic malpractice.

As Will Guzzardi says:

Anyone who wants this thing to end needs to realize that, irrespective of Madigan, there is *no way* that the Turnaround Agenda will pass the House. Insisting on it as a precondition of a budget deal is the same thing as saying “I do not want a budget deal.” That’s why we blame Rauner.

UIC Official Email Communication:

"Parking lot 1B, located on W. Harrison St. south of the Pavilion, will be open for demonstrations. A stage will be set up for demonstrators on the west end of lot 1B near S. Racine Ave. The Harrison St. parking structure will be open for those attending the event."

A lot of us -- at least those of us paying attention -- knew that the coming election would have incredible consequences regarding the Supreme Court and that because of this it really wouldn't matter who ultimately the Democratic candidate was. There also seemed to be a certain enthusiasm deficit among Dems which was only natural seeing as though our guy has been in office for the past 2 terms. The GOPers didn't need firing up. And we did -- especially with so much, again particularly the Supreme Court, at stake.

This perspective has now been given an incredible, almost meteoric boost thanks to the abrupt departure of Anthony Scalia from this worldly life.

So, thank you, Justice Scalia, thank you for this final service to your country!

Media Follow-up:

Paul Waldman: "Everyone now understands that the Supreme Court may be the most important issue in this election (which I’ve been arguing for some time), not only because of this vacancy but because of the advanced age of so many of the justices."

UPDATE (2/18): This guy begs to differ...

Incredible blog by the Virginia Tech Research Team ("a key player in exposing the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water" [source]) going back to August of last year. Going all the way back to August of last year, the blog documents the various stages along the way of this incredible scandal.

• http://flintwaterstudy.org

As explained in another article:

"...[S]tepped up testing in Flint only came after city and and state officials spent months telling residents their water was safe and met all quality standards, using the city's arbitrary testing to support their position." [source]

See also,

• "Dismissed and ridiculed, Virginia Tech researchers fought to prove Flint's water was unsafe". (1/18/2016)
• Who's to blame for Flint's water crisis? Virginia Tech researcher points the finger at MDEQ , (10/11/2015 ).