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David Lightman

The country, not the Supreme Court, will settle gay marriage

The same-sex marriage battle won’t be settled with a Supreme Court decision, regardless of what the justices rule. Should the court stop short of recognizing gay marriage, gays and lesbians will still press for the right to marry in the court of public opinion, not to mention the halls of justice and government. And should the court grant the right, millions of Americans still will refuse to rally to the decision of a court of nine men and women. | 03/28/13 18:31:02 By - By David Lightman

In a Congress split by party, region and culture, gun control prospects appear dim

Despite a strong push for tighter gun restrictions by the White House and others, common ground continues to elude lawmakers, even in the wake of the December massacre at a Connecticut elementary school that left 20 children dead and a nation horrified. | 03/22/13 18:07:49 By - By Curtis Tate and David Lightman

GOP plan includes stalking Democratic candidates for video gaffes

Republicans are touting a 100-page report full of lofty talk about reaching out to minority voters and projecting an air of tolerance. But three paragraphs spell out another way of doing business: Stalking Democrats. | 03/22/13 14:05:37 By - By David Lightman

Congress moves to keep sequester spending cuts – while easing impact on public

Just weeks after Washington nearly went to war over automatic spending cuts, Congress scripted a peaceful ending to the clash Thursday as it backed the reductions while giving government managers flexibility to minimize the impacts on the public by finding the savings elsewhere in their budgets. | 03/21/13 11:06:41 By - By David Lightman and Lindsay Wise

Tea party darling Rand Paul supports immigration overhaul

Tea party hero Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday backed a dramatic overhaul of the nation’s immigration system, a fresh, strong signal that Republicans are coming to accept broad changes – and that Paul wants to widen his appeal. | 03/19/13 16:54:37 By - By David Lightman and Franco Ordonez

Republicans’ self-analysis: The party of ‘stuffy old men’

The Republican Party’s got a big image problem that won’t be easily overcome, as a new GOP study found it’s often viewed as the party of "stuffy old men” with a weak, ineffective message. | 03/18/13 19:53:00 By - By David Lightman

Compromise with Obama isn’t on red-meat CPAC menu

They might talk about it in downtown Washington. But moderation and compromise weren’t up for discussion as conservatives gathered to plot strategy in a suburb down the Potomac River. Higher revenues for the government were anathema at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference at a resort just south of Washington. So were same-sex marriage, abortion, gun control and Democrats. | 03/15/13 17:38:44 By - By David Lightman

Obama’s Capitol Hill charm offensive may not pay off

President Barack Obama’s three days of visits to Capitol Hill produced no serious thaw in the bitter partisan standoff that’s impeded progress on budget and fiscal matters for years. | 03/14/13 19:42:41 By - By David Lightman, Emma Kantrowitz and William Douglas

With Democrats finally submitting budget, it’s game on vs. GOP version

Senate Democrats on Wednesday unveiled their first budget plan in nearly four years, a proposal that sets up a lengthy fight with Republicans over the two parties’ stark differences on taxes, spending and the future of Medicare. | 03/13/13 19:04:41 By - By David Lightman and William Douglas

House GOP proposes plan to balance budget; Democrats balk

Republicans in the House of Representatives on Tuesday proposed a plan to balance the federal budget in 10 years, their opening bid in a clash with President Barack Obama over how best to curb soaring budget deficits and eventually stop the debt from climbing. | 03/12/13 18:58:14 By - By William Douglas and David Lightman

Poll: Americans want background checks for guns, ban on assault weapons

Americans overwhelmingly support tougher background checks for prospective gun owners, and a majority support bans on assault weapons and big ammunition clips, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll. The survey also found that Americans have widely differing views on how to proceed on immigration, another issue that’s high on the Obama administration’s priority list. Guns and immigration are expected to provide some of this year’s most heated congressional debate. | 03/12/13 15:04:02 By - By David Lightman

Obama heads to Capitol Hill, where everything is uphill now

President Barack Obama will try to jump-start budget talks Tuesday as he kicks off a series of extraordinary meetings with congressional lawmakers with a huge obstacle to overcome: Personal relationships in Washington don’t matter as they once did. | 03/11/13 15:36:44 By - By David Lightman

How right is too right for GOP? Virginia is next battleground

The split between hard-right conservative Republicans and mainstream party moderates will be on vivid display in Virginia over the next few months, a struggle that’ll be watched closely as key to the party’s hopes for a national revival. | 03/08/13 15:32:46 By - By David Lightman

What is a CR and what does it do?

It’s become an annual ritual: Congress can’t agree on a budget, so it adopts a “continuing resolution” to keep the government funded. | 03/06/13 17:29:23 By - By David Lightman

House passes bill to keep government open past March 27

The House of Representatives took the first step Wednesday toward keeping the federal government open after March 27, passing a bill to extend spending levels through Sept. 30 and preserving the automatic spending cuts that went into effect Friday. | 03/06/13 16:38:13 By - By David Lightman and William Douglas

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