Republicans for Obama? Call Them Obamicans

Sen. Barack Obama may be the first possible presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan  to really have crossover appeal--to the other party.  "Obama would appeal much more to Republican voters," Susan Eisenhower, a life-long Republican and granddaughter of the former president, told the New York Times. "Not all Republican voters, but certainly those who might be somewhat in play." Eisenhower's sentiments represent a growing popularity among some GOP voters that the more polarizing Sen. Hillary Clinton can not claim. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, Obama has the highest approval rating of any major candidate among independents at 62 percent.  Obama the Rock Star--Can Hillary Compete?

Latinos May Decide the Democratic Candidate

As the no-end-in-sight battle for the Democratic nomination continues, Latino voters will increasingly be the primary focus for both candidates. "Hispanics have arrived as a major force. This is now a permanent condition of American politics in the 21st century," Simon Rosenburg, president of the New Democrat Network, which studies Latino voting, told USAToday.  With the Latino population in America on the rise, both Democratic presidential candidates are ramping up their efforts to court the Latino vote. Sen. Barack Obama won 26 percent of the Latino vote in Nevada caucuses compared with 64 percent for Sen. Hillary Clinton and his share of the vote from this group is increasing. One word of caution from Rosenburg and others -- do not lump all Latinos together; this is a group of people with very diverse interests and voting tendencies.

Pharmaceutical Company Sued for Discrimination

A jury of five women and three men, one of whom is Black, will decide if Wyeth Pharmaceuticals denied promotions to former chemist and production engineer Howard Henry, along with six other current and former employees, because they are Black, reports The Journal News.  Henry, who left the company in 2005, alleges the company denied him a promotion and used strategic tactics to tarnish his reputation with the company by placing him on an "unnecessary" performance-improvement plan.  The discrimination trial is expected to last about two weeks. Who Is Being Sued? The Latest EEOC Discrimination Lawsuits

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