Democracy | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Democracy: June 1, 2012
Excerpts and more top stories
The Austerity Agenda - Paul Krugman, NY Times, Op-Ed
Even if you have a long-run deficit problem — and who doesn’t? — slashing spending while the economy is deeply depressed is a self-defeating strategy, because it just deepens the depression.
Obama Team Shifts From Bain to Romney as Governor - Erin McPike, Real Clear Politics
The Obama campaign has shifted away from Bain. Now they’re shining a light on Romney’s four years as governor — after telegraphing that they would do so — to focus the race more as a choice between the two candidates rather than as a referendum on the president.
Is Blunt But Colorful Christie a VP Match for Romney? - Scott Conroy, Real Clear Politics
Though Christie has taken full advantage of his confrontational and irreverent style to amass considerable star power among conservatives nationwide, advisers note that his success in the Garden State is based far more on substance than sizzle.
House Rejects Bill to Ban Sex-Selective Abortions - Jennifer Steinhauer, NY Times
The House on Thursday rejected a measure that sought to impose fines and prison terms on doctors who perform abortions on women who are trying to select the gender of their offspring — a practice known as sex-selective abortion.
Obama Tells Donors Health-Care Fight May Loom After Court Rules - Hans Nichol, Bloomberg Business Week
President Barack Obama is confiding to Democratic donors that he may have to revisit the health-care issue in a second term, a position at odds with his publicly expressed confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the Affordable Care Act, according to three Democratic activists.
===More News===
Appeals Court Turns Back Marriage Act as Unfair to Gays - Katharine Q. Seelye and Ethan Bronner, NY Times
A federal appeals court ruled unanimously Thursday that the federal law declaring marriage to be a union solely between a man and a woman discriminates against married same-sex couples by denying them the same benefits afforded to heterosexual couples — a ruling that could set the stage for the Supreme Court to review the issue as early as next year.
The Wrong Résumé - Timothy Egan, NY Times, Op-Ed
Romney has made business experience the main reason to elect him. Without his business past or his projections of business future, there is no there there. But history shows that time in the money trade is more often than not a prelude to a disastrous presidency. The less experience in business, the better the president.
John Edwards trial jurors: Panel majority wanted to acquit - Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post
The jury deadlocked on five counts and reached a not guilty verdict on one count related to $200,000 in payments made by Mellon that were deposited after Edwards dropped out of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Many states key to November’s election are doing better - The Economist
With the economy at the top of voters’ concerns, how the recovery is seen to be faring in [swing] states could have an outsize influence on the result
Judge Blocks Florida’s Voter Drive Rules – Lizette Alvarez, NY Times
A federal judge on Thursday ordered Florida to stop enforcing several “onerous” requirements on voter registration groups that were part of a law passed last year in an effort to tighten election rules.
Mitt Romney Wins Over The Right By Confronting Obama - McKay Coppins, Buzz Feed
Behind his confrontational strategy: A bet that the base cares more about grit than policy, and doesn’t want him to apologize for Donald Trump. “This is right out of Breitbart’s playbook,” says Thor.
Unlike Obama, Scott Walker delivers – Sen. Ron Johnson, Politico, Op-Ed
Wisconsin has for months been dealing with fugitive legislators, ugly protests, legal challenges and a series of recall contests allegedly aimed at overturning Gov. Scott Walker’s legislative agenda. [...] The simple facts are the governor’s reforms have worked, and Wisconsin is open for business.
