Democracy | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Democracy: June 5, 2012
Excerpts and more top stories
Wisconsin Recall Could Spell Disaster for President-Doug Schoen, Forbes
Recent polls –showing Governor Scott Walker holding a two to three point lead over Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett- indicate that the Governor will triumph on Tuesday, which would signal a major blow to organized labor and a jolt to Republican governors nationally. It too, however, has the potential to be a pivotal, watershed moment in the 2012 presidential election, setting the pace and determining the direction of the race from now until November that could spell disaster for President Obama.
Political Fight over Student Loans Heats Up- Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh, CNN
The political battle over legislation to reduce the costs of student loans ramped up Thursday. Democrats accused Republicans of walking away from an issue critical to middle-class Americans just as Republicans proposed several specific options to offset the billions of dollars needed to extend lower interest rates for another year.
Trust the People-William Kristol, Weekly Standard
Conservatives shouldn’t count on the Supreme Court to do our work for us on Obamacare. The Court may rule as it should, and strike down the mandate. But it may not. And even if it does, the future of health care in America—and for that matter, the future of limited government—depends ultimately on the verdict of the American people.
Fear factors: What worries Romney backers- Mike Allen, Jim Vandehei, Jake Sherman, Politico
Mitt Romney has done the unthinkable: silenced the legions of conservatives who saw him as too starched, too ideologically wobbly and too Richie Rich to win a few months ago.
Now comes the hard part: getting those same conservatives not to pop off as he moves to confront a half-dozen very Mitt-specific political dangers — the ones top Republican officials say he must navigate to unite the party and attract skeptical conservatives and independents this summer.
In Health Care Reform Debate, White House Looks Beyond Individual Mandate-Sam Stein, Huff Post
Health care reform advocates are growing more confident in the idea that the Affordable Care Act can remain viable even if the Supreme Court strikes down the provision that requires individual citizens to purchase health insurance.
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Clinton Supports Obama at New York Fund-Raisers-Jackie Calmes, NY Times
Days after lauding Mitt Romney for a “sterling business career” as a private investor, former President Bill Clinton said on Monday that as president, Mr. Romney “would be in my opinion calamitous for our country and the world.”
GOP lawmakers rebutting ‘war on women’-Seung Min Kim, Politico
Every time they turn around, Republicans are under attack from Democrats who claim the GOP is anti-women. Among the litany of charges: Republicans are soft on domestic violence, they don’t want women to be paid as much as men and they aren’t willing to allow women to make their own decisions on contraception.
Mitt Romney Campaign Makes Third Spelling Error In A Week- Ethan Klapper, Huff Post
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign has made yet another embarrassing spelling mistake, the third in a week.The latest error could be found on the Republican candidate’s Facebook page. A clickable button leading to the campaign’s store, on the top right of his page, was misspelled “2012 OFFICAL GEAR.” Around 9 p.m. EDT on Monday evening, that misspelling was removed.
GOP attacks celebrity support for Obama-David Nakamura, Washington Post
Obama’s popularity with Hollywood glitterati is again on display as his campaign mobilizes its vast fundraising apparatus to amass cash in a campaign that is shaping up to be the most expensive in U.S. history.
Poll: Mayor’s Soda Ban Tastes Bad for Majority of New Yorkers–Brett Smiley, NY Mag
A NY1-Marist College poll regarding Bloomberg’s soda ban proposal reveals that a majority of New Yorkers — 53 percent — oppose the mayor’s plan to ban soft drinks in containers sixteen ounces or larger atrestaurants, movie theaters, street carts, and sports venues. On the flip side, 42 percent of the 500 adult respondents said the mayor’s plan is a good one. Six percent, perhaps too jacked up on Coca-Cola to formulate a coherent response, are unsure.
