Democracy | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Democracy: August 30th, 2012
- Ryan Pledges GOP Rebirth
- The Ryan Difference
- Interview: President Obama
- Judge to Toss Florida Voter Registration Changes
- George F. Will: Are voters bluffing?
More top stories and excerpts below:
CONVENTION: Ryan Pledges GOP Rebirth - WSJ Editorial
Rep. Paul Ryan took the national political stage as the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate, giving a speech that laid out one of the GOP’s sharpest cases yet against a second term for President Barack Obama.
CONVENTION: Rousing G.O.P., Ryan Faults ‘Missing’ Leadership – NYT
JIM RUTENBERG: Representative Paul D. Ryan accepted the Republican nomination for vice president as his party embraced the gamble that his principles offer more political payoff than peril.
CONVENTION: Platform’s Sharp Turn to Right Has Conservatives Cheering - NYT
The 1980 Republican platform was considered a triumph for conservatives. But they are even happier this year.
*MORE ON THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION BELOW
ROMNEY-RYAN: The Ryan Difference - WSJ, EDITORIAL
A funny thing didn’t happen on the way to Paul Ryan’s rousing speech Wednesday night accepting the GOP nomination for Vice President. The Republican ticket hasn’t sunk in the polls, Democrats haven’t nationalized the race around Medicare to their advantage, and seniors haven’t fled Mitt Romney in droves.
ROMNEY/FAITH: Mormon Faith to Take the Stage – WSJ
As a presidential candidate Mitt Romney has held his religion close, seldom mentioning his Mormon faith. But on Thursday, his beliefs will be front and center as he accepts the GOP presidential nomination.
RYAN/MEDICARE: Painful, but necessary - The Economist online
ON THE second cay of the Republican convention, Paul Ryan gives a good speech, but is disingenuous when discussing Medicare. Our correspondents give their take
ROMNEY: Defeat, Introspection, Reinvention, Nomination - NYT
For three years after his failed 2008 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney sought to reclaim his public identity with the self-critical eye, marketing savvy and systematic rigor of the corporate consultant that he once was.
ELECTIONS 2012: Interview: President Obama - TIME
Michael Scherer spoke with President Obama aboard Air Force One on Aug. 21 for the new issue of TIME, on Popularity, Partisanship and Getting Things Done in Washington.
GOP DIVERSITY: For GOP, Diversity Now or Obscurity Later – BLOOMBERG, EDITORIAL
The Republican Party desperately needs racial diversity. “Instead, it has been working overtime to alienate nonwhite voters with harsh anti-immigrant legislation in Arizona, Alabama and other states, and with political gambits (mostly combating the nonexistent threat of voter fraud) to restrict voting access to suppress minority votes.”
MITT ROMNEY: Advice for Mitt, from GOP politicians - WP
Top politicians offer their views on how Mitt Romney should conduct the general election campaign.
CANDIDATE POLICY:Precise Foreign Policy Intentions Can Be Tough to Gauge - NYT
In foreign policy, the relationship between what candidates say on the trail and what they do once elected can be tenuous.
ELECTIONS 2012: Results of Primary Elections Feed Arizona Democrats’ Hope – NYT
Results gave Democrats a shot at recapturing the majority in the state’s congressional delegation.
VOTER RIGHTS: Judge to Toss Out Changes in Florida Voter Registration – NYT
A federal judge said he planned to block provisions that made it tougher for groups to register voters in the state.
VOTER RIGHTS: ‘Discriminatory Purpose’ in Texas - NYT, EDITORIAL
In a victory for minority voters, a federal district court rejected the Republican-controlled Legislature’s plans for voting districts.
VOTER RIGHTS: ‘The Right to Vote’ – NYT, OP-ED
MO ROCCA: Guess what the nation’s founders forgot to write into the Constitution — the right to vote.
VOTERS: Are voters bluffing? - WP, OPINION, George F. Will
Do Americans want big government’s favors or not? Twice as many Americans identify themselves as conservative as opposed to liberal. On Nov. 6 we will know if they mean it.
VOTERS: Who Are Hispanic Americans, and How Will They Vote? – FOREIGN AFFAIRS
RAY SUAREZ: How many Latino voters are there? What do they care about? Are they conservative or liberal? Republicans or Democrats? Will Candidate X figure out how to appeal to them? Will they vote in November? If they overperform in the census but underperform at the polls, does it matter that Latino populations seem to be growing quickly in hotly contested swing states?
BIN LADEN BOOK: Book on Bin Laden Killing Contradicts U.S. Account - NYT
A new firsthand account of the Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden raises questions about whether the leader of Al Qaeda posed a clear threat to the commandos who fired on him.
STORM: Hurricane Isaac’s Deluge Rolls Wide - WSJ
Isaac dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of the Gulf Coast, leaving some residents stranded and hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
STORM: Biloxi Surprised by Isaac’s Rain - NYT
What this hurricane lacked in wind, it made up for with more water than expected, especially along the 26 miles of Gulf Coast beaches along Mississippi’s southern edge.
ENTITLEMENTS: INTERACTIVE MAP: The Geography of Government Benefits – NYT
See the share of Americans’ income that comes from government benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, veterans’ benefits and food stamps.
AKIN/RAPE: The Legitimate Children of Rape – NEW YORKER, OPINION
Andrew Solomon: Women raising children conceived in rape face realities that Todd Akin hasn’t come close to recognizing.
CHEMICAL SAFETY: The Chemical Threat to America - NYT, OPINION
With an executive order from the president, the Environmental Protection Agency could take action right now to address the grave risk of vulnerable chemical plants.
HEALTH: West Nile Deaths Rise, but Isaac Seen as Unlikely to Add to Peril - NYT
As of Tuesday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received reports of 1,590 cases of the virus nationwide, including 66 deaths.
HEALTH: Scientists question longevity benefits of low-calorie diets – WP
In a long-awaited study, underfed monkeys didn’t have longer lifespans, raising doubts that severe calorie restriction could result in extended lives.
More Republican Convention stories and excerpts below:
ROMNEY-RYAN: Ryan to hail Romney as ‘man for the job’ - FT
Paul Ryan was set to issue a stark warning on the future of the US in his first big address as the vice-presidential nominee of the Republican party
RNC SPEAKERS: Ryan, Rice wake slumbering convention - POLITICO
Jonathan Martin: Filled with pride over Rice and buoyed by the promise of Ryan, GOP delegates left the hall here unmistakably more energized.
PAUL RYAN SPEECH: We Want This Debate. We Will Win This Debate - RCP, PAUL RYAN
Paul Ryan today delivered remarks to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. The following remarks were prepared for delivery:
GOP CULTURE: ‘Cultural War’ of 1992 Moves In From the Fringe - NYT
Twenty years after Patrick J. Buchanan spoke at the Republican convention of a “cultural war,” his views are more common than controversial.
PAUL RYAN: The Vacuum Behind the Slogans - NYT, EDITORIAL
Representative Paul Ryan promised to lead, but he has routinely ducked the tough issues and blamed others.
PAUL RYAN: Ryan promises GOP ‘won’t duck the tough issues’ - WP
Karen Tumulty: Vice presidential nominee rouses the crowd on second day of convention with a call for an American ‘turnaround.
RON PAUL: Paul Supporters’ Protest Signals Deeper Division - NYT
Backers of Representative Ron Paul protested what they said were moves by the Republican leadership to squelch their movement’s rise.
ENDORSEMENTS: Do Endorsements Matter? - WSJ, OPINION
David Feith: The Republican convention is generally succeeding at being a GOP lovefest, but several of Tuesday’s prime time speakers weren’t always in Mitt Romney’s corner.
SPEECHES: Key Speeches From the Republican National Convention - NYT, VIDEO
An interactive look at the most talked-about speeches from the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
The Common Good publishes a U.S. domestic news digest every weekday, available here.
