Democracy | News-Opinion

TOP NEWS: Democracy: August 31st, 2012

• Romney Promises to ‘Restore’ U.S.
• Emotional Ties to Obama May be Central to the Election
• Paul Krugman: The Medicare Killers
• Unleashing the Campaign Contributions of Corporations
• Efforts to Relieve Dam Continue in Mississippi

RNC/ROMNEY SPEECH: Romney Promises to ‘Restore’ U.S. - WSJ
Mitt Romney accepted the Republican nomination for president and took aim at Barack Obama as a failed steward of the nation’s economy.

ROMNEY SPEECH: A Smooth, Personal, Thematic Speech - NYT, OPINION
ADAM NAGOURNEY: Mitt Romney’s speech was the performance of someone who may not be a natural at politics, but had spent time practicing for an appearance before the biggest audience of his life.

GOP/WOMEN: Republican Women Seek to Play Down Social Issues
Women at the Convention expressed the feeling that the emphasis needs to be on the economy, and that issues like abortion are too divisive in a close, contentious race.

PACS: At Convention, Lines Blur for Party and ‘Super PACs’
NICHOLAS CONFESSORE: Over four days, the official and unofficial sides have all but merged into a unified conservative machine, mixing establishment and grass roots.
*MORE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION NEWS AND ANALYSIS BELOW

ELECTIONS 2012: Emotional Ties to Obama May be Central to the Election – NYT, OPINION
JIM RUTENBERG: The challenge for Mitt Romney may be that even Americans who are unhappy with President Obama remain personally attached to him.

ROMNEY: The Romney Opportunity – WSJ, OPINION
The times fit the man, if the politician can meet the moment.

GOP/BUSINESS: David Brooks: Party of Strivers – NYT, OPINION
The Republican Party unabashedly celebrates individual responsibility en route to material success, but our destinies are shaped by other forces.

GOP DIVERSITY: G.O.P. Balances Ticket With a Picture of Diversity – NYT,
Republican pollsters and strategists have been warning for years that a diversifying population could doom a party that cannot attract minority voters.

SWING STATES: Race Moves to Battleground States – WSJ
Romney and Ryan, as well as the Obama campaign, will focus on a handful of states that will decide the election.

SENATE RACES: GOP’s path to Senate control narrows – POLITICO
August’s Senate Monthly 10 also shows tightening contests in Ohio and Florida.
*MORE ELECTIONS 2012 NEWS AND ANALYSIS BELOW

MEDICARE/RYAN: Paul Krugman: The Medicare Killers – NYT, OPINION
Paul Ryan’s big lie in his convention speech was his claim that a Romney-Ryan administration would protect and strengthen Medicare.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Unleashing the Campaign Contributions of Corporations – NYT, OP-ED
EDUARDO PORTER: The Supreme Court has removed most limits to corporate political donations, but researchers have found that such money has not had much influence in past elections.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Cleta Mitchell: Campaign-Finance Reform and Its Casualties- WSJ, OP-ED
The McCain-Feingold law drives political money away from parties and into independent coffers.

STORM: Efforts to Relieve Dam Continue in Mississippi
If the Percy Quin Dam on Lake Tangipahoa fails, thousands of homes in southeastern Louisiana would be threatened.

STORM: Isaac Weakens, Leaving Behind Flooding in New Orleans - NYT
The storm’s once fierce winds slowed to 40 miles an hour on Thursday as it moved out of southern Louisiana and headed north, continuing to bring heavy rains and flooding.

STORM: Low-Profile Victims Hard-Hit on Gulf Coast - NYT
In Mississippi, where Isaac killed a man trying to help a stranded driver, people are used to being overlooked during disasters.

VOTER RIGHTS: Court Blocks Texas Voter ID Law, Citing Racial Impact - NYT
CHARLIE SAVAGE, MANNY FERNANDEZ: A federal court on Thursday stopped Texas from enforcing a strict voter identification law, handing the state its second legal setback this week involving minority voters.

VOTER RIGHTS: Justice for Voters in Texas and Florida – NYT, EDITORIAL
Federal courts are deciding that state laws that suppress minority votes cannot be allowed to stand.

EDUCATION: Is Teach for America Working? – NYT, ROOM FOR DEBATE
Has bringing in smart, young college graduates improved the education that American children are receiving?

EDUCATION: Harvard Says 125 Students May Have Cheated on a Final Exam - NYT
A review conducted by the university showed that nearly half of the students in an undergraduate class may have collaborated on a take-home test in the spring.

CIA: No Charges Filed on Harsh Tactics Used by the C.I.A. – NYT
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.’s announcement on Thursday eliminates the last possibility that any criminal charges will result from brutal interrogations carried out by the C.I.A.

BIN LADEN BOOK: Author of book on bin Laden raid could face legal action  - WP
In a letter, Jeh C. Johnson, the Defense Department’s legal counsel, reprimanded the author for writing the book without first clearing it with the military.

IMMIGRATION: Deportation Nation – NYT OP-ED
DANIEL KANSTROOM: Since 1996, the United States has developed a huge, costly, harsh and often arbitrary system of expulsion.

WEST NILE: West Nile fatality reported in Md.; state’s first death this year  - WP
There have been 13 human cases of West Nile in Maryland since July 1, two were in the capital area.

MILITARY TRIAL: Three Georgia Soldiers Face Death Penalty in Killings - NYT
The soldiers are accused of killing a former soldier and his girlfriend, and of plotting to overthrow Fort Stewart, home of the Army’s Third Infantry Division.

AURORA SHOOTING: Psychiatrist Questioned in Colorado Shootings - NYT
Lawyers argued in court over whether prosecutors should have access to a notebook that Mr. Holmes sent to his psychiatrist on the evening of the killings.

AMISH TRIAL: Witness Describes Domination of Amish Leader - NYT
A family member testified that Samuel Mullet Sr. repeatedly demanded sex from her. Mr. Mullet is one of 16 charged in a series of assaults in which the beards and hair of men and women were cut.

ROMNEY SPEECH: Romney Vows a Way Out of Travails - NYT
JEFF ZELENY: Mitt Romney asked voters to consider whether their lives had improved over the last four years.

ROMNEY SPEECH: At the RNC, Mitt Romney Opens Up, but Not Completely - TIME
MICHAEL CROWLEY: Accepting the Republican nomination for president, Romney delivered what was probably the best, most effective and most revealing speech of his life. But it wasn’t the command performance that might

ROMNEY SPEECH: Editorial: Mr. Romney Reinvents History - NYT, EDITORIAL
The Republican Party’s substance-starved convention pays little attention to foreign affairs.

CONVENTION LESSONS: RNC 2012: 8 takeaways - POLITICO, OP-ED
Maggie Haberman: The GOP is feeling a sense of comfort that their future can rest in the hands of its new stars.

MARCO RUBIO: Spotlighting Romney, Rubio Showcases His Own Star Power - RCP, OPINION
Caitlin Huey-Burns:  On the final night of their nominating convention, the Republicans sent to the podium a man considered their most valuable and talented speaker.That man was the one who introduced Romney to America’s voters.

CONVENTION SUCCESS: Republican convention hard act for Democrats to follow
STEVE HUNTLEY: Republicans in their national convention in Tampa set a pretty high bar for the Democrats for their gathering in Charlotte next week.

CONVENTION SUCCESS: Did GOP convention deliver? - WP
Karen Tumulty: Many question whether political conventions have outlived their usefulness, but Republicans still thought they got a boost for their party vision and its standard-bearer, Mitt Romney.

RYAN SPEECH: Paul Ryan’s Winning, Worrying Speech - BLOOMBERG, OPINION
Ramesh Ponnuru and Margaret Carlson: Another in a series of reports from Ramesh Ponnuru and Margaret Carlson from the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.

ROMNEY/STORM: Romney headed to New Orleans to tour storm damage - WP
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is flying to the New Orleans area on Friday to tour storm damage from Hurricane Isaac and meet with state and local officials, campaign officials confirmed.

ROMNEY/BAIN: Greed and Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital - ROLLING STONE
MATT TAIBBI: How the GOP presidential candidate and his private equity firm staged an epic wealth grab, destroyed jobs – and stuck others with the bill

GOP/ABORTION: Republicans and Abortion: A Brief History - BLOOMBERG, OP-ED
Michael Kinsley: “The question of abortion is one of the most difficult and controversial of our time.” That sweet reason is from the 1976 Republican platform, three years after Roe v. Wade, which ruled that a woman’s right to abortion is protected by the Constitution…

REAGAN/ROMNEY: George Gilder: The Real Reagan Lesson for Romney-Ryan - WSJ, OP-ED
Follow Peter Drucker’s advice: Don’t solve problems, pursue opportunities. Like unlocking America’s entrepreneurial value.

GOP/SMALL BUSINESS: Made in the U.S.A. - NYT OP-ED
ROGER COHEN: All by myself I have built the perfect column for the second American century.

OBAMA RECORD: President Obama, Four more years?  - ECONOMIST
A president who has had a patchy first term now needs to make a convincing case for a second one.

ELECTIONS 2012/ADVERTISING: The Attack Ad, Pompeii-Style - NYT
PHILIP FREEMAN: Politics could be a dirty business, even in seaside Pompeii.

---

The Common Good publishes a U.S. domestic news digest every weekday, available here.