Democracy | News-Opinion
TOP NEWS: Democracy: October 10th, 2012
Top Five News and Analysis Links (Excerpts Below)
- Voter Registration Gives Democrats Edge in Many Swing States
- Man Held After Grenade Found in Luggage
- Justices Let Telecom Immunity Stand
- Romney’s Sorta-Kinda Call to Arms
- Before Hearings on Libya Attack, Charges of Playing Politics
More top news and analysis:
COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION: 26 DAYS
ELECTIONS 2012: Voter Registration Gives Democrats Edge in Many Swing States - NYT
Democrats had the advantage in nearly every swing state where voter registration is cataloged by political party. But in most states, Republicans are cutting into the Democratic margins that helped sweep Barack Obama into office four years ago.
ELECTIONS 2012: Feathered Protesters – NYT
Members of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund dressed in “Sesame Street” costumes outside a campaign event for Mitt Romney, while a supporter of the Republican candidate walked in front of their protest.
ELECTIONS 2012: Obama, Romney woo Ohio - WP
In key state, GOP nominee campaigns to build momentum while president works to recapture his.
ELECTIONS 2012: As Romney Repeats Trade Message, Bain Maintains China Ties – NYT
Mitt Romney has kept up his criticism of China even as the equity firm he co-founded, Bain Capital, maintains its China-related holdings.
ELECTIONS 2012: From the Magazine: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama Basically Agree on the Economy – NYT, ADAM DAVIDSON
The biggest secret of the election is that the candidates basically agree about the economy.
*MORE ELECTIONs 2012 NEWS AND ANALYSIS BELOW
TERRORISM SCARE: Man Held After Grenade Found in Luggage – WSJ
A man dressed in a bulletproof vest and flame-retardant pants was arrested by federal officials at Los Angeles International Airport after a smoke grenade, gas mask, leg irons and weapons were discovered in his luggage.
TERRORISM SCARE: California Passenger Arrested – NYT
A man was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after a smoke grenade, a gas mask, leg irons, body bags, knives and other weapons were found in luggage.
TERRORISM: Muslim Cleric, Abu Hamza al-Masri, Pleads Not Guilty to Terrorism Charges - NYT
A Manhattan judge set Aug. 26 as the trial date for the fiery Islamic preacher known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was extradited from Britain over the weekend.
SUPREME COURT: Justices Let Telecom Immunity Stand – WSJ
The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a 2008 law that gave legal immunity to telecommunications companies that allegedly helped the National Security Agency with warrantless eavesdropping.
SUPREME COURT: Supreme Court Considers Indefinite Stays of Execution for Mentally Incompetent Inmates – NYT
In two cases argued Tuesday, the justices wrestled with how long was too long to wait over the issue of an inmate’s mental competence.
SUPREME COURT: Eyes on Kennedy in Affirmative-Action Case – WSJ
When the Supreme Court hears arguments in the affirmative-action case Fisher v. University of Texas, much attention will fall on Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom many see as the deciding vote.
SUPREME COURT: The Texas Race Case - WSJ, OPINION
The Supreme Court can undo one of its larger legal mistakes.
SUPREME COURT/MICHIGAN: Michigan Judge Fight – WSJ
In the battle for control of the state Supreme Court, the stakes are particularly high for labor unions.
SUPREME COURT: Supreme Laundry List - WSJ, OPINION
The Justices should hear a misguided class-action case.
FOREIGN POLICY: Romney’s Sorta-Kinda Call to Arms - CNN, PETER BERGEN
On Monday, Mitt Romney delivered what his campaign billed as a major foreign policy address, in which he sought to distinguish himself from the man he called the “lead from behind” president.
FOREIGN POLICY: How the Next President Should Reorient U.S. Policy in the Middle East – BROOKINGS, Q&A
Fellow Shadi Hamid and Campaign 2012 Director Benjamin Wittes discuss what the next president should do to reorient America’s Middle East policy.
FOREIGN POLICY: Romney Channels Obama on Foreign Policy – WP via RCP, EUGENE ROBINSON
Mitt Romney claims to disagree with President Obama on many aspects of foreign policy. We’re still waiting to hear what those differences might be.
FOREIGN POLICY: Wishful thinking – ECONOMIST, LEXINGTON
Mitt Romney often chides Barack Obama for putting his faith in empty oratory. But the Republican nominee’s foreign-policy speech was no more than that.
FOREIGN POLICY: Enough Already – By Aaron David Miller – FP, AARON DAVID MILLER
When it comes to Israel, neither Obama nor Romney is as good or bad as American Jews think.
LIBYA ATTACK: Before Hearings on Libya Attack, Charges of Playing Politics – NYT
Members of the House committee investigating the attacks that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens accused one another of exploiting the violence to score partisan political points.
LIBYA ATTACK/CLINTON: Attack in Libya may mar Clinton legacy – WP
The deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi continues to test her leadership.
VETERAN AFFAIRS: Lawmakers call for removal of VA official over conference spending – WP
In the wake of a damaging report on overspending on conferences, lawmakers seek the firing of VA’s chief of staff.
VETERAN AFFAIRS: The Enemy Within – By Lawrence J. Korb – FP, LAWRENCE J. KORB
Why aren’t we holding the military’s leaders responsible for the suicide epidemic?
VETERAN AFFAIRS/HEALTH: Military Families Balk at Health Fee – WSJ
A provision in the national health-care law that lets young adults stay on their parents’ insurance plan is popular with many families—but not ones in the military.
HEALTH: Meningitis Death Toll Rises to 11 – NYT
Lawmakers Tuesday called for new laws to ensure federal oversight of the type of pharmacy that made the medicine that has so far killed 11 people in a national outbreak of meningitis.
EDUCATION: Pharmaceutical Study Aids – NYT
Some doctors are prescribing stimulants used to treat A.D.H.D. to children who do not have the disorder to help them perform better in school.
EDUCATION: A Liberal Critique of Racial Preferences – WSJ, RICHARD D. KAHLENBERG
Programs to increase diversity in higher education should be based primarily on class.
VOTING: Ohio Official Will Take Early Voting Decision to Supreme Court – NYT
The Ohio secretary of state said Tuesday that he will appeal to the Supreme Court a decision by a federal appeals court last week that allowed expanded early voting in the final three days before the election.
GAY RIGHTS: Frank Schubert and the Fight Against Gay Marriage – NYT
In the roiling state-by-state war, the campaign against same-sex marriage has been masterminded largely by Frank Schubert, a former corporate public relations executive.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: US scientists win chemistry Nobel prize - NYT
American duo’s research into how cells respond to external stimuli is helping to develop drugs to fight diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
WELLS FARGO/REGULATION: U.S. Sues Wells Fargo – WSJ
Wells Fargo was sued by the government, which accused the nation’s biggest mortgage lender of “reckless” lending and leaving a federal insurance program to pick up the tab.
TOYOTA RECALL: Toyota Issues Global Recall – WSJ
Toyota is recalling 7.43 million vehicles globally, including 2.47 million cars and light trucks sold in the U.S., due to a potential fire hazard involving power-window switches.
SANDUSKY: Sandusky Gets at Least 30 Years – WSJ
Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for charges of child sex abuse involving 10 boys over a decade and a half.
FAITH: Study Finds That the Number of Protestant Americans Is Declining – NYT
The study also found that nearly one in five Americans identify as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” a seismic shift from 50 years ago.
POLITICS: Wild About Harry – By Jacob Heilbrunn – FP, JACOB HEILBRUNN
Remember when Republicans loved Harry Truman? Me neither.
MORE ELECTION 2012 NEWS AND ANALYSIS:
ELECTIONS 2012: Polling Passions: How to Deal with Campaign Vertigo – TIME, MICHAEL SCHERER
A first debate disaster for President Obama has eliminated his lead in national polls. Democrats are wringing their hands. Swing state polls show a similar narrowing. Romney is finally hitting his stride after months of a struggles. The suspense builds. So what happens next?
ELECTIONS 2012: Is There Life After Mitt? - NYT, MATT BAI
You might expect soul-searching on the right if Romney loses. Think again.
ELECTIONS 2012: Obama Makes Last-Minute Appeal for Early Voters in Ohio – NYT
President Obama appealed to college students to cast their votes now before a critical deadline passed.
ELECTIONS 2012: Uncertainties in Obama’s North Carolina Black Support – NYT
The strong turnout among black voters for Barack Obama in 2008 helped turn the state blue for the first time in decades.
ELECTIONS 2012: Leading the Federal Election Commission – WP, Q&A
“You can’t just wave your gavel and make things happen.”
ELECTIONS 2012: The balance of the electoral college – FT
Track the candidates’ support in the college, a key feature of the US electoral system which can elect a president who loses the popular vote
DEBATES: Networks Like Split-Screens in Debates, Even if Candidates Don’t – NYT
Campaigns have had limited success trying to control how television networks show their candidates during debates, especially in split-screen and reaction shots.
OBAMA CAMPAIGN: Obama Campaign Tells Supporters: Steady On - NYT
A new ad featuring Big Bird was just one element of a broader effort by President Obama and his team to reassure supporters that his campaign had not lost its intensity or foc
OBAMA CAMPAIGN: In search of the real Barack Obama – FT, GARY SILVERMAN
The president has been where no African-American man has gone before but needs to emerge with heavyweight credentials.
ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: Romney strikes more sombre tone on stump – FT
Storytelling shows Republican nominee’s softer side, apparently part of a broader strategy to chip away at his portrayal as a hard-nosed businessman
ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: Romney Pledges to Keep Tax Deductions for Mortgages – NYT
The Republican nominee also said he had no plans to pursue new laws limiting abortion, as he continued to embrace a more moderate political persona.
ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: A Great Poll for Romney, in Perspective - NYT
Mitt Romney gained further ground in the FiveThirtyEight forecast on Monday, but much of the increase was because of a single poll.
ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: Romney campaign plays down poll lead - FT
Republicans play down sense of optimism and insist that race will be ‘very close’ as candidates for vice-president prepare for their debate
ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: Romney Reveals That He Met Former Navy SEAL Killed in Libya - NYT
Mr. Romney told a story for the first time of having met Glen A. Doherty, who died at the diplomatic compound with the American ambassador to Libya.
PAUL RYAN: Ryan’s Extremism a Problem for Romney – NEW YORKER, JOHN CASSIDY
If Romney was planning all along to pivot to the center come the fall, why on earth did he pick Paul Ryan as his running mate?
The Common Good publishes a U.S. domestic news digest every weekday, available here.
