Dukakis, Kerry ... Romney?  —  Remember Michael Dukakis (1988) and John Kerry (2004)?  It's possible to lose a winnable presidential election to a vulnerable incumbent in the White House (or in the case of 1988, a sitting vice president).  So, speaking of losing candidates from Massachusetts …

Obamacare Is A Major Tax Cut For Middle Class Families  —  Following the Supreme Court's Affordable Care Act ruling, Republicans — including Mitt Romney — have vigorously insisted that the Affordable Care Act is a tax on the American people.  But instead of being a tax increase …

Clash breaks out at GOP rally supporting Mitt Romney in Parma  —  PARMA, Ohio — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sent two GOP heavyweights to northern Ohio Thursday to beat President Barack Obama's similar bus tour to the punch.  —  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Minnesota …

Alabama Pastor Holds ‘Whites Only’ Conference  —  All loving Christians are invited to celebrate the word of God at Rev. William Collier's annual conference — that is, as long and they are white.  —  Collier's Alabama town is outraged over the flyer for his pastors' conference, which specifies “All White Christians Invited.”

Morgan Freeman: Obama Isn't America's First Black President  —  President Barack Obama told his compelling life story during the campaign leading up to his election in 2008.  Upon his inauguration, many Americans took pride in their country having elected their first black president …

Office says Rep. Jackson being treated for ‘physical and emotional ailments’ … Staff report  —  A week after U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. announced he was taking a leave of absence, his office released a statement today saying his condition is “more serious than initially believed” and he is being treated in an “in-patient facility.”

What This Higgs Boson Thing Really Means  —  As you may have heard, there is now strong evidence that a particle called the Higgs boson, whose existence has long been predicted on theoretical grounds, actually exists.  —  Let me explain to you what the Higgs boson is.  —  Just kidding!

Why the Soda Ban Won't Work  —  Michael Bloomberg , Childhood Obesity , New York Politics , Bloomberg Soda Ban , Soda Ban , New York News  —  There are few who would criticize Mayor Bloomberg for working towards the goal of a healthier New York.  Unfortunately, there are many who would …

UPDATED: Brad Pitt's Mother DID Write Anti-Gay Letter  —  UPDATE (4:30 PM): The Springfield News-Leader has changed its story again, including deleting the Opinion Page editor's previous comment.  According to a new editorial note posted on the letter:

Rep. Joe Walsh gets into shouting match with CNN host over ‘true hero’ remark  —  Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) refused to apologize again Thursday for his attacks on his Democratic challenger, an Iraq war vet he accused of not being a “true hero.”  —  “I'm not going to back out of anything,” Walsh said to CNN's Ashleigh Banfield.

Allen West Called a “Bought Mother F*cker”  —  After finishing his recitation of the Declaration of Independence during the city of Delray Beach's Independence Day festivities, Congressman Allen West was verbally accosted in front of a small group of constituents and media.

Agents stir outcry by detaining former Arizona Gov. Raul Castro, 96  —  Ex-governor had trace of medical radiation  —  The wife and a friend of former Arizona Gov. Raul Castro are calling for changes in Border Patrol procedures after agents recently detained the frail 96-year-old in 100-degree heat for more than a half-hour.

Americans See More Economic Harm Than Good in Health Law  —  Independents help tilt the balance to the negative  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are more likely to say the 2010 healthcare law upheld by the Supreme Court last week will hurt the national economy (46%) rather than help it (37%) …

Obama: Health care law ‘is here to stay’  —  MAUMEE, Ohio — President Obama said that repealing his signature health care law is not an option.  —  “I'll work with anybody who wants to work with me to continue to improve our health care system and our health care laws …

Innocent woman spends 53 days in jail  —  Fifty-three days.  —  From Aug. 21 until Oct. 12, Teresa Culpepper was locked in the Fulton County Jail.  —  And all that time she insisted she was not the woman police wanted for throwing hot water on Angelo Boyd — a man she had never met, a man who said he had never met her either.

The Most Sensible Tax of All  —  ON Sunday, the best climate policy in the world got even better: British Columbia's carbon tax — a tax on the carbon content of all fossil fuels burned in the province — increased from $25 to $30 per metric ton of carbon dioxide, making it more expensive to pollute.

The Pauls' New Crusade: “Internet Freedom”  —  Defending the Internet — and the corporations that invest in it — from government regulation is the new “End the Fed,” Paul advisors tell BuzzFeed exclusively.  A new Paul manifesto: “This is our revolution.”

HBO Not Proceeding With Fox News' Roger Ailes TV Movie Produced By MSNBC Rivals: “CNN Affiliation” Cited As The Reason  —  EXCLUSIVE UPDATE: I scooped yesterday that HBO had done a secret deal for an Untitled Roger Ailes Project being executive produced by Fox News rivals from MSNBC.

France: Ready to jump ship  —  Growing anxiety at moves to raise taxes on the rich reflects divisions over the Socialists' response to the crisis  —  Roger, a senior expatriate executive working for an international company in Paris, is thinking seriously of taking a walk down David Cameron's “red carpet”.