Top Items:
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Team Obama breaks precedent to try to spoil Romney's convention — Bucking protocol, President Obama and the Democrats are planning a full-scale assault on Republicans next week during their convention. — Bucking protocol, President Obama and the Democrats are planning a full-scale assault …
Discussion:
CNN, National Review, Taylor Marsh, Jammie Wearing Fools and Pirate's Cove
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Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The Morning Plum: The Obama campaign's theory of the presidential race — Should President Obama be trying to persuade voters that the economy is recovering? — Some Democratic strategists think that could jar against public perceptions that things aren't really getting better.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect, The Maddow Blog, Brad DeLong, The Fix and Prairie Weather
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Are the Democrats Delusional On Abortion? — The Democrats apparently think they have hit the jackpot with Todd Akin's moment of stupidity, but I'm not so sure. How, exactly, are they going to take advantage of Akin's blunder? By talking ceaselessly about abortion.
Bill Clinton / CNN:
TRENDING: Clinton stars in new Obama ad — (CNN) - Former President Bill Clinton takes center stage in a new ad released by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign on Thursday. — The former president, who's been a top surrogate for Obama this year, largely praises Obama in the spot …
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Politico, Taylor Marsh, ABCNEWS, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider and www2.timesdispatch.com
Kate Nocera / Politico:
Todd Akin in Tampa with top social conservatives
Discussion:
afa.net, Ann Coulter, Ballot Box, rightwingwatch.org, Midwest Democracy, Hot Air, Election 2012 and The Hill
Katie Glueck / Politico:
RNC: We have plan for Isaac
Discussion:
Religion Dispatches, Riptide 2.0, Fausta's Blog and Towleroad News #gay
Deroy Murdock / National Review:
Akin: Face the Wrath of the GOP Convention
Discussion:
Stinque, Mediaite, Conservatives4Palin and The New Civil Rights Movement
CNN:
Agencies warn of possible anarchist activity at conventions
Discussion:
Tampa Bay news …, Politico, The Daily Caller, Business Insider and The Buzz Florida Politics Feed
Rasmussen Reports:
Missouri Senate: McCaskill (D) 48%, Akin (R) 38% — What a difference one TV interview can make. Embattled Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill has now jumped to a 10-point lead over her Republican challenger, Congressman Todd Akin, in Missouri's U.S. Senate race.
Discussion:
Politico, The Caucus, Power Line, The Daily, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Politicker, The Daily Caller, Taylor Marsh, Hot Air, Ballot Box, Outside the Beltway, Business Insider, Riehl World News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Conservatives4Palin, The Fix, Guardian, The Hinterland Gazette, American Spectator, The New Civil Rights Movement, National Review and Hotline On Call
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Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:
Akin mess could be watershed moment for conservative movement … Missouri Rep. Todd Akin's insensitive and ignorant comments about rape and pregnancy could cost Republicans a majority in the Senate. But in time, the episode may be remembered as an important development for the conservative movement.
Discussion:
Power Line and A plain blog about politics
New York Times:
Polls Say Medicare Is Key Issue in 3 Swing States — The Romney-Ryan proposal to reshape Medicare by giving future beneficiaries fixed amounts of money to buy health coverage is deeply unpopular in Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to new polls that found that more likely voters …
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Quinnipiac University:
Ryan Micro-Bump In Florida, Wisconsin, But Not Ohio, Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll Finds — FLORIDA: Obama 49 - Romney 46, compared to Obama 51 - 45 percent August 1 — OHIO: Obama 50 - Romney 44, unchanged from August 1 — WISCONSIN: Obama 49 - Romney 47, compared to Obama 51 - 45 August 8
Colby Itkowitz / Morning Call:
Morning Call/Muhlenberg Poll: Paul Ryan doesn't move race in Pennsylvania — The first poll of Pennsylvania voters since Mitt Romney made Paul Ryan his running mate found the pick did nothing to move the race. — President Barack Obama maintains his lead in the lean-blue state …
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's … and Election 2012
CNN:
Romney, Obama tied up in three swing states
Discussion:
ABCNEWS and The Caucus, more at Mediagazer »
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:
Michelle Obama: ‘Get to the Polls on November the 2’ — Michelle Obama, speaking yesterday at a campaign event in Florida: … The presidential election this year is November 6.
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller and Daily Pundit
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Obama: Team Romney coming on strong, playing dirty, time to ‘put them away’ — President Obama joined a group of former NBA stars at a fundraiser at New York's Lincoln Center Wednesday night. With Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and other basketball legends sitting nearby …
Discussion:
CatholicVote.org and The Lonely Conservative
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Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
President Obama: Todd Akin ‘Somehow Missed Science Class’
Discussion:
Taegan Goddard's …, The Raw Story, Politicker, Election 2012, Outside the Beltway and Right Wing News
Pew Social & Demographic Trends:
The Lost Decade of the Middle Class — Fewer, Poorer, Gloomier — CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW — As the 2012 presidential candidates prepare their closing arguments to America's middle class, they are courting a group that has endured a lost decade for economic well-being.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, American Prospect, The Agonist, BBC, Connecting.the.Dots, The Demos Blog, Real Time Economics, Business Insider, Newsy and Economix
Stephen Braun / Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Energy loan watchdog an Obama donor — WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran Wall Street executive who performed an independent review that exonerated the Obama administration's program of loans to energy companies contributed $52,500 to re-elect President Barack Obama in the months since completing …
Discussion:
protein wisdom, Hot Air and americanthinker.com
Ta-Nehisi Coates / The Atlantic Online:
Fear of a Black President — As a candidate, Barack Obama said we needed to reckon with race and with America's original sin, slavery. But as our first black president, he has avoided mention of race almost entirely. In having to be “twice as good” and “half as black,” …
WMUR:
Sheriff candidate says he wouldn't reject deadly force to stop abortions — Candidate says he believes elective, late-term abortions aren't lawful — Candidate's abortion comments draw criticism — A Republican candidate for Hillsborough County Sheriff said Wednesday …
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Ryan O'Connor / bedford-nh.patch.com:
Szabo Compares Abortions to Slavery, Condones Use of Deadly Force
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Talking Points Memo and The Hinterland Gazette
Matt Higgins / CBS St. Louis:
Cops: Lesbian Fakes Attack In Which She Carved Anti-Gay Slurs Into Skin — LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former University of Nebraska women's basketball star faked an attack in which she allegedly carved anti-gay slurs into her skin because she felt it would spark change, police said Tuesday.
Discussion:
JONATHAN TURLEY
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Christina Ng / ABCNEWS:
Police Accuse Nebraska Woman of Faking Anti-Gay Hate Crime
Discussion:
The Other McCain and Riehl World News
Mark Oppenheimer / New York Times:
Dan Savage and Brian Brown Debate Gay Marriage Over the Dinner Table — THE ancient Greek symposium, which combined drinking with elevated discussion, was often held in a private house; at Parisian salons, conversation frequently took place in the bedroom. Once upon a time …
Justin Fishel / Fox News:
EXCLUSIVE: Bin Laden raid tell-all author revealed, questions raised whether ex-Navy SEALs have freedom of speech — The author of a recently announced insider account of the raid that killed Usama bin Laden has been identified to Fox News as a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL Team 6 member …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Guardian and Business Insider
myFOXlubbock.com:
Lubbock Co. Judge warns of potential danger if Obama is re-elected — Lubbock County Judge Tom Head and Commissioner Mark Heinrich went into great detail Monday night on FOX 34 News @ Nine about why it is necessary to raise the tax rate by 1.7 cents the next fiscal year.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, US Politics, The Raw Story, ThinkProgress, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Zandar Versus The Stupid, theGrio, Balloon Juice, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Booman Tribune, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite, Wonkette, Stinque, Business Insider, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Maddow Blog and Applesauce
Journalism.org:
THE MASTER CHARACTER NARRATIVES IN CAMPAIGN 2012 — PRESS COVERAGE OF THE CHARACTER OF THE CANDIDATES IS HIGHLY NEGATIVE, AND NEITHER OBAMA NOR ROMNEY HAS AN EDGE — On the eve of the conventions, the portrayal in the news media of the character and records of the two presidential contenders …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, Election 2012, The Daily Beast and Poynter, more at Mediagazer »
Mitt Romney for President of the United States …:
MITT ROMNEY SETS GOAL OF NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE BY 2020 — A crucial component of Mitt Romney's Plan for a Stronger Middle Class is a comprehensive energy strategy to achieve North American energy independence by 2020 and establish America as an energy superpower in the 21st century.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Firedoglake, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Right Wing News, First Read and Election 2012
MiamiHerald.com:
FBI, Miami-Dade police target Democratic primary candidate with possible ties to Congressman David Rivera — Federal agents are investigating the finances of a little known candidate and potential connections to U.S. Rep. David Rivera. — MCAPUTO@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Maddow Blog and Riptide 2.0
Doug Stanglin / USA Today:
Minn. Democrat drops re-election bid over sex with teen boy — A Minnesota Democrat who had sex with a 17-year-old boy at an I-35 rest stop says he is dropping his re-election bid, just hours after he said he would stay in the race, according to news reports.
Discussion:
The Other McCain, Doug Ross, JONATHAN TURLEY and Nice Deb
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Ties to Obama Aided in Access for Big Utility — WASHINGTON — Early in the Obama administration, a lobbyist for the Illinois-based energy producer Exelon Corporation proudly called it “the president's utility.” And it was not just because it delivers power to Barack Obama's Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago.
Discussion:
American Power, The Jawa Report and Washington Free Beacon
Bill McMorris / Washington Free Beacon:
The VA Dems Against Mandatory Rape Sentences — Several Obama surrogates in Virginia opposed a popular law that ensures lengthy prison sentences for child rapists. — In March, the Virginia state legislature overwhelmingly passed a law that imposed automatic life sentences for any adult convicted …
Discussion:
Jammie Wearing Fools and Moe Lane
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